As I blinked away the harsh light, I saw Aidan’s wild hair silhouetted in the doorframe. He froze before shouting, the urgency snagging every syllable, “Cody!”
The lance stopped pressing to my collarbone and the shiny knight, who I could finally see, turned to the intruder.
Cody skidded in beside Aidan, his smile barely visible until he looked into the room and was silhouetted. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but nothing escaped.
Aidan and Cody stared at the two knights and the knights stared back at the two strange boys as if deciding what to do.
Unable to twist in the steely grip for fear the pressure would break bones, I watched helplessly, hating the sensation, and scrambled for an idea.
The lance-wielding knight turned his head back to me, armor squeaking. Shoulders rising, he lifted the lance, aiming for my chest.
My heart beat so fast it made my chest feel too small to cage it.
The knight dove with the lance poised and I heard Cody and Aidan shouting within my spinning world.
I waited for the pain to spike my chest. It just felt like I was falling. The room tilted and I was floating. In my confusion I didn’t think of screaming, I just stiffened, waiting for the worst.
I landed hard on the metal shell. The armor crunched and clanged against the polished floor.
The arms released me.
Surprised, I almost forgot to move. The split second of hesitation resulted in a clumsy scramble. Rolling off the mound of metal was the easy part. I landed on my stomach with a splat. My body felt inflated once released from the weighty arm.
There wasn’t enough time to stand. Twisting onto my back, I saw the lance-wielder had fallen too, but was getting up much more quickly.
My sneakers dug into the floor in a clumsy crab walk. I still clutched the cube. “Help!” I called.
It was Aidan who grabbed my arms from behind and swung me from the floor. We staggered into each other until we regained our equilibrium.
“Out!” I heard Cody squawk.
My free hand gripped Aidan’s shirt sleeve to keep the room from spinning. Glancing over my shoulder, I realized what pulled the knight to the floor—inadvertently saving me.
Ramses II swayed on his feet over the metal-clad two.
Aidan seemed to see him at the same time and we paused in the doorway to see the mummy grab the surgical table.
It tore off one of the metal legs as if it were made of twigs. It tossed the rest of the metal aside, hitting the beige, medical curtain. The table didn’t hit a wall behind the curtain, it flew straight back into darkness and was swallowed whole.
The mummy gasped strangled, unrecognizable words “Nii heeeel“. It could have also been a language I wasn’t meant to understand. The lack of lips made speech slightly more challenging for this one.
Still attached to Aidan’s torn sleeve, I was yanked from the doorway when he decided to run, and I decided not to let go.
The last thing I saw was the mummy swinging a metallic table leg.
It could have been comical, this frail mummy beating the crap out of a metal suit, but each stroke hit so hard the armor dented. The lance-wielder swung an arm back, which the mummy barely avoided.
Snapping back to reality, we ran.
Cody was ahead, using all of his athletic ability to stretch the distance between us and him.
We tried to keep up. Aidan’s limp had lessened enough that the shrill, clanging metal was receding. Racing through the still-life displays we pivoted just in time to avoid smashing any of them.
A strong wind whizzed between our heads and a thrown lance plunged into the hardwood floor ahead of us.
Splinters sprayed at our ankles and together we screamed.
Careening around the corner, Aidan narrowly dodged a Roman pottery case.
I peeked over my shoulder. The knight wasn’t there, instead, it was the mummy just a few displays back.
The rail-thin creature moved slowly and calculated each step. Its head tilted back as if it were blind, arms extended with stretched fingers. Strips of loose gauze floated off its body in a hypnotic dance.
Cody was in the hallway, heading for the door that we had came through originally.
“We’ll be trapped,” I panted to Aidan. We launched ourselves after Cody, seeing no other alternative.
Cody struggled with the new rattling doorknob that hadn’t been there before. It was locked.
Glancing over my shoulder I was expecting to see the mummy. Instead it was one of the knights, struggling for traction around the corner. The metal suit clanged noisily and the lance was poised to strike.
