Sometime later at Giza Port
Many people were boarding a ship to take them to find Hamunaptra, with Evy and Johnathan being 2 of them. "Do you really think he's going to show up?" Evy asked her brother, referring to O'Connell.
"Yes, undoubtedly, knowing my luck." Jonathan answered. "He may be a cowboy, but I know the breed. His word is his word."
"Well, personally I think he's filthy, rude, a complete scoundrel. I don't like him 1 bit." Evy said with distaste for the 1 who kissed her without permission.
But that was when O'Connell, now cleaned up, and his hair the way it was before, and in better clothes, walked up to them. "Anyone I know?" He asked, getting their attention.
Evy was surprised at how handsome he looked now. "Oh. Um, hello." She said as she put down her suitcases.
Jonathan chuckled. "Smashing day for the start of an adventure, eh, O'Connell?" He asked as he patted Rick's chest.
"Yeah. Yeah, smashing." Rick said as he checked to see if he'd been pickpocketed again.
But Jonathan assured him. "Oh, no, no, I'd never steal from a partner… partner."
Rick laughed sarcastically. "That reminds me. No hard feelings about the–" He said as he faked punched Jonathan's face.
"Oh, no, no. Happens all the time." Jonathan assured him.
Evy then spoke to him. "Mr. O'Connell. Can you look me in the eye and guarantee me that this isn't some kind of a flimflam? Before, if it is, I am warning you I–"
But Rick cut her off. "You're warning me? Lady, let me put it this way: my whole damn garrison believed in this so much that without orders, they marched halfway across Libya and into Egypt to find that city. And when we got there, all we found was sand and blood." He told her before picking up her suitcases. "Let me get your bags." And getting onboard the boat.
As Evy watched him go, Jonathan said. "Yes, yes, you're right. Filthy, rude, complete scoundrel. Nothing to like there and all."
Evy looked at her brother and smiled a bit before the Warden, wearing a red hat and his own bag, came up to them and greeted them. "Bright good morning to all." He said with a smile.
"Oh no. What are you doing here?" Evy asked with annoyance.
"I'm here to protect my investment, thank you very much." He answered as he boarded the boat while Evy and Johnathan looked at him with an annoyed sigh.
Sometime later
As it was nighttime, several Medjai were quietly rowing to intercept the boat, with 1 preparing his hook blade, the people on the boat were going about their business, with 3 Americans gambling with Jonathan. "Quit playin' with your glasses and cut the deck, would you, Burns?" The American named Daniels told his friend.
"Without my glasses, I can't see the deck to cut it, can I, Dave?" Burns asked as he put his glasses back on after cleaning them.
That was when Rick came along before Jonathan called out. "O'Connell, sit down. We could use another player."
"I only gamble with my life, never my money." O'Connell said.
"Never?" Daniels asked. "What if I was to bet $500 says we get to Hamunaptra before you?"
"You're looking for Hamunaptra?"
"Damn straight we are." The American named Henderson answered.
"Who says we?" Rick asked.
"He does." The 3 Americans answered while pointing at Jonathan.
Rick looked at Jonathan as he chuckled nervously. "Well-"
"Well, how about it? Is it a bet?" Daniels asked with a challenging grin.
Rick grinned as well. "All right, you're on."
"What makes you so confident, sir?" The Egyptologist, Dr. Allen Chamberlain, asked arrogantly.
"What makes you?" Rick asked back.
"We got us a man who's actually been there." Henderson answered.
"Oh, what a coincidence, because O'Connell–" Jonathan said but was cut off when Rick bumped his bag into him. "Who's play is it? Is it my play? I thought I'd just-"
"Gentleman, we got us a wadger." O'Connell told the other Americans before squeezing Jonathan's shoulder. "Good evening, Jonathan." Before walking away.
"Haha. Night." Jonathan chuckled.
And as the Medjai were close to secretly boarding the boat with no 1 noticing, Evy was sitting at a table reading a book when Rick dropped his bag on it, making her gasp.
Rick saw this and grinned. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you."
"The only thing that scares me, Mr. O'Connell, are your manners." Evy said with a bit of dislike.
Rick said down as he asked. "Still angry about that kiss, huh?"
"If you call that a kiss." Evy said sarcastically before Rick opened his bag, revealing guns and ammo, surprising her. "Um, did I miss something? Are we-are we going into battle?"
"Lady, there's something out there. Something underneath that sand." Rick said seriously as he prepared his guns.
"Yes, well, I'm hoping to find a certain artifact. A book, actually." Evy said. "My brother thinks there's treasure. But what do you think's out there?"
"In a word? Evil." Rick answered. The Bedouin and the Tuaregs believe that Hamunaptra is cursed."
