The Pyramid

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Shana was the most beautiful woman on Earth. I could tell that my own boss had the same thoughts about her. Mr. Cain kept attempting to flirt with her, but it was obvious that she was uncomfortable. She was only attempting to be nice, and to get through the day of receiving a paycheck.

We had hired her to be here, to take pictures of the inside of the pyramid, a massive artifact we had been wanting to explore for months. You would think that my boss would see this as a lifetime opportunity, but here he is, fucking it up over a woman that didn't even want him. 

Despite how annoying that was, at least I had my best friend by my side. However, he wasn't exactly a joy of sunshine ever since we got here to check out the pyramid. He kept looking around, his eyes studying every layer of the crypt we were currently inside. 

I think he had taken the curse warning a bit too seriously. The man who led us here told us to not disturb this place, because of the mummy who lived inside of the coffin that my boss was sitting on top of. He was trying to impress Shana, bragging about the number of locations he had explored all of her life. 

She was trying her best to convince him to step away from the coffin, so that she could take a picture of the coffin.

"He is never going to get anywhere with her, man."

I jumped a little bit when I heard Eric's voice right behind me. 

"Shit, man. Don't scare me like that," I whispered. 

"What? Is this place starting to get to you too?"

"Eric, not that shit again. That fucking mummy is not going to start moving and coming after us like a zombie. I can't believe you even believed that tourist. What if he was high or something? Or maybe he lied to us so that he can scare the crap out of us?"

Eric sighed. "I don't think he was joking, man. That man appeared…scared. Didn't you see his eyes?"

"I can't deal with this right now -''

A loud scream pierced the air. Eric and I turned around to find the coffin was now wide open. Our boss was on the ground, struggling to get up. He was brushing dirt from his black jeans. I ran over Mr. Cain, Eric right behind me. 

"Sir! What happened?"

"He fell over and the coffin lid came right off," Shana replied. There was worry on her face, the camera in her hands. I sort of wished that she had taken a picture of Mr. Cain falling off, but I had a feeling that Shana wasn't exactly an asshole like that. 

"Oh shit! The coffin is open," Eric whispered loudly. He was gripping my arm tightly, applying way too much pressure to my skin. I grimaced from the pain of his fingernails, but I refrained from lashing out. That was the last thing that we all needed right now. 

Mr. Cain gave Shana a flirtatious smile and gave a lighthearted shrug. 

"I'm alright. I didn't mean to disturb the dead."

My jaw dropped when Mr. Cain reached inside the coffin to grab one of the arms of the corpse. He lifted up the arm, using the dead hand to wave back and forth at Shana. She was shifting her feet, looking away from that disturbing spectacle. I was at a loss for words. Mr. Cain was an asshole, but this was way too far. 

"Sir, please stop. You're touching a dead body…"

Mr. Cain waved a dismissive hand in my direction. "Don't worry, George. This guy doesn't care. At least not anymore, huh?"

"I agree with George, this is not right," Shana said. 

Mr. Cain shot me a look, his eyes full of jealousy. It was honestly embarrassing; I didn't blame his wife for leaving him. He dropped the dead hand, and he stood up, the energy from his posture full of humiliation and anger. The same dead hand shot out to grab Mr. Cain's own hand. 

I think the three of us screamed when we witnessed Mr. Cain's hand get ripped off. The mummy sat up in his coffin, releasing a loud moan. It reminded me of someone releasing their last dying breathe. Mr. Cain was screaming, holding onto the arm, staring in horror where his hand used to be. 

Blood was shooting out in all directions, some of it splattering all over Shana. She was shaking her head back and forth, shrieking, her blonde hair streaked in red. Eric squeezed my arm, and I felt pain shoot through my shoulder. It was like he had stabbed his nails straight into my skin. 

The mummy took hold of Mr. Cain's head, and bit right into his scalp. A whole chunk of skin was ripped off, pieces of his skin and his white hair hanging from the mummy's mouth. 

Shana yelled, and when I looked up at her, I saw a mummy had taken hold of her from behind, lifting her into the air. Four more were now joining the carnage, their arms all stretching toward Shana. They pulled at her clothes, some of the dead fingers stabbing into her skin. 

Something pink and bloody was pulled out of her stomach, and the sound Shana made no longer sounded like that of a person. 

"ERIC! WE HAVE TO GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!"

I was too shocked to scream when I turned around to find my best friend getting his head ripped right off his neck. It sounded like clothes were getting ripped apart, and my friend's blood splashed all over my face. A whole crowd of mummies were slowly walking toward me. I backed away, my arms lifted in the air. 

"PLEASE! OH GOD, PLEASE DON'T HURT ME -"

I tripped over something hard. It took me a second to realize I had tripped over my own boss. Or what was left of him. I landed right on top of the opening of the coffin, straight into the arms of the mummy who had consumed him. 

The dead had found me. Their arms reaching for me. The mummy below me released a cackle, blood flowing down his rotted mouth. He lifted up a piece of Mr. Cain, taking a bite out of his flesh. 

The mummies surrounded me, and the last thought that went through my mind was knowing that my blood would stain these walls, and my flesh would remain here, for thousands of years like the dead. 

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Thank you for reading!

Emy Quinn