FicWad

The MuMmy: POV of
Richard 'Rick' O'Connell

Chapter 3-The Expedition

They gave me money. Enough money to buy new clothes, get equipment, get my hair cut, my face shaved. They were a little too trusting. I could just run and take the money; it would keep me going for some time.

But then what? I had thought about doing this over and over, but I didn't do it. My own sense told me not to. That woman, Evelyn, had saved my neck, literally. I couldn't just go and run off. No, that wouldn't be fair. And now, at least, I had my guns back.

When I got to Giza Port, I looked for the ship. When I finally did find it, the first thing I saw was those two who had put such faith in my word. I suddenly felt uneasy. What would they think? I didn't know. What would I act like? That I didn't know either. I just put one foot in front of the other, and walked towards them, still not knowing why I felt so weird.

"...but I know the breed. His word is his word." I heard that man, Jonathon, say. Were they talking about me? Then Evelyn spoke.

"Well, personally I think he's filthy, rude a complete scoundrel. I don't like him one bit."

"Anyone I know?" I asked from behind them. I think I started them, because when they turned around, Evelyn just sorta gawked at me. This was just a bit uneasy. Then she finally spoke.

"Oh. Um, hello."

"Smashing day for the start of an adventure, eh, O'Connell?" Jonathon said, patting me on the chest and shaking my hand.

"Yeah. Yeah. Smashing." I checked to see if my wallet was still there. I really don't know why, all the money I had was theirs. Just for fun, I guess.

"No, no, no, I'd never steal from a partner... partner." He didn't seem hurt at all, he was actually joking. I didn't really believe him though... I smiled and chuckled at him.

"That reminds me. No hard feelings about the--" I made a motion like I was going to punch him.

"Oh, no, no. Happens all the time." Probably.

"Mr. O'Connell." Evelyn spoke up. I looked at her. She looked, somehow, different. And I felt, awkward. I hadn't before. Weird. "Can you look me in the eye and guarantee me this isn't all some kind of a flimflam? Because if it is, I'm warning you--"

Whoa, hold on. "You're warning me? Lady, let me put it this way: My whole damn garrison believed in it so much that without orders, they marched halfway across Libya and into Egypt to find that city. And when we got there all we found was sand and blood."

Now both of them were staring at me, better get onto the boat, now! I don't know why, but I was way too uneasy. I broke eye contact with her. "Let me get your bags." Smooth Rick, real smooth. I grabbed all her bags at once and walked up the ramp onto the boat as soon as possible, not looking back at her.

Why in hell was my heart beating so fast? The only time I got a rush like that was when I was in battle. I'd never been like that around someone, anyone my whole life. What was wrong with me?

I dropped her stuff off in her room and headed back out. Oh, no. Not him. The warden was walking up the ramp onto the boat. Why was he here? Most likely to make sure he got what he as promised, 25% of what we found in Hamunaptra. Jonathon had told me that's how Evelyn saved my life. Great. Maybe I could kill him. No, Rick, no.

I looked around. Hmmm, that was interesting. Three men were walking towards me, and they didn't look Egyptian. When I heard them talking, I figured out what they were. Americans. So I wasn't the only American on this boat.

"Well, looky here." One of them said when they saw me.

"I'll be damned." Another one of them said. The one with the glasses just looked at me.

"Well, if I ain't wrong, you're an American fellow, aren't ya?" The first one said to me.

"Yeah." Say something else, not just 'Yeah' Rick!

"Name's Henderson." The first one said, shaking my hand. "And this is Daniels, and Burns."

"O'Connell." I looked at him, definitely American. I shook the other two men's hands. The shorter one was Mr. Daniels, and the one with the glasses was Mr. Burns. "Yeah."

"You're gonna have to play cards with us sometime." Burns said. Then they walked past me. Today had been an odd day, and it was probably going to get odder.


That night I walked out of the boat and onto the deck. And guess who was there? Jonathon was sitting there with Henderson, Daniels, and Burns, playing cards.