But Evy scoffed at that. "Oh, look, I don't believe in fairy tales and hokum, Mr. O'Connell, but I do believe 1 of the most famous books in history is buried there: the Book of Amun-Ra. It contains within it all the secret incantations of the Old Kingdom. It's what 1st interested me in Egypt when I was a child. It's why I came here-sort of a life's pursuit."
"And the fact that they say that it's made out of pure gold makes no never mind to you, right?"
"You know your history." Evy said, impressed.
"I know my treasure." Rick said as he prepared his shotgun.
Evy then wanted to know something. "By the way, why did you kiss me?"
Rick chuckled as he prepared his pistol. "I was about to be hanged. It seemed like a good idea at the time." But that only made Evy offended before she got up and walked away, to Rick's confusion. "What? What'd I say?"
But then he heard something and looked in front of him, seeing someone's shadow, making him get up and walk towards it before it pulled its owner out, revealing Beni, the 1 who abandoned him and left him to be killed. "Aaah! Aah! Surprise! My good friend, you're alive! I was so very, very worried." He said in cowardice
"Well, if it ain't my little buddy Beni." Rick said sarcastically, as he still remembered what Beni did and hadn't forgiven his 'friend' for it. "I think I'll kill you." He said as he pointed his gun at Beni's chest.
Beni whimpered before making up an excuse. "Think of my children!"
But Rick saw right through that. "You don't have any children."
"Someday I might."
"Shut up!" Rick told him. "So you're the 1 who's leading the Americans. I might have known. So what's the scam? You take them out into the middle of the desert, and then you'll leave 'em to rot?"
"Unfortunately, no." Beni answered before explaining why. "These Americans are smart. They pay me only half now, half when I get them back to Cairo. So this time I must go all the way."
"Them's the breaks, huh?" Rick asked before putting his gun away.
Beni wondered. "You never believed in Hamunaptra, O'Connell. Why are you going back?"
Rick looked at Evy, who was petting the camels. "You see that girl? She saved my neck?" He answered as Beni looked before Evy looked at them before walking away.
"You always did have more balls than brains." Beni told his friend as he patted his shoulder and chuckled.
Rick chuckled with him before they shared a laugh, with Beni thinking that all was forgiven between them. But Rick walked him close to the edge. "Yeah. Goodbye, Beni." And threw him overboard into the water, with Beni screaming as he went. Rick then walked back to his gun bag, ignoring Beni shouting as he put his pistol back in the bag and rolled it up before seeing watery footprints, making him look and seeing Beni still in the water before he got a very bad feeling that stowaways were on board.
Meanwhile, in Evy's cabin
Evy, who was in her nightgown, was trying to read a book while still thinking about the kiss Rick gave her, causing her to be distracted and unable to concentrate on anything else. "George Bembridge…in 186–1865 was-was–" Before getting frustrated. "Oh, for heaven's sake, girl, it wasn't that good of a kiss anyway." And going to the mirror to brush her hair before her book fell to the floor
But when she picked it up and stood up straight, the Medjai with the hook blade was right behind her, scaring her before he held her by the neck and held his blade on her cheek. "Where is the map?" He demanded.
"It's–it's there." She answered while looking at the map that was laying on the nearby table as he saw it too.
But he demanded another object. "And the key? Where is the key?"
Evy was confused about what he meant by a key. "The key? The key? What key?"
But that was when Rick's voice called out. "Evelyn!" Before he burst into the room, holding his 6 bullet pistols.
The Medjai tried to use Evelyn as a human shield before Rick saw another Medjai come through another door, making Rick turn his guns on him and shoot him dead but also shot down a lantern in the process that fell on the couch and set it on fire!
Evy saw a nearby candle and hit the Medjai in his left eye with the flame, making him scream in pain as he let go of her and she ran to Rick as he shot another Medjai while getting her out of the room. But Evy gasped. "The map! The map! I forgot the map!" She said as she tried to go back for it.
But Rick stopped her and dragged her away. "Relax. I'm the map. It's all up here." He assured her while pointing at his head.
"Oh, that's comforting." She said sarcastically.
Back inside the room, the book blade Medjai was whimpering while holding his eye before he saw the object that came with the map, which was, unknown to anyone else but the Medjai, the key they had come for laying on the floor. "The key!" He said as he rushed to get it.
But that was when Jonathan came rushing it to help his sister. "Evy!" But he only caused the Medjai to stumble and hit the couch, setting himself on fire and making him scream before he tried to get the key that Jonathan quickly grabbed and rushed away as quickly as he could.
As the Medjai were using torches to burn the boat, the passengers were all trying to get off it while trying to save the horses and what supplies they could, with some jumping into the water to get away from the fires.
