As Rick drove through the streets, heading toward the museum, Ardeth turned to look at him. "I'm sorry if I alarmed you and Alex," he apologized. "But you must understand, now that he has put the bracelet on, we have only seven days before the Scorpion King awakens."
Rick's brows shot up to his hairline, eyes wide as he glanced from the road to Ardeth for only a split second. "We?" he asked rhetorically. "What we?"
"Rick," Eden spoke from behind him, leaning forward in her seat. "If he's not killed, he'll raise the Army of Anubis."
Jon then leaned forward as well, between the driver and passenger seats. "I take it that's not a good thing?" he asked.
Rick nodded with wide eyes, looking back at him for a split second with a sarcastic smile. "Oh, he'll wipe out the world," he griped, voice light and drenched in sickly sweet sarcasm. He then glowered at his sister in his rear view mirror as he heard her snot in amusement, shaking his head at her. She simply stuck her tongue out at him.
Jon sat back in his seat. "Ah, the old 'wipe out the world' ploy," he muttered, as though it were a normal occurrence. Although, in their lives, it was.
Eden chuckled at the man, nudging his shoulder with her as he grinned at her. "You say that like it happens every day, Jon," the redhead laughed out.
Jon grinned back at her, shoving her shoulder. "No," he replied. "More like every decade."
Eden snorted. She then looked back to her brother in the driver's seat, telling him, "Ardeth and I have heard the story a thousand times by now, Rick. Whomsoever can kill the Scorpion King, can send his army back to the underworld."
"Or use it to destroy mankind," Ardeth spoke up, looking at his wife. He then looked back to Rick. "And rule the Earth."
Rick kept his gaze focused on the road in front of him, driving quickly yet carefully through the rainy and foggy streets, thunder and lightning shooting across the stormy sky. "So that's why they dug up Imhotep," he said, following the trail and picking up the breadcrumbs. "'Cause he's the only guy tough enough to take out the Scorpion King."
"That is their plan," Ardeth confirmed.
Rick quickly pulled the car in front of the museum, the rain now slowing almost to a stop. Eden found the weather in London strange, the way the rain seemed to start and stop so abruptly (almost as if they were on a movie set!), but shrugged it off. Right now, she needed to focus on saving her best friend, not the weather patterns in the current country.
Eden grinned as Rick put the car in park quickly before turning around to face Alex. He looked at hi son seriously, eyeing critically as he told him, "Alex, I gotta big job for you." The young man perked up, excited at the prospect of helping his dad, aunt, and uncles. However, those hopes were quickly dashed, his face falling in irritation and annoyance when Rick said, "I want you to day here and protect the car."
Jon took that moment to speak up as he exclaimed, "I can do that!" He had a hopeful glint in his eye as he looked at his brother-in-law, elbowing Eden and ignoring her giggles.
Alex looked less than impressed. "Protect the car?" he parroted back to Rick incredulously. He then rolled his eyes before exclaiming, "Come on, dad. Just because I'm a kid, doesn't mean I'm stupid."
Eden grinned fondly at the father and son duo, the sight making her miss her own children. However, she knew that she was needed here for the time being, doing what she could in order to keep her own kids safe. She let out a chuckle when Rick started to ruffle Alex's hair, the young man groaning and letting out an annoyed whine of, "Dad!" as he swatted his hand away and jerked his head back. Rick just gave him a small grin of his own, winking at his sister as they both remembered a time when he had done the same to her when they were kids.
As Rick turned to get out of the car, Jonathan took a moment to relay to Alex, "If you see anyone come running out screaming, it's just me." He looked almost disgusted with himself as he said this, his facial expression causing Eden to let out a loud bark of laughter. Jon simply rolled his eyes at the redhead.
"Maybe you should just stay out here and watch Alex then, Jon," Eden said, opening the back door before sliding out. She then poked her head back in, looking at her brother and asking, "What do you think, Rick?"
Rick turned around, looking between Jon and Alex before nodding his head. "Maybe you should do that instead," he agreed with his sister.
Jon looked pleased at this turn of events, pointing at Rick and Eden both, almost giddy. "Now you're talking!"
Eden simply rolled her eyes fondly at the man before shutting the door and walking around to the boot of the car where she knew Rick kept all the goodies. Ardeth and Rick walked around to join her, her brother unlatching the back and laughing at the giddy squeal she let loose. She watched as weapons and ammo of all kind sprang free from the back, and began to sift through the treasure trove before her with zeal.