Aidan grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the way of the lance just in time. We both hit the wall with a thud, jarring the wind from my lungs.
Cody jumped out of the way and hit the opposite wall, facing us. His gangly arms held themselves high as if to avoid a second impact.
At full momentum, the knight slammed into the black door. The lance tore through as if it were cardboard and splinters exploded.
Aidan grabbed one of the Chinese vases by the doorway. With all of his strength he heaved it into the knight’s head. It shattered into fragile pieces and left a small dent in the helmet, but otherwise it was a useless effort.
The knight spun around, unharmed and balled up metal fists. He swung an arm at Aidan. The movement was slower. The weight of the heavy metal probably saved Aidan’s life.
Aidan ducked and pushed me forward. I stumbled and fell to the ground, my knees skidding along the hardwood and vase fragments with painful squeaks.
I wobbled to my feet. My knees burned, but that wasn’t my biggest threat.
Twisting, I saw the mummy creeping around the corner. Red, beady eyes narrowed on us through gauzed slits. Its jaw barely moved as it slurred, “Aw keeell.”
Spinning, I grabbed the second vase that sat in the doorway as Aidan and Cody struggled with the knight behind me.
As I threw the vase, I realized it was a bit heavier than it looked. I had to use the knuckles of my cube-hand for added momentum.
The tall elegant artifact collided with the mummy’s neck and shoulders instead of its head and shattered into a thousand pieces. The sound almost drowned out the screeching metal behind me.
Shards of the white vase cut through the brittle fabric and flesh. The mummy hesitated as if expecting pain. Then, began its advance again, staggering from side to side with one very clear focus. It banshee-shrieked, “AwwwkeEELL!”
The warmth touched my stomach and I felt the cube warming as well.
No, it was growing hot!
The mummy was only a few feet away. The smell of dust and mold tickled my nose.
The cube was a throbbing black. I shook it close to my ear and I swear I heard liquid sloshing about.
The mummy took another step forward and I felt like a trapped animal standing between the clattering knight and this mummy.
Aim for its head, I thought desperately.
Bellowing a battle cry I charged, hunching my body as I rammed into the flimsily wrapped bones.
It was easier than I thought. The mummy either hadn’t expected it, or was too slow to react. It flew back, skeletal fingers clawing at the air.
Gritting my teeth, I threw the cube, surprised that it left my fingers so willingly. I had expected stabbing jealousy, but it hadn’t been mine to begin with, it had been Damien’s.
The glowing crystal bounced off the mummy’s chest and clattered to the floor.
In the heat of the build-up I hadn’t quite considered that it might not work. Shit.
The mummy roared a throaty cackle that echoed in the thin hallway.
Just above the cackle the little cube emitted a buzz, like an electric charge.
The mummy and I froze, staring at it dumbfounded.
It didn’t seem so little and harmless anymore. Especially when it puffed up like a square balloon.
The cube inflated to over twice its size, and its electrica
l charge was growing louder. I shouted, “Run!”
Hunching my body, I bowled the mummy over again and leapt out of range of his claws. Darting through the Museum archway, I’m sorry to say that I didn’t look back. I just kept running as the cube hit a curiously high-pitched note, growing louder and louder. I felt my hands reaching up for my ears without thinking.
Frightened, I dove behind the thick pedestal that held the bust of Athena. Huddled up, I clutched my knees just as Aidan skidded in beside me. He curled up against me, holding me against his rather comforting sweaty, coppery smell.
The harsh noise of the cube began to screech at deafening levels.
“Cody?” I shouted, peeking around Aidan.
He wasn’t near us when the explosion hit.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
I’ve never heard an explosion before, at least not in real life.
It rocked every nerve, shook my teeth, vibrating my gums, and made me very aware of what little control I had. The sheer panic wouldn’t allow me to move, even if I tried.
Despite my palms suctioned to either side of my head, my ears felt as if they were being stabbed with hot pokers.
