Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14 Note to self, Dan thought. Do not think of brain- sucking mummies while standing in ancient tomb. The darkness pressed around them. They had just pushed on the door of the tomb, and it had swung open. Theo must have forgotten to lock it. Somehow without his cheery presence, the tomb seemed darker. Spookier. "D-do you think we should go down?" Amy whispered. "That's why we're here," Dan said. He didn't move. "This is ridiculous," Amy said, straightening her shoulders. "Come on." She eased the door shut, but left it open a crack. Dan stayed close behind her as she went down the

stairs. When they got to the antechamber, they both looked up at the ceiling. The stars looked like a field of golden flowers against the brilliant blue. They looked back at the stairs. "Let's look at the risers," Amy said. "The stone that is behind the step. Katherine would have left a clue there rather than on the step itself. She'd know that hundreds of years of footsteps would wear away any message." They examined each riser, but there was nothing except ancient, worn stone. "Next staircase," Amy said. "We'd better hurry." They cautiously made their way down the stairs, deeper into the tomb. "Wait!" Amy whispered. She didn't know why she whispered, but it felt wrong to shout in this place. She bent over, squinting in the dim light. She forgot her nervousness as the discovery jolted through her. "Dan, come here! I think it's a hieroglyph. It's carved into the stone."

"And here," Dan said. Down they went, collecting one hieroglyph after another. Suddenly, they heard a squealing noise, the sound of metal against metal. There was a loud clang as the iron tomb door

shut completely. The lights immediately went out. "Amy?" Dan whispered. "I'm right here." Amy only knew Dan was inches away by the sound of his voice. It was so dark she couldn't see her own hand. She fought down panic. The darkness pressed against them like a living thing. Dan felt his breath catch. Amy grabbed his hand. Normally, Dan would have pulled his hand away and said something like "Ew," but just then his sister's fingers felt good, even if they were kind of sweaty. "Somebody shut the door," Amy whispered. "Thanks for the tip, Miss Obvious," Dan whispered back. Suddenly, he heard a noise. Was it a footstep? Shuffling, as if a foot was being dragged along the dusty ground. As though wrappings were dragging behind… "Did you hear that?" Amy whispered. "No," Dan lied.

DEATH SHALL COME ON SWIFT WINGS TO HIM WHO DISTURBS THE PEACE OF THOSE WHO SLEEP. Dan knew he was breathing dust. He could feel his lungs struggling. He heard his own wheezing in his ears. "Dan." Amy gripped his shoulder. "There's plenty of air. Do you have your inhaler?" His sister's calm voice steadied him. He didn't know how she could be so calm, but it helped him. He knew how she'd panicked when she'd almost been buried alive. The Amester was getting braver all the time. He reached into the pocket of his shorts and brought out his inhaler. Better. The noise came again, terrifying in its soft menace. He didn't even bother saying he didn't hear it. He imagined a mummy, black holes for eyes, trailing linen. His brains had already been sucked out, and he was just a dead thing… reaching… Slow down, he told his heartbeat. If this was a video game, you'd think it was way cool.

Another shuffling noise, closer still. But it's not a game! Whoever it was— person or thing— it was hunting them. "We've got to hide," Amy whispered. "The burial chamber." He didn't, didn't, didn't want to go back to the burial chamber. The thought of it froze his blood. But he followed Amy into the place the mummy had lain thousands of years ago. Even in the enveloping dark, Irina was completely oriented. She heard Dan and Amy inching their way toward her. Her vision was like a cat's. She could find her way out of a cave miles underground if she had to. As a matter of fact, she already had, thanks to that nasty little job in Marrakech back in the nineties. The acoustics in the tomb magnified every sound. They were coming right toward her. This was her chance. They were hers at last. The question was, what to do, exactly. The children needed to be slowed down, they needed