Series 2000- The Miummy Walks Page 5

  After a few minutes, the journey began again. General Rameer studied his map. He became more and more excited as we bounced over the sand, riding nearer and nearer to the cave at the bottom of the map.

  The longest afternoon of my life!

  I felt sick. Sweat rolled down my forehead, into my eyes. I didn’t even brush it away.

  I tried to think. Tried to come up with a plan.

  But my mind was as empty as the cave I had picked!

  Could I tell General Rameer that I made a mistake? Could I point to another cave on the map—a cave clear on the other side of the desert?

  It might give me an extra day to live, I thought.

  But, no. No way he would buy that story.

  He would know instantly that I was stalling. That I was a total phony and a liar.

  The sun was lowering itself behind tall rock cliffs when we suddenly stopped.

  General Rameer folded up his map. He tapped the knee of my camouflage pants with his walking stick. “That’s it!” he cried, pointing excitedly. “That’s the cave!”

  I gazed up at the tall rock cliff. It jutted straight up from the sand, glowing blue in the evening light. At its bottom, a dark cave opening, shaped almost like those mouse holes in the cartoons.

  General Rameer jumped down from the Jeep. He motioned for me to join him.

  I climbed out slowly, breathing hard, my heart pounding.

  I brushed sand from my eyes.

  “The big moment!” General Rameer declared, gazing up at the cave opening.

  I can’t do this, I thought. I can’t go through with this.

  I’m going crazy. I can’t take it for another second!

  “General Rameer, I—I have to tell you something,” I started. The words caught in my throat. I coughed. Forced myself to continue.

  I had no choice. I had to tell him the truth.

  “General Rameer, I was lying,” I confessed. “I was stalling. I don’t remember anything. I don’t know anything. I’m sorry —but I don’t have a clue about where the mummy is.”

  Somehow I got those words out. With a long sigh, I took a step back.

  And watched General Rameer’s face turn red and his eyes bulge wide in fury.

  “Please—” I started. “I didn’t mean—”

  It took me a few seconds to realize that the general wasn’t staring at me.

  And he hadn’t heard a word I said.

  “Michael—get down!” he cried. He shoved me to the ground beside the Jeep.

  I heard a loud CRAACK CRAACK.

  Firecrackers, I thought.

  Then I realized it was gunfire.

  A CRAACK very close—followed by the whoosh of air escaping one of the Jeep tires.

  “Rebels!” I heard Lieutenant Henry shout. “They’re up high—on the cliff! Can’t tell how many!”

  I raised my eyes to the cliff and saw black-uniformed soldiers firing down at us. Behind me, General Rameer’s soldiers came piling out of vans, raising their weapons into position.

  “Get to that rock!” General Rameer ordered me, pointing to a wide boulder rising up from the sand. “Go!” He pulled me to my feet and gave me a hard shove.

  I saw Megan duck down on the other side of the Jeep.

  More gunfire. General Rameer’s men began firing back. General Rameer tossed his stick away, pulled an assault rifle from a supply van, turned, raised it onto his shoulder, and fired it up at the high cliffs.

  The crack and whistle of bullets rang out over the sand, echoed off the tall rocks.

  Birds flew crazily overhead. The sky darkened as a heavy cloud rolled in.

  Soldiers ran toward the rocks, firing their weapons up at the black-uniformed rebels.

  Shouts rang out over the rifle fire.

  I dove to the boulder and scrambled behind it on my hands and knees.

  This is horrible! I told myself, gripping the side of the rock, pressing myself against it. A war. A real war—and I’m in the middle of it.

  I heard a scream of pain. Furious shouts.

  People are getting hurt, I realized. Maybe killed.

  I’ve got to get away. …

  Get away?

  My heart skipped a beat. Yes!

  This is my chance, I decided. My chance to escape from General Rameer, to escape from Jezekiah.

  I glanced behind me. Nothing but blue sand, the desert darkening as night fell.

  Where will I go?

  I remembered seeing small towns on the map, small towns on the other side of the Jezekiah border.