Rick and Evy came out of the hallway before he handed her his gun bag. "Hold this." He said while they took cover on a corner wall and he was reloading his guns. And as bullets were shooting through the wall, Evy quickly pulled him out of the way of the last 2 before he returned fire while Evy followed him as he managed to shoot 3 of the Medjai. He then put his guns away and asked Evy. "Can you swim?"
"Of course I can swim, if the occasion calls for it!" Evy answered.
"Trust me." He said as he picked her up bridal style. "It calls for it." And threw her into the water.
And when he picked up his gun bag, another Medjai surprise attacked him, punching him 4 times and kicking him into a pole before punching him again and tried to strangle him before Rick got the upper hand, headbutting him and avoided another punch before punching the Medjai in the back multiple times before kicking through a door filled with fire, killing him!
When Rick picked up his bag again, the Warden came up to him. "O'Connell! O'Connell! What are we going to do? What are we going to do?"
"Wait here! I'll go get help!" Rick said with a bit of humor, as he really didn't care about what happened to the warden that almost killed him.
"Right!" The warden said before Rick jumped into the water. The warden turned around and did what Rick said before he caught up with Rick's joke and jumped into the water as well.
And as the other Americans were engaged in a gunfight between more Medjai, while also having fun while doing it as Chamberlain was cowering behind them, Jonathan saw them and was annoyed. "Americans." Before the still on fire Medjai came out of nowhere and advanced on Jonathan to kill him and take the key. But Henderson saw this and shot him multiple times before he fell dead into the water. "I say, bloody good show, chaps." He said before putting on his hat while looking at the key. "And did I panic? I think not." He said before the fire began to explode, making him and everyone else jump into the water to safety.
And as the Americans were trying to get the horses and what supplies made it off the boat out of the water, Rick, Evy, Johnathan and the warden were on the other side. "We've lost everything! All of our tools, all the equipment! All my clothes!" Evy complained.
"O'CONNELL!" Beni, from the other side of the river yelled out, getting their attention. "HEY! O'CONNELL! IT LOOKS TO ME LIKE I'VE GOT ALL THE HORSES!"
But Rick countered, as his group was on the right side of the river to get to the next destination. "HEY, BENI! LOOKS TO ME LIKE YOUR ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE RIVER!"
"Yeah." Beni laughed, before looking around and realizing his 'friend' was actually right, making him kick the water while swearing in his native Hungarian language.
The next day in a small village
As the local people were going about their business, with the children playing, and some of the ladies hitting the warden to get him away from them, Rick and Jonathan were trying to get some camels for their journey across the desert, with Jonathan arguing with the owner about the price of 4 camels. "I only want 4! 4! I only want 4, not a whole bloody herd!" He said before looking at Rick. "O'Connell! Can you believe the cheek?!"
"Will you just pay the man?!" Rick told him.
Jonathan reluctantly got out his wallet and gave the owner the money. "Oh, for heaven's sake! Can't believe the price of these Fleabags!" He said with irritation. "Yes, happy? Very good."
"You probably could have got them for free." Rick said as he and Jonathan took the camels. "All we had to do was give him your sister."
"Yes. Awfully tempting, wasn't it?" Jonathan asked with a laugh.
Rick then saw Evy walk up to them, dressed in some of the local women's clothing, and looking quite beautiful as well. "Awfully." He said as Evy smiled and he patted his camel on the month.
Later on in the desert
Rick was leading Evy, Jonathan and the Warden through the desert on camels, remembering every single place to go while they talked. "I never did like camels. Filthy buggers. They smell, they bite, they spit. Disgusting."
"I think they're adorable." Evy said with a smile as he carefully patted her camel on the head, while the warden was singing and eating something, disgustingly spitting out chunks of it.
The 4 then spent an entire day traveling through the desert, enduring the hot weather and even small sand winds before the sun eventually set. And when it was nighttime, they were still moving, with Rick still awake while Evy, Jonathan and the Warden were trying to sleep, with Evy unknowingly meaning close to Rick while the warden was snoring very loudly and making Jonathan hit him with his camel whip to make him stop so he could try to sleep.
Rick then heard a horse whinny from far away and looked to his left, seeing the same people he saw 3 years ago standing on a far away cliff, being watched by Ardeth Bay and his fellow Medjai leaders. "This 1 is strong." He said, referring to O'Connell while acknowledging how strong he was to have survived the desert.
The next morning
Rick and his group were approaching Beni and his group, which had traveled their own way as Beni greeted Rick. "Good morning, my friend."
And as the 2 groups stopped, with the diggers still moving in last, Daniels asked with confusion. "What the hell we doin'?"
"Patience, my good barat'm. Patience." Beni told him.
Henderson then reminded Rick. "Remember our bet, O'Connell: 1st 1 to the city, 500 cash bucks."
"100 of them bucks is yours if you help us win that bet." Daniels told Beni.