"O'Connell, sit down, sit down. We could use another player." Jonathon said.

"I only gamble with my life, never my money." It sounded weird, but it was true.

Daniels spoke in his heavy American accent, while passing out cards. "Never? What if I was to bet $500 we get to Hamunaptra before you?" Did I miss something?

"You're looking for Hamunaptra?"

"Damn strait we are." Henderson said, grinning.

"And who says we are?"

"He does." All three of them said pointing to Jonathon.

Jonathon chuckled nervously. "Well--" Then looked at me. You're on my hit list buddy.

"Well, how 'bout it?" Daniels asked. "Is it a bet?"

I grinned. "All right, you're on." Why in hell was I betting these men? Damn my pride!

"What makes you so confident, sir?" That was the Egyptologist fellow who was traveling with them.

"Well, what makes you?"

"We got us a man who's actually been there." Said Henderson. I wonder who?

"What a coincidence, because O'Connell--" I brought my bag over my shoulder, waking Jonathon in the head. "Whose... Whose play is it? Is it-is it my play? I thought I just a..."

I cut in. "Gentlemen, we got us a wager." I said to them. "Good evening, Jonathon." On the word 'Jonathon' I crunched his shoulder with my hand and walked away.

"Good night." He called after me. I hoped that would keep him quiet, if that was possible.

I went looking for Evelyn, why I don't know. Maybe I wanted some company. As I was turning the corner I thought 'Stupid, Rick, stupid!' I didn't have the money to pay them if I lost that bet. I'd have to borrow it from Jonathon, or worse, Evelyn. No, I would just win that bet, I'd have to.

When I did find Evelyn, she was sitting near the back of the boat, by herself, reading. She didn't even notice me when I came up beside her table. She did notice when I dropped my bag on the table, though. It even frightened her.

"Sorry." I grinned. "Didn't mean to scare ya." I said, taking off my coat.

"The only thing that scares me, Mr. O'Connell, are your manners." She looked back at her book. Ouch.

"Still angry about that kiss, huh?" I threw my coat on the chair on the other side of the table.

"Well, if you call that a kiss." Bad ouch. I rolled my bag out onto the table, with all my guns. She looked stunned. I sat down.

"Um, did I miss something? Are we--Are we going into battle?" She took her glasses off and grinned.

"Lady, there's something out there." I started loading up guns into my belt. "Something underneath that sand." She probably thought I was crazy.

"Yes, well, I'm hoping to find a certain artifact. A book, actually." Her and her books. "My brother thinks there's treasure. What do you think's out there? "

Now she would really think I was crazy. "In a word? Evil." Just blurt it out, Rick, just blurt it out. "The Bedouin and the Tuaregs believe that Hamunaptra was cursed." She had one of my gun attachments, and I took it from her.

"Oh, look, I don't believe in fairy tales and hokum, Mr. O'Connell..." You would if you saw what I saw. "But I do believe one of the most famous books in history is buried there. The Book of Amun-Ra. It contains with it all the secret incantations of the old kingdom. That's what first interested me in Egypt when I was a child." She really enjoyed talking about this. "It's why I came here, sort of a life's pursuit."

I smiled at her, while cleaning my shotgun. "And the fact that they say that it's made out of pure gold makes no never mind to you? Right?"

"You know your history." She seemed pleased. I liked that.

"I know my treasure." I put the safety onto the shotgun.

"Um... By the way..." She looked down. "Why did you kiss me?"

I made a humph noise. "I dunno. I was about to be hanged. It seemed like a good idea at the time."

"Ohh!" That didn't sound good. She then got up and left if a huff.

"What? What'd I say?" I called after her. What had I said? Women, never got um, never will.

Then I heard something. A yelp, from a person. I got up and walked forward. When I came around a pile of equipment, who did I see? Beni. I grabbed him by the collar and pushed him up against the equipment pile.

"Aaah! Aah!! What a surprise! My good friend, you're alive! I was so very, very worried." Yeah sure ya were, Beni.