Ducking our heads together, Aidan and I pressed into one another hard. Neither of us looked up as the ground lost all sense of stability. The walls and ceiling rained plaster on our heads and shoulders and I waited for that final blow of something heavier.
Aidan grabbed my arm and I realized the shaking wasn’t as violent.
I slapped a hand on top of his and squeezed to let him know I felt it too. We waited, our heads blocking the debris as the world began to right itself again.
The ground was still, but my body jittered with phantom vibrations. My eardrums replaced the sound of the explosion to a droning hum.
I don’t know how the brunt of the blast missed us. As I wiggled my body, plaster fell off my head, coating my legs. I waited for any new pains but felt none.
I peeled open my eyes, one at a time. My limbs were visually still attached and Aidan was sitting up. Catching my stare he mouthed, “You okay?”
Nodding, I asked him the same thing and he nodded.
I shifted to my knees, hearing bits of the ceiling fall off my lap. Squinting over the sturdy pedestal we’d ducked behind we saw that the room was foggy with plaster. I swallowed the tickle in the back of my throat. The bust just over my head had taken a bit of a hit. Pallas Athena’s helmet wasn’t as pristine. A chunk out of the face and helmet head marred the beauty.
Aidan pointed to the hallway where dark dust mingled with rags. That must have been all that was left of the mummy.
The wall was charred black and had expanded three times its original construction.
The cube caught my eye. It was still in the hallway, but instead of just a little red light it was calling out metallic beeps, like a timer. But, didn’t it already explode? It had depressed back to its original size, but the sound was unnerving.
“Cody?” I called over the ringing in my ears.
Searching the debris of scrap metal, busts, broken pottery and rags, I didn’t see any real body parts, which was a relief. I don’t think I’d be able to take seeing Cody like that.
Aidan helped me to my feet with a jerk and immediately let go.
The rhythm of the metallic beeping was quickening and I felt my heart picking up with the beat.
“Cody!” I kicked at the debris, hoping to spot Cody through the plaster. “There’s a bomb!” Please don’t be dead, I whispered in the back of my mind, feeling the ache of tears coming close. Did Damien take Cody instead of me?
Cody’s voice alerted both of us to the displays. He said something unintelligible, but it was his voice.
Without thinking, Aidan and I ran through the displays. Aidan shouted Cody’s name just as Cody stumbled through the fog, coughing and sputtering.
Seeing him alive and ghostly in the plaster’s dust, I ushered him to follow us. “We have to get out of here. That little bomb could go off again.”
“The hallway,” Cody pointed over my shoulder. “The doorknob was on the door.”
“It was locked!” Aidan protested. “There must be another way.”
I glanced over my shoulder and shook my head. There was no time to search up and down the museum for a black door when there had been one just beyond the bomb. It would just mean running past it.
The beeps had drawn closer together. There was only a half a second between each metallic alert. “Let’s go,” I said and without their consent, I ran.
I knew Cody was close behind me. I could feel his coughs hitting my back.
The red cube illuminated the entrance to the hallway and Cody pointed over my shoulder. “There!”
Nestled and untouched against the new ash-and-sunder decor was the shiny black door. Exactly where we’d left it.
The intensity of the beeping rose to an almost unbearable volume. My ears throbbed as we shouldered our way into the hallway. As I slowed, Aidan shouldered past both Cody and me and snagged the door. The carved symbol was the same watery dam symbol on the door that had taken Phoebe.
“Wait!” Though I knew he wouldn’t.
Aidan tore open the door and I think someone was shouting, “Go, go, go!” But, I couldn’t be sure.
Aidan, Cody and I tumbled through the doorway without the preliminary safety checks. If something had been waiting for us, we’d have been meat.
The door swung behind us as if a gust of wind had caught hold of it, slamming it shut.
Behind the door there was a very faint boom, like a large explosion that was very, very far away. It shook the carpet at our feet and shuddered through the surrounding walls but didn’t rock them enough to throw us off balance—not like the first.
