“Hey, Nick, I heard your mom brought back a rotting mummy from Egypt,” said Carl, a dark haired and dark eyed boy of stocky build.
Nick grinned. “You heard right. She’s gotta study it or something. Apparently, there’s a curse on its sarcophagus.”
“What’s a sarco-thingy?” asked one of his friends.
“It’s like a tomb, a resting place for the dead,” Nick explained.
The rest of his friends immediately rolled up their eyes, made long sagging faces and moaned in gruesome voices. Nick rolled his eyes. “Oooh…I’m so scared. Ahh…someone help,” he said in a girly, high-pitched voice sarcastically. Then his eyes fell on his watch. “Whoops gotta go guys. Catch y’all later!” He ran off waving. The others shouted comments and waved back.
Nick shook his blond head, grinning. His friends were a bunch of jokers, but they sure made him laugh, causing his blue eyes to twinkle appreciatively. His long, muscled arms and legs made him an excellent basketball player. He was blessed with an intelligent brain, which absorbed stuff in class even when he wasn’t listening, which made him a topper in his exams. His father was the Head of the Archaeological Institute and his mother was an archaeologist, which naturally contributed to his knowledge and interest in the subject. His obnoxious (or so he thought) elder sister, Natalie was a senior at his school, on the varsity cheerleading team, and easily one of the most prettiest and popular girls in school.
His home was on the outskirts of the town and the nearest house was inside the town. He ran up the driveway, opened the door and announced his arrival with a loud, “I’m home, people!”
“Honestly, do you have to thunder up the driveway and barge in like that? It disturbs me, you know. And Clara.”
Nick knew who the speaker was before he saw her. “Whatever, Nat.” Then he saw Clara, and his eyes very nearly popped out. “You’re having another sleepover?”
“Yeah, now buzz off, twerp.”
He shrugged and trudged to the basement, where his parents where examining the sarcophagus’ hieroglyphics under a magnifying glass. As he entered, he detected a change in the temperature. The air conditioner had been modified to create proper environment for the preservation of the mummy.
“Hi Nick,” his parents simultaneously said, without looking up.
“Hi. How did you know…?”
“Well, if you will barge in and scream at the top of your lungs like that…” said his father, scratching his stubble absentmindedly.
“I get it,” Nick said hastily, “made any progress?”
“No, we can’t get how to open it. But the hieroglyphics are clear enough. They state that the mummy is the ‘Unknown Prince’, which clearly means that he was never a king. There is also some curse on this sarcophagus. ‘Whoever opens this tomb will revive the mummy, who will destroy all.’ That’s what it says,” his mom replied.
“Rubbish. Just rubbish for superstitious people,” his dad muttered, “anyway, Nick, we’ll tell you if we open it. Go set the table for dinner, would you?”
Nick nodded and hurried to set the table. After that, he lazed on the hammock for half an hour, till Natalie called him for dinner.
“Well,” his dad beamed at the dinner table, “success! We opened it!
“Cool!” Nick exclaimed.
“Yuck,” said Clara and Natalie together.
“Tomorrow, we’ll probably find out the identity of this little guy,” his mother gushed.
Nick reminded them of the curse. Dad laughed it off and Natalie asked for and received an account of the curse from her mom.
One hour later was lights out and the house was silent. The only sound heard was the steady breathing of its occupants and occasional whispers from Clara and Natalie. A dog howled outside. A cat sneaked along a wall.
Then-outside Nick’s room-a board creaked. A shadow of a figure wrapped in what looked liked toilet paper in the darkness could be seen. The mummy opened the door. Shadows obscured its face. Nick was sleeping peacefully, happy dreams floating inside his head.
It ventured slowly inside, one leg stiff, arms held out in front of it. Just as it was on top of Nick, about to open its mouth and devour him…he opened his eyes.
Nick stared with shock for a second, and then screamed, a look of pure terror on his face. A flash of light went of in front of his face; he was blinded for an instant.
Then the mummy did a strange thing. It giggled.
Realization dawned on Nick and he switched on his room light; his face was completely red. At the doorway stood Clara, doubled over with laughter, a camera in her hand. Over him stood Natalie, covered completely with toilet paper and with a blackened face. She was laughing, obviously very pleased with herself.
“Did you see your face?” choked Clara, gasping for breath.
“You…!” said Nick furiously, but he never got any further because at that moment, their parents marched into his room. Both were evidently angry.
“What’s going on?” his dad exclaimed in anger.
All three of them started talking at the tops of their voices at once, pointing at and accusing each other.
