“I can’t believe that just happened.” I whispered. Throwing caution to the wind, I ran to the opening, not knowing what was on the other side; anything had to be better than being trapped in a tomb.
Reaching the opening of the door, I went to step out, but Kris grabbed my arm. She pulled me behind her, so she could go first. Odd. I was the one to go first in most situations, unless we were going into a museum or library.
Kris stepped through the doorway with me close on her heels, and the secret entrance whisked shut. The light from the tomb was now gone, encasing us in darkness. Staying close to Kris, I couldn’t help but wonder how the doorway, being as old as it was, shut so quickly.
You are starting to talk like a crazy person, Jo.
I shook my head to clear my thoughts of the foolishness and focused on getting out of here.
Keeping a tight grip on Kris’s arm, we stood there. I hoped my eyes would begin to adjust to the darkness surrounding us. Suddenly torches around the room came to life.
“Why is it every time we enter a room, that happens? For once, can’t the torches already be lit?”
Kris shook her head, and froze mid step, when she saw what was in front of her. Three feet in front of us was a drop off into a shallow pit. Scooting closer, making sure there was no possible way we could fall in, I looked inside the pit and saw a black moving mass.
“Is that?” Kris asked, staring at it.
“Scorpions,” I answered with a shrug. Scorpions were nothing compared to psychos with magical powers.
One scorpion, we would stand a chance, but thousands? We would be dead in seconds. Taking a closer look at the pit, I noticed the black mass was full of small scorpions. Larger ones we could handle, but the smaller ones were incredibly dangerous and one poke will kill you.
Looking around the room for ideas on how to get out of here, I did everything I could to not think about the mass before us. We had to figure out how to escape without getting stung.
A cold chill racked my body and there was an air of urgency in the room. The sensation was overpowering, causing the hairs on my neck to stand up. Feeling my adrenaline kick in, I felt time was against us. I wanted to plop down, feel defeated, and let the scorpions sting me to death, but I refused to go down like this. With Kris’s brain, and my insane luck with finding hidden entrances, we could do this.
“Josephine, you can do this. You need to get to the far wall. That is the way out.” Someone whispered.
I looked around, and noticed that Kris was busy scanning the walls and didn’t seem to hear anything. I must be hearing things. I stared at the far wall that the voice had indicated, noticing that there was a platform. Grabbing Kris’s hand, I tugged her towards the platform.
I noticed the platform was not a platform at all, but a small lip along the edge of the wall. Looking at Kris, I couldn’t help smiling. She was going to be pissed when she realized that we were going to have to tightrope it. I had spent my formative years in gymnastics, basketball, softball, horseback riding, and soccer, perfecting my coordination.
Walking to the edge of the platform, I squatted down to examine the lip. I stood and stretched, getting my body loose. I touched my toes and did a couple other stretches to limber up. I hadn’t done anything with gymnastics in years.
“What in the hell are you doing?” Kris snapped. “This is not the time to stretch.”
“Yes, Kris, it is. I think I know how to get out of here.”
“How?”
I pointed to the wall. “There.”
She cocked an eyebrow, “You plan on turning into Spiderman and climbing the wall?”
“No, I plan on walking along that lip to get to the other side. You are going to walk with me.”
“Are you fucking crazy? How do you expect me to get across that?”
“Kris, you can do this. Here, watch me.” I stepped onto the lip, being cautious of where I stepped, but my foot slid off. I jumped back and took off my shoes. With my shoes in one hand and the other resting against the wall, it was time for round two.
The second attempt was much easier. I had the arm that was against the wall raised, so it was out of the way. I carefully worked my way across the lip to the other side, keeping my eyes forward and not looking down. When I reached the other side, I turned and looked back at Kris. She was staring at me, eyes wide.
“Okay, Kris. Your turn. You can do this.”
Kris shook her head no. She stepped back and pressed herself against the wall. There was a loud click, then the platform she was on was slowly moving into the wall. At first, I thought I was seeing things, but then I realized that the platform was actually moving.
