by A. Giacomi
It looks god awful. It’s definitely bruising nicely, and I’m sure it will leave a nice-sized scar. “Do they have land sharks in Egypt?” I say sarcastically under my breath. What could do this to her, and why can’t we seem to find it or them? It’s no use wondering. I simply keep thinking that, thank God, she’ll get to keep her arm, although it will never look the same.
Eve is a very pretty girl, always has been. She has the glossiest brown hair and these sapphires surrounded by thick lashes. Her lips are full and luscious, and she has cheekbones that supermodels would kill for. She’s also a bit of an enigma to me because she’s girly in a sense, but her interests are sports, comic books, and action movies; she simply acts like one of the guys. She is most likely every man’s dream girl, but she isn’t even aware of it.
Eve is the kind of girl who likes to be pretty for herself; she doesn’t care what others think about how she looks as long as she’s happy with it. That’s where her confidence comes from. If she feels she looks good, she can conquer the world, but a bad hair day can crush her spirits. I know this little imperfection will bother her for life. She smashed the mirror in her bedroom a few years back because she had a pimple that wouldn’t go away quickly enough. I guess Eve is a bit vain, a bit stubborn, and a bit of a control freak, but the good really does outweigh all of these traits. She is always a true friend. If she makes a promise, she keeps it, and she’s always truly happy for people’s accomplishments and never jealous. She’s honest at all costs, and I respect that. There are far too many people who lie to your face on a daily basis and think you’re too stupid to know it. As Eve always says, “I love you enough to tell you the truth, even if it sucks to know it.”
***
I leave the medical centre in a haze. I wish I could do something, anything, to make Eve feel better. All at once, it dawns on me as I recall Eve searching for something around her neck. Her locket!
I didn’t think to look for it before; I was far more concerned with Eve. I need to go back and find it. It must have fallen off during the attack.
The locket holds a picture of her mother and a lock of her mother’s hair that fell out during one of her chemo treatments. This is one of Eve’s most prized possessions, and she goes nowhere without it. Eve has always been a little superstitious, the whole never letting a black cat cross her path, or not opening her umbrella inside, or donning jewelry with protective symbols.
Eve brings this locket with her everywhere, because once it was created, her mother was told that she was cancer-free. Eve believes the locket will keep the cancer from returning, and for what it’s worth, I hope that little superstition of hers is true.
I lost Eve the year she found out her mother had cancer. She was simply a shell of herself. She couldn’t and wouldn’t believe it could take her mother’s life. For that year, she hid away from us, spending every waking hour with her mother, living in constant fear that she might lose her. I can’t blame her for feeling this way, and I completely understood that she needed the time, but I missed her and resented the fact that she wouldn’t come to us for support or help. I felt left out of the loop and useless. I know that Eve never intended for Cam and me to feel this way, and we’ve never held it against her. We just wanted to be there for her like she has always been there for us, but that’s Eve: she deals with things on her own. She shuts down for a bit and finds her own way back.
***
I head to Eve’s tent to check if the locket is there. It’s not. I already had a feeling that was the case, but I was really hoping that the other option would not have to be explored.
“Fine,” I sigh. “Guess I will just have to go back down there then.”
I should probably call Cam for backup. I’m not sure if that “thing” is still down there hiding and waiting for its next victim.
As I head over to Cam’s tent, I keep wondering why no one has found anything yet. Have the police even been notified about this incident? His tent is literally five tents over. When I arrive, I swipe the flap open quickly and see his bare ass.
“Crap, I’m so sorry. I should have knocked!” I giggle, knowing that tents don’t have that option.
I give him a minute to put his pants on and then re-enter the tent.
“Jesus, Alex! Can’t a man change without someone barging in on him? It’s like the third time this week! I’m starting to think you like getting a sneak peek at this bod!”
I roll my eyes. “Sure, Cam, that’s my goal in life—to see your full frontal.”
He chuckles and then gives me the “what’s up?” glance.
“Listen, Cam, you’re not going to like this idea, but I need your help. I think Eve left her locket down there, and we need to go get it for her. You know how devastated she’ll be if she doesn’t get it back.”
He stares at me like he’s about to ask what the hell I’m thinking, but he reflects on my words and then sighs and says, “Alright fine. I’m just glad you didn’t decide to go down there alone like Eve. You can both be so stubborn sometimes. I can’t take it!”
***
We head towards the tunnels, which have been left unguarded since the incident. The only extra precaution they took was adding additional yellow tape. I roll my eyes at the sight of it.
“As if that would stop anyone!” I say, pointing at the bright lines of tape.
Cam covers my mouth as soon as I say it. Then I hear it too. There are people talking ahead of us. We weren’t expecting company.
Two men appear with Dr. August at their side. The men are wearing suits that make them look like CIA agents.
I hear Cam whisper, “Suits in the desert? Are they nuts?”
One of the men looks like a football player on steroids; the other is quite small in build with thick-framed glasses.
The quarterback tells Dr. August, “Please make sure no one else goes down there until we finish our inspection. We warned you that it might be dangerous. You should have had security guarding the entrance.”