"Oh, my pleasure." Beni accepted, as he'd always been 1 to make himself rich, no matter how big or small the money. He then said to his 'friend'. "Hey, O'Connell. Nice camel."
Rick patted his camel on the head before telling Evy. "Get ready for it."
"For what?" Evy asked.
"We're about to be shown the way." Rick answered.
And as if by magic, in the distance, the location of the long lost City of the Dead, was revealing itself, much to the astonishment of everyone but Rick and Beni, as they'd seen it before.
"Will you look at that?" Henderson asked.
"Can you believe it?" Asked Daniels.
"Hamunaptra." Burns said with a grin.
"Here we go again." Rick said as the City of the Dead was completely revealed, making everyone begin to race to Hamunaptra on their horses and camels, with Rick and Beni in the lead. And as they were close to each other, Beni began to cheat by hitting Rick with his whip 6 times before he finally had enough and grabbed him. "So long, Beni." He said before throwing him off his camel and out of the race.
"And that serves you right." Evy said to the cowardly cheater as he got to his feet.
And as the race continued, Rick and Evy got close and looked at each other for a few moments before Evy gestured her camel forward, taking the lead and making Rick smile, as well as Jonathan to cheer her on. "Go, Evy, go!" As Evy entered the City of the Dead with a grin.
Later
As everyone was preparing to explore the inside of the city, each with their own goals in mind, Henderson was looking at Rick's group, who were standing in front of the statue of Anubis and asked Chamberlain. "Do they know somethin' we don't?"
Chamberlain answered arrogantly, as he believed that women knew nothing about Egypt and its history and artifacts. "They are led by a woman. What does a woman know?"
With Rick and his group
"That's the statue of Anubis. It's legs go deep underground." Evy informed everyone. "According to Bembridge scholars, that's where we'll find a sacred compartment containing the golden Book of Amon-Ra." Before seeing her brother cleaning a mirror from Egypt's prime years. "Jonathan, you're meant to catch the sun with that."
Rick walked up to Evy and asked her. "So, uh, what are old mirrors for?"
"Ancient mirrors." Evy corrected. "It's an ancient Egyptian trick. You'll see."
Rick then gave her a kit. "Uh, here, this is, uh, for you." He said, making her confused as he told her a bit nervously. "Go ahead. It's something I won off our, uh, American brethren. I thought you might like it–you might need it for when you're, uh-uh, yeah." He said before looking at the warden. "What are you looking at?" Only for him to raise his hands up to say nothing as Rick walked to the rope he'd made for everyone to calm down on.
As Evy opened the kit and saw tools, she smiled and looked at Rick as the warden told him. "Hey! Look for bugs. I hate bugs." He said as Rick jumped down while holding the rope.
A bit later
In the dark room inside the city, Rick and Evy were looking around while Jonathan and the warden were almost down the rope. "Do you realize we're standing inside a room that no 1 has entered in over 3,000 years?" She asked with surprise.
As Jonathan got down, he smelled something very stinky. "Whoo! What is that god-awful stench?" He asked before looking at the warden and smelled it on him, making him look away.
Evy went to an old ancient mirror and wiped the webs off it before pointing it up into the light above. "And then there was light." She said as the light reflected onto the other mirrors, lighting up the room by a large amount and revealing it to be the Sah-Netjer room.
"Hey, that is a neat trick." Rick said with amazement as he could now see better.
"Oh my God. It's a Sah-Netjer." Evy said, recognizing the room.
"Huh?"
"A preparation room."
"Preparation for what?"
For entering the afterlife." Evy answered.
Jonathan walked up to them with his own torch and used Rick's to light it while the warden carried the digging equipment. "Mummies, my good son. This is where they made the mummies." Jonathan explained so that Rick could understand.
As the 4 explored the area, getting into a hallway, with Rick in the lead and a gun in hand just in case, they suddenly heard loud skittering all around them, making them turn around in alert before the skittering stopped.
"What was that?" Jonathan asked with confusion.
"Sounds like…bugs." Rick answered as they moved forward.
"He said bugs." Evy told the warden quietly.
"What do you mean, bugs? I hate bugs." The warden said.
But unknown to them, on another plain of existence, the spirit of Zahra, who had long been watching over the entire City of the Dead to keep Imhotep's power at bay however she could, was informed by the Scarab beetles, which she'd befriended in her long slumber, as she'd always been fond of any living creature in life, from camels and horses, to the tiniest insects, including the carnivores Scarab beetles, to trusting them as her personal scouts to alert her if anyone had entered the inside of the Hamunaptra, had told her that multiple people had come to the city and were inside.
