Chapter 8

Nobody knew how to respond to that final, lovely comment. Before the onlookers could come to grips with what had happened, Ahkmenrah thundered out of his exhibit. Nobody doubted who he was hunting for any more than they questioned who had destroyed his exhibit-after all, the criminals had left an incriminating, somber black hat behind...

Larry and Teddy arrived in time to witness the pharaoh cornering the Puritan leader up against the wall; the next thing they knew, he was holding him by the throat. Naturally, the other 'brave' Puritans were standing well back, showing no interest in aiding their 'beloved' preacher. While Teddy stooped over to catch his breath, Larry ran forward to intercede.

"You dare, you dare!.." the king gritted his teeth, barely able to splutter out the words. "I should crush you like the insects that you are!" The night guard was amazed the Puritan hadn't soiled himself yet, he was trembling so badly.

"Ahk, stop!" As he shoved himself between them, Larry got a bit spooked when he glimpsed Ahkmenrah's face; the normally calm, quiet pharaoh's features were contorted into an unbridled visage of fury. He realized there would be no contest if it came down to a fight, for the pharaoh would win. For the first time, Larry was afraid of Ahkmenrah. "Pharaoh, let him go. Come on, he's not worth it." Several painstaking seconds later, the king finally released his grip on other man's neck. Coughing, the preacher spared him one last, contemptible glare and retreated to his brethren.

The pharaoh regained his self-control at last. Good thing, too, because they were amassing quite a crowd of spectators. Afraid of finding no sympathy in his friends' eyes, he dashed off with his head buried in his hands.

Ahkmenrah hurled himself here and there, neither knowing nor caring where he was headed, only wanting to get away. Ignoring the queer stares of the other inhabitants, he ran as far away from his exhibit as he could, certain that if he saw the carnage again, he would not be able to restrain himself-he would definitely kill the Puritan preacher.

He didn't stop until he'd stumbled through a pair of heavy doors. Even then, he probably wouldn't have stopped if it weren't for the drastic drop in temperature-he felt literally frozen in his tracks. Not to mention the strange, white specks made him colder still, pricking him worse than needles. The shock of the bizarre, freezing environment coupled with the sudden loss of adrenaline, pretty much ground his gears to a halt, forcing him to reflect on his behavior.

Unwanted, his memories bubbled through the scarlet haze of anger and pain, clear and sharp as crystal, particularly the part where he was throttling the preacher. In even sharper relief was the shock on Teddy's and Larry's faces. Shame and remorse made him reel as he recalled his response to the Puritans' vandalism. If Larry hadn't intervened...

Who would have known he was capable of such rage? Ahkmenrah stared down at his hands, feeling utterly disconnected to them. Had he really almost?.. Unconsciously, he clenched them into fists as he remembered his ruined tomb; only regret unclenched them, and he tried to force calmness into his system. The Puritans were right, he was dangerous. The exhibits had every right to fear him. At the moment, even he was scared of what he could do... And after tonight, he doubted even the night guard and Teddy would argue on his behalf. He'd seen the looks on everyone's faces. It was the same look of horror he's witnessed on the old night guard's face when Ahkmenrah had first come back to life in the museum. He'd hoped to never see it again-what wishful thinking!

I should have known. How could he have been such a fool! As a pharaoh, Ahkmenrah knew he must maintain dignity and self-control at all times. He had done neither. Instead, he'd given the Puritans exactly what they wanted-a show of brute strength and rage. If only he could take it back! It was small relief that he'd been prevented from harming anyone, but the damage was done. For a while, it seemed the inhabitants were coming to accept him as one of their own. Well, that hope was shattered now, and he had no one to blame but himself. Not after his actions tonight. Just when he'd believed he'd found friends again... Hating himself for his self-pity, Ahkmenrah leaned against a pillar and wept.