Chapter 2

Philippa's screams went on for hours. When The Demon finally opened the cell door and threw her inside, she looked worse than Atem, she looked as if she had received worse than what Atem had over the last week put together, her skin had turned an unnatural pale white and she was covered in blood. "You bastard of a demon!" Atem said. The Demon had red blood all around his mouth, he chuckled, locked the door, and walked away. Atem turned Philippa over as gently as he could and cradled her in his arms. She had already passed out, her breathing was uneven and heavy. She was cover in wounds, with a large one that stretched across her collarbone and shoulder, which looked like a deep bite wound. She looked as if she had a few broken bones too. She winced in pain when Atem moved his hand to her stomach. He moved her ragged shirt, and saw the deep scratch across her front. "What has he done to you?" Atem whispered. The jug of water at the side was half empty. Atem tried to be sparing with it, as he did his best to treat her. This was the first time he noticed how thin she was. Atem knew that Philippa had been here longer than him. But she simply hadn't told him how long. Atem had been here for just over a week now and hadn't eaten once. But he guessed that Philippa must have been here for 2 maybe 3 weeks. He leaned against the wall and pulled her close to him. It was very cold tonight. Atem got even more worried when Philippa started shivering. He put what remained of his jacket over her and wrapped his arms around her too, trying not to cause her any more pain. Her shivering soon stopped and she almost looked peaceful. Atem rested his head against hers and soon managed to fall asleep.

The first morning rays of sunlight woke Philippa first. The first thing that came to her attention was the pain. Then the sudden warmth and comfort that came from Atem's arms, which were still around her. This wasn't the first time Atem had done something like this for her, it reminded her of the way her stepfather would hold her when she was upset. She didn't want to move, to break the moment. She rested her head against him again, and she instantly felt his soft heart beat. About an hour later, Atem woke up. Philippa was still asleep. He didn't want to wake her, but he needed her in order to get out of this hell. He gently shook her awake. "Shall we try again?" Atem asked. Philippa looked at him strangely. "To get out, if you're up for it?" Atem said. He knew that they were not going to make it if they didn't have the strength. "What for?" Philippa said only just above a whisper. Atem looked at her strangely this time. "I don't have anything left, what the point in me trying to escape?" Philippa said.

"Don't say that." Atem said.

"But…" Philippa started, but Atem cut her off.

"Don't say it. You can come with me." He said.

"But I'm not even human, I won't fit in with your people." Philippa said.

"I'm a 5000 year old pharaoh, and I fit in." Atem stated.

"But…" Philippa began.

"No buts Philippa, you're coming with me." Atem told her firmly. Philippa wanted to argue against him, but she was still feeling tired. "So are we going to try again?" Atem asked. Philippa nodded.

It was about half an hour before the Demon came. "Ready?" Atem whispered. Philippa nodded they had a new plan this time, they both just hoped it would work. As the Demon opened the door, they both dived out from behind it. The Demon had some of his minions with him. But Philippa's powers suddenly kicked again, when they made their attack and they were all sent flying. Atem and Philippa made for the door. Their wounds slowed them down, but they were determined to get out. This time there was no demon on the door, which made things easier. They got into a window and saw that they were a long way up. "Ok this is a problem." Atem said. He didn't know a single thing about how this place was planned out. Philippa pulled on his shirt, leading him down a corridor. "How do you know where you're going?" Atem asked.

"Long story." Philippa replied. They got to a point where she wasn't sure where they were going. She looked around, there were a number of different paths. The sound of the demon startled them. "I said find them!" He bellowed. Philippa made a guess and hoped it was right. It lead to stairs which lead down to the ground floor. "Come on we can get out here." Atem said and he started climbed out of a window. Philippa followed. The sound of one of the demon's minions made them hurry. They dropped to the ground, just as the demons came through. They stayed hidden under the window until they had all gone before moving. The forest that surrounded the fortress was thick and dangerous looking, but they went though it any way. It didn't take them long to get tired though.

Philippa was the main concern for Atem. He had a look at the wound on her collarbone, and saw that it was bleeding again. He sat her down against a tree and used some of his shirt as an extra bandage. The scratch on her stomach hadn't changed, at least it wasn't bleeding. But Atem knew that if he didn't get her some sufficient medical attention, she would probably die. He might last a bit longer, he only hoped that Philippa would make it. "What about you?" She asked.

"Don't worry about me, I'm alright." Atem replied. She moved what was left of his shirt and looked at the wounds on his chest, which wasn't so bad. Then she realised if either of them was going to die first it was her.

The Demon was furious. "How can two wounded brats escape my fortress? I'll tell you how, incompetent, idiotic, useless, work force!" He bellowed at his minions. "Do you even know where they've gone?"

