نفرین آرامگاه مومیایی فصل 10

The Curse Of The Mummy’s Tomb - Chapter 10

The driver laughed till tears formed in the corners of his eyes.

Sari grabbed my arm. “He’s working for Ahmed,” she whispered, squeezing my wrist. “We’ve walked right into a trap!” “Huh?” I felt a stab of fear in my chest.

I didn’t think she was right.

She couldn’t be right!

But I didn’t know what else to think.

I grabbed the door handle and started to leap out of the taxi. But the driver raised a hand, signaling for me to stop.

“Gabe—go!” Sari pushed me hard from behind.

“Cairo Center Hotel?” the driver asked suddenly, wiping the tears from his eyes with a finger. Then he pointed through the windshield. “Cairo Center Hotel?” Sari and I both followed his finger.

There was the hotel. Right across the street.

He started to laugh again, shaking his head.

“Thanks,” I shouted, and climbed out.

Sari scrambled out behind me, a wide, relieved smile on her face. “I don’t think it’s that funny,” I told her. “The cab driver has a strange sense of humor.” I turned back. The driver was still staring at us, a broad smile on his face.

“Come on,” she urged, tugging at my arm. “We have to tell Daddy about Ahmed.”

But to our surprise, our hotel room was empty. My note was still on the table where I had left it. Nothing had been moved or touched.

“He hasn’t been back here,” Sari said, picking up my note and crumpling it into a ball in her hand. “Ahmed lied—about everything.” I flopped down on the couch with a loud sigh. “I wonder what’s going on,” I said unhappily. “I just don’t get it.” Sari and I both screamed as the door to the room flew open.

“Daddy!” Sari cried, running to hug him.

I was sure glad it was Uncle Ben, and not Ahmed.

“Daddy, the strangest thing—” Sari started.

Uncle Ben had his arm around her shoulder. As he led her across the room toward the couch, I could see that he had a really dazed expression on his face.

“Yes, it’s strange,” he muttered, shaking his head. “Both of my workers…”

“Huh? Are they okay?” Sari asked.

“No. Not really,” Uncle Ben replied, dropping onto the arm of the armchair, staring hard but not really focusing on me. “They’re both… in a state of shock. I guess that’s how to describe it.” “They were in an accident? In the pyramid?” I asked.

Uncle Ben scratched the bald spot at the back of his head. “I don’t really know. They can’t talk. They’re both… speechless. I think something—or someone—frightened them. Scared them speechless. The doctors are completely confused. They said that—” “Daddy, Ahmed tried to kidnap us!” Sari interrupted, squeezing his hand.

“What? Ahmed?” He narrowed his eyes, his forehead wrinkling up in confusion. “What do you mean?” “Ahmed. The guy at the pyramid. The one who wears the white suits with the red bandanna and always carries the clipboard,” Sari explained.

“He told us you sent him to get us,” I said. “He came to the museum—”

“Museum?” Uncle Ben climbed to his feet. “What were you doing at the museum? I thought I told you—” “We had to get out of here,” Sari said, putting a hand on her dad’s shoulder, trying to calm him. “Gabe wanted to see mummies, so we went to the museum. But Ahmed came and took us to his car. He said he was taking us to you at the hotel.” “But he was driving the wrong way,” I continued the story. “So we jumped out and ran away.” “Ahmed?” Uncle Ben kept repeating the name, as if he just couldn’t believe it. “He came to me with excellent credentials and references,” he said. “He’s a cryptographer. He studies ancient Egyptian. He’s mainly interested in the wall writings and symbols we uncover.” “So why did he come for us?” I asked.

“Where was he going to take us?” Sari asked.

“I don’t know,” Uncle Ben said. “But I certainly intend to find out.” He hugged Sari. “What a mystery,” he continued. “You’re both okay?” “Yeah. We’re okay,” I replied.

“I’ve got to get to the pyramid,” he said, letting go of Sari and walking to the window. “I gave my workers the day off. But I’ve got to get to the bottom of this.” Clouds rolled over the sun. The room suddenly grew darker.

“I’ll order up some room service for you,” Uncle Ben said, a thoughtful expression on his face. “Will you two be okay here till I get back tonight?” “No!” Sari cried. “You can’t leave us here!”

“Why can’t we come with you?” I asked.

“Yes! We’re coming with you!” Sari exclaimed, before Uncle Ben had a chance to reply.

