There's A Fine Line Between Coincidence & Fate ✓

Chapter 13

"Imhotep. Imhotep. Imhotep." A mob outside was descending upon the museum.

"And last but not least, my favorite plague, boils and sores." Jonathan said.

"Of all the plagues why is the one that is probably the most disgusting your favorite?" I asked, terrified by the view outside. There in the center of the mass was Imhotep. He looked up at us and when he caught sight of me, he smirked. I made to lunge, completely forgetting I was on the second floor, when Ardeth held me back.

"They have become his slaves. So, it has begun, the beginning of the end." Ardeth explained. I shivered at the thought. This certainly wasn't how I expected the world to end.

"Not quite yet it hasn't. Come on." Evy grabbed my hand and pulled me along with her to the stone tablet that was against one of the walls in the hallway. "Help me translate this. The faster we figure it out, the sooner we can get out of here." With that I started reading the right side of the tablet, Dr. Bey was translating the bottom and Evy was working on the left side. It felt good to focus on something else, even for the briefest of moments. "According to Bembridge scholars, the golden book of Amun Ra is at Hamunaptra inside the statue of Anubis." Evy told us.

"That's where we found the black book." Daniels said, panicked.

"Well then they must have mixed them up." I concluded.

"Yes, mixed up where they were buried." Evy added.

"So, if the book of the dead was inside Anubis then the golden book of the living must be..." I started, tracing my finger along a line of translation.

"Come on, Evy, Peggy faster." Jonathan urged us.

"Patience is a virtue." Evy said in a sing-song voice. At this, the doors to the museum burst open and Imhotep's goons started rushing in.

"Not right now it isn't," Rick quipped.

Jonathan started backing up towards the back stairs. "I'm gonna go bring the car around," he said before taking off.

"I've got it! The golden book of Amun Ra is at Hamunaptra inside the statue of Horace! Take that Bembridge scholars!" Evy exclaimed, feeling very proud of herself. I gave her a quick hug before urging her towards the stairs that Jonathan had gone down.

"Well done Evy but we need to go!" I yelled before we all ran downstairs. We made it outside, and Jonathan was there waiting for us. We all piled into his car, which was an amazing feat in and of itself because there was too many of us and so space was cramped. Somehow, I ended up right next to Ardeth in the back seat, practically in his lap. We raced through the streets of Cairo, attempting to put as much distance between us and Imhotep's minions as possible. I was in a daze, distracted by all the events that had occurred over the course of the last few hours, when I was snapped back to reality by Jonathan slamming on the breaks, causing me to fly forward. The only thing that stopped me from flying over the seat and into Evy's lap was Ardeth's quick reflexes that caught me and pulled me back into the seat.

Looking around, I saw we were blocked in both directions from the mob. "What are we going to do now?" I asked. No one seemed to have any ideas, so Rick took matters into his own hands, or rather feet. With a quick warning to hold on, he slammed his foot down over Jonathan's on the gas and plowed through the oncoming crowd. I winced upon initial impact, but my apologetic feeling left as quickly as it came when they started piling the car, attacking us. One of them was able to reach up from behind where Daniels was and grab my ponytail yanking me back.

"Son of a bitch!" I screamed as I wrestled my hair out of the man's sore covered hand before turning around and landing a right hook on his temple bone. He fell back and off the car in pain and I turned to another one. I jumped at the sound of Daniels screaming for Rick from the back. I looked at him and saw two of the dummies grab him and hoist him out the back of the car, dragging him to the street. I sat there, listening to Daniels shoot the approaching army until all that was coming out was clicks as both guns were empty.

And then just like before, in the room with Evy, I heard the most horrible scream a person can make. I closed my eyes and lowered my head to between my knees, my hands over my ears as I tried, unsuccessfully, to block out his cries and pleas for mercy. In the course of a day, I had lost everyone that I was close to. Berny, Jack, how was I going to go back to America and explain to our moms that I couldn't save them, that an ancient curse none of us could possibly fathom was true, and Jack and Bernard were victims of greed. Because that's what started this. The promises of riches by that weasel Beni.

Once again, I was jolted out of my inner musings, jarred back into reality. Poor Jonathan, with all that was going on, he drove us into a water trough and busted the front of his car. Ardeth helped me out of the car as the others ran out to the front of this building, where we got cornered pretty quickly. They stopped chanting and parted down the center, making a pathway for the creature to walk down, Beni trailing behind him. I growled at him and went to attack but Ardeth held me back.

"The creature, he's fully regenerated," Dr. Bey said. Imhotep then addressed Evy, telling her to come with him and he'd make her his for eternity. Beni was translating for those in our group who weren't fluent in Ancient Egyptian. But he translated it wrong. And Evy, ever the perfectionist, called him on it.

"He said for all eternity, idiot." Beni just looked at her, a dumbfounded look on his face. Imhotep then spoke again.

"'Come with me and I will spare your friends.'" Beni translated again. Evy looked at all of us, weighing her options.

"Don't you dare Evy! Don't give him what he wants." I told her from my spot behind Ardeth.

"Chosen of Sekhmet, we meet again. Move aside or suffer greatly." Ardeth pulled me further behind him before I could do anything to further put myself in danger.

"Have you got any bright ideas?" Evy asked Rick.

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking." Rick said anxiously.

"Well, you better think of something quick because if he turns me into a mummy, you're the first person I'm coming after." She informed him before walking over to Imhotep.

"No! No!" Rick yelled, pulling his gun out of the holder attached to his side. I pulled my dagger out as well, prepping to launch it into Imhotep. Jonathan appeared at my side, pulling my arm down as Ardeth held onto Rick.

"He still has to take me to Hamunaptra to perform the ritual," she told him, eyes begging Rick to not do anything stupid.

"She's right. Live today, fight tomorrow." Ardeth said, while struggling to lower Rick's arm. After a very intense staring contest between Rick, Evy, Ardeth, and Imhotep, Rick finally lowered his gun.

"I'll be seeing you again." Rick threatened Imhotep, pointing his torch at him. Imhotep turned, with a smirk on his face. Beni walked up to me and Jonathan and started rifling through Jonathan's pockets, finally coming up with the key.

"Hey that's mine." Jonathan whined.

"Thank you." Beni said with a shit-eating grin. The events of the night had finally caught up with me and I was just angry now. I took one look at that evil pig's face and punched him right in the jaw. He fell to the ground in a daze.

"That's for Jack, Berny and Daniels." I said to him. He just turned and crawled through the crowd as Imhotep gave the order to kill us. The mob started closing in on us as Evy was screaming at him to stop. We were trapped. Well at least I wouldn't be living for that much longer without Jack. I was certain hope was lost, until out of the corner of my eye I saw Rick pulling up the cover of a manhole. "You can't be serious?" I asked him as a wave of sewer smell wafted up into my nose, causing me to gag.

He just nodded as he moved Jonathan to the opening, forcing him down. "What about my sister?" Jonathan asked before dropping into the hole.

"We'll get her back. You're next," Rick said to Ardeth. He looked like he was getting ready to argue, seeing Dr. Bey take his sword out, trying to keep the mob back. Rick grabbed his arm and all but threw him into the sewer. He made to grab me, but I beat him to it and fell into the hole, bracing myself for impact on the floor. That never came, as I fell into Ardeth's waiting arms. I blushed, thankful that it was just dark enough in the tunnel that he couldn't see it. He could however feel my heartrate pick up and he looked at me, concerned.

"Thank you. I'm ok." I told him. By this point, Rick had joined us.

"Let's go." Rick said, leading the way through the labyrinth of sewer passages. We started following him, Ardeth pulling me along beside him so I wouldn't get lost.