05 - The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb by R.L. Stine - (ebook by Undead) Page B

expect you to stay close to me.”
    He handed us flashlights. “Watch your step,” he instructed. “Keep the light
down at your feet, a few yards ahead of you on the floor.”
    “We know, Daddy,” Sari said. “We’ve done this before, remember?”
    “Just follow instructions,” he said sharply, and turned into the darkness of
the pyramid opening.
    I stopped at the entrance and pulled out my little mummy hand, just to make
sure I had it.
    “What are you doing with that?” Sari asked, making a face.
    “My good luck charm,” I said, slipping it back into my pocket.
    She groaned and gave me a playful shove into the pyramid entrance.
    A few minutes later, we were once again making our way carefully down the
long rope ladder and into the first narrow tunnel.
    Uncle Ben led the way, the wide circle of light from his flashlight sweeping
back and forth across the tunnel ahead of him. Sari was a few steps behind him,
and I walked a few steps behind her.
    The tunnel seemed narrower and lower this time. I guess it was just my mood.
    Gripping the flashlight tightly, keeping the light aimed down, I dipped my
head to keep from hitting the low, curved ceiling.
    The tunnel bent to the left, then sloped downhill where it split into two
paths. We followed the one to the right. The only sound was that of our shoes
scraping against the sandy, dry floor.
    Uncle Ben coughed.
    Sari said something. I couldn’t hear what it was.
    I had stopped to shine my light on a bunch of spiders on the ceiling, and the
two of them had walked several yards ahead of me.
    Following my light as it moved over the floor, I saw that my sneaker had come untied once again.
    “Oh, man—not again!”
    I stooped to tie it, setting the flashlight on the ground beside me. “Hey—wait up!” I called.
    But they had started to argue about something, and I don’t think they heard
me. I could hear their voices echoing loudly down the long, twisting tunnel, but
I couldn’t make out their words.
    I hurriedly double-knotted the shoe lace, grabbed up the flashlight, and
climbed to my feet. “Hey, wait up!” I shouted anxiously.
    Where had they gone?
    I realized that I couldn’t hear their voices anymore.
    This can’t be happening to me again! I thought.
    “Hey!” I shouted, cupping my hands over my mouth. My voice echoed down the
tunnel.
    But no voices called back.
    “Wait up!”
    Typical, I thought.
    They were so involved in their argument, they forgot all about me.
    I realized that I was more angry than frightened. Uncle Ben had made such a
big deal about us sticking close together. And then he walked off and left me
alone in the tunnel.
    “Hey, where are you?” I shouted.
    No reply.

 
 
11
     
     
    Beaming the light ahead of me on the floor, I ducked my head and began
jogging, following the tunnel as it curved sharply to the right.
    The floor began to slope upwards. The air became hot and musty smelling. I
found myself gasping for breath.
    “Uncle Ben!” I called. “Sari!”
    They must be around the next curve in the tunnel, I told myself. It hadn’t
taken me that long to tie my shoelace. They couldn’t have gotten that far ahead.
    Hearing a sound, I stopped.
    And listened.
    Silence now.
    Was I starting to hear things?
    I had a sudden flash: Was this another mean practical joke? Were Sari and
Uncle Ben hiding, waiting to see what I’d do?
    Was this another lame trick of theirs to frighten me?
    It could be. Uncle Ben, I knew, could never resist a practical joke. He had
laughed like a hyena when Sari told him how she’d hid in the mummy case and
scared about ten years off my life.
    Were they both hiding in mummy cases now, just waiting for me to stumble by?
    My heart thumped in my chest. Despite the heat of the ancient tunnel, I felt
cold all over.
    No, I decided. This isn’t a practical joke.
    Uncle Ben was too serious today, too worried about his stricken workers. Too
worried about what we’d told him about Ahmed. He wasn’t