Tickle Torture Tales: The Tomb of Torment

CHAPTER SIX: ANOTHER NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM

Above the largely deserted industrial district, some distance from the centre of Cairo, the heavens immediately opened; the adventurer sprinting as fast as she was able to escape the torrential downpour. Fleeing no little distance on foot, Sandy was finally able to flag down a passing taxi; its windscreen wipers working overtime all the while as she hopped into the rear seat, the car cruising somewhat sedately towards the Gazira district of the city. Soaked to the skin, Sandy eventually emerged from the vehicle as it pulled up outside the Suntrap Hotel, paying the driver with what little of the local currency the pockets of her cargo shorts contained; soon she had arrived safely back at the penthouse suite.

"Where the heck have you been?" quizzed Roxy, rising from a sofa inside the suite's living area; the assistant had seemingly recovered sufficiently from her bout of travel sickness by now.

"I've been a bit tied up!" exclaimed Sandy, seating herself somewhat exhausted upon the sofa, "And now all I want to do is slip into a warm, relaxing bath before calling it a night! However there simply isn't the time, for it would appear Rosie has been kidnapped, and I suspect the museum is about to play host to a party of unwelcome visitors once again!"

"Rosie's been kidnapped? By who? What's been happening while I've been asleep?" wondered the assistant in alarm.

As a brief but violent flash of lightning flickered across the rain-lashed window overlooking the island, Sandy soon related the tale of her visit to the Egyptologist's apartment and subsequent abduction at the hands of Dodgy Giza's men; narrowly avoiding an appointment with a wooden crate, not to mention marriage to some wealthy sheikh.

"And now, I need you to track this storm, because somehow I suspect it may be supernatural in origin!" she requested, "In which case, I doubt the local weather channels will have much to say on the matter! You can hack into the weather satellites, can't you? Find out where this freak storm has originated from?"

"Well of course I can, I'm the world's best hacker bar none! That's why you hired me!" grinned the girl, fetching her laptop from her luggage; fingers fast flashing across the keyboard.

Tracking the sudden storm, the techie traced its source via satellite imaging to Luxor; soon spreading north to settle above the streets of Cairo. Yet as the wind direction was apparently blowing east, it seemed Sandy's theory that the stormclouds apparently possessed a mind of their own was correct; the epicentre appearing to be above Tahrir Square.

"Tahrir Square! That's where the museum is located!" exclaimed Sandy, "So, it is as I suspected - this is no freak storm at all!"

"So what are you suggesting, that these creepy cultists summoned up some adverse weather with, like, witchcraft or something?" wondered Roxy.

"Not witchcraft exactly, but yes, an ancient summoning spell!" confirmed Sandy, "Examples of such appalling deluges can be found throughout recorded history, including the Great Flood!"

"Wait a minute, are you saying Noah's Ark and all that stuff was real?" gasped Roxy in astonishment.

"Maybe not Noah's Ark, but certainly there are stories of an unnatural flood, first recorded in the legends of the ancient Mesopotamians, with geological evidence supporting its occurrence uncovered around the site of the Sumerian city of Shuruppak!" confirmed the adventurer, "But that's enough history for now, we need to gain access to the museum's vault before these fanatics do!"

Soon, Sandy had slipped into an outfit far better suited to the task at hand, consisting of a tight white cotton vest, tan-coloured combat shorts and biege hiking boots, a small brown leather backpack slung across her shoulders; unfortunately for the adventurer there had not been time to purchase any weapons, for she felt certain she would soon find herself depending upon a pistol or two before the evening had ended.