“Kris, you have to. If not, you will fall into that damn pit of fucking scorpions and you are going to be on the top of the menu. Now get your ass moving! It is just like walking on the edge of the curb, like when we were kids.”
“I can’t, Jo. I am the biggest klutz on the face of this planet.”
Tossing my shoes on the ground, I back tracked. “I’ll come get you.” I made my way back to her, moving a little quicker since I was sure of my footing. I wasn’t going to leave her behind or let her get hurt.
Grabbing her hand, I pulled her to the ledge. “Take your shoes off, and do what I do. We are going to get across this; we are not going to die here. You hear me?”
She nodded quickly, and didn’t say a word. Kris took a deep breath and mimicked my movements as we worked our way across to the other platform. About halfway across, Kris’s foot slipped and she started to fall into the pit. I yanked on her arm, pivoting on the ball of my foot to slap my other arm on hers. We pressed against the wall and breathed, while she calmed herself.
“Ready?” I whispered. “We don’t have much further to go.”
Slowly we made it to the other platform. I noticed it was considerably smaller than it had been a minute ago. For once, can we not get squished, burnt, or count the seconds until we fall into a dark abyss while scorpions poke us to death. Picking up the pace, I slipped on my shoes, and went to work. Reaching the platform, we felt all around the wall. My hand grazed the wall feeling small divots, until a small lever caught my eye. I pulled and pushed, doing everything I could to get it to move, but it wouldn’t budge. The platform was starting to get smaller, causing panic to set in.
“Breathe. You can do this. Calm your nerves. Now pull out, turn clockwise, then push back in. The door should open.” I did as the voice said, and the door slid open. I pulled Kris through, not taking a chance of the door shutting on its own again.
“Now head to the left, and go up those stairs. Watch out for the third step. It’s a trap that releases a poisonous gas. Good girl. Now go up the rest of the way, stay close to the wall. It is the clearest way to the top. Once you get to the top, go right, but duck. There are ropes that hang down. The ropes, if touched, release a sharp blade, meant to slice an intruder in half.”
I followed the instruction the voice told me, thankful someone was on our side.
“Follow that tunnel to make it out of the temple. Beware of Hathor, though. She is quite spiteful and besting her once, is not going to make her happy. You have to get out of here.”
Following the voice’s every word. We made it to the top of the stairs, but Kris stopped and I was yanked back from the suddenness of the motion.
“What is going on? How did you know where to step?” She whispered harshly.
I turned and looked at her. “You don’t hear it, do you?”
“Hear what?”
“The voice. There is a guy telling me where to go. I don’t know who it is; I feel like I’m going crazy, but I trust it. I recognize it, but don’t know where I know it from. I know it sounds crazy, but I promise I will explain when we get somewhere safe.”
She studied my face for a moment, then nodded. “Okay. Let’s go to the left. I think that’s the way we came.”
I shook my head. “The voice said go right and to duck, so we don’t touch the ropes han
ging down. He said that if we go straight after turning right, we will make it outside.”
She nodded again. Grabbing her hand tight, we headed to the right. I saw the ropes hanging from the ceiling, just before we came upon them. We ducked down low and walked, hunched over, until we were clear of the ropes.
Free from the ropes, I noticed there was light from outside straight ahead. I pulled on Kris, to get her to move a little faster. I wanted to make it to the light as quickly as possible, and get out of this hell hole. We stopped a few feet from the exit and looked at each other. We both wore a look of relief on our faces.
I hugged her tightly, thankful we made it out alive. “We did it. We survived and made our way out of the temple, without being eaten by a fucking mummy. Score! Now, let’s get on that fucking bus and catch the first flight out of Egypt.”
“Sounds good to me.”
We stepped out into the blinding light, putting our hands in front of our eyes so the sun wouldn’t blind us. We stopped and blinked several times before we could see where we were. All I saw was sand. There was no bus, no people, nothing. Putting my hand over my forehead to act as a hat, it looked like we may be on the opposite side of the temple. The sun’s heat on my skin felt like heaven. We were safe.
