"Dry lightning cracks across the sky, those storm clouds gather in her eyes. Daddy was a mean-old mister..." -Carrie Underwood
"Evy, why are we here?" Jonathan asked as they walked down the halls of the Museum of Antiquities—the very same place where the girls had met Evy what seemed like years ago.
"There's only one man who could possibly have the answers to our questions." She replied, not even sending a glance back. Ardeth had disappeared as quickly as he came and such was really starting to bug Avery, but she pushed it to the back of her head and followed her until, BOOM! There he was, speaking to the curator.
"You?!" Evy and Avery exclaimed at the exact same time, then they asked in unison (though with different emotions,) "What are you doing here?" She hadn't even noticed that anyone with a gun—including Jackie—had drawn their guns and were aiming at the two men.
"Would you really like to know," The Curator asked. "Or would you prefer to just shoot us?"
"After what I just saw I'm willing to go on a little faith."
They lowered their guns.
"We are apart of an ancient secret society," He began when they all got cozy in the props used to display scenes from ancient Egypt. Avery sat on a crate and forced her eyes open; she couldn't remember the last time she had slept, but she was pretty sure it was the last time she had passed out. "For three thousand years we have guarded the City of the Dead. We are sworn at manhood to do any and all in our power to stop the High Priest Imhotep from being reborn into this world."
"Because of you, we have failed." Ardeth interrupted, heated anger in his voice.
Jonathan was playing with a wax figure of Seti l and she rolled her eyes, whacking him and whispering, "Not now, the destruction of the world just got pinned on us."
"You think this justifies the killing of innocent people?" Evy questioned, clearly outraged.
"To stop this creature?" The Curator asked. "Let me think. Yes!"
Avery snorted and rolled her eyes, resisting the ever persistent urge to rub her eyes. "Question," Rick said, raising his finger like a school child. "Why doesn't he like cats?"
"Cats are the guardians of the Underworld, he will fear them until he is fully regenerated." He replied. Ardeth seemed to inch closer to her, and she sat up straighter in hopes that she could maintain her facade. "Then he will fear nothing."
The Americans voiced their complaints while the tanned Egyptian knight knelt beside her so his lips were close enough for only her to hear his whisper. "You do not look well, if you need to go rest we will not stop you."
"Thanks for your concern," She said dryly. "But I'm fine."
He did not acknowledge her answer nor tried to persuade her otherwise.
"When I saw him alive at Hamunaptra he called me Anck-su-namun," Evy said. "And then just now he tried to kiss me."
"He also called me Amunet," Avery said, raising her hand and feeling childish. "If that's of any significance."
Ardeth and the Curator exchanged wary glances at each other. "It is because of his love for Anck-su-namun that he was cursed." The Curator replied. "Apparently, even after three thousand years-"
"He is still in love with her." Ardeth finished; he stole a glance at Avery, one she failed to see, but those around her did not.
"Yes, that is very romantic, but what has it got to do with me?" Evy insisted.
"Yes, and please tell me 'Amunet' is just an Egyptian insult."
Ardeth's eyes grew soft with sadness. Shoot. "He must be once again trying to raise his love from the dead and it appears he has already chosen his human sacrifice...and his heir."
"'Heir'?"
"It was not uncommon for men to have more than one wife and though Anck-su-namun was his greatest love, she was not his first." Ardeth explained. "Amunet was his most beloved daughter of his first love who he wished nothing but prosperity and happiness."
Everything grew quiet, so Avery spoke in but a whisper, "And, what happened to Amunet?"
"She fell in love with a Med-Jai," The Curator explained. "And they planned to run away with him, though after word got out of Imhotep's betrayal, they thought her apart of the conspiracy and condemned her to be mummified alive...at the hands of her lover."
She gasped and looked around at them—so that was why everything in the tomb seemed so familiar; that's why it hurt her when Evy described the process of mummification and that's why she knew so much about everything even though she wasn't supposed to.
"Bad luck, old mums." Jonathan murmured.
"On the contrary, it may just give us the time we need to kill the creature." The Curator said, looking at Avery and Evy in deep thought.
"We will need all the help we can get." Ardeth was looking up at the skylight and all the others followed his lead to witness an eclipse that locked their world in night during day. The room grew to rely upon the torches and candles and lamps, which cast eery shadows upon the walls.
"'And he stretched forth his hand towards the heavens, and there was darkness throughout the land of Egypt.'"
Avery felt a little less safe without Ardeth and the Curator, but she did not bother to raise her concern as they spoke about in Evy's sitting room, the Americans, O'Connell, Jonathan, Evy, Jackie and she. They had been discussing what to do—how to stop Imhotep—while, as usual, she and Jackie were sitting in the corner, having their own discussion.
"So, daughter of Imhotep, do I have to watch what I say from now on or risk losing my tongue?" Jackie asked, offering a half-smile though the joke was ruined by the memory of Burns.
"You don't have anything to worry about, Jacqueline," She said with an eye roll. "Nothing should change between us just because we were thrown into a horror story back in time."
"Of course not, why would that change anything?"
"O'CONNELL, WHAT ON EARTH DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!" Evy shrieked so loud she thought that the numerous military personal around the building would have heard her and burst in. The girls jumped up in surprise as Rick carried Evy over his shoulder and into the room.
