The Cursed Pharaoh's Bride

Chapter IV

Carolina

Everything is dark. And I just now realize it. Along with that, my head suddenly feels like it’s pounding. My eyes feel like they’re glued shut, as if my body is telling me to stay asleep. But I don’t want to.

I force my eyes open, slowly but surely, and once I do, I instantly regret it. Ugh, the light, it burns.

“Ah, you’re finally awake.” I blink a few times before my eyes focus on the person sitting next to me. Dr. Jones.

“Where am I?” I ask as I glance around the room. 

“You’re in the hotel, back in Cairo,” she says slowly. As I take in my surroundings, everything starts to come back to me. Even what happened in the tomb.

“What happened?” I ask. That has to have all been a dream.

“I think we should start off with you telling me what you remember,” Dr. Jones responds.

I clear my throat and then gulp. “I know I fell into a tomb. Professor Cohen, Charles, and Jay fell in after me and we explored the tomb. Jay and I found this room and…” I can’t tell her what happened in there. She won’t believe me. 

“And what else? You’re right about everything so far,” Dr. Jones urges.

“A-and I fell into this hidden room that was filled with a whole bunch of treasure. T-that’s where I slipped and fell,” I continue. Right? That’s all that happened? I can’t help but glance at my hand and see that there is no beetle on either of them. I let out a relieved sigh.

“From what we understand, it seems that’s what happened,” Dr. Jones confirms.

“How long have I been asleep?” I ask.

“Almost a day,” she says, “So you really only missed the third day of digging but it’s okay. You have a concussion after all and you deserve to rest after finding the biggest prize.”

“Um, thanks?” I say as I raise my brows at her. She just laughs.

“Just get some rest and maybe you’ll get to join everyone with investigating the artifacts. Don’t worry, we won’t be forcing you to go into that tomb again,” she says as she starts to get up.

“Um, Dr. Jones, if you don’t mind me asking, what did you find in that room I was found in?”

“Oh, just a lot of gold, amulets, jars, chests, and weapons,” she says. My heart leaps at the thought of that monster. “It’s the strangest thing, though. We found a mummy’s sarcophagus but it was empty.” My heart immediately sinks to the pit of my stomach.

With that, Dr. Jones leaves the room. After I hear the door close, I inspect my hands again. I feel my heart skip a beat when I see a dark red impression on my finger from where the beetle dug its legs into my skin.

No, no. This has to still be a dream. This isn’t happening. I lean back into my pillow and stare aimlessly at the wall. Maybe if I go back to sleep, when I wake up, everything will be normal. At least, I won’t have to go back to that accursed tomb.

* * * * * * * *

I’m greeted with a sad smile from Jay as I walk down into the lobby of the hotel. It took about three showers to finally get the feeling of desert off of my skin, and yet a part of me can still feel the ghostly touch of that monster. I remind myself that I can’t stay locked up in my room for the rest of my trip in order to keep myself from running back upstairs and taking another shower.

“How are you feeling?” Jay asks.

“I feel better than yesterday,” I say.

“That’s good to hear. Well, today is all about boring research and observing artifacts,” he says sarcastically.

“I can’t wait,” I say with an equally sarcastic tone, “If I’m being honest, I’m done with the excitement for a while.”

Like Jay said, we spend the rest of the day doing “boring” research. Observing artifacts wasn’t really that bad. We were able to estimate the time period to be pre ancient Egyptian dynasties so pre 31st century BC, like Charles had said. I am a litter unnerved when I hear the main scientist talk about the mummy sarcophagus. Apparently, they can’t tell for sure if the tomb belonged to El-Hasekrah without the body to confirm it. Who needs that terrifying body anyways? Legends can just stay legends for all I care.

“Hey, Carolina,” I hear Dr. Jones call out to me as she approaches me after we finish for the day. “Several of the professors and students are going to a bar across the street from the hotel. If you feel up for it, would you like to join us?”

“Maybe I’ll show up later,” I say, “I’m feeling a bit dizzy.”

“Alright, in that case, just rest,” Dr. Jones replies, “But if you start to feel better, don’t stay cooped up in that room.”

With a quick nod, I head off to our shared room and lie down on the bed. I try to keep my eyes closed until the dizziness goes away but it’s hard. Every time I close my eyes, I see those menacing yet hypnotic red eyes. I can still feel his breath on my face as he whispers “soon”. What’s coming soon? My end? The end of the world? That’s the last thing I need. I’m too young to die!