Rick looked back to Ardeth, both men rolling their eyes at the redhead's joy. "You want the shotgun?" Rick asked his brother-in-law, pointing to said weapon.
Ardeth shook his head in the negative. "No," he replied. "I prefer the Thompson."
The three then went to work arming themselves to the teeth. Bandoliers of ammunition were wrapped from shoulder to hip, gun hug from holsters at the waists and under the arms, and Eden had made sure to strap as many knives to her person as was possible. She then looked up, noticing her husband eyeing the tattoo on her brother's wrist with curiosity and recognition. However, there was trepidation, as well.
She watched as Ardeth looked away, going about loading his weapon and making sure it was in peak condition. He then said to Rick, almost cautiously, "If I were to say to you, that I am a stranger traveling from the east," his words causing Rick to pause in his ministrations. The words had to be familiar to him in a way, a spark of recognition lighting up in his eyes as Ardeth continued on. "Seeking that which is lost…"
Rick looked at Ardeth, confusion and recognition warring for dominance. "Then I would reply that I am a stranger traveling from the west, it is I whom you seek."
Eden grew confused herself, wondering why her husband seemed so giddy at her brother's reply. She watched the two of them, Ardeth exclaiming, "Then it is true!" He then reached down, grabbing Rick's wrist and holding it to inspect the mark. "You have the sacred mark."
Rick looked from Ardeth to Eden, the redhead shrugging. "I don't think that's a sacred mark, my love," Eden said, looking past her brother and to her husband. "I was there the day Rick got that tattoo."
Said man removed his wrist from Ardeth's hold, further explaining, "That got slapped on me when we were in an orphanage in Cairo." He then reached back into the trunk, sorting through his weapons.
Eden took a moment to reflect on that day, so many years ago. She and Rick had managed to pilfer a bread stall at the bazaar, the two of them running swiftly through the streets and back to the orphanage so as not to get caught. The little redhead had giggled as her brother proclaimed that they would feast on the loaf of fresh baked bread, tearing it in two before handing her half and biting into his own. However, their meal was short-lived as a man in a black suit had found them in their hiding spot. He had grabbed Rick, proclaiming something that Eden hadn't quite caught, before dragging the boy away. One of the nuns who helped run the orphanage had held Eden back, stopping her from reaching her brother. It was well over an hour later that Rick was returned to the distraught little girl, his wrist throbbing in a dull pain and an angry red. When Eden had asked what the new mark on his once unblemished skin meant, the young man shrugged and said, "I dunno."
It wasn't until Rick had looked into the tattoo, he and Eden compiling information throughout the years, that they had learned the phrase about the traveler. Neither had truly known what it meant, or what it could mean, but knew that it would be important to them in the future somehow.
Ardeth was not convinced. "That mark means that you are a protector of man," he said, still grinning. "A warrior for God. A Medjai."
Rick shook his head, grabbing his rifle and loading the weapon. "I'm sorry," he said, looking from the weapon to the ebony haired man, pursing his lips. "But you've got the wrong guy."
The three made their way quickly and quietly into the museum. It was dark, hard to see, but the lightning from the receding storm lit up the room frequently enough for them to get the layout. It was ironic to Eden that they would wind up in the Egyptian history exhibit of the museum, mummies entombed behind glass cases. She held her rifle up to her shoulder, poised, body coiled tightly like a cobra and ready to fire at a moment's notice. However, something had caught her attention.
In the far corner of the exhibit was a small statue behind a glass case. It was no bigger than the length and width of her forearm, but Eden felt herself drawn to it as though it were a magnet. She stalked over slowly, staying alert, before standing before the case. Inside, behind the glass, was a small statue of the goddess Sekhmet. The lion headed goddess was poised gracefully on her dainty feet, one hand holding an ankh, the symbol of eternal life, the other holding a spear. The epitaph beneath the statue read, 'This likeness of the Egyptian deity Sekhmet was found in Luxor, Egypt, once known as Thebes. It is believed that this small figurine was once in the possession of a priestess of the goddess or even a Pharaoh.'
Eden cocked her head to the side, a buzzing starting in her head that indicated that her past self was trying to show her something. It was a frequent feeling she had endured for the last ten years as she learned all that she could about Lady Bes and her life. This statue felt familiar to the redhead in some way. So, she closed her eyes for just a moment, allowing herself to fall back in time.
