When Angelica woke up everything looked like a dream. The stars were big and they seemed too close. She saw a lake of fire. She found Evelyn unconscious a few steps ahead. She crawled to her mother and tried to wake her up. There was no trace of Helena.
Evelyn heard Angelica shouting and got up.
– Where are we? – Evelyn asked her.
– I was going to ask you that!
They heard a loud roar and hid behind a dry tree. A huge creature with dark wings appeared on the sky. It looked like a hopper.
– Is this prehistory? – Angelica asked.
The flying creature rushed to a man near the lake and cut his head off. For their surprise, The man survived and was looking for his head now. The hopper left. Evelyn and Angelica saw a black sarcophagus shaking. Someone was inside it. They approached slowly. Helena took the sarcophagus' lid off. Angelica and Evelyn were scared.
– Helena! Are you fine?
– She put me inside it! – Helena was still scared – Where the hell are we?
– That's it! – Evelyn said – We must be in Duat, the Egyptian underworld.
– I hated it, We gotta leave – Angelica said.
– It's not that simple. We need help.
– What if we invoke Hathor? – Helena suggested.
– How? – Angelica asked.
–Sing a song for her! She loved your songs when she was Ms. Karima! – Helena told her.
– Good idea! – Evelyn agreed – Call her "Queen of dance" she will like it.
Angelica started to sing a song Ms. Karima used to like, But nothing happened.
– It didn't work! – Angelica cried.
A great lioness appeared in front of them. They feared. They were planning to run away when the lioness stood on her two legs and turned into a woman. It was Hathor.
– Oh, girl. It's always good to listen to your voice, But I'd rather you singing upstairs – The goddess smiled – What are you doing here?
– Anput was summoned to get me and then… - Helena tried to explain.
– What a mess. You shouldn't be here. At least not yet.
– Can you please send us back? – Evelyn felt insecure. She didn't trust those deities since she lost Angelica.
– I can't. But maybe Osiris can. Follow me.
They followed the goddess. Some moments after, they entered gates guarded by huge hooded snakes which obeyed Hathor. Soon, they entered the Hall of Judgement. Osiris was sat on a throne. In front of him, there was Maat, holding a heart in one hand and a feather in another. Anubis stood on Maat's left and Thoth on her right. Angelica and Helena stared at him.
– Wait, I know you! – Helena said.
– Yeah! He's the guy from the box in the museum! – Angelica said aloud.
Thoth looked at them surprised and smiled.
– Girls, stop! – Evelyn held their hands. She was afraid. The last time she had been there she lost Angelica.
– We have guests. And they're alive – Hathor told them.
– Alive? – Anubis asked as he removed a heart from Maat's hands.
– Your girl was teased – Hathor told him.
– Come near me, mortals. – Osiris ordered.
Evelyn, Angelica and Helena approached Maat. Maat smiled to Angelica. Angelica stared at her. She didn't seem as scary as she imagined. Evelyn held Angelica's hand tight as Osiris got up and approached them. Osiris stared at each one of them, his face frowned.
–You must not be here – He said.
– I know. We just want to leave, please. – Evelyn told him.
– Ouch - Angelica mumbled, Evelyn was squeezing her hand tight.
– I can't send you back. – Osiris told them.
– But, with all the respect, you guys have sent me twice. – Angelica told the gods.
– That was different Angelica, the first time you weren't alive yet and on the second time you were already upstairs – Maat explained her with kindness.
– Ra! – Thoth exclaimed – He's always going upstairs, he can surely give them a ride.
– You know how dad is difficult. He will want them to help him first and that isn't easy – Maat told him.
– We can help them– Thoth smiled – Here, I give you wisdom in attack – Thoth handed a khopesh to each one of them.
– Neat, but why you just don't give us another box? – Helena asked him.
– Because boxes only work on Earth, dearie.
– I give you protection as lasting as truth – Maat handed shields to them.
– Your bodies shall be conserved in here. – Anubis told them – Stay under my moonlight. – A huge silver light disk appeared in the hands of Anubis and then vanished.
– I'll lend you something precious. – Osiris put an eye in Angelica's hand - that belonged to my son, Horus. You can see your loved ones with it. It won't let you be deceived by this place.
– Thank you. – Angelica told them – She was surprised with their support, although she hoped them to be more useful.
– You'll make it. You have the strength of two wombs. – Maat looked at Angelica – You all can make it. – Maat encouraged them and they left.
Rick, Carlos, Imhotep and Anck su namun were back on Carlos apartment. They've spent the whole morning on the Baron's Palace, trying to contact the Duat with Carlos' equipment without success.
