3Author's Notes:
Ok here's another one of my stories I dug out of my vault of things I rarely complete. I'm a dirty procrastinator. LoL. Anywho, I got the inspiration from Egyptian myths of course and I wanted to do a story featuring the BPRD when Hellboy was still with them. I have a few OC characters that are flat and of no importance. As usual this is comicverse, no Nuala/Nuada or Golden Army stuff. I have it set in the late 1980's for HB (puttin' that out there since i never gave an actual date) and truth be told i really pieced this story together like no one's business because I got writer's block-Stopped midway on it-started up again and forgot how I wanted to end it. Finally I found a simple way to do that and truth be told I wouldnt be surprised if i got blasted for it... perhaps I'm just being paranoid.
Anyway, PLEASE GIVE ME A REVIEWS. Reviews always tell the author what they can improve on and what you like about it. I do have a Beta-Reader (Tarja the Wind-Witch, you're great, dont eat me for not sending it) but I didn't send it in because I got lazy and I wanted to post this up before I forgot about it again. So here it is... Some foul language, nothing sexual and plenty of entertainment. THanks.
~TaelorTot~
Somewhere on the Border of Egypt and Sudan…
Hellboy leaned back further in his seat enjoying the hot Egyptian sun beating down on his arms and head. He cocked on a pair of witty black sunshades and placed his left arm on the seat in front of him where an unhappy Liz sat. Abe sat next to him in the back seat, wearing a safari hat while he held a bottle of water in his left hand, quietly reading some worn book in his lap. They were heading to the burial site at lightening speed; the driver of the beat-up jeep was flooring it with five other jeeps in hot pursuit that they had rented from a village—the last village they had seen driving this far into the desert.
The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense had dispatched nine of their finest agents for this assignment. Apparently something funky was going on in the desert for the trio to be assigned to this task, and that something funky involved mummies.
Hellboy had missed the briefing; he was doped up on vicodin from a previous assignment a day ago that involved an angry carnivorous Kappa in Japan. He was so doped up that Kate had to push him out of bed to wake him up. Manning still scolded him when he boarded the plane, late; if that vicodin had not still been in effect, Hellboy would have probably launched Manning over to the other side of the aircraft to shut him up. Liz was still in the mood she presently held on to and would not talk to him. Abe only gave a swift, curt explanation because he was reading a stock pile of Egyptian literature.
"We're going to Egypt to look for mummies—don't touch that!—Tombs under sand…raining in the desert for past two days."
"Gotcha." Hellboy mumbled and nodded off in his seat.
For most of the ride, when they arrived in Cairo and were taken to Giza, it was nothing but sand, rocks, and sun but as they neared their destination, Hellboy spotted rain clouds. He watched them and they weren't moving. The driver had driven and jumped over three more sand dunes before Liz demanded he slow down but they were already losing speed.
The sand under the wheels was murky and thick like mud. Hellboy jumped out of the jeep into one of those puddles and everyone saw that a river of wet sand was coming over a large sand dune.
"I guess we're here!" Hellboy shouted and ordered everyone out of the jeeps. The agents encircled him waiting for instructions as the drivers took their vehicles further out away from the mud.
"I don't know what the hell's going on yet but for the safety of the vehicles and yours truly, we'll be on foot from here." A few agents started to gripe but stopped when Hellboy swung his tail around irritably. They held their equipment over their heads as they trudged up the sand dune. Finally when they reached the top they saw an odd sight.
The rain clouds Hellboy had seen earlier were gathered over one spot where a deep hole was dug. Around the hole it seemed the earth had caved in making a large bowl and around the rim of this bowl were clusters of simple white tents surrounding what appeared to be a large tan cabin tent. Perched high on top of the tan tent was an American flag dead in the breeze. What made it even odder was that the clouds were only over the bowl and the tents around the rim were dry. Hellboy and his crew slid down the dune without much of a problem and walked about a mile till they reached the outskirts of the white tents.
They were simple, like he saw from afar, with maybe a metal rod or stick holding them up. Occasionally as they walked through the uneven rows of tents, an Arab worker would run out shouting in Arab at absolutely no one as he ran towards the 'bowl'. It was eerily quiet in the camp area until they reached the large tan tent where at least ten Arab men were standing outside shouting. A few were holding signs, picket signs that had a lot of Arab writing in red.
"That's not good." Abe whispered over Hellboy's shoulder.
"What does it say?" Hellboy asked.
"Something's not right where… and they want to leave." Abe replied standing back.
Hellboy huffed his breathe as they approached the tent. The Arab men turned to see him and their faces went pale before they all dropped their picket signs and scattered in different directions.
"Ummm…"
"Don't even try to explain, they don't speak English." Abe said.
Hellboy nodded and then took a deep breathe. Hopefully the person in this tent could speak English.
"Um, hello! Is anyone home?" Hellboy called poking his hand through the flaps of the tent.
"Come in, come in!" It was a man's voice, somewhat friendly but with a pinch of aggravation.
Hellboy let himself in and saw the extent of the large tent. It was indeed spacious with potted plants, full Ozarka jugs, archeologist tools, scattered about on the floor. In the back a decorated screen was hiding someone wrapped in brown sheets; their feet were dangling out at the end. Relics and antiquities hung from the support beam over a full length dining table with maps, documents and numerous objects sat being looked over by a tall, tanned Caucasian male.
