“Incredible…” Khaliq was entranced by what he saw. It was the first sign of anything noteworthy since the seal.
Classic Egyptian artwork greeted the two men. There were hundreds of humans depicted sideways, kneeling, and pointing in the same direction — toward a doorway cut into the opposite wall.
“Worshippers,” Khaliq said.
Feroz aimed his light into the next corridor. “Anubis?”
Khaliq didn’t reply. He crossed the chamber with purpose. Halfway there, he stopped, hearing a click under his foot. It was followed shortly by a low, reverberating clunk.
“Move!” Khaliq shouted, sprinting for the chamber exit.
Feroz made it to the hallway first.
The two men practically dove through it just as a dozen slots opened in the ceiling.
Khaliq was immediately mesmerized by the sight, but the slots didn’t stay empty for long. A second later, things began dropping from them.
And the things were alive.
Black, wriggling creatures poured out of the open holes. Khaliq backed away, pulled along by Feroz before either man could study the living payload enough to identify it.
A trap, Khaliq thought, amazed. And it’s still working.
This place had been constructed centuries ago, and had been lying in wait after all this time. Not only was Khaliq astonished — he felt a well of fear rise up in him, as well.
He shuddered. These creatures — bugs, or beetles, he couldn’t be sure — must be cannibalistic, eating each other to stay alive. The hidden compartments were their home, and they had, most likely, never ventured out of the darkness of the cavern.
“Slowly,” he ordered. “Watch your step.”
Feroz nodded and did as he was instructed and eased up on his pace. Both men directed their lights exclusively to the steps. If there was one trap, there was bound to be another.
As soon as Khaliq made contact with the top step, the impact sank the step an inch, setting off another clunk back in the chamber. He lifted his foot, and the step rose back into place. He attempted to sink the step again, but it didn’t move.
The trap had been reset. He’d need to remember that…
They continued down and around in circles again. Khaliq estimated they had traveled the same depth as before. A second opening swallowed Feroz’s light. He slowed to a crawl and edged out into the void. This space was infinitely larger than the last one. A sound like running water greeted them, but Khaliq didn’t see anything in the illumination that hinted there was water nearby. The walls of the cavern were sixty feet from one another.
“It sounds like radio static,” Feroz said.
Khaliq agreed. The noise unnerved him.
The ground beneath them narrowed to three feet in width and extended through the nothingness. Khaliq followed it with his light, realizing what it was.
“It’s a landbridge.” He stepped onto it. “We cross here.”
He turned in time to see Feroz swallow down his fear and warily shuffle forward. The bridge was cracked and crumbling in places. If it broke underfoot, they’d fall into…what?
Khaliq needed to know.
He faced the abyss and directed his light into it. Surprisingly, it wasn’t as far of a drop as he was expecting. But what it lacked in depth, it made up for in nastiness. The pit was some twenty feet down…and it moved.
“What is it?” Feroz asked.
But Khaliq already knew. His hands trembled. He had never seen so many in one place.
He removed his light from the godawful pit and faced his cohort, looking through the man and not at him.
“What are they, Khaliq?”
Feroz’s question focused Khaliq’s attention, and he met the man’s fear-filled eyes.
“Man-killers… Tens of thousands of them.”
Translating from the Greek Androctomus, ‘man-killers’ venom produced one of the deadliest neurotoxins in the world. The black, fattail scorpion was feared by everyone in the desert communities of North Africa and the Middle East. They sported a long, agonizing history of killing healthy, grown men quite easily.
“Man-killers?” Feroz asked, leaning over the edge. His light found the sea of creatures. His face went white, and he stammered backward. Khaliq caught his arm before he could walk himself off the landbridge and into the throng below.
But Khaliq’s efforts weren’t enough.
A section of the pathway broke away beneath Feroz’s foot, and he dropped, ripping out of Khaliq’s flat-footed grasp. In a last-ditch effort to save his subordinate, Khaliq latched onto the man’s backpack, but only came away with the pack itself. Feroz slipped free and fell for over two stories before landing flat on his back.
He screamed in pain and was almost instantly overwhelmed by thousands of man-killers.
Feroz’s cries only lasted a few seconds.
Khaliq waited for Feroz’s body to finish convulsing before he pulled his attention away. He was alone now. It was fitting too. Khaliq wanted to be the first to see Anubis’ lair. Feroz’s death had all but guaranteed that.
He shook with anticipation. The muscles in his body and face spasmed slightly. Something in him broke. He no longer had any interest in pushing forward slowly.
With his flashlight gripped tightly in one hand and Feroz’s backpack in the other, Khaliq took off at a sprint, needing to see what was at the other end before more time passed.
Chapter 84
Baahir
The Big House was, in essence, a big house. And it was hosting a community event for the residents of Bawiti. Dozens of vendors had set up tents on the grounds outside the estate’s gates. It reminded Baahir of the markets he had seen around the world. People hawked their goods, shouting as loud as they could at every single passerby.
This was Baahir’s chance to evade his pursuer. He needed a place to hide. His first choice was the Big House itself, but he doubted a man in his current, filthy state would even be allowed on the premises. So, he decided to keep as many tents in between him and Ajmal as possible. He stationed himself at the center of the market, spying Gebel Dist in the distance. There, he watched and waited, eventually spotting a hulking mass hiking up the long, winding drive.
The other option had been to keep running and head for the middle of town, but it was a few miles off, and Baahir was too tired. This was his best option. Baahir peeked out from behind a booth selling handmade trinkets constructed of bits of junk. They were impressive, resembling miniature sarcophagi and pyramids.
Ajmal stopped and swept his head from left to right slowly, scanning the area for his prize. Baahir inhaled and squeaked when Ajmal snapped his eyes directly toward him.
