Chapter 19 - Exploration (4)

Those words make my blood run cold.

_ Ayden: “ What?? But why is he coming back?? ”

_ Son: “ I don't know! I'll call Brent to come and pick you up! ”

With an instinctive movement, I extend the palm of my hand toward him.

_ Ayden: “ No! He won't have time to catch us! We'll go hide on the ground floor! ”

_ Son: “ What?? But?? ”

_ Ayden: “ Get out of here quickly!! ”

I rush as quietly as possible into a room quite far from the main entrance. I come face to face with Shailly.

_ Shailly: “ I just heard a noise, something's go… ”

I take her arm firmly.

_ Ayden: “ Let's hide! ”

_ Shailly: “ Huh? ” she said, confused.

We enter the room she was about to leave. I let go of her arm, close the door, and hide with her behind a desk. Her confused gaze awaits an answer.

_ Ayden: “ Don't make a sound, the mummy with the bob hat is back. ”

Heart rate accelerates, pupils dilate, devastated by the news.

_ Shailly: “ Oh no. ”

The mummy in the bob hat finally enters the main entrance of the clinic. He begins to walk down the hallway.

_ Ayden: “ Damn, why did he have to come back! Don't tell me he noticed us from the start?? ”

We hold our breath, hoping he won't open the door to that room. At the same time, I see Shailly shaking again. So I decide to take her hand and calm her down.

_ Ayden: “ I promise we'll get through this. Now let's not say anything else. ”

Shailly nods her head to show me she trusts me, her other hand covering her mouth.

Throughout our play, we hear each door opening one by one. The mummy searches each room for something we don't know. Probably an object or medicine, because we hear drawers opening.

The mummy leaves the room and continues on its little journey. Those few minutes seem like an eternity to us. The footsteps are getting closer to us.

Then, silence. The seconds tick by, breaths are short, hands are sweaty. Only our hearts beating wildly can be heard.

A creaking sound echoes. Our door has just been opened. The mummy enters. The atmosphere immediately becomes frosty. I can no longer hear the slightest sound of footsteps.

I fear the worst, that some ability or Source will allow him to locate us. I break out in a cold sweat. Memories of the previous horror scene echo in my head. Finally, I hear footsteps, and in the right direction. He is on the opposite side from where we are.

A cabinet is opened, and the search continues. Not a word is spoken on either side. The atmosphere is so heavy that it seems to crush us. The slightest noise from us, and it's certain death.

I hear footsteps again. This time, he finally leaves our room. The slow, muffled rhythm of his footsteps fades away. I wait at least five minutes to make sure he has definitely left the clinic before moving.

_ Son: “ Ayden! Shailly! Are you still there?? ” he said, feeling sick to his stomach.

_ Ayden: “ If he answers us, it means that mummy must have left. ”

_ Son: “ Answer me! ”

_ Ayden: “ We're alive. Did the mummy leave? ”

_ Son: “ Yes, I saw him leave. Brent and Taïga can confirm that too. ”

I let go of Shailly's hand and stand up. The tension eases.

_ Ayden: “ Let's hurry and join them. ”

_ Shailly: “ O...Okay. ”

We meet at the collapse of the staircase.

_ Ayden: “ Why didn't you leave? ”

_ Brent: “ Are you stupid or something? We're not going to abandon you. ”

_ Son: “ There's no question of abandoning friends. ”

I open my mouth slightly, raising my eyebrows. Then I smile slightly.

_ Ayden: “ Guys... You're doing great. ”

_ Brent: “ Enough talk. I'll take you. ”

Brent forms shadow hands twice the size of human hands. He takes turns picking me and Shailly up.

_ Ayden: “ In the end, I did the right thing by hiding with Shailly. He would never have had time to take us out one by one. That said, it could also have been fatal for us. In the future, I have to make better decisions if I want to survive. ”

We all climb out the window with Brent's help, grab our loot, and get out of there as fast as we can.