  If I can get away without being seen, I can hide in a cave or behind some rocks, I decided.

  Then tomorrow morning I can head for the border and find one of those small towns.

  It was a crazy, desperate idea.

  But it just might save my life.

  I took one last peek over the boulder. General Rameer and his soldiers were running up the side of the rock cliff, weapons roaring.

  I looked for Megan, but I couldn’t find her.

  “Bye, everyone,” I murmured.

  I spun away from the boulder—and took off over the sand.

  My shoes crunched over the hard packed sand. My shadow stretched in front of me as if leading the way.

  I had run about ten or twelve steps when the shooting stopped.

  My heavy footsteps suddenly sounded so loud!

  “Excellency—where are you going?” a voice shouted.

  Gasping, panting hard, I spun around—and saw Lieutenant Henry trotting after me. His ponytail bounced behind him as he ran. He held his rifle with one hand and motioned to me with the other.

  “I—I—” I stammered, thinking hard, trying to come up with a good explanation.

  “Do not be afraid, Excellency,” Lieutenant Henry said, stepping up to me. “It is over. The rebels have fled.”

  He jabbed his rifle toward the rock cliff. “See? They are gone. They never fight for long. A few shots—then they run.”

  I heard laughter from the rocks. I saw soldiers tossing their hats in the air. Congratulating each other. Celebrating their quick victory.

  The victory was too quick, I thought unhappily, as I followed Lieutenant Henry back.

  With a little more time, I might have escaped.

  Two men had been wounded in the battle. They lay moaning on their backs on the sand. Medical officers leaned over them, treating their wounds.

  I stopped walking. My whole body shuddered.

  I felt sick again. I took a deep breath and held it, trying not to puke.

  These men are willing to give their lives, I thought. They are willing to die to get Pukrah’s mummy back.

  And what have I done?

  Lied to them. Led them on a wild goose chase.

  And now I am doomed, I realized. Now they will enter the cave and see that I tried to fool them.

  I turned toward the cave opening. Dark and wide, it looked like a giant mouth, ready to swallow me.

  “That was very foolish!” I heard General Rameer cry angrily.

  I turned and saw him, red-faced, scowling, scolding Megan.

  “I am sorry that you were caught in a battle,” the general shouted. “But you have to be smarter than that!”

  I stepped up beside them. Megan frowned at me, then glanced away.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  General Rameer pointed at her disgustedly. “She hid under the Jeep.”

  “I just wanted to be safe!” Megan cried.

  “Under the Jeep is not safe! Not safe!” the general fumed. “If a bullet hits the gas tank, the Jeep explodes. I don’t call that safe.”

  “So-sorry,” Megan stammered, still avoiding his gaze.

  “You were lucky, Megan,” the general said softly. Then, to my surprise, he pulled her close and hugged her. “You were very lucky.”

  He really cares about her, I realized.

  He would be so totally shocked if he knew that she tried to help me.

  Now, no one can he
lp me, I thought sadly. No one.

  “Are we … going into the cave now?” I asked General Rameer. I tried to keep my voice steady. I tried to sound calm. But my voice came out shrill and high.

  The general let go of Megan and turned to me. “No. We cannot enter the cave yet. We cannot view the sacred mummy until we purify ourselves.”

  “Uh … how long will that take?” I asked.

  General Rameer laughed. “You are eager to see the mummy too, aren’t you, Michael? Of course you are. As our future ruler, you too are eager to see the sacred mummy returned to the Royal Palace.”

  “Of course,” I choked out. “But how long will it take to purify ourselves?”

  He slapped me on the back. “Hours!” he declared. “We must purify ourselves in the sand, the pure, clean sand of our ancestors. If we view the mummy in an unclean state, Pukrah will take his revenge on us.”

  Wow, I thought. These people really are superstitious.

  I was glad. It meant I wasn’t going to be found out immediately.

  I had one more night.

  The soldiers began to chant. The purifying ritual had begun.

