Archive of Our Own

Black.

It’s all just black.

No matter how many times he begs and pleads for freedom, it never comes. Doesn’t matter if he’s screaming, crying, or pounding on that damned lid. No one ever comes.

That’s a lie; they walk. They walk right by his deathbed, and they do nothing. If he’s lucky, he’ll have one of the guards come in to tell him to shut up. But otherwise, nothing. No other interactions besides the occasional shush. 

He’s so tired of it. Not being able to move, his body aches. Even though he has the body of a teenager, his bones and muscles plead for him to move after spending hours upon hours laying there in that same position. He was lucky that he managed to get his arms unwrapped from the original cross they had laid in across his chest. 

He just wanted to be free. Why couldn’t he be free? All the other exhibits that were held in the confines of the museum could roam, why must he be locked away. If he could only be free for a minute, to simply see something other than black. What he would do for just a glimpse of the beautiful colors that he knew the world had. Anything other than this ugly black that seemed to corrode his mind.

His bandages felt disgusting against his skin. They felt dry but moist at the same time. They felt dirty. Holding his flesh too tightly, it almost seemed like a sick version of an embrace. Supposed to make you feel loved, comfortable, and safe. All these damn things did was make him feel disgraced, dirty, and unwanted. Why couldn’t he have just crossed over to the land of the dead? Why couldn’t he have completed his last ceremony, his last celebration of life. No, he had to end up stuffed into his sarcophagus, covered in the disgraceful bandages. 

The only thing keeping him sane was his learning of languages. So far, he had Ancient Egyptian and English, he would translate back and forth between the two, almost making his own language. It would entertain him for the better half of a night before he remembered that he would soon eventually run out of words to translate and that his knowledge could only get him so far and that it did indeed have limits. Thankfully, the Huns started walking around his exhibit more. 

He’s unsure why the Huns decided to hang around outside of his exhibit but he was thankful for it. His hearing might have been impaired from all the layers of metal that sound would need to transfer through, but the Huns were loud, and soon that became the new language to learn. For a while Ahkmenrah would listen and try to translate what the Huns were saying. It was his #1 distraction for what felt like a very long time, and by the end when the Huns started getting herded away from his exhibit and were forced to hang around somewhere else, Ahkmenrah felt proficient in Hun. Being able to understand the sentences that the Huns would speak in passing. That became his third language to play the translation game with. 

He wanted to be let out so badly, it became his craving. Others would want food or water, something to survive, but all he wanted was the chance to see colors again. Who knew that he would miss colors so much. Out of all the things that he had been deprived of color was the one that he missed the most. Not the basic necessities of survival, even though he didn’t need those anymore because he was dead, but rather the viewing of colors. If he had to be stuck in this world then why couldn’t he experience it in its bare minimum. 

He was angry, he was sad, and he was somehow numb, all at once. Angry he was locked away when he had done nothing wrong to those who banished him to his confines. Sad that he was unable to see anything other than black, that he was forced to the confines of his sarcophagus and without social interaction for years. And somehow numb to the feeling of it all, a slow sense of acceptance settling over his bones. An acceptance that he’d never get out, he’d never see colors, he’d never interact with others ever again. 

Then that changed when a new voice joined the chorus of exhibits. Except this voice didn’t belong to an exhibit, it belonged to the new night guard. 

Ahkmenrah had been debating whether to cry and get the bandages wrapped around his face even more disgracefully stained or screaming and pounding on the lid of his resting place, maybe both. When the sound of footsteps came into his exhibit, normally he could recognize the person by the way they walked. Without sight your other senses become hyperactive. But these steps were both familiar and new, somehow both comforting and terrifying at the same time. 

Without much thought Ahkmenrah started pounding on the lid of his sarcophagus and screaming, perhaps these people would let him see color again. Until the cold, sharp voice of Teddy hit his ears.

“Yell all you want, Pharaoh,” Teddy yelled at his sarcophagus. “You’ve been in there for 54 years; you’re not coming out.”