He was handsomely chiseled both on his biceps and perfect jaw line. He had short brown hair and dark eyes and a five o'clock shadow. He looked up and didn't have the same reaction as the Arab workers but was surprised. Before he could ask, Hellboy flipped out his I.D. badge, "Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense. We're here to see Mr. Isaac Howell."
"That's me." He said walking from behind the dining table with his hand out. He shook Hellboy's left one while studying his right arm with interest.
"Please, call me Isaac." Dr. Howell said, "and welcome to Tomb KV79."
"Seems like you got a lot going on here at, Tomb KV79." Hellboy said trying to mimic the doctors same vigor in his words but failed to do so, "So do you want to give us the rundown now or let my friends and me snoop around."
"There's nothing to snoop for Mister…err… I didn't get your name?" Dr. Howell said.
Hellboy pointed at himself, "Agent Hellboy. Those are my friends outside, Agent Sapien, Sherman, Frazier, Howard, Gomez, Barnwell, Adkins, and Reeves and we will be assisting you in finding out why it started raining here at, Tomb KV79, and how to stop it."
Dr. Howell nodded, then said, "But I was told a Dr. Tom Manning was to be present?"
"Dr. Manning's in Giza with Dr. Zahi Hawass. It seems Dr. Hawass is very concerned about the situation out here with his workers and the condition of the tomb. Apparently this is his first time working with, young Americans." Hellboy said not liking how his last two words rolled off his tongue.
Dr. Howell shortly blinked and slid his hands in his pockets, "Dr. Hawass has nothing to be worried about."
"I'd be worried if it was raining in the desert." Hellboy mumbled and walked over to one of the chairs to sit. He grunted when his legs bent and he let his hooves slide on the ground till he was comfortable. Dr. Howell studied him before realizing the rest of the crew was waiting, "Oh. Please, make yourself at home."
"So tell us doctor when did it start?" Abe asked.
Dr. Howell had heated up a pot of beans and pulled out some stale bread from his hidden pantry but everyone declined except Hellboy.
"About three days ago when we entered the tomb." Dr. Howell said squinting to think, "My team consisted of Dr. Floyd and Dr. Laud, two archeologists from Harvard—"
"Yeah, we met them in Giza with Dr. Hawass." Hellboy said dipping his bread in the beans.
"And we were just entering the main tomb of the Strato family when we heard the first loud thunder strike. I instantly ordered everyone out so we could see what was going on and we found rainclouds forming over the tomb. I ordered to have it closed and resealed so no heavy water damage could be done and immediately after that the rain started."
Hellboy and Abe exchanged glances before Hellboy continued, "So no one touched anything while you were in there?"
"We were only in there ten minutes before the rain started. No one from my team touched anything."
"What about the workers?"
"Only Abdul and his young houseboy came in behind us." Dr. Howell said pausing to think, "I would hope Iabi hadn't touched anything…"
"Who's Abdul?" Abe asked.
"Abdul-Wali Zaghlul is a colleague of mine that Dr. Hawass put in charge of the work crew. He's another Arab; one of the smart one's if you get my drift."
Hellboy was somewhat offended by this but blew it off, "And what kind of character is he exactly?"
"I don't think Abdul would take anything." Dr. Howell said without much confidence.
"Uh-huh…" Hellboy hummed then turned to Abe, "I think I'm ready to investigate this tomb Agent Sapien. Is there anything else you'd like to tell us Dr. Howell?"
"You can't go into the tomb! It'll flood!" Dr. Howell exclaimed.
"Well to stop the rain we first need to go in and investigate." Said Hellboy standing up.
"Do you know whose tomb it is Dr. Howell?" Abe asked as Hellboy stepped out to smoke just before they embarked for the tomb.
Dr. Howell's eyes were darting side to side nervously before he answered, "Oh. It's the House of Strato. That's what written in Greek on the columns when you walk in."
"Greek?"
"Yes, Greek. Apelles Strato of Kos was Macedonian… painted the Alexander the Great and his father when Alexander was just a child. He was… how do you say, a flamboyant artist. Loved Egypt when Alexander established Alexandria but I have no idea how he ended up buried all the way out here."
"Hmm, there's another mystery we'll have to solve." Abe said then heard Hellboy rallying the crew, "Excuse me Dr. Howell."
"Let me come with you!" Dr. Howell shouted nervously, "I want to retrace my steps just incase I did do anything to cause the rain."
Hellboy peeked through the flaps smoking his cigar, "Sure you can come along."
"Ok." Dr. Howell said then turned to grab his hat, "Mohamed?"
Behind the screen where Hellboy had seen a body, a young, scrawny Arab boy appeared and bowed his head in respect, "Yes Dr. Howell?"
"Get my umbrella; we're going to the tomb." Dr. Howell said.
Mohamed seemed to twitch when he heard the word, 'tomb' and swallowed spit.
"May I have a cup of water before we go?" Mohamed asked conspicuously eyeing the Ozarka jugs. Dr. Howell shot him a look but saw Abe watching, "Sure you can Mohamed."
Mohamed smiled and passed by Abe without noticing his peculiar appearance. Hellboy was watching too and winked at Abe.
Something was defiantly wrong here.