  They chanted and sang in a language I didn’t recognize. Then they stepped away from the rocks, out onto the flat sand.

  General Rameer motioned for Megan and me to follow. We had to be purified too.

  The sun had set. The air had grown cool. Megan and I copied what the soldiers did.

  We all pulled off our shoes and slowly walked barefoot across the sand. The sand was still hot from the sun, hotter than the night air.

  The chanting voices rose. The sound floated over the desert.

  And as the soldiers chanted, they began to bury themselves in the sand.

  Megan and I followed their lead. We scraped the sand around us, scraped it away with both hands.

  We dug holes around ourselves. It took a long time.

  And all the while, General Rameer and his soldiers and servants sang and chanted.

  They stopped when we were buried up to our necks.

  I turned and stared at the weird sight. Dozens of heads poking up from the sand in the night darkness.

  “I don’t feel too purified,” Megan whispered. “Mainly, I feel itchy.”

  “The sand is so warm,” I whispered back. “I think it feels good.”

  Lieutenant Henry scowled at us. We turned away from each other and remained silent.

  I stared up at the mouth of the cave. I shuddered again.

  The ceremony ended. Men went to work setting up canvas tents.

  General Rameer motioned me into a tent beside his. “Get some sleep, Michael,” he instructed. “Tomorrow will be a proud and exciting day.”

  I don’t think so, I thought unhappily.

  Proud? Definitely not.

  Exciting? Well …

  I found a sleeping bag waiting for me inside the tent. I set my shoes down and crawled into it. I didn’t bother to get undressed.

  I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep. Again.

  I stared up at the canvas tent walls, trying not to think about the next morning. Trying not to think about anything. Listening to the heavy silence of the desert at night.

  No wind. No animal sounds. No cars.

  Real silence.

  Can I sneak away? I wondered. Can I escape into the darkness?

  I crawled out of the sleeping bag. I grabbed up my shoes.

  On my knees, I pushed open the tent flap —and peered outside.

  A line of small campfires sent a flickering orange light over the tents. And in the darting light, I saw soldiers. Guards standing in a circle around the entire camp. Rifles ready.

  No. No escape.

  I ducked back into the tent.

  And waited for morning.

  The sun was still a red haze low over the desert sand when I heard the call. “Excellency—time to wake. Pukrah awaits!”

  My hands trembled as I struggled to tie my shoes.

  I felt shaky and weak. I had trouble focusing my eyes.

  My back itched. I was already sweating, even in the cool morning air.

  But these were small problems, I knew. These were no big deal.

  My big problem could be described in two words—no mummy.

  “There you are!” General Rameer greeted me cheerfully as I stumbled out of the tent.

  The morning sun cast a rosy color over the sand and sky. I squinted into the shimmering haze. I couldn’t see where the sand ended and the sky began.

  I took a deep breath.

  It could be one of my last, I thought.

  I turned to the rock cliff. The white rocks also reflected the rosy glow of the sun. Cut jaggedly into the rock, the dark cave mouth loomed ahead of me.

  A wave of panic forced me to step back.

  I can’t go in there, I realized. I just can’t do it.

  I felt General Rameer’s hand on my shoulder. “This way,” he said softly. “The men are all waiting, Michael. You and I must go first. We must lead them to Pukrah.”

  I tried to choke out a reply, but no sound came out.

  The general kept his hand on my shoulder and guided me forward.

  I glanced back and saw the men lined up, two by two. The line stretched along the Jeeps and trucks and beyond, into the red sand.

  The fires had all burned out. But the guards remained in a circle around the camp, rifles on their shoulders.

  Lieutenant Henry lined up behind General Rameer and me. He smiled and flashed me a thumbs-up.

  He won’t be smiling in a few minutes, I thought glumly.

  No one will.

  General Rameer took such long, fast strides, I nearly had to jog to keep up. In a few minutes, the tall sheet of rock loomed over us.

  We stepped up to the dark mouth of the cave at its bottom.

