Night life || Ahkmenrah

Twenty nine

"How is your arm?" Damien asked as the two of them slipped through a door to the basement levels. His makeshift sling hanging around Ahk's neck and cradling his injured arm, the wrist beginning to swell. It was strange to see his body reacting to the injury, but Damien supposed that since Ahk was literally brought back to life every night, his body was human and would function normally. He wondered about his own. The ink and paper of his photograph was what made him in the day. But how human was he at night? It was a fascinating idea. He could feel and generate heat, and he obviously bled.

"It is nothing I have not overcome before", Ahk's reply broke him from his thoughts. The pharaoh smiled at him. "What were you thinking about?"

"Just the science of magic", Damien offered as they avoided a brightly coloured parrot flying past. Ahk gave him a confused but fond look, very used to the way the blonde got lost in curiosity.

They were aiming to use the underground basement levels to get to another museum. The ancient history museum too close to Kahmenrah and his men. Hopefully they would be safer in another museum with more hiding places. "The museum of air and space is closest", Ahk suggested as the two of them paused to glance at a map.

Damien hummed, eyes tracing over the map of the basement levels. The area where they had left their friends was a few levels below and quite a distance away, but another section nearby had caught his eye. The corridor they were currently standing in, all grey concrete and staff rooms, was leading directly into the World War Two section of the air and space museum. For second, he tensed. Distant patters of gunfire and the screams of the dying replaying in his mind. Funny, he had never given much through to the last eight months of his life before he had died, not since coming back. He never really talked about it much either, not when sudden bangs that reminded him too much of gunshots made him flinch, or when the whistle of shells and bombs made him pause. Ahk knew, of course, but Damien never really elaborated. Yet seeing simple words on a map and knowing that they had to walk into that was what made him still.

"This seems like a direct route", he muttered, blinking to regain himself. "I doubt that Kahmenrah has enough men working for him to cover every part of the museum".

Ahk was watching him. "My brother may have found allies to help him, but this museum is vast", he agreed after a second, nodding. Damien relaxed slightly. "We should keep going before we are trapped here". They began walking again, Damien's hand slipping into Ahk's free one.

The corridor wasn't too long and they spent the remainder of it in silence as they reached the stairs leading up the the building above. Damien went first, insistent despite Ahk's protests. The injured pharaoh bringing up the rear as they reached the door and pushed them open. Instantly a wall of sound seemed to hit them. Damien could heard the different levels of engines as various airplanes prepared for take off. There was shouting, the chatter of voices and the distant patter of gunfire. Through the open door, he could see people in various uniforms from various times wandering around. Small planes, models, flew overhead and there was smoke from engines. "Whoa", Damien muttered as a plane no bigger than box did a flip through the air nearby. "That's a spitfire".

"Does it spit fire?" Ahk asked as they stepped out into the new museum. Damien chuckled, eyes still fixed on the plane as it soared off round the corner into another corridor.

"Sort of".

Damien was distracted as a group of four men walked past in familiar uniforms. Emotion welled in his throat and he stopped, paling. "Captain Daniels". The man leading the group stoped and the man with captain stripes on his jacket stopped. He was a man in his late thirties with greying ginger hair and a large moustache.

Captain Daniels stopped and the three other men in World War Two uniforms stopped. "Do I know you?"

"Sargent Damien Jean of the Cambridgeshire regiment". Damien snapped into a salute.

Daniels' face changed with recognition. "Sargent Jean? You're looking young". He strode forwards to shake his hand, American accent strong. "Very young! What magic have you been drinking boy?" He clapped Damien on the shoulder. "I heard about your death. Bad way to go. I died of infection".

Damien paused but chuckled. "We've got to get going, but it was nice to see a familiar face".

Daniels laughed. "I'll be seeing you around history boy". Then he was striding off. Just as he had done in life, there one second and gone the next. Damien watched him turn the corner and let his shoulders sag.

Ahk, who had been silent during the brief interaction, spoke up. "Was he your commanding officer?"

"No", Damien shook his head. "He's just an acquaintance. Come on, lets go this way". He moved to head down the corridor to the right when he paused again. Ahk, who had been watching him carefully, rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Dami, what is troubling you?" His voice was soothing.

Damien sighed. "Just memories. My death was not fun". He smiled lightly and leant his head forwards to press their foreheads together. It was grounding.

"Death is never fun", Ahk murmured back.

"What poison was it? The one that killed you?"

Ahk drew in a deep breath. "It was a snake. A red cobra, I think the English for it is. Hidden in my sheets. My servants would never be so foolish. I knew as soon as it bit me that it was Kahmunrah".

Damien hummed and reached out to run his fingers through dark curls. "I heard the shell coming before it hit. I found out later that there was nothing to put in my coffin". He had spoken about this before, they both have but it was something they needed to hear again.

"That is a tragedy that I will never forgive the gods for", Ahk's voice was firm. "You should have had all the proper rites to send you to the afterlife". Damien made a fond but amused noise.

"I know. I know love". He sighed deeply. "I think there's things around the corner that we should avoid". He could hear the distant pattering of guns and the whistle that echoed in his ear. "But this corridor is safer than venturing into the main hall".

Ahk reached out and linked their hands, squeezing gently. "I'll protect you".

"I know", Damien nodded. "I guess we are all facing our fears tonight". He chuckled and began walking again. Ahk at his side, a warm presence as the sounds of battle grew louder.

Unedited

Who missed them?
Just wondering, would you rather be blown apart in an explosion, quick but messy and horrible? Or die slowly via poison? Neither are great. These poor boys.