"Well, if it ain't my little buddy Beni. I think I'll kill you." I brought my pistol up and clicked the safety off.

"Think of my children." What? You didn't have any children! Lame excuse!

"You don't have any children."

"Someday I might."

"Shut up!" I shook him around a bit. Then I waved the gun near his face. "So you're the one who's leading the Americans. I might have known. So what's the scam, Beni? You take them into the desert, and then you leave 'em to rot?"

"Unfortunately, no. These Americans are smart. They pay me only half now, half when I get them back to Cairo. So this time I must go all the way."

I gave him one last push and put my gun away. "Them's the breaks, huh?"

He straightened his shirt. "You never believed in Hamunaptra, O'Connell. Why are you going back?" Just then a camel started to low. I turned my head, and saw Evelyn there, patting one of the camels tied up on the back of the boat.

"You see that girl? She saved my neck." Literally. She looked at me for a moment then walked towards her room, and out of sight.

"You always did have more balls then brains." Beni put his hand on my shoulder and started to laugh. Funny Beni, really funny. I started moving him towards to side of the boat.

"Yeah. Good-bye, Beni." Then I threw him overboard. He screamed. Some people got up to look, but no one helped him. Obviously. Then he was yelling at me.

"O'Connell!" I could hear his gasping, but I didn't care.

I rolled my guns back up, and looked down. There were watery footprints leading to Evelyn's room. I looked over the side of the boat, nothing was there. I quickly started towards Evelyn's room, following the footprints.

I busted through the door to her room, and called her name, but I wasn't there in time. She was in her white nightgown. A man in black robes and with a hook for a hand had his arm around her neck, with the hook to her cheek. I stood there for a few moments. Suddenly another one opened the window from outside, he had two pistols. I fired rapidly at him, and he fell. I also hit the lamp on the wall, which fell on the coach, causing it to catch fire.

Evelyn, being the smart one that she is, picked up a burning candle and jabbed it into the hook man's eye. Obviously, he let go of her. Another one came to the window, and I shot at him, while moving towards the door, Evelyn hiding behind me. As we left the room, I continued to fire, and she bolted forward. Suddenly she halted and turned around.

"The map! The map! I forgot the map!" She ran towards me, I grabbed her arm and started pulling he forward.

"Relax. I am the map. It's all up here." I pointed to my head.

"Oh, that's comforting." Cute, really cute. Jeesh! I just saved your life!

When we got back onto the deck, I grabbed my bag off the table and threw it back to Evelyn. The whole ship was on fire now, and I could hear people jumping off.

"Hold on to this." I was about to turn the corner, when I was shot at. I began to reload me pistol. I wasn't paying attention, I heard the shots, but I didn't move. Suddenly Evelyn grabbed hold of my shoulder and pulled me towards her, and a bullet hit where my head had been.

She had saved my life again! I pushed her hand off my shoulder and grabbed my other gun, my mind back on the man shooting at me. I turned the corner and continued to fire. The man moved out of the way, but when he got back up again to shoot me, I got him.

Hearing another bullet shot by my head, I turned. There was another one! I shot at him and easily got him. I suddenly turned and there was another one, I reacted quickly, now he's dead.

I put my guns away as we came to the side of the boat. I then turned to Evelyn. "Can you swim?" I shouted over the yelling. I took my bag from her.

"Of course I can swim, if the occasion calls for it."

"Trust me." I my bag and picked her up. "It calls for it." I threw her overboard. She splashed into the water.

I picked up my bag, and was about to jump after her when one of those men in black robes came up from the side of the boat and jumped me. We both fell onto the deck, and he got in a few punches on me. He kicked me into a post and punched me again. Then he grabbed hold of my neck and began strangling me. I brought down my fists hard onto his arms, and then head butted him.

The man fell into the post and took a swing at my head. I avoided him and swiftly brought my fist into his stomach. Several times. I then kicked him into a glass door and he fell into a room. The room exploded! I backed up; the heat from that explosion was intense! I picked up my bag, and flung it over my shoulder. Then I heard the warden behind me.