Did he see me? Baahir asked himself. He didn’t think so, but nor was he going to take the chance.
He scurried behind three more tents and parked himself behind the fourth. He leaned out around the hastily built structure and was forced to peer through a haze of deliciousness.
Everything in front of him was some sort of food item.
Baahir hadn’t enjoyed a proper meal in some time. The lamb looked incredible, and the spices wafted into his nose.
Dammit!
Ajmal had vanished. Baahir had lost the goon somewhere between hiding behind the tent and pining over the sights and smells of this food.
“You want something?” a voice asked.
He looked up. “No, I—”
But the vendor wasn’t speaking to Baahir — he was talking to Ajmal. Baahir shuffled backward, bumping into a table directly behind him.
“Watch it!” cried a young woman.
Before Baahir could apologize, he planted a hand on her table, leaping over it. He crashed to the ground beside her. She attempted to berating Baahir, but was quickly silenced.
“Shhh!” He held a finger to his lips. “If you stay quiet, I will buy everything you have!” That quieted her, but she frowned down at him.
He suddenly realized something else about the woman.
She was absolutely gorgeous. Her skin reminded him of delicious cocoa.
He swallowed. “Please…”
She glared down at him, then back up to the crowd in the market. “He with you?”
The young woman’s inflection was similar to the dialects Baahir had heard in Kenya. Her English was flawless but accented. Baahir figured she was talking about Ajmal, but he didn’t know for sure. “What does he look like?”
“Big and angry.”
He belly-crawled under the front table. “Yep, that’s him.” A heavy cloth was draped over the front of it so no one on the outside of her booth could see what laid beneath. The contents now consisted of this woman’s personal belongings.
And Baahir.
“What does he want?”
Baahir snickered. “To kill me.”
She looked appalled. “And this is funny?”
Baahir shrugged. “If you knew what I have been through, I— ”
“Can I help you?” she asked, stepping forward, talking to someone else Baahir couldn’t see.
Her foot landed on Baahir’s pinky finger. He squeaked, but thankfully his protector coughed to cover up the sound. She subtly lifted her foot while continuing to speak to the newcomer, allowing Baahir to remove his trapped digit.
“I said — can I help you?”
A shadow blotted out the light on the vendor’s face, and Baahir knew, in that instant, that it was Ajmal. His pursuer was leaning in close to the merchant now, and Baahir could hear his breath falling out over her face. Baahir wouldn’t forgive himself if he got this nice woman hurt.
“I’m looking for my friend,” Ajmal said, “have you seen him?”
Baahir’s blood went cold. The woman could just as easily sell him out and save her own skin. He had given her no reason to trust him. No reason to think he was the good guy.
Please don’t, please don’t, please don’t…
“That depends on what this friend looks like.”
Ajmal described Baahir perfectly.
An awkward silence hung over them as the vendor contemplated his question.
“No, I’m sorry — I haven’t seen anyone who fits that description.”
Baahir looked up and watched her eyes go wide. He couldn’t see Ajmal, but Baahir guessed he was giving the woman a look that could rust iron. He was attempting to intimidate her without the use of force.
Thankfully, there were too many people around from him to actually use force.
Then the shadow on her face vanished. Baahir could hear heavy footsteps fade as Ajmal left.
She waved him off but spoke to Baahir through gritted teeth. “You owe me, big time.”
“Name’s Baahir.”
“I don’t care what—”
“And you are?” he asked, wearing the cheesiest grin he could muster. He hoped it was coming across as a ‘cute, harmless gentleman.’
Her nostrils flared. “Durah, but—”
“Well, Durah,” he said. “How about a fancy dinner and a movie?”
She paused, then snorted out a laugh and crossed her arms. “You are unbelievable.”
“Two dinners, then. Drinks too!”
She didn’t speak.
Durah simply held out an open hand that he took to mean ‘stay down.’ It was low enough on her leg that only Baahir would be able to see it. Crunching footfalls announced the arrival of someone familiar, but as soon as they started towards him, they faded away again. Ajmal was still on the prowl.
The Kenyan glared down at Baahir, once again looking furious for being put in a position such as this.
Baahir could do nothing else except stay hidden beneath her table. For good measure, he held up three fingers, silently increasing his offer.
To his delight, Durah didn’t kick him in the ribs or stomp on his hand. Instead, the corner of her mouth curled into a smile, and she shook her head and rolled her eyes. Then, the vendor got back to work, and left Baahir to himself.
She coaxed him out of hiding sometime later.
“I believe your friend is gone. I have not seen him in a while.”
Slowly, Baahir poked his head out from below the table and scanned the surrounding area. He waited and watched, not seeing Ajmal anywhere, either. He groaned, and crawled out on his hands and knees. Durah helped him up, then handed him a bottle of water. Baahir was struggling physically, and was tired and thirsty.
“About our deal…” she began.
Baahir took a long pull from the bottle and nodded. He swallowed and recapped the drink. “I don’t have any money.”
The Kenyan let loose with a string of what Baahir guessed were curses in her native tongue. He held up his hands. “But… I will uphold my end of the bargain, Durah. Scouts’ honor.”
“You were scout?”
“Actually, no — but I promise to keep my word.”
The vendor huffed out an annoyed breath. “Fine. Two dinners. With drinks.” She started to turn away but was stopped.
“Make it three.” He grinned.
Durah could only roll her eyes.
“One more thing,” he said sheepishly.
She locked eyes with Baahir, but didn’t speak.
“Do you have a phone I could borrow?”
She looked like she was about to hit him over the head with one of her wares, but finally relented. “Baahir…” she handed him a phone. “Did I mention that I am not a cheap date.”