Dr. Howell led the way as Mohamed held the white umbrella over his head. Hellboy was starting to feel the weariness of the heat in the desert but all that changed once they slid down the large bowl like dune. Immediately the dryness and high temperature dropped to a cool 65. Hellboy began to feel rain and saw no sign of the sun through the storm clouds. They were dark, large and almost seemed as uneasy as the Arab workers running about with buckets and containers. As Dr. Howell led the way towards the tomb the sand beneath their feet turned to the mud like earlier and Hellboy had to take gigantic steps just to keep the mud from reaching his knees. Even Liz and Abe were having a hard time walking through the stuff and finally half-way to the tomb, Hellboy ordered everyone who wasn't tall enough to go back and wait. Sadly the poor Mohamed was struggling the most as the mud came up to his waist then chest but he was making a great effort to keep Dr. Howell dry.
Dr. Howell didn't seem the least affected or concerned about the circumstances around him.
Arab workers were running back and forth with buckets full of water from the entry of the tomb. Because the way it had been dug there was a gigantic slant going down and water was collecting there quickly. If they didn't keep water out the entry would be underwater and that wouldn't be too good.
Hellboy squinted as they came closer to the tomb to see a man with another little boy holding an umbrella over his head. This guy was Arab but wore a white pants suit with rolled up pants sleeves and a large royal blue turban. He had his hands behind his back but he was shouting orders in Arab at the workers. Hellboy didn't speak Arab but he could tell this man wasn't happy.
Finally they came to the opening of the tomb and Hellboy peeked over to see that the water was up to the workers' pelvises. The Arab man in the white pants suit was still shouting and had not noticed their arrival.
Dr. Howell coughed awkwardly to get his attention and the man turned around ready to rant but stopped dead in his tracks to see his company.
"Abdul, this is the B.P.R.D. they're here to investigate the rain."
Abdul's face went ash-white at the sight of Hellboy then Abe. Neither of them smiled or gave any sign of friendliness; they could tell they weren't going to like him. Dr. Howell felt the awkwardness in the air and coughed again, "Um… Agent Hellboy I don't think we can get in."
"Sure we can." Hellboy said, "It's just a little water."
"N—no but I don't think that would be good for the tomb—" Dr. Howell said but Hellboy was already on the move. The workers all looked on amazed as Hellboy ran his fingers across the tomb door. Egyptian hieroglyphics were written from top to bottom and Hellboy squinted seeing under certain signs that Greek writing was hidden but illegible because of weather damage. They had already lost their first clue.
"Did you get a chance to read any of this Dr. Howell before the rain—what did it say?" Hellboy asked.
Lightning lit up the sky as Dr. Howell answered, "I believe it says who the tomb belongs to."
"You think?"
"I don't read the Egyptian hieroglyphics, only Greek!"
Hellboy snorted at his negligence.
He was an Egyptologist he should know his Egyptian hieroglyphics like his ABC's.
"Not like you can read em' anyway..." Hellboy replied, "Well it wouldn't be smart to enter this tomb without knowing what he says on the door—could be a curse…but we really don't have a choice and I don't have the time—"
With that he shifted the stone door to the side. Water poured in the ancient floor and Dr. Howell's face went blank.
"Come on, I'll close us back in." Hellboy said gesturing for his crew to enter. Dr. Howell exchanged a look with Abdul and they followed both grabbing lanterns. Hellboy closed them in and immediately darkness fell upon them. He heard numerous clicks and everyone had their flashlight out shinning them in Hellboy's eyes. He squinted then coughed. The dust in the tomb was very prominent in the air and so was a damp stench. Dr. Howell & Abdul's lantern's lit up the walls of the tomb; they were richly decorated in Greek art. He turned on his communicator and the rest of his crew followed.
"Alright." Hellboy said, his voice echoing, "How big is this tomb Doctor?"
"No bigger than 10,000 square feet. Every halls leads down and straight."
Hellboy looked around seeing three halls leading, left, right, and center, "Ok, Frasier, Gomez, Barnwell… you go left…search the tomb for any suspicious objects… contact me if you find anything."
Frasier nodded and three out of the eleven rays of light disappeared towards the left.
"Adkins, Howard… Reeves?"
"Ah, Reeves isn't here, sir." Howard replied.
"What? Where is he?"
"He was too short to walk through the mud."
Hellboy held back in laugh, "Alright… Liz you go with them… since the owner of this tomb is Greek, look for any clues about Greek mythology or literature that'll give us a clue."
"Roger that." Adkins said and the two began to feel their way around. Liz did not move and Hellboy could see from the glowing of her flashlight that she wasn't satisfied.
"Not now Sherman." Hellboy grunted. She rolled her eyes and turned off her flashlight before her hands lit up in flames. Abdul and his houseboy, Iabi shrieked in terror as Liz walked slowly brightening up the place for her comrades.
"Don't set anything on fire Liz!" Hellboy shouted as she turned a corner disappearing.
"Okay I guess that leaves Abe, me, Dr. Howell and Abdul…" Hellboy murmured, "Pppeeerrfeeccttt…"
Abdul's lantern was trembling. His face was scrunched up in an ugly expression mixed with fear and nervousness.
"Now…" Hellboy said hearing Frasier and his team's footsteps becoming faint, "I'm going to give you both one last chance to tell me what's going on here."
Abdul flinched as Hellboy waved his right hand in the air, "something's not right here Howell and I know a little bit about the paranormal. If you don't mess with the dead, the dead don't mess with you."
Howell's face remained blank, "I did not touch anything."
Abdul on the other hand was still trembling and his houseboy Iabi was praying quietly in Arab.
"Can you speak English Abdul?" Hellboy asked. Abdul nodded.