There’s no way I can deal with my own thoughts any longer. I shimmy out of my pajamas and slip on a more presentable pair of jean shorts and a tank top before I march out the hotel. I see the bar right across the street from the hotel, just like Jones said it would be.

I walk in awkwardly and quickly scan for the rest of the group. Bars aren’t really my scene and I don’t really drink. But I rather be here than stay in my own paranoid mind alone. I walk to the table and poke Jay in the shoulder. He turns around to face me and I notice he’s already a bit flushed from the few drinks he’s probably had.

“Good to see you could join us,” he says as he gives me a small grin. He pulls a seat to the table for me to sit before turning back to the conversation.

At some point, I’m handed a bottle of beer that I barely take a sip from. I just fiddle with the bottle as I listen in on their conversation.

“That tomb is like something out of an Indiana Jones movies,” one of the American students jokes.

“Especially that mummy room,” another student chimes in, “It’s full of treasure.”

“Are you kidding?” Charles snaps as he bangs his beer bottle onto the table top, “It’s missing the greatest treasure of them all— the mummy!” Some of the students chuckle at his haughty remark.

“Who knows, maybe somebody beat us to it,” Jay adds.

“Oh yeah,” Charles replies sarcastically, “A grave robber fell into the tomb, stole the body but left the gold.”

I shake my head as I leave the table and move over to the bar. As I’m waiting for a bar tender to notice me, I feel a presence move beside me. It’s Charles, who’s leaving a round of empty beer bottles and it looks like he’s requesting more. As he waits for the drinks, I find my eyes zeroing in on a tattoo he has on his wrist. It looks like some predatory hunting bird. 

“Nice tattoo,” I compliment, “What is it, a hawk?” 

“It’s a falcon,” Charles says dryly. 

“Is there a story behind it?”

“Not one we have time for, love,” he says as he gives me a forced smile. He then brings the drinks back to the table. What’s his problem?

I then try to get the attention of the bartender. “Can I get a Coca-Cola?” I ask the bar tender. I’m over my alcoholic beverage. The bartender just stares at me with slight confusion. Did I really just speak to the one bartender who didn’t know English? How did the other students order drinks?

Before I can open my mouth again, I hear someone sit on the stool beside me and speak to the bartender in what I can assume is Arabic. I knit my eyebrows as I turn to see a hooded figure speaking to the bartender and pointing their finger at me. The bartender then starts mixing some drinks and puts a can of Coke in front of me and some unknown concoction in front of the other person.

“T-thanks,” I stutter.

I hear him let out a chuckle before he turns ever so slightly in my direction, though not enough for me to see his face. “It’s no problem, love,” he says in an extremely thick accent. His deep voice sends a chill down my spine. 

I turn to look down at my soft drink nervously as I make myself comfortable in my stool. A large part of me is telling myself to go back to the table. I am in a foreign country in some random bar and I shouldn’t be sitting by myself. Yet, a smaller yet stronger part of me is keeping me sitting next to this mysterious person because he was nice enough to order the drink for me and his voice just sounds extremely soothing.

As if he can sense my nervousness, I hear him clear his throat. “Got a lot on your mind?” He asks. I have to keep myself from sighing in contempt. His Arabian accent only seems to make his voice sound even that much more attractive.

“That’s one way to put it,” I finally respond. I slowly bring my drink to my lips. 

I notice the bartender come back to us and he exchanges a few words with the man next to me. I try not to stare at him as I see him reach into the pocket of the dark hoodie he was wearing, though I am failing miserably. Doesn’t he feel hot? We’re in the middle of summer.

My heart stops when I see his pale, bony hand come out of his pocket with some cash. It’s not the sickly state of his hand that has me going into shock but the all too familiar beetle ring that is taunting me.

I don’t register that I ran out of the bar until I’m outside. “Wait, stop.” I hear the baritone voice call out for me. But I don’t listen. I quickly cross the street but I don’t make it fully across when I hear a car horn. The car is all too close to me when suddenly I’m pushed forward.

I bite my lip as I painfully get on my feet and notice my scraped knees. I glance back to see a certain figure in a dark hoodie crouched down. I quickly turn around and slightly limp towards the entrance of the hotel. I can’t help but look back as I turn towards the elevator, away from the lobby. The last thing I see as I turn the corner are those glowing red eyes stare at me from underneath that dark hood.