The Mummy: The Tomb Robbers' Secret

By Torchlight

Roma was having trouble sleeping even though she and Ardeth had made love. If she ever had trouble sleeping, Ardeth's embraces were usually the cure. Even if the cots weren't big enough for them to sleep together, his presence was reassuring, and she felt safe and protected knowing he was there.

Now, however, something was disturbing her sleep. She was dreaming of the skeletons in the shaft. She was looking down on them, the tears in her eyes full of pity. How could someone be so cruel as to murder men who did no more than take pride in the work they did for the son of the Pharaoh?

As she stood and watched, the bones began to articulate, and the skeletons began to take shape as each bone took its place. Then, to her horror, the skeletons stood up and flesh began to cover the bones. What were once merely skeletons were now men clad in ragged linen loincloths who held in their hands the hammers and copper chisels that ancient stoneworkers used to carve the stone contained in everything from the pyramids to the tombs in the Valley of the Kings.

They stood mute before her, voiceless, but their piercing eyes said everything that did not need words. She wanted to turn and run but stood there, frozen in place. These poor victims did not wish to harm her, they were trying to tell her something, but what?

A scream woke her out of her dream, and she recognized the voice—Evelyn. She threw a gallabiyah over her, turned to wake Ardeth to find him already sitting up.

"Evie," he said, and she nodded. He pulled on his robe and took her hand as they ran out of their tent to the pavilion that contained the sarcophagus.

"Oh no," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, "The pavilion, why is it lit? Oh god, Ardeth, what has happened?"

They went inside to see Rick with Evie in his arms. "I found her lying in the sand, for how long I don't know but her body is cold. We've got to get her warm. And where did those torches come from?" He pointed at the flickering forms that had now burned half down, "Did either of you do this?"

"No, of course not. I thought she was in the tent with you, what happened?" Roma laid a hand on Evie's cheek, shocked to see how cold it was.

"I thought I heard a scream," said Rick, "It sounded like Evie, but she was in bed, I thought. I looked over and saw her cot was empty and her shawl was missing. We all know there was only one place that she could have gone, so I pulled on my clothes and came in here. I saw her lying in front of the sarcophagus, saw the torches, and wondered how they got there. I tried to wake her, but I couldn't."

"Take her to your tent, Rick, and put her to bed. Ardeth and I will bring some extra blankets." She looked at Evie then recoiled in horror, "Rick, look, her eyes—they're open! Was she like that when you found her?"

"Well, yes, I thought she was awake at first but she's unconscious. Her eyes seemed to follow my movements so I thought she had fallen and hit her head and maybe she was only stunned. Now she doesn't respond to my voice, she didn't even snap out of it when I slapped her, she just follows me with her eyes."

Though it was high summer in Egypt, blankets come in handy at times so Roma had brought a few along. They bundled Evie in them, tucking them securely around her. The heat from them would cause a normal person to become unbearably hot, but Evie's body seemed to warm so slowly as to be imperceptible.

"I'd like to get some hot tea in her, but I don't know if she'd be able to drink it in her condition. In the morning we need to load up that sarcophagus and get it to Cairo, I don't want it in the camp. We need to take her along, too, if she doesn't come out of this."

O'Connell looked down at his wife and Roma could see tears forming in the corners of his eyes. He took his wife's hand and with a slow, gentle touch began to stroke it.