And so, still willing to do whatever was necessary to keep Imhotep buried, chose to follow the 4 people she was seeing now, as well as using a power her spirit had long mastered to see into their souls, as well as their motivations for coming to Hamunaptra, but didn't want to do anything that would make them aware of her spirit's presence just yet. For how long she'd been doing this, she didn't know, as with being a spirit, there was no sense of time whatsoever. But she'd continue to do this until the very end of time if it meant preventing the day she'd long feared was inevitable. Just as she had sworn to do so many years ago.
Rick and the others then got to the legs of Anubis as Evy spoke. "The legs of Anubis. The secret compartment should be hidden somewhere inside here."
But that was when they heard something of a roar and moaning, making them take cover as Rick gave Evy his torch while he, Jonathan and the warden prepared their guns quietly as the moaning intensified.
And when the 3 were all prepared, they waited a few more seconds before they came from their corner and pointed their guns at Beni and the Americans' group as they did the same thing. "You scared the bejesus out of us, O'Connell." Henderson said with a relieved sigh.
"Likewise." Rick said as they put their guns down.
But Burns noticed something Evy had. "Hey, that's my tool kit." Before he stepped forward to take it back.
"I don't think so." Rick said before they all held their guns up, with Rick pointing his in Burns' face before he could raise his.p
"Okay. Perhaps I was mistaken." He said nervously.
They all put their guns down before Evy spoke. "Well, have a nice day, gentleman. We have a lot of work to be getting along with."
"Push off! This is our dig site." Chamberlain scoffed.
"We got here 1st." Evy countered, making everyone with guns raise them again, much faster, for a 3rd time.
"This here's our statue, friend." Daniels said to Rick.
"I don't see your name written on it… pal." Rick countered.
As Evy looked down and used her foot to shove small pebbles down a crack in the floor, Beni told his 'friend' and a confidant and non-cowardly tone, but only because he had people with him with guns, whereas if he was alone, he'd be whimpering like the coward he was."Yes, well, there's only 4 of you…and 15 of me. Your odds are not so great, O'Connell."
Rick pointed his right gun at Beni. "I've had worse."
"Yeah, me too." Jonathan said, making Rick look at him for a second and back at Beni.
But Evy got between them, as she had another idea. "Oh, for goodness' sake, let's be nice, children." She said as she lowered some of their guns. "If we're going to play together, we must learn to share." Before she looked at Rick. "There are other places to dig." Making him put his guns away and smile challengingly at the other group.
A bit later, underneath Anubis' statue
As Rick was digging up from the ceiling, Evy spoke out. "According to these hieroglyphics, we're underneath the statue. We should come up right between his legs."
"And when those damn yanks go to sleep–no offense." Jonathan said while not wanting to offend Rick.
"None taken."
"We'll dig our way up and steal that book right out from under them" He finished.
"Are you sure we can find this secret compartment thing?" Rick asked Evy, who was using 1 of her tools to dig.
"Oh, yes, if those beastly Americans haven't beaten us to it." Evy answered. "No offense."
"None taken." Rick said.
"Hey, where'd our smelly little friend get to?" Jonathan asked, noticing that the warden was gone.
Meanwhile, in another area
The warden was crawling through a tunnel with a torch, having decided to look somewhere else for treasure before he came upon a chamber and saw something. "Hey." He said before walking up to a mural of a man being killed by slumbering Scarabs, as a warning for any trespasser that this chamber was dangerous. "What have we here?" He asked, eyeing the blue shells of scarabs that were hardened into stone-like casings. "Blue gold." He said before he plucked 1 out by using his knife. "This will fetch a mighty fine price." Before he put it into his bag and imitated the mural while ululating before he laughed at it and began to pry out more shells.
But unknown to him, in the spiritual plain, Zahra's spirit was watching him, using a power she'd long mastered to see into his soul and was outraged by what she saw, as well as the fact that he was prying out Scarab shells from their place of slumber. "Greedy, treasure seeking fool." She said with a look of anger. "He dares to pry out my little friends?!"
Meanwhile, with Beni's group
Henderson, eager to find some treasure in the statue of Anubis, was trying to open the compartment. "Let's get us some treasure."
But Chamberlain stopped him. "Careful! Seti was no fool." He said before looking at the diggers. "I think perhaps we should let the diggers open it, hmm?"
Burns actually agreed with him on that. "I think we should listen to the good doctor, Henderson."
Henderson then took the rod out and said. "Yeah, sure. Let them open it."
Chamberlain spoke to the diggers in Arabic before 3 of them got to work, using rods to pry open the compartment as the Egyptologist spoke out. "Zee-eda. Zee-eda! Zee-eda!" Only for a torrent of salt acid to burst from the stone, spraying on the 3 diggers and slowly melting them, much to the horror of the others.
Back with Rick, Evy and Johnathan
While Jonathan was playing golf with digging equipment, using the rocks as golf balls, Rick was talking with Evy about mummification. "Let me get this straight: they ripped out your guts and they stuffed them in jars."
