Demons and Kings

Chapter 3

My second trip to the Valley of the Kings was the complete opposite to the first. Quiet. Abandoned. It felt, for the first time, like I was truly walking through a graveyard. A group of Carol's friends had followed Jimmy to our house and had continued to follow us as we went to revisit the tomb. I could hear them behind me, chattering and laughing, daring each other to go first. My skin crawled at the uncaring attitude they presented, the seriousness of the situation clearly lost on them. Like the fact our family's livelihood was falling apart.The entrance to the tomb had been roped off by the police, and there was a small group of people standing close together nearby, shooting dark glances our way as we approached.

Rodney had been pulled away by the police the moment we arrived. I'd stuck with him, my mood sour. I had no patience for my underclassmen. But he had waved me away, telling me to go with the others as they entered the empty excavation sight. I'd rolled my eyes but relented, moving to stand behind Carol, who was the first to go down. She seemed nervous. I could see her tremble as she took a step forward, urged on by the press of her classmates and my fingers curling around her arm. She reached for my hand as we descended, and I gripped back tightly, more for my own sake than hers. It was unnaturally cold. I could see my own breath. Misty, it hung in the air for a moment before dispersing. My brow furrowed in confusion; it hadn't been this cold the last time we'd been here.

"Ugh," someone muttered from behind me. "It reeks in here."

I couldn't help but agree. The air was heavy enough to choke on, and the stench only got worse the deeper we went. Cursing, I stumbled down a few steps, someone bumping into me from behind. "Jimmy stop pushing," I snapped, irritated.

"Oh please," he snapped back. "the floor is slippery, give me a break."

"Yeah, whatever." I had knocked into Carol as well, and she had come to a sudden stop in front of me and was trying to back up the stairs, her gaze focused on the ground. "Carol, you alright?"

"I'm fine," she told me absently, "there's just something under my foot." Her friends crowded in close behind us at her words, trying to get a closer look. I felt them pressing in against my back and my balance wavered.

"No, no wait!" I yelped, but it was too late. Gravity took hold and I toppled forward, the rest following as I gave way.

We landed in a heap, and I reared back in shock as something wet began to seep through my skirt from where I'd fallen, kneeling on the ground. The others had found themselves in very similar situations, and gasps and squeals of disgust were coming from every direction. "Evie," Carol whispered, her voice shaky, "there's something under my legs."

"What? Hang on Carol," I shoved Jimmy to the side as he tried to climb over me to get to her, groaning as he hit my ribs with his elbow. "Somebody get a light."

I moved forward, and finding Carols legs and reaching beyond, came in contact with what we had all tripped over. It was stiff and unyielding, and covered in coarse cloth. Is this an arm? I thought with a detached sort of horror. I trailed my hand upwards, eyes straining in the dark. I had just brushed against what felt cold skin when there was a murmured whisper behind me and the sound of a match being struck.

Dark turned to light and I found myself staring into the unseeing eyes of a dead man.

"Oh my god!"

Screams shattered the still air around us and I lost sight of my bearings for a moment as everyone lunged to their feet, sprinting as fast as possible back to the sliver of light that marked the entrance. I was quickly left behind, my legs tangled within my skirts as I fought to stand and follow. I heard Carol yell out behind me, her breathless cry close to my ear as she locked her hands around my arm in fear. A careless shove from one of the others, combined with what I had then realized to be blood covering the ground, was enough to send us both tumbling down the steps and dropping several feet into the tomb. Alone.