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As soon as I entered the room, the door slammed shut behind me, and it was then that I realized that I was alone...Either Tanis knew this was going to happen, or he didn't make it in on time and I had the sinking feeling it was the first one. That's what you get for letting your guard down, Molly , I told myself. There were no glowing blue panels, no walking statues...no nothing. Great. Still, there was a small piece inside of me that felt a little betrayed-even though I didn't know him, it still hurt. Lesson learned though, It wasn't going to happen again.
I sighed and turned back around, giving up on trying to figure out how to get out of here via how I got in. That pull that was still dragging me along was still there and I had a feeling that if I wasn't so curious as to what was happening, I would be a lot more upset about my current situation.
This room was empty all except for four objects. There were no glyphs on the walls-no sources of light except for my flashlight-the air even felt heavier...almost charged. In the middle was a long rectangle shape. It was all black with gold etched in ornate patterns. As I moved closer, I saw that the top of it held the same two characters I had seen in the last room-the two glyphs that I somehow knew meant "Adim". It was a sarcophagus.
Evenly spaced and directly beside it was another, only this one was Silver in color with gold etchings. The top of it said "Edin". Directly behind them were corresponding chairs situated on another stone dais. The one behind Adim's ssarcophagus was empty while the one behind Edin's contained yet another statue. This place really revered their gods... But the closer I got, the more I realized it wasn't a statue.
"Holy Moses.."
Her skin was alabaster white and pulled taut across her frame, her eyes were framed in black and sunken deep within their sockets. Her nails had grown and her hair still looked healthy despite the rest of her mummified appearance-it was draped down her shoulders, the darkness of if a stark contrast to her skin...and yet she was still breathtakingly beautiful. I wondered how long she had been sitting here, sitting guard over these two sarcophagi. Was she Edin? That pull that had drawn me through the door was now pulling me towards her and I followed in awe. She was a perfect specimen and I crouched down next to her, reaching out to touch....and then the unthinkable happened. She opened her eyes. I yelped and withdrew my hand but I wasn't quick enough! Despite her age and frail frame, despite everything that I had ever learned in my whole entire life, she grabbed me with an unimaginable speed that struck fear deep into my core, and turned her head to look at me.
"Molly O'Rourke." her voice was magical and melodic and oh so hypnotizing. Her grip on my arm loosened and her hand dropped down to mine, pulling me up with her as she stood. I said nothing as she brought me over to the sarcophagi in the middle of the room, until we stopped at the one titled Edin ."I have waited for you to be here for over more centuries than I can remember!" She laughed at me as if I were an old friend, and when I didn't respond she tilted her head to the side. "Poor child, I know my appearance is frightening but I assure you I mean you no harm...quite the opposite actually." Her lips stretched across her skin. The effect should have been terrifying but it wasn't-not on her. She practically radiated happiness.
My curiosity pushed through my stark fear and I finally spoke. She seemed eager to hear my words because as I opened my mouth, her smile reached her eyes. "Are you Edin?" Like a mother proud of her child, she smiled at me again and nodded.
"I was called many things in life, but I am a form of Edin." she laughed. She brought her hand up to cup my face and I let her. "And so are you, Molly."
"What?" my words must have echoed my face and I saw those ethereally green eyes of hers search my face.
"We are the same being, Molly." she said, concern dripping from her voice. Her hand dropped from my face and fell back to mine, and I gripped it tight. "we are reincarnations of the soul of Edin. We are Edin."
I was absolutely floored. Not because I was holding hands with a centuries old mummy, but because the centuries old mummy was telling me information that I felt like should have been told to me long ago. There was a spot at the back of my mind that had always felt so empty-like I was missing the big picture, and as I stood there with her-with Edin I felt that spot slowly fill in. But I still didn't understand...I looked over my shoulder to the sarcophagus behind me.
"Who is Adim?" I asked, truly curious. "Who are Adim and Edin?" I turned back around and removed my hand from hers. Edin's eyes moved from mine to the sarcophagus-to Adim. "Where is Adim?" I asked. She didn't answer me at first and I felt anger well up in my chest.
"He has been with you this whole time, Molly." Her words were quiet, and I sensed a longing in them. "The Soul of my Adim has passed to his new reincarnation. He has been with you-to make sure that our soul gets passed to you-finally."
My heart fell through and I lost my balance. I fell back against the sarcophagus of Adim, and let myself sink to the floor. Somehow, in my addled brain I began to piece things together.
