My Pharaoh, My Queen

Chapter 6

"Sage do you even know where you're going?" Tyler grunted as he struggled to carry Memphis.

"Away from him is all that matters," Sage said. "I had a really bad feeling about him."

"He co..could've helped.... us," Memphis mumbled out.

"Now's not the time for that Memphis. That could've been anyone. A thief, a tomb raider-"

"Or a doctor," Memphis whispered lowly.

"Highly unlikely," Nat scoffed as she jogged behind Sage.

"We need to find somewhere to lay low. We need to radio Matt and the others," Tyler said.

Sage paused and spotted a room that was open. "In there," They all went in and laid Memphis against the wall. Sage saw broken and dust covered chests and vases. She looked at the writings on the wall, it was describing how the Pharaoh Meketre would travel on to his afterlife. Her heart clenched again.

"Sage. Look at this." Tyler pointed at the empty sarcophagus. "There's no body or anything."

Sage's eyebrow knotted in confusion. "That's not possible. We should be the first to be here. The door was sealed. And there was no evidence of it being opened before."

"But a dead body can't just get up and walk," Tyler retorted. Sage's face paled. 

"Right." Sage chuckled weakly. She sat next to Memphis and put her hand against his forehead. She turned to Nat and said, "He's burning up." Nat nodded gravely and began to look through the med kit. Sage turned back to Memphis and pulled out a handkerchief. She wiped off the sweat from his face and neck.

Nat came to Memphis and gave him some pain killers and water. "Here," she whispered. "Drink this." Memphis weakly grabbed the pills and popped it in his mouth. He took the water and drank half the bottle.

Sage shakily grabbed her radio and pushed the button to speak. "Matt? Are you there?"

She heard Matt click the button to talk but all she heard was rustling.

"Matt? Where the hell are you!" Sage muttered loudly.

Finally, Matt spoke, "Sage. Get the hell outta that pyramid. Now! There's someth-"

The radio went silent. "Matt? Matt! What the hell is going on!"

"Sage?" Nat tapped Sage's shoulder. "What's happening?"

"I don't know. Damn it!" Sage swore.

Tyler stood up and dusted his pants off. "I'm not waiting for help and we can't afford time." He grabbed his stuff and began to walk out the room.

"Tyler! What about thy guy?" Sage tried to reason with him. "There could be more traps. You could get hurt. We already have one person in our team, I can't let another get hurt!"

"But if we just sit around and wait, we'll have a lesser chance in actually getting Memphis out of here and to a doctor." Tyler sighed, "I'll be fine." And he walked out. Just like that. Sage cursed and punched the wall.

"Fuck!" She yelled.

Nat sighed as she wiped more of Memphis's sweat off his face. "He'll be fine Sage. He's a big boy. He can handle it."

"It's that man we saw.." Sage rubbed her face in exhaustion. "I don't know. He just gives off this bad vibe." She walked to the doorway and turned back to look at Nat. "I'm worried. Matt said there is something in the pyramid but he didn't say what. He couldn't say what."

"Sage."

"I mean, he was cut off. Someone or something stopped him! But who?"

"SAGE! BEHIND YOU!" Nat screamed.

Sage whipped around and saw the man from before. Except that it wasn't a man. Sage was pretty sure that it wasn't even human. It was the monster of her dreams. This supposed Pharaoh, Meketre. His face decayed and deteriorated. His body covered in old rotting bandages and golden jewelry.

"N-No-" Sage stepped back and quivered in each step. The walking skeleton grabs at her wrist and pulls her closer. "Get away from me!" She screeched. The pharaoh moved both of them to the sides and two other rotting skeletons wearing warrior clothes came in and dragged Nat and Memphis out.

"Sage!" Nat yelped. "SAGE!" She tried to break free of the grip of the dead Egyptian warriors but to no avail. Sage could hear her screams echo through the endless walls of the pyramid.

She turned back to look at the pharaoh in his eyeless eye sockets. "What do you want from me?" Sage whimpered. Tears sprung from her eyes as she bit her lip to quiet her sobs.

The mummy pressed his scratchy bandaged hand against Sage's cheek and caressed it lightly. "Do not be afraid, my beloved. All will be well." He hummed a strange tune that somehow lulled Sage to a state of sleepiness.

"N-No.. sto-" Sage didn't get to finish her sentence when her legs gave way. She was caught by the pharaoh, who was still humming.

"You will remember. In time, we will rule this land together again."

Sage was in and out of consciousness, trying so hard to stay awake. She sighed and her eyes fluttered closed.

"Sleep, my love. You will need your rest." The pharaoh nestled Sage closer to him and started to hum again.

~•~

Sage jolted awake and found herself on the floor of some sort of throne room. Her eyes glided through the room and saw guards posted on the doorway. The door opened and the pharaoh walked in confidently, wearing his known outfit. But he still was a decaying skeleton. Sage's heart raced and her hands began to sweat in nervousness.

"What is it that you want?" Sage shouted. She got up and stumbled. But she was caught by the pharaoh. She pushed him away and crawled away from them.

"You will understand. But please, have patience-" Sage kicked him in his bones jaw before he could say another word. His guards came running pointing spears at her throat. The pharaoh raised his hand in protest.

"You will do no harm of this women. She is your queen! You will show some respect!" The pharaoh growled. He looked at Sage, his jaw barely hanging from his face. He grabbed it and popped it back in. "Aneski, my love, you must understand!" He grabbed her shoulders with desperation. "Please try to remember."

Sage closed her eyes and felt this nauseating twist in her stomach. Her body shook and her head felt like splitting. All these memories came flooding in like someone broke a dam and the water came flooding though.  She opened her eyes and gasped. It was like she could breathe again. But it didn't feel like Sage was in full control. No, it felt like she was on autopilot again. "I do remember you. Meketre... my love, I remember."

Meketre chuckled weakly as he pressed his skull against Sage's forehead. "It has been too long, my dearly beloved."

"For far too long." Sage replied. As she wrapped her arms around his neck.