"And then they'd take out your heart as well." Evy added while confirming it. "Oh, and you know how they took out your brains?"
"Evy, I don't think we need to know this." Jonathan said.
"They'd take a sharp, red-hot poker, stick it up your nose, scramble things about a bit and then rip it all out through your nostrils."
"Oh, that's gotta hurt." Rick said while touching his nose.
"It's called mummification. You'll be dead when they do this." Evy assured him.
Rick then looked at Jonathan. "For the record, if I don't make it outta here, don't put me down for mummification."
"Likewise." Jonathan said in agreement before hitting something that made something fall very close to Rick and Evy, revealed to be Imhotep's sarcophagus!
"Oh, my God. It's a– it's a sarcophagus." Evy said with surprise before looking up. "Buried at the base of Anubis." Before guessing why it was buried there. "He must have been someone of great importance. Or he did something very naughty."
Back with the warden
The greedy man pried out another shell. "Oh, Allah." He said before he unknowingly dropped the shell on the floor…before it started moving as he continued to pry out more, making him fail to notice.
And in the spiritual plain, Zahra's spirit saw the Scarab inside the shell chew its way out before it saw her, making her bend down and move her hand for it to walk on before it slowly came to her and she stood up while it squealed, as if talking to her. She rubbed its back with her index finger while speaking gently to it. "Hello, my little friend. Do you see that human standing there?"
The little beetle turned and squealed, as if to say. 'Yes, I do.'
Zahra brought the beetle close to her mouth and whispered. "Good. Kill him, little friend, kill him." She gently, but darkly, said before she put her 1 of many little friends down before she watched as the Scarab skittered to the warden's foot and cut through the shoe and his skin with its sharp teeth.
The warden then felt something in his foot that was moving inside him, making him shrike in pain as he tried to pull up his pants leg, but to no avail as the pain he felt continued to move upwards. "Help me! Help me! Help me!" He screamed before ripping his shirt open, seeing a living lump crawl under his skin that was really the Scarab eating its way up to his brain, making him scream in pain as he tried to stop it by touching the spot the Scarab was at, but it didn't help as the beetle continued to eat his way up his face and finally got to his head, eating through his skull and into his brain to do its friend's work
And in the spiritual plain, Zahra's spirit, while still peaceful at heart and cared about innocent lives, showed no sympathy, nor pity for the man, as she knew his greed was his undoing, and so, he'd brought this onto himself. But she sensed something was wrong. Something below the statue of Anubis, making her quick go to investigate. And, to her horror, she saw the 3 others… examining Imhotep's sarcophagus! "No…"
Meanwhile, with Rick, Evy and Johnathan
The 3 were examining Imhotep's sarcophagus, trying to figure out who was buried inside it. "Well, who is it?" Jonathan asked as he walked to the other side of the sarcophagus.
"He that…shall not be named." Evy answered.
Rick blew on a part of the sarcophagus to clear the sand out, revealing the lock part of it. "This looks like some sort of a lock."
"Well, whoever's in here sure wasn't getting out." Jonathan said.
"Yeah, no kidding. It'd take us a mouth to crack into this thing without a key." Rick said in agreement.
That made Evy realize. "A key? A key! A key! Now that's what he was talking about!" She said as she went to get the puzzle box.
"Who was talking about what?" Rick asked with confusion.
"The man! The 1 on the barge! The 1 with the book. He was looking for a key." Evy answered as she found the key and opened it.
"Hey, that's mine." Jonathan said before Evy placed the key into the lock before looking at Rick with a grin.
Suddenly, they heard screaming, surprising them before they ran out of the chamber to see who it was before they saw the warden, holding his head while screaming in agonizing pain before he ran past his group and right into a wall, crashing his head into the stonewall enough to kill him instantly as he fell to the floor dead, while the Scarab inside him, having done its work, crawled out of his ear and disappeared into the darkness while Rick and the others shocked by this.
But in the spiritual plain, Zahra knew that now that these people had figured out how to open Imhotep's sarcophagus, and the fact that it was out of its rightful place, knew that all of them had to be dealt with now, 1 way or another, before they found the Book of the Dead, having sensed that its compartment had been removed and its trap had been triggered. And if she was right, it was only a matter of time before the day she had feared for so very long would come. But 1st, she'd awaken the other Scarab beetles that the greedy fool pried out and tell them to gather the entire swarm as a contingency plan.
Later at out outside the city
Evy and Johnathan were at their camp separate from Beni and his group, with Rick joining them with his shotgun in hand. "What do you suppose killed him?" Evy asked, referring to the warden.
"Did you ever see him eat?" Jonathan answered with a question.
"Seems our American friends had a little misfortune of their own today." Rick informed them. "3 of their diggers were, uh, melted."