"Did you do this?" I asked, waving my arm about causing an arc of light to go across her face and she squinted through the light. "Did you make that hole in the ground appear? Did you make me fall- and survive?" My words were accusing and at this point I didn't care. I had fallen an unimaginable length and survived when I knew I should be dead-but I was here. I found a city under miles of ice that surpassed anything that I had ever studied about. There was technology here that shouldn't have existed-that still didn't exist. I was talking to a mummy as if it was the most normal thing in the world, and quite frankly I just didn't care anymore.
Edin seemed to sense my emotional turmoil before dropping on the floor in front of me. She crossed her legs and smoothed her dress over her knees. "I didn't bring you here." she said finally, as if she had chosen her words. "I opened a pathway for you to find me, but the rest you did on your own...the fall included. I never meant for you to get hurt" her eyes fell to my broken arm and I tucked it closer to my chest. "I'm tired Molly." her calm demeanor had broken and for once she finally looked her age. Her eerie eyes glistened and looked towards the sarcophagus I was leaning against. "I've been here, waiting for ages. I wish to be home-with my Adim. It is your time, Molly. Both you and Tanis...and I know it will be scary at first but you will help each other. We have always helped each other in every reincarnation. He is your other half as you are his. My time is done here, I can no longer protect our people." Her words grew firmer and she reached across and grabbed my hand again. "You both have to protect our people, Molly. You must not let harm come unto them." her words came out in an urgent fervour and I struggled to keep up with the information that she was throwing at me....but all I could do was draw blanks and make a stupid face. "To get the answers you seek, you must become Edin." Her words ended on a note of finality as she brought us both up.
"Do I have a choice?" I asked. She smiled at me then.
"It was the same question I asked my predecessor and I will give you the same answer she gave me." she laughed. "Not really." I huffed.
"Well then let's get this over with..."
Any normal person would have probably freaked the fuck out. I wanted to freak the fuck out but my curiosity prevailed over my natural common sense and pushed me forward. I realized now that I hurt. I hurt everywhere. My legs, my knees, my arms, fingers, toes. I was weak. My mouth tasted like copper and dirt and I was pretty sure that I was going to forever squint in the sunlight-if I ever saw it again....and Tanis. He knew this whole time and that shithead still led me down here. I don't know what I was expecting.
Edin surprised me by pulling me into a tight hug...and to my surprise I hugged her back. "Molly, thank you." She pulled away, and touched my face again, her fingers impossibly smooth on my scarred up face. She brushed my hair out of my face and then said "This is going to hurt." She gave me a light kiss on the forehead, and then grabbed both of my hands. My flashlight went out and the room suddenly felt statically charged. My chest tightened and breathing suddenly became the hardest task I had ever tried to accomplish.
The room lit up in an array of color as a volt of pure energy went straight to my core and sent me spiraling across the room. I couldn't be sure if I was screaming or not as my body slammed into the side of the wall and I crumpled to the ground. Pain seared into every part of my body, and I was pretty sure that I had shattered my shoulder from the force. I felt as if I had just stuck my finger into an electrical socket! I screamed out in the most pain I had ever been in in my life and for the second time that day my head bounced on the floor like a basketball and I went out like a light.
.....
568Please respect copyright.PENANA1TYm4p5kGk
"Jesus Christ, it's hotter than hell out here." complained a man called Andrew Simmonds. Most people just referred to him as "Simmonds". He swiped the back of his hand dramatically across his forehead and shook it, as if trying to shake of excess perspiration.
"Quit being a bitch, Simmonds. This isn't the worst heat you've ever been in." Replied James Gore. He glanced over at their third counterpart, Barry Mitchells, as he slung an assualt rifle across his back and gave a short smirk to Gore.
"He doesn't remember Baghdad, does he?" he smacked his gum once before spitting the tasteless wad out and popping in a new piece. It was his thing. He claimed gum was the only thing that kept him "sane".
"All of you shut-up." He emerged from the tent looking from the map in his hands to just over their heads-to the temple that they were about to go into. Behind him, hordes of men moved restlessly around staying as far away from the entrance of the place as possible. He didn't blame them. Hours earlier, after their cheer of triumph a blood curdling roar had erupted from the entrance. The soldiers that meandered through the crowd had told them it was the wind in attempts for control. The workers didn't believe it one bit. Against their better judgment they had torn down walls that their ancestors had warned against, and now they were convinced that whatever lay inside was released to reap the consequences of their actions.
He looked back down to his map one more time, trying to memorize it's face before they entered. He didn't want to have to pull it out again-but he was sure he wouldn't need to. Over the past thousands of years, he had looked at it so much-had longed for this moment that the image was ingrained into his brain. He had waited patiently and now he was going to collect his reward-collect what had been taken from his family so very long ago...