"We believe that they have made their way into the forest." One answered sheepishly.

"Well you had better go into the forest and find them, and they had better be alive, I still have a need for the both of them!" The Demon said.

"Yes sir." The minions replied, and they turned to leave.

By the afternoon Atem and Philippa had reached the shallow river. This was their salvation. They just followed the river and it would lead them to village that Philippa had grown up in. Even though her home was gone, the village itself was still there. A wave of hope went though the both of them. They were both really dehydrated and spent the next few hours slowly drinking from the river. It seemed to do both of them some good, much to Atem's relief. As the night settled and the temperature started to drop, they positioned them selves against the rocks, Atem took Philippa in his arms again, and let her sleep, while he kept watch. Philippa didn't asleep for very long, and wasn't able to get back to sleep, so she gave up, and took over the watch, despite Atem's protest. They got moving at the very crack of dawn. Progress was slow, particularly for Philippa, she just thought it was her wounds and tried not to think about it. But every single movement was painful. Atem was also struggling, but it soon came to his attention that Philippa was just getting worse. "What's wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing, I'm fine." Philippa lied. She didn't feel fine at all, she had a phenomenal headache, despite all the water she had drunk, her throat was bone dry, and she felt so tired, but couldn't fall asleep. Atem touched her face. She was burning with fever. He instantly set her down on the rocks. Now he knew why she hadn't been able to sleep last night. One of her wounds must have gotten infected. He tore off some of his jacket and soaked it in water from the river, before placing it on Philippa's forehead. He took off her cardigan, hoping that the cool, late autumn air would bring her temperature down. He made sure that she drank plenty of water, but as evening approached Philippa wasn't any better. Atem pressed two fingers against her neck, her pulse was faint, but really fast. There wasn't a lot more that Atem could do. Now he was really scared that she going to die. "Go." Philippa whispered.

"What?" Atem asked.

"Just go, I'm not going to get any further." Philippa whispered.

"No, I'm not leaving you." Atem told her firmly.

"There's no point, I haven't got anything to go back too." Philippa replied.

"I told you already didn't I. You're coming with me." Atem reminded her. Philippa looked at him. Atem realised that she wasn't going to last much longer, and neither was he without help. He was in a cold, dark forest, with deep wounds, no food, and a very sick person to care for. Atem wasn't going to leave her here to die or for the demon to take prisoner again. But Philippa was right, they weren't going to last much longer.

An unexplained snap of a twig suddenly caught Atem's attention. He turned in the direction of the sound and looked around. There was nothing but silence. Atem realised that he had made one crucial mistake in staying by the river, they were very open and could be easily spotted. They had to move. He pulled Philippa to her feet, put her arm over his shoulder and guided her into the forest, but still staying in sights of the river. He avoiding the area where he had heard the twig snap, but his worries had only just got greater. Philippa was getting weaker, and weaker with every passing hour. Atem sat down next to her, feeling weak as well. He picked this spot carefully. Hidden by the drapes of a willow tree, they would not be too obvious. He made one trip to the river to refresh the rag that was on Philippa's forehead, before drifting into sleep. A snapping sound woke him. The night air was cold, but Philippa wasn't shivering. That was when Atem realised just how sick she was. The snapping sound caught his attention again. It was coming from his right, a few hundred yards away. He crept as silently as he could through the trees. As he got closer, he saw the faint glow of a campfire. He got closer and hoped it would be someone that would help him and Philippa. But his hope was soon shattered. Standing around the fire, was the demon's minions. He crept back to Philippa and shook her shoulder. "Come on Philippa we've got to move. They're after us." Philippa wasn't able to make any sense out of what Atem had just said. But she could tell it was a problem, judging by his urgent tone. Atem pulled Philippa to her feet, and guided her along. He lead her went the river, hoping to cover their tracks, and kept moving on the other side. Atem forced himself to keep going for hours. Philippa tried to move on her own, but it was virtually impossible in her condition. They risked venturing deeper into the forest, but made sure to stay in sight of the river. The cold night air made it a little easier to keep moving, but Atem eventually ran out of strength and they had to stop. He sat Philippa down against the trunk of another willow, using the drapes to try and hid them again. She was so pale, Atem placed his hand on her forehead. Her fever had gone nowhere but up. She had her eye's shut and was breathing heavily. Atem risked one trip to the river, to refresh Philippa's rage. But once he'd placed it on her forehead, it was uselessly warm in minuets. Atem didn't know what to do. He could feel that his condition was deteriorating as well. He sat down, breathless, and tried to think of how he was going to get out of this one. Their only hope was the village. But at this rate, neither of them were going to make it.