The other man nods his head with stern agreement and adds, “This is a very important dig, Doctor. I’m still not sure why you decided to take a bunch of kids along.”
I spit at the sound of the word “kids.” We were nineteen, for God’s sake!
Dr. August smiles and retorts, “Well, gentlemen, one day I will be dead and gone, and someone will have to take over where I left off. Who exactly is going to do that? These ‘kids’ may eventually be of use to you someday, so I suggest you have a little respect for their delicious curiosity. One day their work may even be greater than my own.”
Cam and I fist bump at the sound of Dr. August’s defiance.
“Thanks for standing up for us,” I say in a whisper so that not even Cam can hear it.
The two men scowl at Dr. August and begin to leave. The skinnier of the two men turns back for a second and reminds Dr. August, “We’ll be in touch.”
When they are finally gone and Dr. August is alone, the defiant smile on his face fades. He seems bewildered? Angry? I’m not sure; I can’t read faces or body language. I am of no use unless it’s blatantly obvious. It took me years to discover Cam had a crush on Eve.
Cam and I stare as Dr. August pulls something out of his pocket; it’s a rock in a very lovely shade of red. He lifts his arm as if he’s about to chuck it off into the distance, but he rethinks this choice almost as quickly and places it back in his pocket. With his decision made, he begins to walk away.
***
When we begin our descent into the tombs, it’s eerily quiet, and what’s even more daunting is the fact that it doesn’t seem like anyone has even revisited the area. Eve’s blood still stains the floor. Have the police collected a single ounce of evidence?
Cam gives me this look of understanding. It’s amazing how friends of many years don’t even need to speak anymore, and they can just sense the other’s thoughts.
He grabs my shoulders and looks at me with his stern dark eyes. “Please be careful. If you sense even a bit of danger, you get yourself out of there, understand?” He shakes me slightly while he says this. “I can’t follow you in, so I’m begging you to make good decisions here. I don’t need to lose anyone on this trip.”
I shrug him off, trying not to let my fear show. “Okay Cam, jeez. Chill out, will ya? This will be quick.”
I start to slide through the same crevice with the mini flashlight in my mouth. This makes it a little easier to feel my way around. When I enter the tomb, I shiver, thinking about what might have happened here. I shine the light around the room and locate Eve’s satchel. I rummage through it. No locket. I run the flashlight along the ground. When I pull the flashlight back up, I see a figure in front of me. It looks like it’s contorted and peeling away in some places. It’s human, but the eyes are ruby red. Its neck twitches and cracks in an odd manner. I tremble and drop the flashlight. Screams fill the cave. They belong to me.
I can hear Cam on the other side. He is screaming with me.
“Alex, God dammit! Are you alright? Please answer me!”
I feel around on the floor frantically for the flashlight. When my hands wrap around it, I pick it up quickly and direct it at the corner that the figure was standing in. But it’s not there any longer. My light traces every inch of the room, but the decaying man is gone. Perhaps I imagined him, but it is still enough to make my palms sweaty.
It takes me a moment to regain composure. All the while, Cam is still screaming.
“Alex! Alex! Alex!” he screams as I hear him pounding the wall.
“Cam, I’m okay.” I take a deep breath before continuing. “I thought I saw something, and then I dropped my light. It was nothing. I’m fine!”
“You’re fine. You coulda fooled me…you’re fine…” He adds a “pfft” after that.
I can understand his frustration. I know he won’t be able to squeeze through and help me if the need arises. He is much too large. He is built like a wrestler, which makes it hard to believe that his father ever abused him. His father was much smaller and out of shape, and Cam could take him but he was too kind. He never fought back. Something about his father paralyzed him and kept him from protecting himself.
When my body stops shaking, I continue my search. I see something gleaming in the middle of the room. When I move closer, I see it. It’s here. I’ve found it. All I can think is, thank God, and I breathe a sigh of relief. We can leave now. I scoop it up and place it in my pocket.
I yell back to Cam, “I’ve got it! Coming back now!”
He shouts, “Okay,” back to me, and I begin to squeeze my way through the crevice. I stop when I hear a noise. I fling the light in the direction of the sound instinctively, and there is nothing there. “Thank God,” I gasp.
“Thank God what?” Cam yells.
“Nothing, Cam. Just thought I heard something.” I turn to move ahead once more and flash the light in front of me. I see something there.
I scream and drop the flashlight again.
“Alex, what’s going on? Come back now! Get out!”
I can hear the panic in Cam’s voice; what the heck does he think I’m trying to do? Of course, I want out of here. I quickly retrieve the flashlight and speedily squeeze my way through the crevice.
He grabs me as soon as I exit. “What happened?”
I look up at him after taking a deep breath. “I thought I saw something, that’s all. It’s just my nerves getting the best of me.”
He places his hands over his chest. “You scared the shit out of me, you know?”
I chuckle. “Yeah, I know. I scared the shit out of me too.”
