Consideration for Scoundrels

TWELVE

Rick O'Connell was a man of action. And so, it was somewhat of a personal Hell to do nothing, to only be able do nothing. The sky roared with thunder as he, Evv and their children huddled in the basement. His wife, bless her, was better at masking her fear, for their sake at least.

"It's just a bit of noise." She murmured softly, desperate not to let her fear sink in to her children. "Don't you remember the thunder storms in Tibet? Those were much louder, weren't they?"

They'd been prepared, the sinking inevitability of an attack pressing on their minds for months now. He and Evy had woken Alex and Selena from their beds, ushering them downstairs as they maneuvered the darkened house, their eyes adjusted after so many nights enduring the citywide blackouts. The basement had been stocked with food and water to last at least a few days, torches and blankets, enough to keep them comfortable. Rick only prayed it was enough to keep them alive.

"nufidh , 'ant aladhi 'atayt fi alzalam ,

almuhtamu bialtasalul , 'anafah min khalfih,

wajahah mutajih 'iilaa alwara',

a ladhi yafqid ma ja' min 'ajlihi."

Evy murmured the lullaby into her daughter's ear, smoothing back her dark hair. She was sure Selena could hear her heart hammering away in her chest with every roar of thunder that shook the house around them.

"'atayt litaqbil hadha altifla? lan 'asmah lak bitaqbilihi.
'atayt litahdiatihi? lan 'adeuk tuhadiyahu.

'atayt litudhiahi?

lan adeuk tudhihi. 'atayt litakhudhahi?

lan 'adeuk takhudhuh miniy."

His son appeared at his side. Nineteen, more or less a man grown now. But the fear in his eyes was reminiscent of that little boy he'd raced the sun itself to save.

"How's your sister?" Rick asked his firstborn.

"Mum's got her for now."

"Alex, if things go sidewise, you take your mother and your sister and you get them safe."

"You can count on me."

"Good man." He swallowed hard, the roaring above growing louder. "Alex..."

But the air where Alex had stood only seconds before was empty. "Alex?" Rick looked around, but the closer he looked, the more wrong the basement looked. The walls cracked at the foundation, the plaster giving way to ancient stone, the floor to sand.

The shadows on the wall flickered, the hieroglyphics twisted, reordering themselves into an ancient prose Rick had never quite grasped. By instinct, he reached for the gun holstered at his hip, fingers searching but coming up empty.

"Daddy?"

He whirled around. His daughter stared up at him, half cast in deep shadow.

"Hey baby." Rick knelt down the ground shifting beneath his knees. "What are you doing here?" She shouldn't have been there. Not here, not this place.

"I'm scared."

"It's alright, come here. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

But Selena didn't move, didn't come away from the shadows, her fear anchoring her in place. So Rick stepped forward;

"Lena sweetheart, where are Mum and Alex?"