I heard a laugh from behind me, and we whipped around to see Cleo standing behind us. She grabbed me by the hair and jerked me back into the temple.
“Kris!” I screamed, holding a hand out toward her.
I was pulled further into the darkness as the door slammed down. The sight of Kris running toward the door, screaming for me, would be seared into my brain forever. If I lived that long.
CHAPTER 10
~ Kristina ~
“JO!” I screamed on the top of my lungs. Pounding the wall with my fists, I continued to scream, praying something would happen. Temples have hidden passages everywhere you turn. Trying to find the key, is the problem. Feeling my voice go hoarse from screaming, I tried everything I could to get back to her.
My hands felt around the rock wall for anything that could help me. I felt the outer lining of the doorway, but nothing showing a way in. FUCK! There has to be a way in. I will not let my best friend die here.
My arms began to glow once again as I felt power surge inside me. The door began to shake uncontrollably, dust falling from the cracks and opened with ease.
“YES!” I shouted and threw my arms up in the air but soon regretted it. Reminder to self, set up a tub of ice to let my body heal.
Poking my head back inside the temple, I heard Jo’s screams echoing off the walls and I bolted inside.
I blindly followed Cleo and Jo into the rope trap and down another tunnel I have never seen before. I caught up with Cleo and Jo, only to see them vanished when they went through the wall. Yes, somehow their bodies were able to become ghosts, because they freaking flew through the damn wall.
After today, I was swearing off mummies and taking up a hobby in knitting. At least then, nothing will come back to life, show you memories of someone’s past that has a man that looks an awful lot like the one you have feelings for, and then kill you.
Feeling myself on the verge of a panic attack, my hands skimmed the walls for anything I could find. I knew in the back of my mind that this was a stupid thing to do, and that there could be booby traps, but my best friend was locked inside with Cleo, the woman who makes my blood turn to ice and that I distrusted to the fullest.
Large rivets grazed over my skin, as I looked for something. Then the ground beneath me started to shake. Dust slipped out of the crack, making it hard to see. The walls shook violently and started to move.
“Oh, come on.” Turning to the left, the far wall started to slide towards me, but that was not the worst part. Scarabs slipped between the cracks, thousands of them spilling on top of each other and starting to run towards me.
With the wall closing in on me and thousands of scarabs having one thing on their mind, I bolted. “I’ll be back for you, Jo!” I screamed over my shoulder and did everything I could to get out of this place.
Looking down at my arms, all I saw was my skin covered in dirt and blood. The glowing marks were gone and nowhere in sight.
“Oh, now that I am running for my life and not getting burnt to a crisp by a complete psychopath, you don’t appear?” I muttered to myself.
Small pebbles of rocks began to fall from the ceiling, causing me to dodge out of the way to avoid being hit. Small pebbles turned to large stones, causing me to pick up the pace. Keeping my head low, I made my way to the rope room. I heard the scarabs on the wall, closing in on me. Turning the corner, I saw sand started to pour in from the opening on the side, causing the panic attack I was already having, to double.
Ignoring the fear of being buried alive, I bolted through the tunnel, not daring to look back. In the hallway that once was empty, the entire ground was now littered with debris. I felt something small jump on my neck and bite me. Reaching behind me, I grabbed whatever it was and ripped it off my skin. I felt something sharp rip my skin and I threw it against the wall. I looked behind me, to see the scarabs were right on my tail.
“Not so fast, Kris. I am not through with you yet.” Cleo, or should I say Hathor’s voice echoed in the room.
Strong hands pressed on each side of my head, forcing me on my knees. My head felt like it was going to explode from the amount of pressure.
“HATHOR!” I screamed out. Flailing my arms, I tried to fight her off, but no one was there. The pressure in my head intensified, causing dots to appear in my vision. I felt tiny legs run all over my body, trying to penetrate my skin, but nothing happened. Shutting my eyes, to block out what was happening, I felt the familiar tingle on my arms and I was transported back in time.
“Good evening, Keket.” Hathor purred behind me.
Power surged inside me, as I turned around to face her. Dressed in nothing but body paint, she held a single dagger in her hand.