He shook his head. “Too dangerous,” he said, his eyes narrowing as he glanced first at me, then at Sari. “Until I can find out what happened to my two workers in there—” “But, Daddy, what if Ahmed comes back?” Sari cried, sounding really frightened. “What if he comes here?” Uncle Ben scowled. “Ahmed,” he muttered. “Ahmed.”

“You can’t leave us here!” Sari repeated.

Uncle Ben stared out the window at the darkening sky. “I guess you’re right,” he said finally. “I guess I have to take you with me.” “Yes!” Sari and I both cried, relieved.

“But you have to promise to stick close,” Uncle Ben said sternly, pointing a finger at Sari. “I mean it. No wandering off. No more practical jokes.” I realized I was seeing a whole new side of my uncle. Even though he was a well-known scientist, he had always been the jolly practical joker of the family.

But now he was worried.

Seriously worried.

No more jokes until the frightening mystery was cleared up.

We had sandwiches downstairs in the hotel restaurant, then drove through the desert to the pyramid.

Heavy clouds rolled across the sun as we drove, casting shadows over the sand, coloring the desert darkly in shimmering shades of blue and gray.

Before long, the enormous pyramid loomed on the horizon, appearing to grow larger as we approached on the nearly empty highway.

I remembered the first time I had seen it, just a few days before. Such an amazing sight.

But now, watching it through the car windshield, I felt only dread.

Uncle Ben parked the car near the low entrance he had discovered behind the pyramid. As we stepped out, the wind whipped at the ground, tossing the sand up, whirling it around our legs.

Uncle Ben raised a hand to stop us at the tunnel entrance.

“Here,” he said. He reached into his supply pack and pulled out equipment for Sari and me. “Clip this on.” He handed each of us a beeper. “Just push the button, and it will beep me,” he said, helping me clip mine to the belt on my jeans. “It’s like a homing device. If you push the button, it sends electronic signals to the unit I’m wearing. Then I can track you down by following the sound levels. Of course, I don’t expect you to use it because I expect you to stay close to me.” He handed us flashlights. “Watch your step,” he instructed. “Keep the light down at your feet, a few yards ahead of you on the floor.” “We know, Daddy,” Sari said. “We’ve done this before, remember?”

“Just follow instructions,” he said sharply, and turned into the darkness of the pyramid opening.

I stopped at the entrance and pulled out my little mummy hand, just to make sure I had it.

“What are you doing with that?” Sari asked, making a face.

“My good luck charm,” I said, slipping it back into my pocket.

She groaned and gave me a playful shove into the pyramid entrance.

A few minutes later, we were once again making our way carefully down the long rope ladder and into the first narrow tunnel.

Uncle Ben led the way, the wide circle of light from his flashlight sweeping back and forth across the tunnel ahead of him. Sari was a few steps behind him, and I walked a few steps behind her.

The tunnel seemed narrower and lower this time. I guess it was just my mood.

Gripping the flashlight tightly, keeping the light aimed down, I dipped my head to keep from hitting the low, curved ceiling.

The tunnel bent to the left, then sloped downhill where it split into two paths. We followed the one to the right. The only sound was that of our shoes scraping against the sandy, dry floor.

Uncle Ben coughed.

Sari said something. I couldn’t hear what it was.

I had stopped to shine my light on a bunch of spiders on the ceiling, and the two of them had walked several yards ahead of me.

Following my light as it moved over the floor, I saw that my sneaker had come untied once again.

“Oh, man—not again!”

I stooped to tie it, setting the flashlight on the ground beside me. “Hey—wait up!” I called.

But they had started to argue about something, and I don’t think they heard me. I could hear their voices echoing loudly down the long, twisting tunnel, but I couldn’t make out their words.

I hurriedly double-knotted the shoe lace, grabbed up the flashlight, and climbed to my feet. “Hey, wait up!” I shouted anxiously.

Where had they gone?

I realized that I couldn’t hear their voices anymore.

This can’t be happening to me again! I thought.

“Hey!” I shouted, cupping my hands over my mouth. My voice echoed down the tunnel.

But no voices called back.

“Wait up!”

Typical, I thought.

They were so involved in their argument, they forgot all about me.

I realized that I was more angry than frightened. Uncle Ben had made such a big deal about us sticking close together. And then he walked off and left me alone in the tunnel.

“Hey, where are you?” I shouted.

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