"HENDERSON, WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING?!" Avery shouted twice as loud as Evy as the American attempted to do the same with her as Rick had done, though she fought harder. Daniels grabbed her hands and Henderson took her legs, tossing her into the bed and on to Evy as they scrambled to come out of the room before Rick closed the door.
"What was that about?!" Jackie shouted in surprise.
"Sorry, love, I meant to include you the explanation," Jonathan replied. "But we had planned on keeping the girls in that room so that they can't be taken by Imhotep while we go to find the Egyptologist."
"You two will stay here and watch. No one gets in, no one comes out." Rick said, grabbing Daniels by his collar. "Right?"
"Right."
"Wait, what about me?" Jackie asked, a pout on her face.
"You're coming with us." Jonathan replied rather quickly.
"No, I want to stay with Avery."
"IF YOU DON'T OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW I SWEAR I WILL SKIN YOU ALIVE AND BURN YOUR FACE AND-!"
"Okay, I'll come with you."
"So the Egyptologist is the guy that has a fez, but isn't Beni or the Curator, right?" Jackie asked as they pretty much sprinted down the hall in search of his office.
"You got it, doll." Jonathan huffed.
"Here, this is where they said it would be," Rick said and decided to saunter in. The room was a wreck, like a tornado had ripped through just the room. They looked over to the desk and found Beni, digging through drawers. "Well, well, well, let me guess. Spring cleaning."
Rick had him in the air, threatening to shred his brains to bits by holding him up to the ceiling fan in less time than it took for Jackie to blink. "You came back from the desert with a new friend, didn't you, Beni?"
"What friend?" The stupid man asked. "You are my only friend."
"What are you doing with this creep? What's in it for you?"
"It is better to be the right hand of the devil than in his path. As long as I serve him, I am immune."
Jackie's eyes narrowed at that; she went up to him and said in her darkest voice, "Bring him down for a second O'Connell." Having never heard her so mad before, he obliged and she punched Beni across his face harder than she had ever punched anything before, earning a good smack and a cry of surprise and pain. "Alright, you can continue."
"Remind me not to get on your bad side." Jonathan whispered. She smirked; Avery would be so proud.
"Immune from what?" O'Connell continued. Beni said something in Hungarian, probably a fancy Hungarian swear word. "What did you say?"
"I don't want to tell you. You'll just hurt me some more."
Well, that was true. Everyone wanted to hurt him, in truth.
"What are you looking for? And try not to lie to me."
"Yeah, he's in a pissy mood."
"The book!" The Hungarian cried. "The black book they found at Hamunaptra. He wants it back! He said to me it would be worth its weight in gold!"
"What does he want the book for?" Jackie asked as Rick lowered Beni.
"Oh, come on, I don't know." He raised him back towards the fan.
"Something about bringing his dead girlfriend back to life, but that's all. He just wants the book, I swear!" He was lowered. "Just the book, I swear...and your sister and your friend. But other than that-"
The sound of a horrified cry came from outside followed by the unique roar of the monster.
Beni kneed Rick in his jewels and jumped out of the window. They hurried over and looked out to find the shriveled body of the Egyptologist beside a more human looking Imhotep who held one of the jars the Americans had found as well as the book. The creature locked eyes with them and Jackie's eyes widened in horror.
It opened its mouth and out came a swarm of bugs. As the swarm came towards them, they closed the windows. "That's two down, two to go-"
"And then they'll be coming after Avery and Evy."
Evy had pretty much talked Avery to sleep when they tried to find something to do in their God-forsaken chamber. Her sleep-filled eyes opened slowly and she found that Evy had climbed into her own bed and was fast asleep.
She rubbed her eyes and looked around, wondering where Jackie was and if she was okay and if she was ever going to see Ardeth again. She shook her head and sighed, then movement caught her attention. Was that...sand coming from the keyhole in the door?
Her eyes widened in realization and she hastily shifted into a more comfortable position to pretend she was asleep.
There was a gust of wind and she could feel another presence in the room. She felt him brush the curtain of hair that had fallen in front of her face behind her ear and then felt fingertips run over her face as if he didn't believe she was there. "Amunet," He whispered, so close that she nearly flinched. He was speaking in Ancient Egyptian, but she somehow understood him. "Forgive me." She then felt a kiss upon her brow and then he left and went towards Evy.
She opened her eyes ever so slightly and heard him whisper, "Anck-su-namun," before he kissed Evy upon her lips.
Unable to contain herself, her eyes widened and she gasped just as the doors burst open and in came Rick, Jonathan and Jackie. "Hey!" Rick shouted. "Get your ugly face off of her!"
Imhotep did not seem surprised or frightened at all, instead, he looked to Avery who was now standing in the corner as far away from him as possible. "Amunet," He said, stretching his hand out to her. Her throat seemed to close and she started having a hard time breathing.
Clutching her throat, she tried to breath but found that nothing could get past whatever was blocking it. Faintly, she heard Rick say, "Look what I got." And saw him raise the stupid white cat for Imhotep to see. Naturally, he freaked out and turned into sand, flying out of the room like no big deal, but she didn't pay attention to that.
She felt herself hit the ground and her limbs freeze. She saw Jackie running towards her, fear and concern etched on to her face, just before she blacked out for what must've been the hundredth time.