"Sir," Magins came to attention in front of The Operator and paused. The man seemed to snap out of whatever thoughts he had been in and looked up.
"Magins," he gave a curt nod.
"We have put together a team as you requested. Ready to enter the temple on your orders, sir." For what seemed like the hundredth time being here, Magins thanked God that he wouldn't be entering that temple with his fellow soldiers. He too had heard that noise-a bellow from the bowels of Hell itself. There was no way he was going in there.
"Very well. I thank you for your help, Private." The Operator gave a nod, all traces of his former friendliness towards the soldier had vanished. He was too focused on his current mission. Magins saluted one more time before returning back to his Commanding Officer.
"They get younger and younger, it seems." lamented Simmonds. He ran his fingers through his long hair before putting his hat back on his head. His two counterparts grunted in agreement before all three of them turned to look at The Operator. "Can we get this party started yet? I'm dying to see what they left behind for us."
He folded up the near crumbling piece of faded paper and stuck it the pocket on his chest. He gave the motion for the group of troops waiting patiently at the side to round up the men. The one at point nodded, shouldered his weapon and lead his group towards the men behind them. "Round up!" he shouted.
As their little group turned larger, Gore came up beside him. "I know you've been sitting on this a while...but Baälämat, are you sure it's there?" His words were quiet but Simmonds and Mitchells all knew what he was asking. It had all been sitting on their minds too.
Baälämat...he hadn't heard his real name spoken in ages, it almost seemed foreign to him. "I am more than positive it is." he pressed his lips together in a tight line. "The only other task we should have is finding the other half...and I have a pretty good idea where that is as well."
The ground shook then, bringing with it a wave of cold air. Being so accustomed to the beyond warm Amazonian heat, the blistering cold wind was a such a shock that some of the men cried out. Others took it as another sign that they weren't supposed to be here and started praying in tongues and languages that Baälämat hadn't heard in forever. The ground shook again, and this time the earth moaned with it.
"Alright everyone!" He waved his arm in the air commanding attention. "Let's move out." He threw a glance over his shoulder to his three counterparts-his oldest friends. They bore the same look as he did. Mitchells was the first to pipe up around his gum, quieting his obnoxious smacking to work out a question.
"Do you think it's her?" for the first time, there was fear in his voice. Baälämat knew what he was afraid of, and somewhere inside his being, he felt it too. "Do you think that's Edin?" He pushed his aviators up and over his head until they sat at the crown. His eyes held the same flecks of purple that the rest of theirs did-all except for Baälämat. It was a sign of their betrayal. They were forever marked.
Baälämatt closed his eyes as he recalled Adim's piercing rage. It was because of him that the Edin hadn't been reincarnated sooner-it was because of him that Adim had to wait just as long as he to reclaim his prize-Baälämat hoped longer. Now, as the ground shook, so did his courage. If the new incarnation of Edin was truly close to The Garden, then that meant that Baälämat had less time than he thought.
He opened his eyes and spun on his heel, a new urgency in his step. He wasn't going to fail this time. He would reclaim the world, one half at a time if that's what it took. His trio took the hint and followed behind him. The entourage stopped at the broken temple entrance, letting the soldiers form up on the entrance.
Pushing through his fear, a new sense of wonderment overcame him as they crossed the threshold into the first temple. For the first time in centuries, he was going to be back in a place his people had walked. Lights clicked on and beams cut through the heavy dark, shining on pillars built into the high ceiling. They moved around draping vines and various cobwebs, the low hum of different voices breaking the silence that had been there for so long. Up ahead of them, something flitted into the shadows followed by the sounds of low growling. The soldier on point threw a fist up signaling a stop, and the infantry group fanned out in an arc, sweeping the area with light. The men behind had hushed their words, now struck with a gripping fear.
"Clear." came the soldier from the point. Baälämat, Simmonds, Mitchels and Gore knew better.
...
They had been put there to protect by their creators, living off of wildlife that had somehow managed to climb through the cracks that had formed in their age old home over the centuries. They took care to stay out of the light-they hadn't seen it in so long- as they jumped behind different statues to stay out of sight.
In it's excitement, one of it's pack had stepped out of line in a fit of momentary hunger. The alpha growled low and quiet, signaling it's warning that it would wait until he gave the orders. They were not to eat. They were to protect and that is what they would do.
So they watched as mankind trekked through their land, waiting for their moment to strike.
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