by A. Giacomi
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, duplicated, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior written consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
Text Copyright ©2016
All rights reserved
Published by CHBB Publishing
This is a work of fiction. All characters and events portrayed in this novel are fictitious and are products of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual events, or locales or persons, living or dead are entirely coincidental.
Edited by Jessica Meigs
Cover by David Walker
Interior Formatting by Dreams2media
This book is dedicated to the memory of my late father. He always encouraged great imagination as well as great literature in our household.
He would always say illness was a state of mind, and to this day I believe that his sort of positivity is what makes people persevere even in their darkest hour. He never wasted a moment and I don’t plan to either, and here we are, my first novel, no regrets.
“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
~ Friedrich Nietzsche
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART 1: A MONSTER IS BORN
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
PART 2: ANGEL OF DEATH
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
CHAPTER FORTY
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
PART 1: A MONSTER IS BORN
CHAPTER ONE
EVE
I can’t really recall what I was doing a few seconds ago. There was ample light, and now there is perpetual darkness. My immediate impulse is to shout:
“Hey! Who turned out the lights?!”
When I begin to think about it a bit further, I realize that caves really don’t have lights, thus making my argument moot. Plus, there is no one around to answer my snappy complaint.
Rather than focus on the darkness, which makes my palms sweat heavily, I force myself to think about what I was doing before I was consumed by this swift darkness.
I remember placing my bag on the ground. The torches in the previous room were lit, and I took to lighting the ones in the corner of this particular room. I knew full well I wasn’t supposed to be down here in the first place. If I had to create my own light, it meant that it wasn’t a “safe zone” for digging.
The excavation crew and my archaeologist wannabe buddies are in the mess tent by now consuming some sustenance, and here I am, stupid me, I’m here thinking I’ve found something miraculous. I think I’ve stumbled onto something new and groundbreaking; instead, I’ve stumbled into the darkness and tripped over about a dozen rocks in the past five minutes trying to figure out where the exit to this damn place is.
“Stupid, stupid me,” is all I can utter between my clenched teeth.
No one is even going to bother looking for me until well after lunch. Here I was thinking that I would sneak away while the others weren’t looking and continue yesterday’s hunt for some amazing treasure. All I want to do is prove myself worthy. I am so damn tired of feeling like Doctor August’s cute little apprentice for the past year; I really just want his job already.
My wonderful Professor took me on one other dig last year. It was a short assignment in Colorado, and all we did was look at rocks the whole time. It was such a bust! I needed something better than rocks, something exciting! I begged Dr. August to take me to Egypt with him. He said it was an extremely high-profile dig and the volunteers would need to be fourth-year anthropology students or higher. I was surprised when he finally said yes and even agreed to let my best friends tag along.
My thoughts shift to Cameron and Alex. I can just picture them finding me down here eventually and shaking their heads and laughing at me for even thinking for a split second that I would go and make an enormous, world-shattering discovery on my first big dig. They love me but know that I’m a bit impulsive at times, and never at the right times.
I press my hand over my mouth to stop myself from giggling at the thought of Alexandra raising a perfectly groomed eyebrow at me while Cam insults me with his sly wit. He is much too quick with the smart ass remarks, and I never have a good comeback for him.
When I feel a bit calmer, I begin to feel around for my bag in the darkness. I slip and tumble over another rock. My fear of the dark distracts me so well that I forget my footing and land face first right on the dusty floor; it is quite possible that I ate some ancient ash on the way down.
“Mmm, tastes like failure! Great! No one is ever going to take me seriously,” I blurt out.
This hunt is a bust and an ego adjustment all in one. I always knew I had a big head, but I don’t like to admit it. I hate when Cam and Alex remind me of it. I don’t like to be reminded of things that I’m already aware of. Definite pet peeve. Don’t treat me like an oblivious dumbass. I would always remind Cam and Alex:
“I’m aware. I just choose to ignore certain things.”
I guess that’s why I decided to ignore the yellow caution tape at the entrance of this place. However, I can’t ignore the feeling that I’m not alone at the moment. I hear a scraping sound nearby. Maybe someone finally noticed I am missing?
“Hello? Can I get some help over here?” I wait and still hear something faint, but no reply.
This time, I yell, “Help!” a little louder, but it will take someone with supersonic hearing to hear through these thick rock walls.
Amidst my frustrated screams for help, I think I hear something shifting behind me. I hear it again, and my fear is confirmed: something is here and is as uninvited as I am.
