Chapter 21-



Rick groaned in pain. He opened his eyes a crack, not knowing what the hell was going on. He concluded he was on a hard, stone floor. He rolled over to his side, ignoring the sharp pains of fresh bruises. The previous events burst through Rick’s mind. He bolted up, looking only for his family, but he was pulled back because when he looked down at himself, he saw chains weaving around his body. He was trapped. Rick turned his head and sighed in relief when he saw the rest of his family, but his face contorted into a grimace at seeing them chained up. They were still asleep. Evy held Alex in her arms, her head drooped onto her son’s head. Jonathan lay a little farther away, kicking at his chains in his sleep. Rick gazed at them for awhile before he started to hiss at them to wake up, because he could hear voices from outside.

“Evy! C’mon baby, wake up.”

Rick watched as her eyelids fluttered open, and moan absently. Evelyn lifted a hand and touched a spot on her head that was covered in dried blood. She did not fail to notice the chains that bound her hands together. Her head snapped up and looked at her husband, recollecting what happened.

“Oh Rick, where are we?”

Rick sighed and looked down.

“I was hoping you would’ve known. Do you remember how I blacked out during that fight?”

Rick wasn’t too happy in admitting this. It was plain humiliating, especially in front of the one person he would ever show off to. He felt heat rising up to his cheeks. Evelyn saw this and inwardly smiled. He was still a cute, boyish man at heart.

“I’m sorry Rick, but after they hit you, well, I was too shocked that I didn’t notice some other of Imhotep’s followers attack me, and now we’re here.”

Rick smiled sympathetically, although he was raging inside to know they had hurt his wife. He was going to kick their asses. Suddenly, they heard a snort come from Jonathan. He kicked repeatedly, while he was slowly awakening. Once he had opened his eyes, Jonathan let out a stream of cusses, apparently because of the pain on his body. After a short while of misusing the English language, he looked around dazed.

“Well, isn’t this just bloody great. Where the hell are we?

Evelyn rolled her eyes and they ignored her ignorant brother. She looked down at her awakening son, who was obviously awoken by Jonathans incessant swears, and she kissed his messy blond hair, thankful no one hurt him. Alex gave a short yawn and stretched out his arms.

“Where the hell are we, mum?”

Evy widened her eyes.

“Alex! Mind your language! Look at what you caused Jonathan! You are such a bad influence!”

Jonathan gave a half smile and shrugged like he didn’t care. Suddenly, all their heads snapped up in the direction of the metal door. They could hear clanking from outside. The air stilled. The frightened family (except for Rick because he was boiling mad) froze in still silence. Evelyn tightened her arms around her son. Suddenly, the door flung opened. Evy yelped in surprise. Jonathan cowered in the corner. Amidst the dark shadows in the doorway, they could make out a dark silhouette of someone. It was definitely a man. He lifted up his head and the last remaining light caught against his face. It was Imhotep. Evelyn gasped. Rick glowered at him, while Jonathan rolled his eyes.

“Here we go again.”

Imhotep gave a sadistic smile at all their reactions. Alex lowered his head into his mother’s arms, frightened by this mysterious man. Imhotep gazed at Evelyn and her child for a split-second as if registering that this woman he once loved is now a mother. Rick did not fail to notice this. He glared at him.

“What the hell do you want from us?! Let us out!”

Imhotep furrowed his brows in confusion. His head swivelled back to Evy, and he spoke to her in ancient Egyptian.

* “You, listen here. You can tell this ignorant man that you all are now my prisoners. You will do everything I say, understand?”*

Evelyn gulped and nodded with wide eyes. She directed her gaze towards her husband and told him. Rick’s mouth tightened with every sentence. Once she had finished explaining, he looked back at Imhotep while still talking to Evy.

“Well then, you can tell him to #$@ off. He cannot do this to us, we will escape, and he cannot hold us here. We will never obey him. Tell that to him Evy.”

Evelyn looked despairingly at her husband for a moment before turning her head back to the feared man and switching to the ancient language. Imhotep’s face turned redder with anger. He walked briskly over to Evelyn, grabbed the boy and thrust him out of the way. He roughly grabbed her jaw with only his fingers, bent over, and pulled her to him. He placed a violent kiss on her lips. His mouth muffled Evelyn’s screams. She struggled and tried to move, but to no avail. Rick cried out and tried to unbound himself from the chains, all the while his face contorted into a murderous glare, he was furious. Imhotep fell into that kiss, thrusting his tongue into her screaming mouth. He still remembered how sweet she used to taste. He still loved her, he knew that for sure. Evelyn tried to bite his lip. Imhotep ignored this because it caused him no pain, but then, remembering how she rejected him and the status of the current situation, he pulled away with a last tug on her lip. Evelyn shuddered and broke into tears, her lips swollen, bruised, and bloodied. Rick watched her helplessly, wanting to carry her in his arms. His eyes riveted back to Imhotep with a homicidal glare. Imhotep smiled with all the evil he could muster and turned his head towards the crouching woman.

* “Tell this man that if he doesn’t obey my commands, he will pay, and, as for you my flower, you will be with me.”*

With that he turned around and left, laughing cruelly.