𝑫𝑹𝑨𝑷𝑬𝑻𝑶𝑴𝑨𝑵𝑰𝑨 - Ardeth Bay

nine

"According to these Hieroglyphics, we are underneath the statue." Evelyn announced happily as she and Tiye paced around the old room happily while Rick dug away at the roof and Jonathan just stood and watched. The warden had gone his own way. "We should come up right between his legs."

"And when those damn Yanks go to sleep, no offense-" Jonathan began to state before remembering there was an American with them.

"None taken." Rick said, also agreeing about the other group at their dig site.

"We'll dig our way up and steal that book right from under them." Jonathan finished saying.

"Are you sure we can find this secret compartment thing?" Rick asked, taking a small break from his digging.

"Oh, yes, if those beastly Americans haven't beaten us to it." Evelyn reached up and began to tap away at the roof with her chisel. "No offense."

"None taken."

"Hey, where'd our smelly little friend get to?" The older Carnahan asked upon noticing the missing warden.

"Probably off finding gold." Tiye shrugged her shoulder, sitting down on an old rock away from where everyone else was digging.

After a while Evelyn and Rick took a break, sitting down across from Tiye. Jonathan got bored and started using the pick as a golf club.

"Let me get this straight. They ripped out your guts, and then they stuffed them in jars." Rick concluded out loud as he and Evelyn blabbed away about mummification.

"And then they take out your heart as well. Oh, and you know how they took out your brains?" Evelyn asked excitedly.

"Evy, I don't think we need to know this." Jonathan explained to his sister.

"No, no, please continue. I love this part." Tiye laughed, fixing the skirt of her dress.

"They'd take a sharp, red-hot poker, stick it up your nose, scramble things about a bit and then rip it all out through the nostrils." The brunette woman mimed as she explained it.

"That's gotta hurt." Rick raised his hand to his nose.

"It's called mummification. You'll be dead when they do this." Tiye inputted.

"For the record, if I don't make it out of here, don't put me down for mummification." Rick stated horrified.

"Likewise." Jonathan swung his make shift golf club and hit a rock off the wall. It bounce and flattered against the roof causing a sarcophagus to fall from under the statue of Anubis. All four of them stared wide eyed at the ancient coffin.

"Oh, my God. It's a-" Evelyn slowly stepped closer to the sarcophagus. "Its a sarcophagus."

"Buried at the base of Anubis." Tiye said, walking closer and dusting away the sand so she could read the hieroglyphics.

"He must have been someone of great importance." Evelyn continued. "Or he did something very naughty."

"Well, who is it?" Jonathanasked as he watched Tiye, Evelyn and Rick all blow and dust away the sand.

""He That Shall Not Be Named"." Evelyn read aloud.

"This looks like some sort of a lock." Rick pointed out, staring at the star shaped indent.

"Well, whoever's in here sure wasn't getting out." Jonathan grimaced.

"Yeah, no kidding." Tiye replied sarcastically.

"It'd take us a month to crack into this thing without a key." Rick concluded. Tiye let out an irritated sigh and began to pace around the sandy room, biting her nails as she thought about what to do next.

"A key?" Evelyn scrunched her nose up in thought. The Egyptian woman stopped her pacing and spun around to see what had suddenly got her friend hopeful. "A key! A key! Now that's what he was talking about."

"Who was talking about what?" Tiye questioned, leaning on the sarcophagus and watching the brunette woman dig around in their bags.

"The man on the barge. The one with the hook. He was looking for a key." Evelyn tried to explain, flailing her arms around the place.

"Hey, that's mine." Jonathan gasped, watching as his sister unlocked the ancient box he had stolen. Evelyn gave him a knowing look and placed the open box on the lock, it fitting perfectly. She smiled with accomplishment and Tiye gave her a proud smile.

The joyful moment was ruined as the painful screams of the warden echoed down the halls and around the room. Rick grabbed his gun and Tiye and Evelyn quickly followed behind him. Jonathan grabbed the key before running after the others. They found the warden gripping his head and stumbling around the place before he pushed past them and straight into a wall, landing limp and silent on the ground.

"Is he dead?" Tiye spoke up first, hesitantly wandering over to the warden, the others following. Rick crouched down beside the body and placed two fingers on the wardens neck, searching for a pulse. When he felt nothing he stood back up again and shook his head before placing a hand on Tiye and leading her away from the body and back into the safe arms of the younger Carnahan.