"Then tell me… what did you steal or touch?"
Hellboy got in his face, both his and Abdul's large noses touching. Hellboy growled, "You tell me now pal or its serious consequences you will be paying."
"I know nothing!" Abdul shouted whimpering away as Iabi stepped back into the darkness. Mohamed seemed the least scared out of the four suspects as he stood next to Dr. Howell with a humored smile at Abdul's dismay.
"Let's not interrogate our hosts anymore Agent Hellboy." Abe said stepping forward with his flashlight. "Dr. Howell, what's in this tomb exactly?"
Dr. Howell looked left and right before answering, "Your friends with Frasier went left to where Apelles Strato's wives and children are presumed to be buried. Neither I nor Floyd or Laud entered the left hallway. On the right where Agent Sherman entered is where his artwork and family treasures is believed to be hidden including the famous lost painting of his favorite wife Campaspe, painted as Aphrodite in the painting lost to man named Venus Anadyomene."
"And where did Abdul and his men go?" Abe asked.
"Abdul was behind me when the lightening struck."
Abdul nodded in the light-beam, "None of my men went left or right… I went into the center hall."
"And what's in the center hall?" Hellboy asked.
"It leads into the crypt where Apelles mummy lies."
"Have you seen the mummy?"
"I was studying it when the lightening struck. It's there… I didn't touch anything."
"Nothing?"
"Not a thing." Dr. Howell said, "Neither did my companions."
Hellboy narrowed his eyes and waited seconds before speaking, "I believe you. Abdul on the other hand—"
"Please! I did not touch anything great demon I am innocent!" Abdul cried out fainting dramatically. Both Mohamed and Iabi began to giggle covering their wide grins. Hellboy rolled his eyes and picked up Abdul and handed Iabi his lantern.
"Abe, escort Dr. Howell into the center hall. It looks to narrow for me to squeeze through so I'll wait for you to come back." Hellboy instructed. Abe nodded squeezing by his great red friend into the very narrow passageway where Apelles' mummy lay . Howell glanced back at Mohamed who seemed a little apprehensive. Hellboy had noticed two things about these two little boys.
One, apparently they had no mother to feed or clean them. Two, they were more than just 'paid' staff to Dr. Howell and Abdul. This was his chance to question them privately. Hellboy pressed the mute button his communicator and cleared his throat getting both their attention.
"So, I guess being in this tomb is a bit scary, eh?"
Iabi did not answer but cowered next to Mohamed. Mohamed swallowed his spit and nodded, "This is not our first time."
"Ah, so you've been in here before?"
"When they opened it, yes."
"So no touchy-touchy happened?" Hellboy asked raising his gigantic right arm.
Mohamed shook his head no, "We were standing here, waiting for Dr. Howell and Dr. Abdul to come back…"
"Really?" Hellboy said choosing his next words wisely, "So what else is new kids… any myths or stories you want to tell me about this tomb?"
Mohamed's confidence seemed to shrink at this question. He covered his mouth with the handle of the lantern and darted his eyes back and forth between Hellboy and Iabi who was standing behind his shoulder mumbling vigorously in Arab. Mohamed was hesitate and finally he said what he needed to, "This place is cursed."
"Cursed? What do you mean cursed?" Hellboy said feeling his left hand searching for the nearest purified object.
Mohamed's voice went down to a whisper, "Garda, my sister said that there is a tomb that is an entrapment for a powerful God. When the tomb is opened he will be released but not in its physical form. This IS the tomb—it know it is! It's a spirit, an evil spirit lurking around this tomb and numerous ones under the sand… if its remains are assembled and it reaches the Nile or any kind of body of water, Egypt is doomed."
Hellboy widened his eyes. He had never heard of a myth about a demon needing water but it explained it all; the rains had come so the demon could reincarnate into the flesh.
"So…" Hellboy egged on, "should I be worried that some weird phenomenon is gonna happen, like a poltergeist—"
"HELLBOY! HELLBOY!"
Frasier was screaming over the communicator, "HELLBOY! COME IN!"
Hellboy buzzed in, "WHAT!"
"Barnwell *static* out! *static* There's something in this tomb—a *static* demon *static*… and jars! *static*—it's coming for us!"
"All parties return to the entrance of the tomb!" Hellboy shouted in his communicator, "I repeat, all parties return to the entrance—"
A wretched, hair-raising wail came from the left hall of the tomb. It echoed, bouncing off the walls into Hellboy's ears and through his communicator making the mechanism screech. Hellboy groaned snatching the communicator out of his ear as the wail grew louder. Iabi covering his ears, he fell to the floor crying, screaming in his native language as Mohamed went to his rescue.
"Gotta get the kids…" Hellboy thought and unconsciously opened the tomb door pushing Iabi and Mohamed out into the rains. Immediately after a strong wind blew in knocking Hellboy to the ground and the wail grew more distraught.
Liz, Adkins & Howard came running from the right hall with their guns drawn then came Frasier & Gomez.
"What is that?!" Liz shouted over the wail.
"Close us in! Close us in!" Hellboy managed to say feeling the rain flood onto the tomb's dusty floors. It took everyone's strength to pull the door back over the opening and finally when it was dark the wailing became faint until only a childlike cry echoed eerily in everyone's earpiece. Liz came to Hellboy's aid with a bandage, "Hit your head big guy?"
"I'll live to see tomorrow." Hellboy joked, dizzy, as Liz found the bleeding scrape on the nape of his neck and placed a Hello Kitty band-aid over it.