She could easily pick up the scent of myrrh and lavender in the distance, the fragrance tickling her senses. Colors of orange and yellow and red bled into her vision before fading into a blinding white light. A small figurine, made of stone with red garnets for eyes stood out to her, staring her in the face. A man held the small likeness of the deity in his hands, holding it out to a little girl no older than ten or eleven. Her face lit up, eyes widening in utter joy as she grabbed the figurine tenderly in her small hands.
Eden was quickly thrust back into the present, the sound of wailing and clattering against glass causing her to snap to attention, whipping around quickly with her rifle at the ready. The mummies in the cases, once still and unmoving, were now awake and alive, beating against their glass prisons as they tried to escape the unknown. Rick and Ardeth moved quickly through the room, Eden following suit. But not before looking back at the small statue one last time.
They made their way to the back of the museum silently and quickly. Rick took point, moving into the back room first, followed by Eden and then Ardeth. They reached a balcony that overlooked a circle of men in red, Evy sitting tied up on a plank of wood. The men all continued chanting, and Eden could feel a familiar cold chill run down her spine.
Once the curator's voice seemed to reach a crescendo, the chanting following suit with him, the three watched from above as the material that encased the creature seemed to crack before shattering entirely. And then, there he was once again, springing forth from his solid prison with an almighty roar as his stolen eyes came into focus and bit of flesh and linen formed on parts of rotted body.
Eden listened as best as she could from a distance, but could not quite hear what Imhotep and the curator spoke of. Wherever it was, the beast seemed pleased, a viscous smirk on his marred and fleshless face. However, the sound of a door opening in the distance seems to catch the attention of everyone present, and Eden could feel herself being tugged into the past once again as a woman in black, the woman from the dig site, made her way into the room.
Eden could feel past and present bleed together, intertwining for a single moment in time as she watched the women from above. However, she saw golden pillars, stone walls, and the glory of a concubine. She knew this woman, just as she had known Ardeth. Bes seemed to whisper to Eden of the past, a chill running down her spine as her mind conjured up a name she had not heard not uttered in thousands of years. "Anck-su-namun," the redhead spit out through grit teeth under her breath.
The two men seemed to not hear her words, and she felt thankful for that. Rick simply looked at the intimate moment between the mummified priest and this woman. He then sidled up between his sister and her husband, clapping Ardeth on the shoulder in the process. "Ya know," he started, looking between the men in crimson and Ardeth. "A couple of years ago, this would have seemed really strange to me."
Eden grinned at her brother despite herself, shaking her head in mock exasperation. She then shooed him away, telling him, "You go get Evy. We'll watch your back."
Rick smiled at his sister, leaning forward and kissing her cheek in thanks. "Knew I could count on you, kid," he said fondly. He then ruffled her hair before hurriedly running off, lest he face the redhead's wrath.
Eden stood next to her husband, rifle at the ready as the two Medjai watched on, waiting for a signal from Rick. They watched as Lock-Nah and Hafez seemed to open the chest that Eden knew was empty, triumphant smirks on their faces. However, Eden watched, feeling a malicious satisfaction as their eyes seemed to widen in horror, smirks falling from their faces once the chest popped open. Hafez reached in and pulled out a small, bronze colored baseball trophy that the redhead knew to belong to her nephew, and she had to fight to stifle her giggles. Well done, Alex! The redhead thought to herself in glee.
Her satisfaction was short-lived, Eden watching as Anck-su-namun and Imhotep shared a short conversation before setting their sights on Evy. The redhead watched on, trigger finger twitching in anticipation as her sister struggled, hands and feet still bound by thick rope. The men in crimson had grabbed Evy, forcing her onto the plank of wood, but not without one helluva fight from the Egyptologist. They then carried the plank of wood over to a large fire that burned in the middle of the room, Imhotep saying indiscernible, but Eden could hear Evy loud and clear over the din of voices in the large storage room.
"You wait!" the woman threatened, looking from the fire to the beast. "I'll put you in your grave again!"
Eden watched on, unable to hear much else until she heard a feminine voice shout, "BURN HER!"
Evy's curse was off as the men carrying her made to dump her into the fire. However, Rick had impeccable timing. He scaled the flames, leaping through the fire and onto the wooden plank. His weight and ferocity had caused the lower end to collapse, the men holding the wood following suit. Evy shouted his name in relief, falling over his shoulder as he punched out one of the crimson glad men in one flawless motion.