  The air from inside the cave brushed against me, cool and damp. My skin tingled. Even though the climb to the cave mouth wasn’t at all steep, I was panting as if I had climbed a mountain.

  “Wait here,” General Rameer whispered. He turned and waited for the men to gather behind us. Then he closed his eyes, bowed his head, and said a whispered prayer.

  When it was finished, he opened his eyes and rubbed his hand on the stone of the cave edge. “Rub your hand there, Michael,” he instructed. “All of us must touch the luck of the cave.”

  I obeyed his instruction. I rubbed my hand on the damp stone.

  “Now we are ready to greet Pukrah!” General Rameer announced.

  We stepped side by side into the cave opening. Darkness swept around me. A damp chill made me shiver.

  Flashlights and halogen torches clicked on as the others entered behind us. Beams of light flashed and flickered over the cave floor and up the stone walls.

  The cave was deeper than I imagined. And taller. I couldn’t see the ceiling in the darkness.

  “Your parents chose a good spot to hide the sacred mummy and its jewel,” General Rameer said, keeping close beside me. Even though he spoke softly, his words echoed against the high cave walls.

  “There is the stone wall!” I heard Lieutenant Henry declare.

  “Huh?” I gasped.

  Excited cries rang out all around me. Men swung their lights straight ahead.

  I squinted into the light. And saw stones piled on top of each other. A wall of stones, maybe eight or nine feet tall, stretching nearly the width of the cave.

  “Just as His Excellency described!” General Rameer cried happily. “Yes, Michael. This must be the wall that hides the mummy. Pukrah waits for us behind those stones.”

  Whooooa, I thought. I made up the stone wall. But there’s a wall standing right there!

  Lucky. But how much longer can my luck hold out?

  A hush fell over the cave. It was nearly silent now, except for shoes scraping on the dusty cave floor. And somewhere near the back of the cave, the soft trickle of water.

  The lights beamed onto the stone wall. Bright as day. I could see every stone. />
  “We can squeeze past the wall one at a time,” a soldier called.

  “Too slow. Tear down the wall!” General Rameer ordered.

  The men moved forward. They began tearing away the stones. Pulling them off the wall and rolling them to the side.

  I stood frozen beside General Rameer. Squinting into the beams of light.

  My legs trembled. My throat tightened until I had to force myself to breathe.

  A breath … then another … then another.

  I knew that each breath brought me closer to my doom.

  The walls echoed with the CLACK and THUD of rocks tossed to the cave floor. The men worked silently, their faces somber.

  The general stood beside me, hands pressed to the waist of his camouflage suit. An eager smile spread over his face as he watched the wall come down.

  He didn’t move. He didn’t blink.

  Neither did I.

  And then a man’s shrill cry made us both jump.

  Stones tumbled in a noisy avalanche.

  A large section of the wall suddenly fell.

  The men rushed forward.

  Now they will know the truth, I realized.

  Now they will know that I lied, that I led them here for no reason.

  I shut my eyes and prepared to meet my fate.

  Eyes shut, I heard startled cries. Loud gasps.

  “It is Pukrah!” someone shouted.

  More cries rang out and echoed all around.

  I opened my eyes. Yes!

  My mouth dropped open in shock.

  Yes! Yes!

  The ancient mummy stood there behind the fallen wall. Stood upright.

  Revealed in the dancing beams of yellow light. Its gray gauze ragged and torn. The heavily bandaged head slightly tilted.

  Yes!

  It stood behind the fallen stones. Stood with its slender, wrapped arms crossed over its chest.

  “Pukrah! Pukrah!”

  The men’s chant rose up around the cave.

  General Rameer beamed, his eyes flashing. I saw the glow of tears rolling down his cheeks.

  Tears of joy.

  “Pukrah! Pukrah!” the gleeful chant swelled.

  The lights danced over the small, frail figure.

  I let out a long, relieved sigh.

  I knew this had to be the luckiest day of my life.

  Somehow I had picked the right cave. Somehow I had pointed my finger blindly at some marks on a map—and I had found the mummy.