"What?" Evy asked with surprise.
"How?" Jonathan wondered.
"Salt acid." Rick answered. "Pressurized salt acid. Some kind of ancient booby trap."
Maybe this place really is cursed." Jonathan said before a whooshing wind passed by.
"Oh, for goodness' sake, you 2." Evy said with a bit of frustration in them believing in curses.
"You don't believe in curses, huh?" Rick asked.
"No I don't. I believe that if I can see it and touch it, then it's real. That's what I believe." Evy answered.
"I believe in being prepared." Rick said as he prepared his shotgun to illustrate his point.
Jonathan that reached inside the late warden's bag. "Let's see what our friend, the warden, believed in." He said as he felt in the warden's bag and jerked his hand out with a yell. "Aaah!"
Evy screamed while Rick pointed his gun at the bag. "What?"
My God, what is it?" Evy asked with worry.
Jonathan then pulled out a bottle. "A broken bottle." Making them sigh in relief as he read the label. "Glenlivet. 12 years old!" He said with excitement, as it had been 1 of his favorite drinks. "Well, he may have been a stinky fellow, but he had good taste." Before he opened the cork and took a sip while Evy chuckled.
Rick heard the horses whinnying from the Americans' campsite and was worried. He gave his shotgun to Evy for protection and told them as he walked to the other campsite. "Take this. Stay here!"
But Evy just got up and ran after him. "No, wait, wait! Wait for me. Wait!"
Jonathan ran after his sister with the alcohol bottle in hand. "Evy! Excuse me, but didn't the man just say "stay here"? Evy!"
Meanwhile, at the other campsite
Medjai warriors on horseback rode through the camp and began to shoot and slash everyone with their guns and swords, killing a few of them and burning their tents.
Chamberlain ran from them while yelling out. "Mr. Henderson! Wake up!"
As Henderson, Daniels and Burns got out of their tents and saw what was happening, they got out their guns and began shooting back, killing a few of the Medjai as Rick came along and had shot 3 more dead while Evy ran into the danger with Rick's shotgun and saw 1 of the Medjai ride up to her, making her scream as she shot him dead, while Jonathan took a sip of it alcohol and shot 2 of them before Beni ran up to him, took his drink and took a big sip before the coward saw another Medjai ride up to them, making him spit in Jonathan's face before he quickly gave him back the bottle and run off.
Jonathan saw him too and ran as he called out for Rick. "O'Connell!"
Rick heard him and quickly jumped on the Medjai warrior, knocking him and his horse down before he got up and drew his sword, with his face mask falling off in the process to reveal Ardeth Bay before Rick shot his sword out of his hands. Another Medjai tried to help him but Rick quickly shot him dead but it caused Rick to be distracted long enough for Ardeth to draw his other sword and use it to disarm Rick as he slashed at him before Rick flipped back while using a nearby fire to light a stick of dynamite as a warning.
Ardeth Bay stopped himself before he knew that he and his fellow Medjai had made their point to these trespassers. "Enough! Yallah!" He shouted out to his fellow Medjai, making them stop. "We will shed no more blood, but you must leave. Leave this place or die." He told them before he got on his horse that 1 of his fellow Medjai brought to him. "You have 1 day!" He warned before calling his fellow Medjai. "Yallah! Nimshi!" Before they all rode out of the city.
Rick, unnerved by the threat, tore out his dynamite's fuse and threw it away before seeing Evy laying on the ground. "Evelyn." He said, rushing over to her as he took his shotgun from her and put it on the ground before he helped her up. "Hey. Are you all right?"
"Yes, I'm fine." Evy answered with a bit of shock.
"You sure?" Rick asked with concern.
"Thank you." Evy said.
"See? That proves it." Daniels said. "Old Seti's fortune's gotta be under this sand."
"For them to protect it like this, you just know there's treasure down there." Henderson said in agreement, as they only cared about treasure.
But Rick knew better, as he held Evy in his arms. "No, these men are desert people. They value water, not gold."
Burns walked up to him and suggested. "You know, maybe just at night, we could, uh, combine forces, hmm?"
While in the spiritual plain, Zahra's spirit had seen everything that had just happened. And while the lives taken tonight by the Medjai was unfortunate, it was more than necessary to prevent what they and she had long feared. But for these 3 only to be only concerned about treasure and not the Medjai's warning of being given 1 days' time to leave Hamunaptra or die, as well as the salt acid booby trap that killed 3 of them earlier today, had greatly disgusted her. And so, seeing the female among the group, she decided to try 1 last thing to make her and all the others leave before the Medjai came back tomorrow night to finish their work. And if not, she'd just watch as the Medjai killed them all the next night. Just like so many others before them.