"Barnwell…" Frasier said through heavy breathes, "Barnwell… attacked."
"Oh, for the love of God—"
"Spirit… evil spirit…" Gomez said resting his arms on his knees, "Attacked us… got Barnwell…"
"Liz let me see your communicator."
"Why?"
"I think I crushed mine on accident." Hellboy said as Liz handed him hers. Jamming it into his ear he could hear the childlike whimpers more clearly.
"Barnwell…" Hellboy said soothingly, "Barnwell… do you hear me?"
The whimpers didn't subdue, "…Jacob… Jacob it's me… HB. Jacob you gotta answer me, dude… Jacob…"
"He cannot hear you."
Hellboy almost jumped seeing from the shadows, Abdul awoken from his fainting. He was lying against a statue's legs, sweating.
"Set… Set has him…"
Hellboy stood up to go and picked Abdul up. The Arab man seemed weaker now, as if the wailing had sucked the life force out of him.
Hellboy shook Abdul a little; his head bobbed lightly left to right, "Alright Abdul… I need you to tell me… what's actually in this tomb?"
"Art dealer…?" Abdul managed to say, "Wells… curse… save..."
Again Abdul passed out and Hellboy nonchalantly dropped him on the ground. With a thud, Abdul's turban fell off revealing folded papers and credentials hidden underneath.
"My, my, my—what have we got here?" Hellboy said picking up Abdul's turban. He handed it to Adkins who dug through the paperwork avidly skimming through certain documents.
"This…" Adkins said shaking unorganized papers, "This is very important."
"Fold em' up nicely and let's give Abdul his smelly turban back." Hellboy said. Gomez helped as Liz went to search Abdul's body for anymore clues.
"Remember gentlemen," Hellboy said placing the turban back on Abdul's head, "This never happened."
Hellboy waited five more minutes for Abe and Dr. Howell to return. Finally Abe radioed in on the communicator but his voice sounded very scratchy and tired.
"Liz—Liz pick up! Hellboy's not answering my call!"
"It's me Blue—my headset broke." Hellboy replied buzzing in, "What's your position?"
"Well nothing seems wrong with the mummy. It seems to be in perfect condition except for the arm. The arm is missing."
Hellboy retained a snigger.
"I don't think that's perfect condition Abe."
"Well," Abe said irritably, "I don't believe Dr. Howell had anything to do with his missing arm but I did find something very interesting in the back of the vault. Holes in the wall. Man dug holes—and they're still intact. Grave robbers."
"All the way out here?" Hellboy asked looking around with Liz's flashlight, "It's the middle of the desert? I'm surprised anyone made the journey out here to rob a tomb."
"Well if I'm correct Hellboy, Apelles Strato was living during the Hellenistic Period when Alexander created Alexandria and the Greeks began to adopt Egyptians ways including glamorous lifestyles fit for the pharaoh himself. Some Greeks even lay claim they were Egyptian and it became a fad to be buried as one. As you can see—Apelles was apart of this trend." Abe recalled, "But there have been many discoveries of underground Egyptian tombs and surprisingly all of them are connected by grave robber tunnels."
"That explains the wells." Hellboy mumbled.
"The what?"
"Abdul mumbled something about wells… if grave robbers are digging around under the sand they're liable to hit water and flood tombs—right?"
"…It's very likely."
"Ok so let's put two and two together… this place smells like a damp rug so apparently we're not the first to be in here—" Hellboy heard a faint moan from Abdul, "Abe we'll discuss this more in depth back at Howell's tent. Hurry up and get here."
"Ok." Abe replied buzzing out.
"Alrightly then now that that's taken care of." Hellboy said, "One of you needs to and get Barnwell?"
"I volunteer." Liz mumbled raising her hand.
Without another word Liz lit up her hands, "do you think that wailing was him or something else, HB?"
"Something else."
"Well let's see if that something likes to play with fire."
With that Liz disappeared into the left hall as Howard commented, "There's some nice artifacts in the right hall HB. Some pottery, furniture… some painting. Maybe we should get that out before we leave?"
"I have a feeling this place will be underwater before they can save it Howard—but don't repeat that."
"I heard that!" echoed a voice from the center hall. Dr. Howell's lantern crawled upon the narrow walls like a shadow as he exited the tomb apparently disconcert. Abe followed smacking his dry lips and rubbing his gills searching for moisture in the air.
"We'll be out of here in a second." Hellboy told Abe.
Minutes later Liz returned with Barnwell. His left arm was thrown over Liz's shoulders and his head was slumped over unnaturally as he dragged his feet.
"Something's defiantly wrong with him." Liz said as Gomez and Adkins came to her side taking Barnwell by the arms, "I just stumbled upon two dead bodies…"
"Oh."
"They're grave robbers—" Liz assured, "I could tell by the tools they had—it looks like their tunnel in here collapsed but um— their heads looked like they had… exploded—no lie—but one of them also has shattered remains of a jar or something in his hands…"
"And this significance of that is?"
Liz reached in her holster and pulled out two ivory bottles. Each bottle had been carved perfectly and the tops had been sealed in red wax.
"They were on a pedestal behind Barnwell. The middle one is missing." Liz explained.
"Now, we have a motive." Hellboy tried saying with the same vigor as Tomb KV79. It still didn't work.
