The New Night Guard

Chapter 2

May raced down the halls trying to find some way to escape. She could hear the lions getting closer and then she noticed what sounded like hoof beats racing towards her. She glanced behind her and saw a horse pulling a man in a chariot, passing the lions. The man slowed the chariot just a little, reached out his hand and yelled to her to jump in. As he reached her she caught his hand and jumped, she landed on the back edge of the chariot but lost her balance and started to fall backwards. Luckily the man was able to pull her farther in to the chariot and she grabbed the front edge of it. They raced through the halls until they were back at the African mammals room. As they entered the room the man yelled something in a language that May couldn't understand to what looked like Attila the Hun. As the lions came in to the room behind them Attila shut the gates. When they got through the second door a man who looked just like the Theodore Roosevelt figure stepped up and closed the second gate just as the lions jumped at it.

As soon as the chariot stopped May jumped off of it and leaned against the wall, trying to catch her breath and figure out if she was having a really weird dream or if this could possibly really be happening.

She looked up and saw a crowd of what looked like a bunch of the display figures from all over the museum gathering to see what was going on. The only one she didn't recognize was the man who had rescued her.

Once she had caught her breath and was about to ask what was going on, the man who had saved her stepped forward and asked, "Who are you, what are you doing in the museum and where is Larry?"

She hesitated a moment wondering what they where going to do to her and finally said. "My name is May Kreager and I'm the new night guard until the director finds some one else. Larry was hit by a car while saving a little girl and is in a coma. No one else could stay tonight so I volunteered."

Everyone looked horrified and Teddy said, "How bad is it, do the doctors think he'll make it?"

"He has a broken leg and hit his head really hard. The doctors said that if he doesn't wake up in the first forty eight hours he may never wake up," she told him.

"He's a strong man, I'm sure he'll pull through," Teddy said.

"I hope your right. Now will someone please tell me what is going on here," she turned to the man who had saved her, "and who are you?"

"I am king Ahkmenrah."

May just stood there for a moment staring at him. He certainly was dressed like an ancient Egyptian pharaoh but how could this be possible? Ahkmenrah was a three thousand year old mummy, how could this handsome, very alive looking man possibly be him? She glanced around her and thought "what's not to believe? I'm standing here surrounded by a bunch of statues that have come to life, why not a three thousand year old mummy that looks like he's alive too." She finally said, "And how is it exactly that you all are alive?"

"I'm sure you have seen the gold tablet that hangs above my sarcophagus," Ahkmenrah said. May nodded, "It has magic and that is what brings us all to life."

"Okay, magic tablet that brings everything in the museum to life. There's got to be more of a story behind it tha-" May jumped back gasping as one of the lions suddenly lunged at the closed gate next to her, "Why don't the lions try to eat the other animals that are in there with them? May asked.

"It takes them a while to get use to new people or animals, give them a week or two to get use to you being around and they'll be as friendly as house cats. Until then though it is best to keep them locked up," Ahkmenrah told her.