Will did as he was told and ducked as a bullet ripped over his head. He slammed his eyes shut and brought his hands over his face as he hit the ground, surprised to find himself alive.

Helen's shot hit the stone wall in a shower of sparks, missing the camouflaged creature by inches. She swore as the bullet made a return trip, flying past her right ear before she could tilt her head away and then continued on to embed itself in a pottery urn behind.

The room moved at once.

"Get up!" she yelled at Will, as every surface shifted.

Will uncovered his eyes and saw a clawed hand skim over his skin before disappearing into the sand with a rush of air. He yelped and fumbled for the gun he'd dropped, picking it up backwards.

"Arse off the ground right now," Helen screamed, as a blur of movement headed in Will's direction. He rolled when Helen took a shot at the ground, both of them shielding themselves as it bounced off the floor and headed toward the roof.

Ashley condensed herself into a tight ball as the stray bullet made a close pass. That horrible sound had returned to the room, the one that sounded like sandpaper on wood. They were all moving now, more than before. She had listened to the creatures slip into the room for hours in the darkness as she hung on the rope, hovering out of their reach. The 'People of the Sand' the books had called them, but these were neither people nor sand. They were far more dangerous.

"Heads up mum!" Ashley called, as one of the sand people launched themselves from a nearby pillar.

You could see them better in the air.

Slender arms which ended in four clawed fingers, stretched in expectation of Helen's person. Their skin was sleek and beautiful, rippling through colours during flight. The contours of their body suggested a muscular physique – supple like a feline but human enough that Helen could make out a wicked smile, spreading as their eyes opened.

They were blue – an icy contrast with the sand. Both were trained on her as their limbs closed in and the claws fanned out in a pre-grab motion.

The creature reached her before she could move, dragging her across the floor and down a step with the impact.

Will did a double take as Helen was wiped from view. On the step beside him, a figure sat up calmly and grinned. It had been there all along and now it was ready to play. Will heard it tap its claws and fold its knees in preparation for an attack. Without thinking, he pulled the trigger at point blank range, not bothering to aim. The creature snarled as its arm went limp. A steady trail of dark blood ruined its perfect camouflage.

This upset the others. Breaking their silence, they all stepped forward, crouching or crawling.

Helen used her feet to keep the creature at bay. It was held back by her legs, forcing itself towards her. Its long arms swiped, falling just short of her face but were getting closer with each pass as it used its weight to weaken her. Her instinct was to bring her gun around and shoot, but her weapon had been lost during the collision and all she had nearby was her five inch knife.

Turning her head to the side to avoid the creature's attacks, she stretched her arm and groped for the knife.

"Damn," Ashley whispered, as she tried to make it to her weapon. Her shoulder melted into pain as she unclipped the strap holding her gun in place.

Knife firmly in her fingers, Helen brought it toward the creature's face. "Last chance," she said, wondering if it could understand her.

It understood the serrated edge along the blade and the way that it caught the firelight.

Struggling for control, Helen called out to her daughter, "What do you want to do with them?"

Ashley, gun free and loaded, picked a target. "Tag and bag," she called back. "That's why we're here."

"I guess we're taking you with us," she goaded the creature currently trying to detach her face.

"Take them where?" Will gasped, backing away from his injured creature which continued to crawl toward him. It was taking its time, something that bothered Will greatly.

"Take them home," replied Helen, gathering her strength.

Will shook his head. The room was full of them, most still watching the proceedings curiously as one might watch a fight. He had no doubt that they would join in when the temptation became too great. "Uh un... count me out of that one. You take this," he pointed at the wild-eyed chameleon, "home then you can leave me here."

The floor was covered in a constant layer of airborne sand as things raced across out of sight. Helen, mouth full of sand and eyes stinging, gathered her strength.

"Get. Off. Of. Me!" she huffed, bringing her knees to her chest before jettisoning the creature off across the room.

It squealed, shocked at the sudden action. Before hitting the pillar behind, it managed to twist its body in the air and land, clutched around the curved surface. With a wide-eyed glare, it quickly mimicked the pillar behind, barely visible as it scrambled up toward the roof.

A few others cried out, including the one closing in on Will. He brought the gun back up, aiming it at the creature's head.

"Don't kill it!" said Helen, getting to her feet. "We need one alive."

"Does it have to be this one?" he replied, trying to ignore the cold eyes staring back at him. His question was answered when the creature slumped to the floor in a pile following a loud crack. Ashley nodded from her lofty position.

"Sorry, but that one was about to rip your throat open."

"Ashley," scorned Helen, "shoot to wound."

"To hell with that!" Will leapt to his feet, seeing at least four more advance upon his position. He turned his head to the side and gripped the weapon with both hands. The trigger gave way beneath his fingers and suddenly he was spraying the room with bullets.

"No!" Helen went to ground, unable to do anything but hope.

The creatures darted, scattering away from the initial line of fire. Will realised his mistake too late as five rounds took on trajectories of their own. The first clipped his arm and he yelled out in shock. A creature on the wall fell to the ground, writhing in pain and a final shot found the nylon rope securing Ashley to the ceiling.

Her first thought was that it had missed. As Ashley continued to swing, the rope appeared unharmed. It wasn't until the first strand snapped that she realised that she was in trouble. Even if she survived the fall to the tomb floor, her injuries would be serious.

Enraged, a creature behind Will hit him on the back, tearing strips from the back of his jacket along with several layers of his skin. Helen rolled onto her back, sore and winded. She saw Ashley swinging high above and the rope holding her there, unfurling strand by strand.