“Hathor.” I sneered. Stepping away from the balcony, I planted my feet a shoulder width apart and waited. “What are you doing here?”
“Now, now. Is that any way to greet your goddess?” Hathor twirled the dagger in her hand, never taking her eyes off me.
“You are not my goddess. You are a whore. My father never loved you. I know exactly who you are.” I spat.
Before I knew what was happening, Hathor was in front of me, with the dagger at my throat. I felt the sharp blade against my skin, causing my body to lock in place.
“Ra loves me. Iabet will never be enough for him. When I rid this world of the people he loves, he will see the truth. The world has yet to see what he is capable of.” Hathor hissed in my ear.
Power surged inside me, but I waited until the time was right. “He will never love you.” Putting my hands on her chest, I released the power I’d built in my hands, sending a force into her chest and throwing her against the wall.
Hathor slumped on the ground, but I saw a slight tremor in her shoulders. I heard her laughter, before she turned to face me again. “My poor, poor Keket. He has not told you? Since the last harvest, he has shared my bed. Night after night he comes to me. Worshiping my body, telling me how much he loves me.”
“YOU LIE!” Power exploded in the air, causing objects to fly around the room. Hathor rolled out of the way, narrowly missing the knives trying to penetrate her body.
“Tell me, Keket. Have you seen your father with Iabet recently? Has he touched her or welcomed her in his warm embrace?”
Red clouded my vision, setting my sights only on her. Hathor manipulated my father to get what she wanted. Last night, after I saw Malik, he told me the elixir was to be destroyed. I fought with him to find out what happened, but his power forced me to my knees, causing me to whimper in pain. He never used his powers on me before. I followed him to his chambers and was mortified. My Father told his advisor to appoint Hathor as head of the temple and strip me of my rank. I thought I was seeing and hearing things, but his behavior
the past few months now made sense.
I only saw Father with Iabet during important meetings or when the family was gathered. He would never touch Iabet, and would make sure they are far apart. The other day, Father changed the pendant around his neck, but I didn’t think anything of it, until today.
“The pendant?” My father replaced the symbol of Iabet and bore the mark of Hathor.
“It was only a matter of time. Your Father wanted to strip you of your powers, but something has changed. He had become confused. He talked nonsense, but that is neither here nor there. The poison flowing through his body, will finish the job when the time is right. But in order to make sure my plans are not thwarted, I must take out the only person that can stop me.” Hathor’s eyes changed from brown to solid black. Raising her hands above her head, black smoke started to pour from her hands and creep towards me.
Throwing my protective shield in front of me, the smoke slammed into my shield, looking for a way in.
“Your attempts are useless, dear Keket. Without the bond being complete between Prophet and Protector, You are powerless. You are not his true love. You know this and yet you bonded with a man who could never be yours.”
Smoke covered my shield, pounding on its walls. I felt the darkness fight its way in, but refused to let go. “I will never let you win.”
Blinding red light penetrated my shield, shattering it to oblivion. Smoke wrapped around my body, lifting me into the air, making it impossible to move. I fought to get my arms free, but it only made the smoke tighten its grip.
“I already have.” Hathor said, standing before me. Raising her hand, she slammed her fingers into my chest, breaking through the chest bone and wrapping her hand around my heart. Pain erupted in my chest and it became hard to breathe.
“Malik will never save you, when he finds out what you really are, he will kill you.” Hathor ripped my heart out of my chest causing my body to go limp. I looked down at my beating heart, feeling the life flee from my body.
A massive tremor shook the temple, bringing me back to the present. Fire covered my body, burning everything that touched me. Dead scarabs littered the floor but more kept coming. A loud click sounded behind me and the floor started to give way. The scarabs running towards me fell into a dark abyss, with only a few surviving. Pushing myself up, I ran. Entering the room with the deadly blades, a loud crack sounded above my head and the doorway leading to freedom started to close. Ropes swung dangerously low, but time was running out, it was now or never. Keeping my head low, I ran as fast as my legs could carry me.
Hathor's Return Page 9