I stop moving, breathing, and talking to myself all at once. I really hope I don’t hear anything more. I’m terrified of the options—snake? Big spider? Ancient mummy back from the dead? I laugh out loud at the thought, and then there it is again. Something is dragging, scr
aping, or shuffling towards me along the dirt floor.
My mental narrative shifts from embarrassment and self-loathing to a general “shit shit shit.” If Cam were here, he would say, “Pardon your French, Missy!” but I’m far too frightened to reflect on our inside jokes right now.
I can barely breathe, and I feel like I’m about to cry. I don’t like not knowing, and I am quickly learning that my fear of the dark is worse than I thought. My chest feels tight, and my head is spinning. Not a good time for my phobia to intensify. I need to think.
I hear it again and again, and it’s getting closer. The sound transforms. It is less like dragging or shifting now and more like nails or claws dragging on solid rock. I try to crouch into what I think is a corner and make myself into the smallest ball possible.
The wall feels oddly warm. I didn’t think it could get that warm down here with all the darkness and rock, and the thought reminds me of the fact that I’m very much below the surface.
Without warning, the wall I lay against begins to move. As my body presses against it, I suddenly realize it’s not an animal; I think it might, in fact, be human. I let out a muffled scream and quickly get up on my feet, my fists tight, ready to defend myself against whatever is waiting for me in the darkness.
My lip bleeds as I bite down on it to control my terror. If only I had a flashlight or a match or a cell phone, this not knowing is making my blood pressure rise and my nerves dissolve into goop. This is making it impossible to think of a good solution.
I feel hands gripping my shoulders and let out a bloodcurdling scream. I didn’t even know I could make that kind of a sound.
The screaming is to no avail, because here I am being flung through the air in complete darkness, and the landing is rough and painful. I think one of my ribs may be broken.
“Who the hell are you?” I scream through clenched teeth.
I’m in pain, but I’m not about to sit here crying and waiting for someone to murder me. Which I now believe to be their intent—whoever is down here is very strong. I’m not exactly light and fluffy: I’m a solid 150 pounds and swim team captain, a title I wear like a badge of honor.
I shove my hands frantically around the floor, trying to feel for anything hard or weapon like. I lay my hands on what feels like a knife; it’s a rather sharp piece of rock, what luck. I pick it up and turn to stand awkwardly in the darkness.
I listen in the shadows for the next move. I feel a whoosh alongside me and throw myself towards it. I make contact with something, and it gives a mammoth-like moan. I’ve injured whatever it is.
“Good,” I say out loud in triumph.
I continue to listen for sudden movements or a welcomed plunk to the ground. I hope I got that son-of-a-bitch good!
What kind of sick joke is this anyway? Hide in the dark and seek to attack someone dumb enough to come down here alone? I guess I do fit the profile, I sigh with acknowledgment. Am I to be raped, robbed, beaten…or just made dead? What exactly is this douchebag here for? It dawned on me suddenly that maybe I have actually discovered something important; maybe this room I stumbled into was never meant to be found.
My curiosity gets the best of me, and I begin to scream questions into the darkness.
“Why are you here? What do you want?” I wait in silence, but no answers come.
I’m starting to feel a bit faint from the fear coursing through me. I hear that strange moaning again. It’s frightening and not like anything I have ever heard before. I stand paralyzed in the darkness with no idea what my next move is. While my thoughts race in every direction, I feel something graze my arm, and before I can pull it away, teeth pierce my arm’s soft flesh. They gnaw away at my arm as if it is a piece of barbecued meat. I feel a ripping sensation, and my arm begins to feel warm and wet. Something sprays my face, and I know the taste; it’s my blood that’s spilling.
I’m screaming in the darkness now. Something has bitten me. I can taste the tears mixed with blood that continue to roll down my face. I can’t stop screaming and can’t defend myself with only one arm available to me. It feels as though my arm might go missing soon. Another large chomp finds the bones in my arm. I feel another large gush of warmth rushing down my limb, and the chomping sensation continues.
I so desperately want to see what’s going on. I look towards my arm, as if I will be able to see it in this dark tomb. Then there in the darkness, I see two glowing red spheres. They look abandoned and weary, but they glow with strength and purpose. Eyes, it has burning eyes.
My brain is useless; it is seized by fear. I need to take action, but all I can think is, What is happening?
“Help me! Please God, help me!” I scream.
I continue to scream until I can’t quite remember when my screaming stops and my unconscious state begins.
CHAPTER TWO
CAM
As I pick up the last satisfying potato on my lunch plate, I hear something in the distance. At first, it sounds like a wolf howling, but as I listen further, it sounds more pathetic and needy.
