City of the Dead

Chapter 4

I took a closer look at the dagger and was mesmerized by its appearance. It had a pretty good weight to it and was not too big to where you can't conceal it.

"Do you want it? You probably will need it for the trip" says Isaac.

I scoffed at the idea of me having a weapon as I was never the type to carry anything like this before, even in the states where you can carry firearms around the streets. I looked at him to see if he was joking, but when I saw how serious he was, I realized he meant every word of it.

"No, I shouldn't, I probably won't even use it." I explained

It wasn't until Isaac puts down the money for the dagger that he says, "Come on, you are going to need it, even if it's to cut rope or whatever, you will at least sleep better at night, and I can teach you the basics on the way over ok." I look over to the shop owner already polishing the dagger for me when I say, "It's too much Isaac, and I'm not even going to use it."

"Well I hope you don't ever need to use it, but I'd be happy knowing that you at least have something to protect you." Isaac urged.

By the time our conversation was over, the shop owner gave Isaac all his purchases to put in his bag and then gave me the dagger in hand, ready to use. Isaac grabs the dagger and starts to buckle it to my belt with the leather sheath to hold it in.

After he secures it, he then says, "There! Now no one can mess with you" and pats my shoulder to congratulate me. I can feel the weight of the dagger on my hip and at first it feels off, but after walking around with it, I got used to it.

We walked further into the market place where I was able to get more supplies for the trip. Luckily I brought most of the supplies that I needed from the states, so there wasn't much that I needed to buy from here. We then made our way back to the hotel to start heading out to the port, where Isaac see's another arsenal shop on the way back.

I wave to him and say, "You go on in, I'll just walk around the area."

"You sure? I don't want to leave you by yourself" he says

When I point to the dagger on my hip and say, "Don't worry if anything happens, I'll just poke them with the sharp end." I chuckle as I never thought that I would be saying something like that in my life.

"Ok, but don't wander too far off now." explains Isaac

He enters the shop as I go to wander around the area a little more. The city of Cairo reminded me of Silver City, it's crowded and almost everyone has a weapon on them. But it's nice to not be in a hospital setting for once, in a way like it. I wander a little further, when I notice a unique building with statues of, what I believe to be Pharaohs, at the front entrance. The building had a sign that read "Museum of Antiquities" and some Egyptian writing, that I can't read, under it. I pondered at the sight of the building as I remembered that I wanted to get more information about Hamunaptra before we left. I walk up the stairs into the museum, as I pass through the doors I see a vast collection of antiques and tapestry of Egypt. It was all overwhelming that my jaw dropped in awe of just the mere sight of it. I kept walking down the hallway to another section of the museum that looked to be filled with treasures of Egypt, weapons and even a pharaoh in a carriage being carried by two horses. I try to read any information on these displays, but alas they are written in arabic. I start to worry, as I say to myself, "How will I get any information on Hamunaptra if I can't read the native language." I start to make my way to the next corridor when I hear a voice echoing from behind me, "What business do you have learning about Hamunaptra?" I turned so quickly that I lost my balance and caught myself with a prop to keep me from falling on my face.

"Oh my god! I am so sorry! I didn't expect someone to come from behind me." I say in a panic.

Once I collected myself, I got a chance to look at the man who scared me half to death. He was an older gentleman with a gray beard, no hair on top of his head and a well dressed suit.