***
We head back up, and it’s already dinner time. I didn’t realize we were down there so long. I gleefully head towards the mess tent, triumphant and full of worth. Hopefully, Eve will wake up soon and be back to her old self. I can’t wait to see her eyes light up when we return her most prized possession.
CHAPTER FIVE
EVE
I feel as high as a kite today, as the saying goes. I’ve been hopped up on meds for days so I won’t feel the throbbing pain in my arm. They have it bandaged excessively now, especially after seeing the look of disgust on my face every time I peered down at it. I guess the nurses caught me peeking at it constantly and realized I was starting to become a bit obsessive with staring instead of resting.
The doctor says I can leave as soon as tomorrow, and I honestly can’t wait; I’ve been going stir crazy. I have nothing to occupy my time except for my own thoughts, and they aren’t pleasant. For someone with no recollection of what happened, I am plagued with nightmares.
The only distraction I’ve been offered appears in the form of Dr. August. He bursts into the med tent dramatically. I knew he would come to see me and ask if I recovered any of my memory from “the incident,” as he calls it. I struggle to retrieve anything, but all I can remember is how dark it was in there. I remember my fear and nothing else.
In return, I ask Dr. August if they have made any progress with the case.
He sighs and furrows his wrinkled brow before saying, “There was really no evidence left behind and no trail to follow. Unfortunately, the case will soon be filed away as unsolved.”
I bite my lip. I feel responsible for all of this; the same thing might happen to someone else, and I can’t even help them figure this one out because I can’t even remember what happened down there.
Dr. August is genuinely upset that one of his students has been hurt on one of his digs, but he is also sad that we will be leaving in a few days. His first love will always be discovery, but Dr. August always makes us feel important, much like one of his colleagues. Even though we are just some young schmucks with no real experience, we share his lust for strange and uncharted territory, and that is enough to win him over.
I will miss him, his long gray hair, and his quirky smile. He reminds me so much of Mr. Rogers and a much older Brian Cranston all in one. His days are growing closer and closer to retirement, and I know he’ll be spending his later years sipping on margaritas in Florida with his family as the golden years wear on. He mentioned leaving the university at some point next year, which means I only have another year with him.
I have a feeling he might miss his life of adventure, but he always avoids the subject by telling us that it’s time to stop being so selfish and leave something for the rest of us to discover.
“I do remember one thing, Dr. August.”
He looks intrigued. “And what’s that, Eve?”
I look down at the ground. “I owe you an apology. I didn’t follow your instructions, and I’m sorry. I’m sure I’ve gotten you into some kind of trouble. All I can say is I’m an idiot, and I won’t do it again.”
That was very hard to get out, but I have to say something. I feel like complete shit about it. I know someone will be breathing down his neck about the girl who got injured on his watch.
Dr. August simply smiles and says, “Don’t even worry about it. I’m mostly just interested in how you’re feeling.” He pats my hand and then leaves my side without saying another word.
***
While digging around in my thoughts, I don’t even hear Cam and Alex come in. Alex has this huge smile on her face and tip toes towards me in a goofy manner.
“What is it, Al? What have you gone and done?” I raise an eyebrow, a little concerned with her abrupt display of happiness.
She smirks again before pulling something out of her pocket very carefully. When my eyes meet with the golden object in Alex’s hand, I squeal, “My locket!” I nearly jump out of bed. “Where did you guys find this? Oh my God, I could kiss you both so hard right now!”
> Cam blushes a little with the mention of the word “kiss.” I often wonder if he still has a thing for me after all these years. It is no secret that he had a huge crush on me back in high school, but I thought he had long forgotten about it, or maybe he had and I’m just reading too much into things.
Alex hugs me with a triumphant grip. “I went back to the tomb to get it.”
I can feel my face turn green. “Alex, why did you go back down there? It’s not safe! You could have been attacked or worse!”
Alex just rolls her eyes at me. “You didn’t think we’d let you leave without your lucky locket, did you? Now just admit you’re happy to have it back and shut up, okay?”
I smirk a little. “I’m still mad at you, but thanks, guys. I don’t know what I would have done without it.”
Cam comes over to the edge of my bed and sits down. “So you get to leave this sterile little place tomorrow, eh?”
“Yup, guess I do, but you know I’ve become quite accustomed to living in a large tent. Might have to get me one of these when we get home.” I wink at him, and he turns a tad redder.
“Maybe I will just have to organize a camping trip?” Cam and Alex stare at me in silence; they know full well I’m not the camping type. Egypt was even a stretch for me. I spend most days running from large bugs. Cam cracks only a smile first, but he can’t hide the laughter rising within him.
“I’m sorry,” he begins to laugh through his words, “but I can’t even picture that.” He laughs even harder, and it becomes contagious. Soon we are all having a good laugh at my expense, and in that moment I know we all feel the same thing: very blessed to have each other safe and sound.
Once Cam and Alex leave, I squeeze my locket in my more capable hand and drift off to sleep. Tomorrow I will be free. Let the countdown begin.
***
The next morning, I’m overjoyed to be out of that hospital bed but a little depressed about having to start planning my departure. I talk to myself as I organize a few items.