Eden and Ardeth took that as their cue, the black clad man firing off a volley of lead upon the men to give Rick and Evy cover. Eden used her rifle to pick any stragglers that followed behind her family or got too close to her and her husband. The redhead then watched on as the ebony haired woman was thrown a weapon, Lock Nah pulling out pistols of his own. The couple then moved quickly behind a pillar for cover as their enemies returned fire relentlessly. Ardeth took this quick opportunity to reload his weapon, Eden managing to peek from behind the pillar to offer some cover fire. She tried desperately to hit the woman, but she moved just in the nick of time or used one of her followers as a shield.
Ardeth flew from behind the pillar, raining down bullets on all he could see, Lock Nah trying to reach the couple on the balcony but failing. The redhead could then see Evy and Rick, the two firing off shots of their own. She then watched as her brother seemed to aim for just the right spot before several of the crimson clad men went up in flames. She then followed suit, causing a distraction by aiming for the same crates and whopping for joy when two small explosions erupted, Rick and Evy making their way up the stairs to their family.
Eden and Ardeth quickly made their way over to the couple, Eden looking them over for any visible injuries and finding none. The four then watched as Imhotep cast a spell, opening a ceramic vase with a shout. Sand and dust flew from the ceramic in intricate swirls before they slowly began to form four shapes. More mummies, soldiers for Imhotep.
Poor Rick looked traumatized, almost whining as he said, "Oh, no! Not these guys again!"
"Quit whining, and let's get the hell outta here!" Eden yelled, pushing her brother's shoulder in irritation and impatience.
The three made their way quickly through the museum, Rick leading the way with Eden and Evy flanking him and Ardeth bringing up the rear. Each had weapons drawn, ready for anything as they wound their way through the museum and to a back door that Evy had led them to. Once they broke through the double doors that lead to the outside of the museum, they then made their way around to meet up with Jon and Alex. However, Evy stopped for a moment and seemed to think of something, running back the way they had come. Eden watched in a questioning concern as her sister grabbed the bench next to the building and started to drag it in front of the doors.
Rick ran over to her asking, "Honey, what are you doing?" He then grabbed Evy's hand and pulled her behind him as he said, "These guys don't use doors."
As the four ran around the front of the building, they could all see Rick's car sitting empty at the foot of the entrance. "Where the hell's Jonathan!?" the elder O'Connell screeched in question, worry for his son bleeding through his irritation.
Just as the words had left his mouth, a red, double decker bus sped in front of them before stopping just feet away. Jonathan was behind the wheel, Alex standing behind him and looking as though he were having the time of his life. Rick looked confused and annoyed all at once and Eden had to chuckle at the outcome. Evy yelled brightly for her son, running around the jump onto the bus and no doubt smother him in affection. Eden and Ardeth followed suit, the redhead listening as her brother asked Jon, "What's the matter with my car?!"
Jon stumbled over his words as he explained, "I was forced to find an alternative means of transportation!"
"A double decker bus?!" Ricked asked, waving his hand wildly at the beast.
Eden rolled her eyes as Jon and Alex then began to bicker about whose idea it was, Rick exclaiming loudly over them, "JUST GO!" before making his way onto the bus as well as Jon pulled off.
Eden stood at the back of the bus with her husband and brother, reloading her rifle as Rick did the same with his shotgun. The three watched as the mummies made their way out of the museum before giving chance, Rick lamenting about his beloved car as the mummies all but decimated the contraption. "Not my car!" the elder O'Connell whined, hanging from the side of the bus as they turned a corner. Eden was then situated between the two men, grinning to herself despite the situation as her brother glared out the window as their pursuers. "Oh, I hate mummies."
That was when Areth piped up, looking at Rick with a devious grin and asking, "Glad to see us now?"
Rick gave a sarcastic grin, flipping his shotgun around in his hands. "Just like old times, huh?" he asked rhetorically. He then clapped his sister on the shoulder, silently telling her to be careful, the redhead returning the gesture, before making his way up onto the upper deck of the bus.
Eden looked back at the mummies that followed them, getting her rifle ready. She then looked over to her husband, seeing the same glint in his eyes that her brother had. The two men were more alike than they cared to admit. Whilst fatherhood suited them and they were content to stay out of danger, the two men secretly thrived on the adventure and thrill. And when Ardeth looked back at Eden, his dark eyes meeting her bright ones, he could see that glint in her gaze as well.
"Just like old times indeed," the redhead muttered to herself with a grin.
Readying herself, Eden fired off a single round at the same time Rick fired off a round from his shotgun. Both siblings managed to hit one of the mummies at the same time, one in the shoulder and another on his collar bone. However, the shots didn't seem to slow them down in slightest. Instead, Eden watched on in mortified curiosity as the creatures jumped from the middle of the street and began to scale the walls at an alarming speed. One had even managed to scoop up two poor pedestrians before throwing them back down onto the stones streets below.