Later at their campsite
While Jonathan was sleeping, Rick was teaching a drunken Evy, who's drank some of the alcohol to take her mind off of what happened earlier, to defend herself. "Okay, tough stuff, try a right hook. Ball up your fist and put it–" He said while straightening up her hand to the right place. "Put it up like that."
"Mmm-hmm."
"Then mean it. Hit it right here." Rick instructed while holding out his right palm.
"I mean it!" She said punching his hand but nearly fell because of her drucken state, causing Rick to catch her as she giggled.
"Okay. It's time for another drink." Rick said while sitting her down and giving her the alcohol.
"Unlike my brother, sir, I know when to say no." Evy said before taking a sip.
"Uh-huh. And unlike your brother, Miss, you, I just don't get." Rick said.
"Ah. I know. You're wondering…what is a place like me doing in a girl like this." She said drunkenly.
"Yeah, something like that."
Evy then showed Rick her necklace, which belonged to her parents before they died. "Egypt is in my blood. You see, my– my father…was a very, very famous explorer, and he loved Egypt so much, he married my mother, who was an Egyptian and quite the adventurer herself."
Rick seemed to get that. "Hmm. I get your father, and I get your mother, and, uh, I get him, but…what are you doing here?" He asked while pointing at the sleeping Jonathan.
Evy stood up and said to him. "Ooh. Look, I may not be an explorer or-or an adventurer or a treasure seeker, or a gunfighter, Mr. O'Connell, but I am proud of what I am."
"And what is that?" Rick asked.
"I…am a librarian." She answered, making Rick grin before she fell to her knees. "And I am going to kiss you, Mr. O'Connell.*
"Call me Rick." He told her gently.
Evy seemed to like that name as she grinned. "Oh! Oh, Rick." She said before she leaned in…and passed out on his left leg, making Rick look a bit disappointed. But unknown to him, she began to dream about something that would change their lives forever, as well as prepare them for what was to come.
In Evy's dream
Evy began to slowly open her eyes. She was surprised and shocked to find herself at a large oasis, which had a big lake full of fresh water, grass and many palm trees. Evy quickly stood up, looking around. "Rick? Jonathan?" But she found nobody.
Deciding not to wait for help to arrive, she began to search around in the oasis, hoping to find her brother and Rick or anyone who could help her. As she managed to walk around the lake and got to the other side of the oasis, she found a large statue. Curiously, Evy took a look at it, and was surprised to see that it was the same statue of the goddess Isis in Hamunaptra.
A voice called to her, coming from the statue. "Evelyn..."
"Wha...?" Evy looked in surprise. She shook her head, thinking she was just imagining things. "Statues can't talk. It's just my imagination." And wanted to walk away.
"Evelyn!" The same voice called, now more serious, making Evy yelp and glance back at the statue before strong wind blew over the oasis, forming a big sand twister before the statue of Isis. From the sandstorm, Zahra emerged. She appeared not to want to cause any harm to Evy. "Don't be afraid, Evelyn." She assured her.
"Who... who are you?" Evy asked.
"I am Zahra. Daughter of Waaiz and Hasina. Protector and close friend of Pharaoh Nefertiri." Zahra introduced herself.
Evy looked with surprise. "Nefertiri? THE Pharaoh Nefertiri?!"
Zahra gave a nod. "Yes." But then she told her very seriously, which made the skies darken. "You and all the others need to leave Hamunaptra. Now."
"I-I don't understand. Why do I need to leave? We're on the breakthrough of discovering something-"
"LISTEN!" Zahra yelled, which caused lightning to strike, causing Evy to be quiet. "What you seek or try to unravel, will bring nothing but death and destruction on its way. Head my warning, Evelyn Carnahan; put aside your pride in search of knowledge and recognition, and leave Hamunaptra with all of the others at once!"
Suddenly, an even more powerful sandstorm blew over the oasis, which blew Evy away.
Back in the real world
Evy gasped as she woke from her dream before seeing that Jonathan and Rick were asleep. Evy sighed in relief. "It was only a dream. Just a normal, bit of a scary dream."
Just as she was about to go back to sleep, a small wind blew over Hamunaptra and a soft voice called out. "Leave... now." And for a moment, Evy looked around, but then went back to sleep.
There you go, my dear friends, the 2nd chapter is complete. I hope you all really liked the parts I added about Zahra's spirit and the extreme measures she's taken to prevent what she, Ardeth Bay and the Medjai have long feared. As for the spirit parts: it's just something I wanted to add so it would have something a bit different than just everything that happened in the movie, while also giving Zahara a little part to play, and also that she would have some powers that Imhotep doesn't. Also, it's the Mummy universe, so any kind of magic can happen, including spiritual magic. Anyway, the next chapter will be where the major changes begin. Hope you're all ready for them. Rate and review and I'll see you all next time, my dear friends.