Tombquest: Book of the Dead

The Final Showdown

The first things Alex noticed about the chamber were the fancy tapestries that hung from the walls and the luxurious rugs on the stone floors. Then he realized that a three-foot-high stone pool in the center of the room was providing the light, a ghostly glow rising from the water inside.

His head swam as he looked at the luminous liquid. Somewhere above was the city and the sunlight he knew, but it seemed painfully distant. He felt confined and constricted by this place. By this tomb.

A slight movement in the back of the room caught his eye. There, on a rough-hewn throne, sat the Stung Man.

"There he is," whispered Ren, her lips barely giving shape to the air leaving her lungs.

Alex tried to answer but failed.

Unlike the mummy clad in ragged scraps at the museum, this man was now clothed in regal robes. The angry welts and stings were still there, but the rest of his skin looked almost normal now. He rose to meet them. "I wasn't expecting visitors," he said, but only Alex understood.

"Is he speaking, like, Egyptian?" whispered Ren.

Ancient Egyptian, realized Alex, still clutching his amulet in a death grip.

It was terrifying, of course, to hear a dead man speak. The first ice-water shock of fear hit Alex and his knees flexed, but he didn't run. He'd come all this way, and one word kept him there.

Mom.

What if she was nearby? What if she was in a chamber somewhere in this terrible tomb?

She'd done everything for him. He wouldn't abandon her.

But now what?

I'm in a room with a walking corpse. There's no denying it. He's right in front of me. Now what?"

He scanned the room, getting his bearings, readying for a fight. In between two tapestries, he saw a vertical gash in the stone. There were raised white columns on either side, and the gap between them was painted a reddish orange: a false door.

The Stung Man stepped down into the room. His movements showed none of the stiffness from before. He moved fluidly, Alex noted uneasily, like the master thief he had once been. "Do you like it?" the Stung Man asked, gesturing around the room.

"What is he saying?" said Ren, her voice a mix of desperation and anger.

The Stung Man frowned, realizing he had only half the audience.

He turned to Alex.

"But you understand me, don't you?"

Alex managed a weak nod. He understood him perfectly, not just his words but also his intent. With every word, and every step, the Stung Man edged closer. He had reached the large, glowing pool, and he tapped his fingers lightly on the edge as he began to walk around it.

"I know about you," said Alex, his voice finally returning.

"Oh yes? And what is it you know?"

He can understand me, too. Alex continued. "I know how you ... I know what happened to you."

"Do you?"

Alex nodded nervously. The Stung Man was halfway around the pool. With every step the robed figure took, the amulet grew warmer in Alex's hand, and the pulse grew stronger in his head.

"Perhaps you know the story," said the Stung Man. "But do you really imagine you know what it was like, crouched there in that hot, dark cave?"

Alex's imagination failed him. How could he concentrate with a predator approaching? This man is going to consume us.