"What the hell?!" the redhead questioned rhetorically, looking left and right, watching the four mummies split into groups of two. Their speed and agility were terrifying, if not also the coolest thing she had ever seen before.
Eden watched on as one of the mummies to her right, scaling the flagpoles of one the buildings jumped in earnest, shrieking as it made its way toward the bus. She raised her rifle, ready to let off a round in its gaping jaw, but Rick had beaten her to it. His shotgun flared to life loudly, piercing the beast in mid air before it shattered to dust, falling down to the earth once again before being blown away by a soft breeze. However, its partner had decided to go low instead of high, aiming for the lower deck of the bus and meeting Ardeth head on.
Eden leaned back, eyes wide as the mummy screeched at her husband, the Medjai raining fire of the foul beast as its jaw elongated in high pitched wailing scream. Eden watched from behind Ardeth as the mummy was subsequently cut in half from the waist down, anything below the hips falling from the back of the bus. However, the creature was not done, it seemed. It came in with a wail, flying at Ardeth with unnatural speed. Ardeth was in the middle of reloading his weapon, his eyes widening at the last second as the mummy knocked the automatic weapon from his hands before shoving the Medjai against one of the windows.
Ardeth quickly gathered his bearings, pushing Eden back and forcing her to the front of the bus with Evy, Alex, and Jon. The woman watched for a moment, mesmerized by her husband's quick movements and watching as he fainted to the right before moving behind the trapezing mummy. He then fainted to the left, the mummy reaching forward, one hand on the bars above him, but Ardeth had quickly gotten behind the beast once again before throwing a left hook and knocking the decayed creature onto the seat. However, the moment was short lived as the mummy got up once again, grabbing the bars of the seat in front him and almost glaring at Ardeth. He then raised his hand, growling as his nails elongated into sharp claws, and the Medjai gave a battle cry, preparing for the attack. But not before the mummy had slashed him across his bicep, just beneath his shoulder, knocking him off balance once again.
Eden raised her rifle, ready to blast the mummy back to hell, however Evy yelled for Jonathan to turn at the last second. As the bus jerked to the left, Eden lost her footing, her rifle slipping from her grip as she hit the floor and it slid under the seat. Ardeth and the mummy went flying as well, both hitting the window behind them before landing in a heap on the seats beneath them. Eden scrambled for her gun, hearing her husband's distress as he continued to box with the mummy and fighting to get the upper hand. She managed to grip her rifle, sitting up just in time to see the mummy slash her husband across the chest before leaning over him ominously.
Eden saw red and felt her blood run cold. She would not allow her husband to be taken from her. She would not allow herself to feel the same pain that Bes and Asim had felt thousands of years ago. With a pants wetting accuracy, Eden fired off a shot from the rifle, the mummy screeching in pain as it fell to the floor, sparing her husband. But she wasn't done yet. She quickly fired off three more rounds, being sure that the beast was dead as she stood to her feet. Its corpse flew from the back window, shattering the glass from the force as it was expelled from the bus.
Eden made her way back to Ardeth, checking him over. However, before she could say anything to him, Alex's cry of, "Look out!" caused her to turn her attention to what was in front of them. She watched with wide eyes as Jonathan made another sharp turn before a low bridge came into view. When Jon plowed through, the sound scraping metal and shattering glass was deafening. She held onto Ardeth, her husband holding onto her just as tightly as they made their way under the bridge.
Looking above her, the redhead yelled loudly in concern, "You alive, Richard?"
Listening intently, pushing past the sound of her blood rushing through her ears and the whipping wind as they drove over another bridge, Eden could hear a low groan from above her before a voice replied, "Can't get rid of me that easily!"
I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update. My daughter uses my laptop for her schooling. I try to use my phone, but I prefer to write my longer stories on my computer so sometimes I have to literally fight my kid for the damn thing! She does her class work and then turns on cartoons for her and her brothers, the little shit. Anyway, I probably won't post until after Christmas. I have three heathens that I have to wrap gifts for and stockings to stuff! Also, I am working on Christmas this year! I am in healthcare and don't get the luxury of having every holiday off, but hey, I love my job and if I can bring my residents a little Christmas joy, that's all that matters to me! Anyway, happy holidays to everyone! If you don't celebrate, then have a great week and stay safe out there folks! Much love!