“Enough!” their mom said, her eyes flashing, “Nat and Clara to your beds. I realize this was a joke, but you should know when to play them and when not too!”
They stopped talking, subdued. Natalie made a face at Nick and marched out of his room and into hers, followed by Clara. Nick followed his mom out and crowed inwardly that he hadn’t gotten scolded. His parents made for their room and he was about to make for his when he heard a low moan and saw a mummy coming up the stairs.
“Oh, puh-lease Nat. If you think you can scare me with that disguise again, grow up,” he scorned.
His mom and dad turned around wearily, prepared to shout and yell again, when Natalie and Clara appeared at Nick’s side.
“We’re right here,” said Clara, annoyed.
Nick turned the colour of paper. “Then…what…who…?” he stammered, pointing at the mummy, who was groaning and coming up the last stair now. All of them stared at it.
His mother tried to scream, but it caught in her throat. His father’s eyes bulged. Natalie stumbled back and clutched at her mother. “Run…” she said weakly.
“Where…? We’re trapped! We’re gonna die! It’s blocking the only exit! I don’t wanna die! I’m too young and pretty!” Clara said hysterically. She ran right to the back of the corridor and locked herself in the master bedroom.
They all backed to the wall at the end and gazed at the mummy with frightened eyes. The mummy surveyed them with blank, dark eyeholes and then…it just disappeared.
“Wha…Where did it go?” said his mom, who seemed to have found her voice.
A scream sounded inside the master bedroom.
“You got your answer…now let’s go!” urged Nick.
Natalie looked at the door one last time, shook here head as if making a decision and hurried down the stairs with the rest of her family.
As they were in the midst of the stairs, the mummy materialized in front of them. Nick’s dad, who was leading, almost banged right into it and recoiled back, his nose clogged full of the putrid five thousand year old stench it emitted.
They all saw that it had blood on its hands and leaking from its open mouth.
It staggered forward. “Flesshh…” it moaned almost lovingly and grabbed Nick’s father by the arm.
Nick’s father tried to pull his arm out of its grip, but it was surprisingly strong. “Help!” he screamed, and on his face was a look of panic and horror.
They rushed forward but it disappeared, this time, taking Nick’s father along with it.
“It ate Clara!” Natalie gasped with fright, “it’s eating Dad, too! And now it’s gonna come for us!”
“Not if we get out, now!” said Nick’s mother, tears pouring down her cheeks silently.
They had to cross the kitchen and living room to get to the door. They were halfway across the kitchen when the mummy appeared in front of them once more.
It grabbed Natalie and Nick’s mom and vanished once again. Nick was totally confused by now, not to mention terrified. If he had survived, he would have very likely gone mad. He was lost, stumbling around in his living room, crying out for his mom, dad and his sister. If he had retained his senses he might have escaped.
When the mummy came for him, it had no trouble catching him and fading away again.
The last few moments of Nick’s life were too horrible to describe. The mummy reappeared in the master bedroom, where four other skeletons lied on the floor, their clothes ripped to shreds. Bile rose up in his throat, but there was no time to throw up.
The mummy flung him to the floor and stretched its bony fingers.
Sharp projections elongated from its nails. It kneeled over him and stretched its fingers above his heart. Perhaps it was the madness that had engulfed him-he didn’t scream. He simply prayed that it would be over quickly.
It was. He felt a searing pain in his chest, and then he felt and saw no more. The last thing he remembered was the mummy’s lopsided face, and then blankness slid over his eyes and he breathed his last.
When the mummy was finished, dawn was breaking out and the sky had turned from dark black to a reddish bluish mix. The mummy glanced at the sky, grunted and dragged its body to the sarcophagus to rest.
The whole family didn’t report to their respective workplaces that day. No one picked up the phone and no one answered the door.
That night, screams were heard from one house in town. People in neighbouring houses called the police who broke the lock and entered. All they found was dripped blood on the carpets, stairs and floor and three skeletons lying on the ground and leering.
On a hunch, the chief of police ordered his men to search Nick’s house and the same was discovered. But when they checked the basement, the sarcophagus was gone.
On further enquiry the next day, it was revealed in the newspapers that the sarcophagus had a curse on it. Experts at the Archaeological Institute said that the mummy would always move around its sarcophagus every night around the town until all its people were killed.
Hearing this, the town became a ghost town overnight. People vacated it and went to other cities and neighbouring towns. Even people who scoffed superstitions, left for the simple reason that everyone was leaving.
However, the killings never stopped. The mummy moved towards other towns and made its killings and movements unpredictable so it would not be found. Perhaps you will cross its path one day. For your sake, I sincerely hope not.
~~~The End~~~