Crowding close together for protection, we ducked our heads until the room went still. Tilting my chin up slowly, it seemed like minutes had passed before anyone ventured to speak.
“Uh, guys?” Aidan broke from the circle first.
Cody and I looked up to see a polished staircase. With the black door at our backs, we stood on an oversized welcome mat that read: Home Sweet Home.
I snorted at the little mat and saw Cody and Aidan’s feet step away from me.
Looking up to the wide staircase, I could see it was grand in design. A dark varnish and dainty, thin steps led to a second floor. No photos or paintings adorned the lifeless, grey walls though an extravagant chandelier glowed with candles and crystals overhead.
I reached out and touched the nearest wall with a tentative twitch, fearful that it would wobble like the very first one. It was solid. I pressed my palm to the cool surface.
Aidan asked. “Guess we go up?”
Cody and I grunted our replies. The second balcony was shadowed by the chandelier. Anything could be up there waiting for us.
Aidan reached down and touched the rag around his leg. I had almost forgotten about his injury.
“How is it?” I asked, glancing down at my own poisoned knee. The swelling had decreased and the redness dulled to a pale pink.
Aidan made a point of not looking at me. “Hurts,” he replied with a weak, closed-lipped smile.
Cody used his chin to point at the bloodstain on the rag, “what happened?”
“Long story, I’ll tell you later,” Aidan said. He turned his electric eyes to me. “Come on and no wandering off this time.”
I glared at him though it didn’t matter. He turned away before seeing it.
Aidan led the way up the stairs with Cody close behind.
Seeing me hesitate, Cody glanced back and ushered me closer with a snap of his wrist. He wouldn’t move until I followed after them. Each stair was only wide enough to fit the balls of our feet. One wrong move and we’d all be sent tumbling down.
Using the railing like the two ahead, I made it to the last step. The balcony overlooked the entrance and was encased in the same regal wood railing.
The hallway spanned in two directions. We could go left or ri
ght. It was strange considering all our other Challenges kept us on one path. I realized we were never given a choice before and we all paused, looking left and right.
Aidan sighed after several seconds. “Which way should we go?”
At both ends of the hallway there were shadows clouding the possible horrors. Whatever surprises waited, we weren’t supposed to see them.
Nobody moved. If something terrible happened, whoever made the choice could be held responsible. If I chose, I’d be risking my friends’ lives. But, that was what this Challenge was, wasn’t it? One big gamble that would drain our resources until we finally succumbed. I thought about Damien’s test—the cube. It almost cost us all our lives. I didn’t trust myself with any further decisions and looked down the first hallway as far as I could. There was nothing but shadow.
Turning to peer down the other side I saw only shadow. No movement, no twitch, no blinking lights—only shadows.
Aidan stood fidgeting beside Cody. He took a deep breath and pointed right. “Let’s try that way.”
Neither Cody nor I could argue and followed him to our right.
The hallway wasn’t affected by the light of the chandelier. Wisps of inky fog spilled prematurely at our feet, eagerly coating the floor in its haze before we reached the obsidian archway.
Cody hooked his finger into the belt loop of my shorts while I reached out and grabbed Aidan’s arm. Just before he stepped into the darkness, Aidan glanced back at me. Worry wrinkling his poker straight eyebrows together.
I linked my fingers with his. It was strange in a way, just a few hours ago I’d have cringed at this.
I squeezed his hand and tried to smile at his frown. He’d made the decision I couldn’t and I felt the guilt that accompanied that. If something were to happen, Aidan shouldn’t shoulder it, though I didn’t want to either.
I glanced behind me as Aidan started forward and saw the perspiration coating Cody’s forehead, clumping the excess plaster from the museum’s ceiling. He didn’t look down at me, only forward and I finally did the same to realize that Aidan had disappeared behind the wall of darkness. If he wasn’t holding my hand, I might have thought we’d lost him.
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