–I guess I didn't use the right stuff – Carlos was mounting strange machines – We can try again by night. People say it's more haunted by night.
– Last time it took 18 years – Anck su namun sighed.
– Last time you didn't have me madam – Carlos told her – I won't stop 'till I make it.
Rick was staring at his wedding ring. He had never been apart from Evy before since they married. He missed her a lot. Imhotep was thinking about his dream with Amunet. She had tried to warn him about something. "Help my little girl" she repeated. She didn't have any girl. It was his girl who needed help. Suddenly he got up and stared around.
– Helena – Imhotep said and they all got up.
Small lights on a Carlos's device were on. He turned his radio on.
– Rick - A woman voice, baffled by interference, was calling from the radio – listen… fine…
– Evie! – Rick cried – Evie where are you?
Suddenly, a box started to move by itself. A VHS cassette was out and floated into Imhotep's direction. He took the VHS cassette on his hands.
– It's Helena! She did this! – Imhotep told Anck su namun – What is this?
– It's a cassette, something you can watch on TV, but I couldn't make the TV work in here – Carlos told him.
Suddenly the TV was on, its image was only noise.
– My God – Carlos hesitated for a moment and then he inserted the cassette on his VCR.
After a bad sync, they could see Carlos on the video, younger, shaved and really excited. A little blonde girl appeared on the image, holding a small gun.
– Is that Angelica? – Rick asked him.
– Yes, she was 5. – Carlos told him – I was teaching her how to shoot.
– One…two… three! – Carlos shouted on the video then Angelica fired off and fell down.
– You okay? – Carlos helped Angelica to get up.
– Yes – she said.
– OH MY GOD – Carlos shouted
– If you're shooting again, not even God will help you! – A woman appeared on the video, it was Sarah.
– My darling, my sweetheart, my dancing queen – Carlos told her – I know you hate guns but look at this! – He showed her a target, with a bullet on its inner ring – Angelica hit right on the spot, her first shoot!
– I made it mommy! – Angelica rushed to Sarah and Sarah turned to hug her, soon, her face was more visible on the video. Imhotep froze when he saw Sarah's face. It couldn't be! Her long red hair… Her beautiful face and kind ways… Amunet was reincarnated!
– Yay! That's my little girl! – Sarah hailed Angelica as she held her in her arms.
Rick smiled. Angelica looked like Alex.
Now everything made sense to Imhotep. Amunet wanted him to help Angelica!
– Is something wrong? – Anck su namun asked Imhotep, who looked astonished.
The cassette was ejected by itself.
– Damn! Wrong tape! – Angelica said she was holding the eye of Horus on her hands. She, Helena and Evelyn were watching their family as they tried to make contact.
– Rick heard me! – Evelyn smiled.
– Yes! Keep calling him.
They walked a little ahead, away from Anubis' silver moonlight.
Anck su namun had a needle of jealousy stuck on her heart. He knew Imhotep was affected by that red-headed woman on the video. He eyes were watered and he was very thoughtful.
–Angelica did this. I'm sure – Carlos was holding the cassette in his hand with tears on his eyes.
– Why? – Rick asked him.
– After my wife died, she used to watch these tapes over and over again to sleep.
The radio was turned on. Evelyn's voice was clearer now, although it was echoing.
– Rick, we're in Duat! The girls are with me. We… home…
– Evie! How do we get there? Come back! – Rick cried.
– The gods told… - Angelica said – Evelyn!
– Oh my God! Hold her! – Helena cried.
– Evelyn! - Rick shouted at the radio
The next thing they heard was a loud and inhuman shriek and then the radio exploded.
A huge breathing fire serpent had grabbed Evelyn, She used the Maat's shield to defend herself. Helena and Angelica attacked the serpent until it let go of Evelyn and hid beneath the ground.
– Are you fine? – Helena asked Evelyn.
– Yes, I am. We must…
– Mom – Angelica hugged Evelyn tight.
– I'm fine – Evelyn smiled, glad to be called mom – Come on, Let's stay under the moonlight. I think it's safer.
– I can't understand! – Carlos was looking into his exploded radio – It was ok and then it exploded like a balloon.
– What was that terrible sound? and why they screamed? - Anck su namun asked
– We and they are not alone – Imhotep told him – They are trying to reach us.
– They who? – Rick drew a gun.
– Keep this O'Connell, They're already dead. They're souls trapped between this world and the next. They're willing to live again. – Imhotep looked at the radio pieces.
– How do you know? – Anck su namun asked him.
–I was with them once.