"O'Connell! O'Connell! What are we going to do? What are we going to do?" He was obviously in a panic.

"Wait here! I'll go get help!" Then I jumped over the side of the boat. Knowing him, he would probably wait there until the boat sunk.

Jeesh! That water was cold! I looked for Evelyn. She was heading for shore. I swam towards her and helped her forward. Then there was an explosion on the boat again. I looked back. There was the warden, not far behind. And there was Jonathon falling off the boat.

We were the only ones on this side of the river, the side of the river we were suppose to be on. Beni probably didn't have a clue. The warden was the first one to reach land, then Jonathon. I helped Evelyn out of the water, and looked at her. That white nightgown was a bit revealing when wet. Dark thoughts. And the boat was slowly sailing away, empty and on fire.

"We've lost everything!" Evelyn began to complain. "All of our tools, all the equipment!" I threw my bag on shore. "All my clothes!" Yeah, that might be a bit of a problem. Then I heard Beni shouting across the river at me.

"O'Connell! Hey! O'Connell! It looks to me like I've got all the horses!" Yeah Beni, have your seconds of glory.

"Hey, Beni!" I yelled at him. "Looks to me like you're on the wrong side of the river!" That ill teach ya, ya little weasel! I didn't even wait to see him get ticked off, I turned and starting walking. Just walk forward, Rick, and don't look at her!


By the next day, we found a village. These people here were very generous and were even going to give Evelyn some new clothes, she needed them. Where the warden went to, I didn't know. I was standing with Jonathon, him arguing with a Bedouin over the price of camels. Brits. I could hear busy people, and children playing, and animals, but this arguing was giving me a headache.

"I only want four, not a whole bloody herd!" The Bedouin began yelling back at Jonathon in Arabic and jumping up and down. "O'Connell! Can you believe the cheek?"

"Will you just pay the man!" I was getting tired of this, real quick.

"Oh for heaven's sake." Jonathon searched through his wallet. "I can't believe the price of these fleabags." Jonathon handed him the money. I walked up and took two of the camels. Jonathon took the other two.

"Yes, happy. Verrry good." Jonathon said in an 'I-can't-believe-this' tone.

"You probably could've got 'em them for free." I began joking with him, even though I sounded serious. "All you had to do was give him your sister."

"Yes. Awfully temping, wasn't it?" He said chuckling and walking by me.

I stopped dead in my tracks. There was Evelyn, walking right towards me, in the most beautiful black Egyptian dress. She was smiling at me. There was other women walking up behind her, but I didn't really see them. All I saw was Evelyn. She looked at me, and stood directly in front of me. I had to do something, anything!

"Awfully." I still stared at her. I must have looked like a complete idiot! One of the camels grunted and I broke my stare. I petted it on the nose and walked forward.

When we were about to set off, I asked Evelyn if she wanted help mounting the camel, seeing how she kept falling off. Jonathon was having the same problem, but I wasn't going to help him.

"No I'm fine, Mr. O'Connell." She tried to get up again. There she is again with the Mr. O'Connell! I wished she'd call me by my first name. Then I realized she didn't know my first name.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Positive."

"Alright." I mounted my own camel, and looked back at her. My god, she had gotten on! She didn't look very sturdy for a second, and then she gained her balance and sat upright. Hmmm, maybe there was more to her then meets the eye. She was obviously stubborn, and beautiful, and... Whoa, Rick. Slow down. I had been caught up in my own thoughts so much, that I didn't see Jonathon climb onto his camel. The warden watched from near by atop his camel.

"Well let's go." I said as we began off towards Hamunaptra.

We had lost good time while we were in the village on our 'shopping spree'. I just hoped that we'd make Hamunaptra before Beni and the Americans. Evelyn didn't know about the bet, and I wanted it to stay that way. Off we went, I hoped we be there before the sun rose tomorrow, or we'd have to wait another day.

I took one look back at Evelyn, who sat proudly on her camel, then turned forward and awaited the journey ahead.