Mummy Evolution-Chapter 2: Freak Mummy

The Mummy growled, took hold of Zarah's hand, and threw her into the coffin behind it. Then, it aptly closed the door with a kick. A second later, the coffin vanished into the wall, seemingly devoured by the bricks that made up the Tomb's walls.

Satisfied, the thing turned around and its gaze came to rest on Zainah.

"The mark of the crimson flower," the Mummy said, filled with surprise. "Who are you?"

Struggling to move but incapable, Zainah growled, "What did you do to me, you freak?! Let go of me." She struggled. "Where is Zarah?!"

The Mummy blinked and turned to look at the wall behind him. The coffin had vanished, and the wall had long since realigned itself. He grimaced.

Obviously, the little girl he had kicked into the coffin was the person named Zarah.

Oops, didn't know she was related to a family member, he thought. Now, this is troublesome. Right after I woke up at that.

But he didn't explain anything and just waited patiently for a few moments.

The crimson flower markings over Zainah grew dim, then vanished. She regained her mobility. And without a moment of waste, she ran up to the wall and groped around. She kicked, she punched. She cried. But soon enough, she started losing hope.

"No, no, no, no, no..." She slammed into the wall. "Open, you have to be in there."

Touching the wall himself, the Mummy asked, "Do you think she is alive?"

Zainah turned around stiffly and stared at it dead in the eye.

"Hello," he said.

"..."

"She must be alive, right?"

"I'll kill—!"

Growl!

Multiple growls came from their sides and Zainah turned around with half fright, but some baseless hope along with it. Was it Zarah? Was she back?

They were just mummies, more than one, and she felt her whole body turn cold.

Maybe, just maybe, Zarah had...

Died.

"Look at that, because of your noise, we attracted more mummies," the freak Mummy looked at the other mummies and said with a sigh.

She looked at the thing, silent, frightened, cold.

The freak stood up and extended a hand at her. "My name is Sett. Sett Ramses. What is yours?"

She looked at him, silent.

With a swift pivot, Sett, the mummy, moved, and she suddenly found herself weightless—a hand cradled the back of her waist. Before she knew it, she was in the fucking mummy's embrace, looking up at its hideous face, rotten and disfigured.

She felt all the color leave her.

It smiled.

It smiled!

Oh the gods of Simura, the elephant tongued fatty, save me...

She prayed to the only god she knew.

"That girl might not be dead, you know?" Sett said, not even blinking. "I am pretty sure she is still alive. But you don't seem to know she is still alive, so she doesn't seem to be another crimson-marked. You guys are supposed to be capable of sensing each other.... hmm."

Zainah felt her heart pump. So he hadn't been making fun of her when he asked that joke of a question regarding Zarah's life and death. He was truly wondering whether she knew something. The crimson mark, yes, it appeared when the Mummy appeared.

What was crimson marked? What was it talking about?

What sensing each other?

All those thoughts vanished from her mind in an instant as panic settled in again.

Zarah!

I have to save her, she is still alive!

Immediately, she grew rational.

Maybe this mummy can help me save Zarah from the wall, too? IT send her in, and from its behaviour and how easily it took me into its embrace, it's clear that it is not weak. I can't defeat it, not to mention kill it. If it helps, this might even be the ticket to our overall survival.

She breathed in.

She is not dead. She is not dead. Not dead. Not dead.

Maybe this mummy might even save them from this Tomb itself!

Yes, good mummies also exist in this world, she just hadn't heard of it before. The elephant tongued fatty had sent her some help.

Suddenly, the mummy put a hand against her bountiful chest and her face changed. He simply tore off her tank top. Then, he also tore off her waist cloth, revealing her smooth skin and feminine sacredness to its eyes.

She froze, stuck in its strong inhuman hold.

No, No, No!

Is it... is it going to?

Sett dropped her on the floor and took the matchbox, lit it normally like anyone would, lit her clothes on fire, and threw it at the oncoming mummies. Then, he moved back, scooped her up in a princess carry, and ran away from the spot.

She started. "Zarah is still there!"

Sett sneered.

"Of course she is not there, dumb woman. She had been eaten by the Tomb!" That made her shiver. He added, "by now, she is probably way deep in the tomb already."

"W... What?!"

"Now, now, don't scream again and again. It's irritating, alright, and more mummies will come," he said, hands rubbing against her bare back as he ran. Soon, they turned a corner and he came to a halt in a much eerier part of the Tomb. "Can't go further without confirming there are no traps."

For a second, they were both silent.

"Who are you?" she asked, seething. "Why did you do that to my sister?"

"Like..." Sett said. "Isn't that a really dumb question to ask a mummy? I do whatever that comes to mind!"

"You are no mummy, mummies don't speak!"

Sett looked into her eyes, smiled. "When a mummy comes out of a hidden coffin like I did, the coffin always gains a life of its own and soon after, it will try to get the mummy back. If I hadn't pushed your sister inside it, it would have come to eat me instead. I thought she was some random little girl, didn't think she was one of us."

"The coffin that Zarah is in is alive?" Zainah asked. "She was eaten?"

Sett ignored the question and looked around, somewhat curious. He then turned back to look at her. "You wanna know something? If I knew your identity before I kicked her in there, I would still do what I did but I would have hesitated."

"My... identity?"

For once, the Mummy grew serious. "You are family. You froze up when you saw me and the crimson flower marking also appeared on you, so obviously, y—"

She interrupted him, looking anxious. "Can Zarah still be saved?" She only cared about that. This fucking mummy and its family could go die. No, she would be happy if they did.

"Of course." Sett grew an incredibly annoyed expression on his face. "I wouldn't have bothered saving her if it was some stranger, but because she is important to you, I don't..." he changed his mind halfway into his words. "I will save her if you promise to kiss me."

He was still holding her, so she had to look up to him.

Zainah looked at the face she found so revolting, overwhelmed by disgust. For a second, she was reminded of her fantasies. Dreams of love. Of fantastical scenarios. One day, a prince charming would come, she would fall in love, and he would save her from her sad, thieving life. He would transform her into a princess, forever to be cherished by his own handsome self.

Visit fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm for the best novel reading experi𝒆nce.

Those were mere dreams. A bleak reality filled her as she faced the mummy, but a second later, she nodded. "As long as you save her, I will do anything."

Amused, Sett dropped her on the floor. "Don't worry, this appearance of mine won't last long. Hopefully. Now, let's sit down somewhere and sort our minds out before we do anything else."

"No, let's go save her first!"

He sat down right where he was and closed his eyes, pressing his palms together. "Rest your mind." The emaciated corpse emitted the aura of an ancient general. "Our only advantage against a monster in the Tomb is our minds, if you fail in that, too, you will die here." He snapped his fingers a few times. "Calm down, anger clouds judgment."

After a second's hesitation, Zainah sat down, too, overwhelmed by the confidence.

"Do you have tea?" he asked.

She felt a nerve breaking on her forehead.

He coughed. "Joking, I am joking. You know, to lighten the atmosphere."

"..."

"Tell me your name, woman," he said, looking emotional for a mummy.

"Zainah," she replied.

Sett looked at her and took a deep, useless breath. Mummies needn't have done such a thing. "I thought so, you are indeed Zainah."

She couldn't help but be confused.