Back at Howell's tent, Abdul was resting on the floor as Iabi and Mohamed hid behind the elaborate screen listening to the grown-ups intently. Howell was sitting behind his table with a defiant expression like a prisoner who knew what he had done but wasn't going to admit it. Hellboy knew that he knew something but it would take the truth to be exposed before he'd admit what it was—and they couldn't just search his tent without a warrant—unless he was out cold like Abdul.
Barnwell was unresponsive as Gomez and Reeves fanned him; his face held a blank expression.
"So, what do you think it is?" Hellboy asked standing in the flaps of the tent smoking another cigar.
Abe, who knew Red, was talking to him, glanced up from his book-reading, "It is a curse. Come look."
Before Hellboy could go and see Liz, Gomez, Adkins and even Mohamed had ran behind Abe to read what they were facing. Hellboy pushed Adkins out of the way and glanced down into Abe's book.
"The only myth involving a curse where water is needed is Set's Revenge." Abe exclaimed.
"Abdul did mention Set in his feverish state."
"Well he was right on point. You see… Set, Osiris, and Isis were the Egyptians three main gods. In many legends Set was the older brother jealous of Osiris who had the girl, the power—"
"Yeah I get it."
"Therefore, Set cut up Osiris's physical body and scattered the remains across the world. Isis being the loyal wife collected them and Osiris became the God of the Afterlife. Soon Set started causing trouble in this world and Osiris and Isis's son, Horus was not going to allow him to anymore. Now this is a fine example of Greek and Egyptian cultural diffusion—an unfamiliar Greek myth says that while Alexander was on an extended tour of Egypt before he departed and never returned, Horus appeared before him and asked that he challenge Set in the City of the Dead and wager that if he won he'd have Set's heart, voice, and soul as a reward for his battle to show to the Gods on Mt. Olympus that Alexander was the descendant of Zeus. Set, not wanting to be ridiculed by the other Gods for ignoring a challenge of a king, accepted the challenge and with some underhand trickery on Horus and Alexander's part, Alexander won and Set's heart, voice and soul was cut out of his body. Alexander sealed them away in three jars but did not take them to Macedonia because he believed he'd be taking a portion of Egypt's essence, unfairly. So he left the jars in the care of his newly appointed vicar, Cleomenes. After Alexander's death, Ptolemy took over Egypt and rewarded Apelles the three jars as a present for painting him and his new empire. Now it is never clarified if Apelles knew what was in these jars but he soon died and was buried.
As for Set, even as a God, he could not live in the physical world without a heart, voice and a soul so he has been stuck between the Afterlife and this world under the sands of Egypt, apparently looking for the jars. Moreover, since Set is the god of Storms and the Desert it is no inquiry that he's been lurking in Apelles's tomb for thousands of years waiting for it to open but without water he cannot resurrect himself."
"So basically we have Set's soul and heart in these two jars?" Hellboy asked.
Abe took his time to answer, averting his eyes between the two ivory jars that sat before him on the table, and Hellboy's eyes, "Yes. We have the heart and soul of a God before us."
"What power…" Gomez exclaimed.
"Yeah." Hellboy agreed before grabbing both jars and delicately dropping them in the abyss of his jacket pockets, "That means that one of those nosy gravediggers had the third jar and broke the red wax. Set has his voice back—that was him in the tomb wailing—now all he needs is his heart and soul...and some water."
"The Nile is the nearest source of water out here, right?" Liz asked.
"No. that village we rented the jeeps from had a well." Frasier corrected.
"It doesn't matter." Abe instructed, "Any amount of water and Set could be resurrected and because someone cracked the third jar, Set's voice returned to him and he called the rains."
"So what is our next phase of action?" Frasier asked.
Everyone looked at Hellboy waiting patiently for him to speak. He chose his next words with care, "It'll be really bad if we have to fight a God because there's no way we can kill it and it'll be more destruction if we continue to let it rain out here. My guess… we should try to seal his voice again. Does that sound reasonable Abe?"
Abe's orb eyes averted back to his book, "Yes. It may be possible for you Hellboy. Not alone though."
"You don't have to worry about that Abe," Hellboy said patting his side where his charms and blessed items chimed with his every motion, "I got some pretty strong stuff with me."
"That doesn't mean much Hellboy." Abe contradicted, "We're dealing with an ancient Egyptian God—this was before Christianity—I doubt it'll have the same effect as in say, killing a vampire?"
"But… but…"
"We'll need someone who speaks Egyptian so they can perform the ritual." Abe said flipping through his book.
"Fine. I'll go call in some favors in Siwa; it's just north of here. Gomez and Adkins bring Barnwell along—he can't stay here in that condition." Hellboy ordered walking to the door.
"Well what are we supposed to do until you get back?" Liz asked.
"Do what you do best and help the Arabs keep the tomb from being flooded. We're going to need it."
Hellboy returned the next morning at daybreak. As he approached the campsite his instincts told him something had defiantly went wrong since the previous day. The campsite was deserted of life as the storm clouds grew in diameter with lightning brightening up the darken skies. Hellboy heard his jeep go dead and sighed before turning a sharp right to look at his cohorts, "So? Are you ready?"
Lamia Mansoor, an Arab woman dressed from head-to-toe in black veil with only her striking face and narrow brown eyes visible nodded, "We are ready."
Her associate, Haafiz Qasem, a tall and broad-shouldered Arab man nodded and handed Lamia her umbrella.
"I can feel the evil here Hellboy." Lamia commented as he led them through the campsite, "Set is here."
