burial
chamber. Gold coins, sparkling gems, and locked treasure chests
surrounded the base of the sarcophagus. When Angelique peered
around the bulk of a large, stone beam, she found more sarcophagi
in an adjacent room.
Angelique strolled around
the perimeter of the open sarcophagus and noticed a narrow opening
in the eastern wall, which spilled into a cramped stairwell. As she
stepped closer to the stairwell, a beam of sunlight penetrated the
gloom of the inner pyramid and slanted across her face. Moments
before she reached the opening and tried to climb the stairs, she
felt hot breath on the back of her neck. Angelique whirled on her
feet, tripped over a cache of diamonds, and fell flat on her
tailbone.
Red eyes peered forth from
a partially bandaged face. Layers of ancient, white linens dangled
from the shriveled frame of an animated corpse. Locusts and fruit
flies swarmed around the outstretched arms of an ancient zombie.
Charms, amulets, and pieces of papyrus spilled from the inner guts
of the creature and dropped to the floor. A gold coin plopped from
the creature’s abdomen, twirled on the stone tile of the floor, and
stopped spinning. Angelique noticed that the gold coin boasted the
image of The Eye of Horus.
“ Stay away from me! Leave
me alone!” she screamed.
When Angelique turned
around and ran toward the stairwell, three more mummies stood on
the stairs and blocked her path. They lurched slowly down the
stairs while trinkets and bandages separated from the brittle,
dried parchment of their gutted corpses. The moisture of palm oil,
lotions, and preserving fluids dissipated centuries ago. They
groped Angelique, hoping to snare her internal organs to replace
what they’d lost to four Canopic jars. The mummia, or glue which
held their bandages together, lost its potency decades ago and
allowed the linens to dangle freely.
“ No! Someone please help
me!” Angelique screamed. She felt dizzy and nauseous.
The mummies fell upon her.
One of them opened its mouth wide and allowed Angelique to see the
severed, black stump that had once been its tongue. A cloud of
flies and gnats swarmed from within its throat and hovered in the
air. The stench of decay flowed from inside the mummy and clung to
her clothes and skin. She collapsed to the ground and held her
hands in front of her face. Before she succumbed to shock and
passed out, she watched the mummies’ fingers hook into sharp claws
and reach for her parched throat.
***
After a short trek through
the desert, the Arabic men who’d abducted Dr. Stine forced him to
dismount his camel. Once he swung his legs off of the animal’s back
and dropped to the sand, one of the men tied Dr. Stine’s hands
together with a thick piece of rope. His captor pointed toward a
cluster of tents near the open pit of a rock quarry. The tall
statue of an Egyptian pharaoh towered above the quarry. In the
background, the bloated disc of the sun plunged toward the horizon.
The sky boasted the orange and red colors of a sunset. Dr. Stine
gasped when he realized they’d wasted precious time in the
desert.
His captor shoved him
toward the largest tent of the village. To the east, a huge
sandstorm blossomed in the air, reducing visibility. Hot gusts of
wind from the sandstorm caused Dr. Stine’s skin to feel extremely
dry. His dry throat begged for water, but he didn’t see any
canteens nearby. The long, frail fingers of a bony hand peeled the
opening of the tent to the side and beckoned for Dr. Stine and his
captor to enter. A strong, callused hand pushed Dr. Stine toward
the opening, shoved him inside, and knocked him to the dusty floor.
Dr. Stine choked when he inhaled a cloud of dirt.
A tall, white-haired cleric
stood next to a cauldron of boiling fluid, which was positioned
above the hot coals and flames of a campfire. Dr. Stine noticed
flecks of gore and splashes of congealed blood on the cleric’s
long, white robe. The cleric shooed the captor away with his left
hand.
chamber. Gold coins, sparkling gems, and locked treasure chests
surrounded the base of the sarcophagus. When Angelique peered
around the bulk of a large, stone beam, she found more sarcophagi
in an adjacent room.
Angelique strolled around
the perimeter of the open sarcophagus and noticed a narrow opening
in the eastern wall, which spilled into a cramped stairwell. As she
stepped closer to the stairwell, a beam of sunlight penetrated the
gloom of the inner pyramid and slanted across her face. Moments
before she reached the opening and tried to climb the stairs, she
felt hot breath on the back of her neck. Angelique whirled on her
feet, tripped over a cache of diamonds, and fell flat on her
tailbone.
Red eyes peered forth from
a partially bandaged face. Layers of ancient, white linens dangled
from the shriveled frame of an animated corpse. Locusts and fruit
flies swarmed around the outstretched arms of an ancient zombie.
Charms, amulets, and pieces of papyrus spilled from the inner guts
of the creature and dropped to the floor. A gold coin plopped from
the creature’s abdomen, twirled on the stone tile of the floor, and
stopped spinning. Angelique noticed that the gold coin boasted the
image of The Eye of Horus.
“ Stay away from me! Leave
me alone!” she screamed.
When Angelique turned
around and ran toward the stairwell, three more mummies stood on
the stairs and blocked her path. They lurched slowly down the
stairs while trinkets and bandages separated from the brittle,
dried parchment of their gutted corpses. The moisture of palm oil,
lotions, and preserving fluids dissipated centuries ago. They
groped Angelique, hoping to snare her internal organs to replace
what they’d lost to four Canopic jars. The mummia, or glue which
held their bandages together, lost its potency decades ago and
allowed the linens to dangle freely.
“ No! Someone please help
me!” Angelique screamed. She felt dizzy and nauseous.
The mummies fell upon her.
One of them opened its mouth wide and allowed Angelique to see the
severed, black stump that had once been its tongue. A cloud of
flies and gnats swarmed from within its throat and hovered in the
air. The stench of decay flowed from inside the mummy and clung to
her clothes and skin. She collapsed to the ground and held her
hands in front of her face. Before she succumbed to shock and
passed out, she watched the mummies’ fingers hook into sharp claws
and reach for her parched throat.
***
After a short trek through
the desert, the Arabic men who’d abducted Dr. Stine forced him to
dismount his camel. Once he swung his legs off of the animal’s back
and dropped to the sand, one of the men tied Dr. Stine’s hands
together with a thick piece of rope. His captor pointed toward a
cluster of tents near the open pit of a rock quarry. The tall
statue of an Egyptian pharaoh towered above the quarry. In the
background, the bloated disc of the sun plunged toward the horizon.
The sky boasted the orange and red colors of a sunset. Dr. Stine
gasped when he realized they’d wasted precious time in the
desert.
His captor shoved him
toward the largest tent of the village. To the east, a huge
sandstorm blossomed in the air, reducing visibility. Hot gusts of
wind from the sandstorm caused Dr. Stine’s skin to feel extremely
dry. His dry throat begged for water, but he didn’t see any
canteens nearby. The long, frail fingers of a bony hand peeled the
opening of the tent to the side and beckoned for Dr. Stine and his
captor to enter. A strong, callused hand pushed Dr. Stine toward
the opening, shoved him inside, and knocked him to the dusty floor.
Dr. Stine choked when he inhaled a cloud of dirt.
A tall, white-haired cleric
stood next to a cauldron of boiling fluid, which was positioned
above the hot coals and flames of a campfire. Dr. Stine noticed
flecks of gore and splashes of congealed blood on the cleric’s
long, white robe. The cleric shooed the captor away with his left
hand.
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