Time Maze

Blast from the Past

"So, what are we going to do now? Just hide out until the portal appears?" Marcus asked, yawning loudly.

"I don't know, Marcus. Do you have any better ideas?" Tyson asked, hoping beyond hope that for once he could think of something to do.

Carrying the burden of keeping two people alive was far too challenging, and Tyson wanted to be able to rely on Marcus for once. He wanted Marcus to finally snap out of his complacency and do something, anything, to show that he had some control over his own life.

"Hm," Marcus said, scratching his chin which was already starting to sport a stubble. "I know!"

He exclaimed the words with such confidence that it gave Tyson hope that he had a brilliant idea that it would get them out of the mess they found themselves in. Especially having in mind how limited Tyson's knowledge about Egypt was. Any helpful idea would be better than nothing.

"We can disguise ourselves as guards and go around chasing ourselves," Marcus said, unsure why the idea sounded very familiar. "That way, we'll be in charge of catching ourselves, and we'll be able to always stay one step ahead and never get caught."

"Marcus, that's the plot of that serial killer movie that you liked so much," Tyson said impatiently.

He had really hoped that Marcus had found a way out that he had missed, that there would be at least some relief from all their troubles. That he ended up with a plan from his favorite movie shouldn't have surprised or annoyed Tyson as he should have expected it, but it did both.

"Oh, that's why it sounded so familiar in the first place," Marcus said, his face lighting up at the memory of how shocking the plot twist of that movie was. "Alright then, how about we go out, and if the guards start chasing us, we just push them so that they fall onto each other."

As Marcus described what they would do, he started gesticulating wildly, moving his hands to show how they would push them. However, in his excitement, he didn't see that the sleeve of his clothing overturned the candle and caught fire itself.

"Marcus, look out!" Tyson exclaimed, patting down Marcus's clothing before he could get seriously burned.

"Dude, that was a close one," Marcus said as Tyson smothered the flames enveloping his arm.

When they were about to settle down for another long chat, Tyson noticed that the fire didn't only catch Marcus's clothes but a scroll nearby as well. Before Tyson could think what to do, Marcus started throwing books on top of the flame, thinking their weight could extinguish it. His logic was that it was the same as what Tyson's patting down did for Marcus's attire.

However, all he managed to accomplish was feed the fire thus, making it stronger and impossible to control. Already it was burning above their heights, and there wasn't much they could do without any water or other method of smothering the flames.

"Marcus, what are you doing?" Tyson exclaimed as Marcus was about to throw another book in the flames.

"I am trying to stomp it down," Marcus said with a wide-eyed look that spoke volumes of how out of it he was.

"You are just making it worse," Tyson said, pulling Marcus towards the entrance. "We better go get some help."

Risking their lives to save the library of Alexandria was the least they could do. Especially when they were the ones who started the fire in the first place. So, Tyson thought of yelling and getting people's attention, but it turned out there was no need for that.

Outside was already chaos of fighting and scrambling around. Still, a few people hurried towards the library upon noticing the flames licking the precious books inside. Thus, instead of drawing people's attention to them, Tyson gesticulated to Marcus that they should be quiet and that he should follow him.