The Mummy: The Tomb Robbers' Secret

To Kingdom Come

Roma was on edge, always looking over her shoulder as if a mysterious presence might be lurking behind her. She wanted to leave, to escape the horror they now found themselves in. She was sorry that she had told Evie about the tomb, sorrier still that she had allowed herself to be talking into returning here. Her regrets did her no good, it was too late now, she told herself, they would have to see the ordeal through.

Evie improved by the day, but there was something that was not quite right about her and it made Roma uneasy. On the outside, she seemed to be Evie, but as polite and cooperative regarding her recuperation as she was, something was definitely off.

For all intents and purposes she was Evie, but Rick had told her that at night she would lay awake for hours. And, when he woke, it seemed that she was staring at something he could not see and he doubted if she had been asleep at all.

Rick dealt with his frustration at Evie's condition by being mostly absent, instead devoting his time to the preparation of the tomb for its detonation. When Roma could bring herself to, she would go to tomb to watch his progress. The results were eerily beautiful. The dynamite sticks and fuses covered the walls in a pattern that reminded Roma of a lacy spider's web but never had a web been so deadly, not even to an unsuspecting fly.

If Roma regretted what they were doing, all she had to do was look at the blank stare come over Evie's face. When Evie gave her that look, Roma could only hope that Rick would be finished soon so they could blow the damn tomb to kingdom come and make their escape.

Often she would find herself retreating to the pavilion where she would fix herself a gin and water, being careful to make sure there was more water than gin. She did not like to get drunk and had no use for drunkards, but for some reason, she was finding the gin comforting. Sometimes she felt tempted to ask one of the workmen if he could find some hashish or opium, but no, she would not go that far. She would not ask though she was finding the gin unsatisfactory and the thought of opium tempted her as much as she wished to avoid it.

Ardeth came into the pavilion, picked up her glass, and smelled the contents. "Is this the first you've had today?" he asked, his tone making it clear he did not approve. He sat and poured himself a glass of water, then looked at her, demanding an answer.

She could have been angry, but she knew it was the tension in the air. She had thought with the return, no release, of Evie, things would be all right. That was what she had thought, get Evie back then all would be well with the world.

She sighed and shook her head. "It's the first today, you know me, Ardeth, I would not let myself become dependent on anything. Except maybe you." She made a feeble attempt at a smile.

He took her hand and squeezed it to reassure her. "I know, but these are not normal times. O'Connell has told me he is almost done placing the dynamite. He is eager to be finished but he will take no shortcuts."

"I just want all this to be finished. I know that when the last link to the tomb is destroyed, Evie will be her old self." I hope she will, anyway, she thought. "I had not thought her to be so vulnerable, she is so strong, so brave, even to the point of recklessness."

"And maybe that was the problem," Ardeth said, his voice solemn, "We should never have taken shelter in this devil-cursed cave in the first place, but what could we do? The sandstorm must have been a creation of the devil, it should not have lasted as long as it did."

"And it was a month early, I have lived in Egypt most of my life and I cannot remember one that came so early. And we were so close to the tomb though we did not know it. It is almost as if we were driven towards it."

It was too late to change anything and they all knew it. They had chosen their actions and now must live with them. It just seemed unfair that Evie had suffered the worst of it.