"I'm glad you know it Lamia." Hellboy replied, "We have a lot of work ahead of us."
As they approached Howell's tan tent, the rain began to pour. Lightning lit their way as Hellboy realized that there was candlelight in the tent.
"Hey Abe!" Hellboy called, "You in there?"
Mohamed came to the entrance looking grief-stricken and ran to Hellboy clinging to his leg crying.
"They are all at the tomb— none of the electronics work, your friend has trying communicate with you— the workers have abandoned the dig— Abdul has taken Iabi—" Mohamed blubbered. Mohamed's rambling finally stopped when a loud thunderclap overpowered his tiny voice.
"Do my friends and Dr. Howell know Iabi and Abdul are gone?" Hellboy asked.
Mohamed shook his head no, "I tried to go and tell them but the rains,—they have grown relentless."
There was another thunderclap as Lamia announced, "Set is growing stronger is spirit. Where are the remaining jars?"
Hellboy patted his pocket to make sure he had the jars and looked to Mohamed, "Everyone is at the tomb entrance trying to save it."
"Alright Lamia it looks like its show-time, you ready?" Lamia and Haafiz nodded walking past Hellboy towards the tomb.
"Look kid," Hellboy began, "It's about to get pretty messy around here—I suggest you go out further for your own safety."
Mohamed nodded and ran back in the tent for his few possessions.
Now that the kid and innocent pedestrians were taken care of Hellboy could concentrate on his work. He followed behind Lamia and Haafiz sliding down into the bowl that was now a shallow pool of mud. They were now in the middle of the storm; the rain was mixed with a harsh wind slapping Hellboy in his face repeatedly. He threw his jacket over his eyes as his hooves sunk feet into the muddy sand. He could hardly walk and stayed close to Haafiz who now had Lamia sitting on his shoulders. Thunder and lightning struck the sky as abandoned buckets and containers drowning helplessly in the murk. In the horizon Hellboy could see shoveling bodies of his crew and that red hair of Liz's on fire; a light source for their futile deeds. Hellboy called out her name and she turned around, her face tired of the bad weather conditions.
"I found us some help!" he shouted over the rain, "Lamia and Haafiz are gonna seal Set's voice!"
"We got a bigger problem HB!" Liz shouted, "Howell's gone missing!"
"What!"
"We think Dr. Howell ran off with Abdul —no one's seen him since last night—they've run off!"
Hellboy looked at Lamia for a suggestion. The Arab woman's face showed no sign of surprise but she began to stroke the brilliant, complex designed tattoo on her wrist, "We have enough to seal the being completely. Allah is with us."
"Right…" Hellboy said, "She says we're good! Now what do we need to do first Lamia?"
"Make a circle! Make sure it's completely round. Hold hands—and do not let go! For the love of Allah—do not let go!"
Hellboy's crew did exactly as they were instructed. Hellboy took Abe to his left and Liz on his right. Lamia stood in the middle of the circle making sure everyone's grip was solid, "I will be doing an ancient ritual of sealing a God! It is very important that I am not interrupted and that you all listen to my instructions—if the ritual is disrupted then we are doomed!"
Hellboy nodded for Lamia to start.
The woman began to chant loudly, her head tilted back, voice directed to the sky as her hands danced to a silent beat. Her black sleeves slid back to reveal her sleeves, complex tattoos decorated from her wrist to her shoulder. From hidden pockets in her dress, she took out amulets and odd golden instruments that she used to keep time and walked around the circle chanting louder. Finally she closed her eyes and screwed her face into a disturbing expression, "Hellboy—he is strong! Set is angry! He wishes to kill us all—this must be quick!"
"Well hurry up then!" Hellboy snapped feeling the sand begin to crawl up his leg.
"HB!" Liz shouted in an alarming way, "Something's not right under the sand,—I can feel it!"
Before Hellboy could respond his eyes became fixated on the rising sand behind Haafiz's head. Haafiz was facing him, with his eyes closed and Hellboy shouted letting go, "What out!"
Hellboy tackled him out the way as Lamia screamed at the site of the sand. A face was protruding from beneath the sands shaping with the rain. Numerous thunderclaps pounded the sky in rhythm as the face turned into a head then arms began to form in the sand.
"Abe get Lamia away from here! Liz—Howard—Frazier—Reeves! Draw your weapons!" Hellboy ordered as the operatives stood in firing range of the monstrosity cocking their guns.
"Fire!" Hellboy shouted and the team unloaded gunfire into the thing's face.
"It's Set! It's Set!" Lamia exclaimed as Abe and Haafiz dragged her to higher ground, "We must complete the ritual!"
"Do it from up there!" Hellboy said as Set began to rise from the sand. He now stood twenty-five feet high with sand for a body. There were no facial features except for a slit for his mouth and his large pointed hands that poured sand from the center of the palms; everyone kept firing to give Lamia, Abe, and Haafiz time to escape towards the campsite but the bullets were swallowed into the sand-formed Set effortlessly. The rain then became a combination of hail and dry-ice.
Hellboy was in awe only seconds before a piece of hail the size of a football plowed him in the back of his head. He fell forward and then heard Liz scream and subsequently her small arms trying to pull him up.
"I'm okay!" he mumbled sitting up just in time to see Set open his mouth. At first there was no sound from it then that same ear-splitting wail cut through the sky. It filled the bowl-shape dig site shaking the ground beneath their feet, they clasped their hands over their ears whimpering in pain and falling to the ground as Set's voice rose in volume.