I drop my cutlery and look up at Alex. She looks up from her plate and gives me a baffled expression. Maybe she heard it too?
“Alex, what is that?”
She looks to her right, which is where the tent’s exit is, and still does not utter a word. There is a stunned silence in the tent. We’ve all heard something, but none of us are sure what it is. Suddenly there it is again, much clearer now.
Someone is screaming.
It echoes through the dig site like an injured wolf’s cry. I drop everything and rise from my seat. So do a few others, including Alex, who seems to be reading my mind.
Without another word, we pick up the pace. Alex is now sprinting beside me in the direction of the terrifying screams. I think we both realize the same thing and begin to run even harder.
Eve had told us she was going to take a nap. I should have known better than to leave her alone. She’s more curious than twenty cats! Alex points in the direction of the screams.
“It came from one of the excavated tunnels below.”
I grab a flashlight and rip down the yellow caution tape, which was the only barrier between safety and whatever is lurking down there.
With Alex behind me, we begin our descent. The deeper down I go, the more I fear the worst. No one else has worked up enough courage yet to follow us, so whatever we are walking into, we will be walking into it alone.
My flashlight finds something staining the ground. I have stepped in some of it as well. It sticks to my shoes like goop. The light has uncovered a long trail of blood. That continues up ahead like something has been dragged through here.
“Dear God, Eve,” is all I can say.
Alex takes a big gulp of air when she sees what has me horrified. She covers her mouth; I can see she’s trying not to vomit. The trail of blood grows darker from this main room towards a narrower crevice in the corner of the tomb. My heart sinks. Only Eve would be suborned enough to come down here. Damn that Eve, why does she always have to go looking for trouble?
When we arrived in Egypt, Dr. August told her specifically to stay away from this portion of the excavation, and he reminded her again only yesterday when she asked for permission to look around. The area hasn’t been cleared by safety inspectors yet. Why would Eve want to do something so stupid? I have to stop myself. Why am I mentally arguing with Eve when she might not even be alive for me to yell at later?
I take a closer look at the crevice leading into the smaller room; my flashlight discovers that I won’t fit through there. I slam my fist on the wall at this realization.
Alex steals the flashlight right out of my hand and starts to squeeze through to the other room without warning. In a panic, I grab her wrist to stop her.
“No! We don’t know what’s in there. You could be the one screaming next.”
She slide
s her arm free from my grip, rolling her eyes at me.
“If Eve’s in there, I need to get to her. Make sure there are people ready for her if she’s hurt.”
I look into her eyes, pleading, but she’s off without hesitation, squeezing through to the other side. Just this once, I wish I wasn’t such a tall or muscular guy. Today it’s what makes me useless to both my friends.
In a moment, more of the staff and volunteers gather into the tomb with flashlights and lanterns. They look on with a combination of terror and excitement in their eyes, the same look most people have when they witness a bar fight.
“Sickos,” I sneer as I give them the dirtiest look I can muster.
“She’s here!” screams Alex from the other side of the wall. “But she’s in bad shape. She’s unconscious, and her arm looks mangled. I’m going to bandage her up the best I can so she doesn’t lose more blood.”
I say, “Okay,” and then wait the most sickening five minutes of my life.
Alex finally yells back, “Okay, I’m going to put her flat on her back and pass her through head first. You are going to have to grab her shoulders and slide her through. Pull her while I push on the other end.”
I am grateful again for my muscles, glad they can be of some service now.
I look into the crevice and tell Alex, “I’m ready.”
The first thing I see is a mass of long brown hair. Eve’s chestnut hair covers all of her face except her lips, which look pale. All I want is to brush the hair away and see her beautiful blue eyes open. That’s when I will be able to breathe again.
Alex is trying very hard to be gentle, but it’s a tight squeeze, and Eve gets a few new bumps she doesn’t need right now. As soon as I can get my hands on her shoulders, I start to tug so I can get her to safety and the medical team as soon as possible. My hands find their way under her armpits, and I have a better grasp now. I can hear Alex panting from the other side. Alex is very tiny in stature, but she is determined.
With a few more pulls, I finally have her. She looks so pale as I push the hair from her face, dead even. My heart races as I hand her over to the medical crew for examination. They check a few things and then place her gently on a stretcher. I watch them carry Eve away. She is limp, and her body moves to the beat of every bump they walk over. I have to look away or I may die right here and now. Watching her move further from where I stand is agonizing.