Then the opening of the tomb collapsed under the sands. Hellboy watched in both glee and devastation.
Set halted his wail to reach his arms toward the sky for some strange reason. Seeing this as their chance to escape, Hellboy ordered everyone out of the premises and to help Lamia.
"Are you staying HB?" Liz asked seeing the red brute standing still.
"If I don't keep this guy preoccupied while Lamia finishes her task he'll follow us out towards the city! Do what Lamia ask—I'll be ok!"
Liz nodded and ran with the rest of her team towards the campsite. As they did Hellboy felt around his pockets for the two other jars and pulled them out—realizing the error. The jar that held set's soul was cracked.
"Holy Shit." Was his only response as Set became abruptly fixated on the Red demon. Set went to open his mouth again to wail but Hellboy suddenly went for his legs, diving forward with his stone arm at Set's knee. It only punctured it but quickly refilled with sand. Set then swiped Hellboy to the side with his arm like a ragdoll and followed by picking him up in his hand. Hellboy opened his eyes and saw he was leveled with the god's blank face. His sand in his hand writhed around Hellboy's torso and legs constricting them till they had no circulation. He was running out of air as Set opened his mouth inhaling to do his killer wail before Hellboy heard Liz scream, "NOOOOOO!"
Set was thrashed in the back of his head with a large fireball and the God turned around to see Liz on fire full body.
"I have control!" She screamed turning the heat up simultaneously, "I hope you like the burn Set!"
Liz let loose a volley of fireballs at Set as the god cowered back dropping Hellboy in the sand. Hellboy was rubbing his ribs to breathe, trying to get to Liz before Set countered. Finally he stood up trudging through the muddy sand and tackled her down through the murk before Set slammed his fist down where she once stood.
"What are you doing?!" she screamed.
"Get OUT OF HERE!" Hellboy shouted at her but it was too late. Set had inhaled and let out his death wail. Hellboy clasped his hands over his ears and so did Liz but even then they could hear it—burning through their palms. Hellboy looked at Liz whose eyes were involuntarily crying bloody tears; her eyes became unfocused as if she was about to faint, "Red… my brain feels like it's about to explode… Red…"
"NO!" Hellboy shouted clasping his large hands over Liz's ears but she did faint as Set wailed on.
"You bastard!" Hellboy called and drew out the Good Samaritan. He aimed for Set's mouth and fired four times. Three hit him in throat and one in the mouth—the wailing stopped momentarily as Set tried to contemplate what just happened. Hellboy kept firing as the momentum from the large bullets pushed him backwards. Hellboy reloaded quickly and fired again before Set reacting violently slamming his full body into Hellboy. Hellboy dropped his gun and felt the sand build up on top of him then around. It became constricted again as he tried to fight it and breathe but the sand was too heavy.
"GET—off!" he murmured but everything around him became silent except for the wailing that was in the distance. "Noooo…" Hellboy mumbled but was being pushed deeper into the sands and he could do nothing. Finally he gave in and all was quiet…
Epilogue
The first thing he heard was that annoying beeping sound heart machine's make. Everything was so serene around him and his body felt heavy to him; perhaps because he was in a world of pain. His left arm was limp but sore—so sore he only could grunt and squirm his tail in the bed for attention.
"Its okay Big Guy, I'm here."
Hellboy finally opened his eyes and focused his blurry vision on the blonde outline of Kate Corrigan. Hellboy grunted in response seeing that he was in a hospital and he had a breathing mask over his nose and a tube down his throat. Kate smiled—she seemed as tired as he was.
"You've been MIA for five days under the sand—we thought Set had killed you before Miss Mansoor trapped him in box."
Hellboy tried to smile but couldn't so he made an ok sign with his fingers.
"Liz is ok—I know you're worried." Kate said, "There was no trauma to her brain or head—her ears just bled a bit but Barnwell… he died of a hemorrhage... As for Set well… Miss Mansoor and her secret organization took two of the jars to hide them from the world—we have the one concealing his heart. It's been set back to Headquarters with Abe and the rest of the team. They were afraid to move you so we'll be in Egypt until you get better."
Hellboy showed his the sign for ok again, "And as for Howell and Abdul? Those papers Adkins gave to Manning were contracts from some smuggler in Switzerland. Apparently Howell and his team steal various treasures from tombs and sell them on the Black Market. This guy wanted the original Venus Anadyomene for himself—Apelles's most priceless possession. Too bad it's lost to man now—the whole tomb's collapsed in. Kinda sad I guess. Howell and Abdul are both apprehended now—his teammates confessed to Dr. Zawass while you guys were in the desert—Abdul and Howell tried to leave Egypt through the Mediterranean as a travelling gay couple. Hilarious isn't it?"
Hellboy wanted to laugh but the deep rumble stayed in the bottom of his stomach.
"Mohamed and Iabi are back with their families in Alexandria—Howell had bribed them to come along as house-slaves so I guess they'll be charged for kidnapping too. Our job is finished here HB. The Professor's really proud of the work you guys did. He sent a letter."
Kate dug through the pile of papers on her lap and handed it to him. Hellboy did not feel like reading it and placed it on his eating table. He then began to use sign language to express himself and Kate cracked a wide grin, "And yes Hellboy… you can have all the ice cream you want."
Thanks for reading, give me a review.
~TaelorTot~