Ahkmenrah froze, not because Teddy was yelling at him, that was a normal occurrence. But because he had been locked in his deathbed for what now dawned on him to be 54 years. 

54 years trapped. No light. No people. No nothing. For 54 years of his immortal life.

Ahkmenrah couldn’t believe what he heard was truly right. Had he really spent 54 years in these confines? 54 years without social interaction and colors the two things that Ahkmenrah thrived on and yet for 54 years he went without a single pleasant interaction with another person and not a single glance of color. By the time Ahkmenrah had accepted that fact he noticed how quiet his exhibit had gotten. Teddy and the new guard had left him, which wasn’t really a surprise considering Ahkmenrah couldn’t really supply good conversation options, and no one would willingly spend that much time in his exhibit unless trapped. Or really fond of the dark he guesses, he’s heard from some of the passing people that his exhibit is quite dark. 

Either way, once he understood the fact that he had indeed been trapped away for 54 years he noticed his bones stiffening once more, signifying the upcoming dawn that would put him into his daily coma before waking for night once more. He could only pray for the new guard to have some sense or even a curiosity streak or rebellious side or anything really that would make him want to open his sarcophagus and let Ahkmenrah see colors again. 

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~* 

Waking up was always the hardest part of the night, even at Cambridge it proved to be difficult for a corpse to have life brought back into its lifeless body. Ahkmenrah’s head would always be the first to wake, which somehow led to a headache even though he didn’t have a brain. All he knew was that his mind came awake first which allowed for his senses to become known in the first couple seconds of waking up. Which then connected to the nerves that he still had which brought on bouts of stiffness and achiness. 

He would assume that he would be used to waking up by now, he has been doing this same process for decades but it always manages to make him cringe and disdain the nightly mornings. What he would give to be able to stretch out his limbs after staying in the same position for years. He knows he’s young, he died a teenager, the ripe old age of 18 yet here he was experiencing the pain that his father and mother would sometimes share words about. 

Why did the gods choose him to experience this? Normally, he would be grateful for anything the gods gave but this seemed a tiny bit of a push, and not like a good push out of his comfort zone (even though he most definitely was out of his comfort zone) but rather a shove in the wrong direction, shoved towards a road full of temptation and rebellion. 

Even though he could never act upon these feelings and impulses anyway, not while trapped in this box that was meant to be in a room with his parents and family jewels. Why couldn’t he have just died. Why did he have to be special even in death? Throughout his whole life when he could walk freely through halls and see the color of the outside world, he was always special. In one way or another, he was the one that people flocked to, he was the one that people worshipped, that people called their future. He supposes many saw his potential for when he became the next pharaoh, even though his reign only lasted for a year. He was always considered the future, and he guesses that this is where his brother’s hate stems from.

His brother, Kamunrah.

His older brother who was meant to stand by him and protect him from others who looked out with harmful intent. His older brother who was supposed to help him study until he had proficient knowledge for the people of Egypt.

Egypt, his home.

Ahkmenrah could feel the tears swelling in his eyes the more that he thought about what could’ve happened back when he was full of life. Back when he had the ability to talk and see colors anytime he pleased. He misses the feeling of the sun shining down on him from high up above, back then it seemed like Ra was simply looking over him, making sure he was safe. But now it feels like Ahkmenrah was poached, Ra had his eye on him from the start, picking him to lead this immortal life. 

Today was going to be a rough night, Ahkmenrah could tell. No matter how he tried to stop the tears that were building, he couldn’t stop the flood of them from falling down his face in rivulets. He was going to feel disgusting once he stopped reminiscing and got his pharaoh act on again. Even though it didn’t really matter anymore considering he wasn’t a pharaoh anymore, he wasn’t a king, a ruler, or royalty. That had all been stripped upon finding himself awake at a school made for those who were curious about his life. 

Some were kind there, offering him drinks and things to eat even though he didn’t necessarily need them. Others were horrid, they came in and took notes like their lives depended on it, and for them it might have. But for Ahkmenrah it simply meant an uncomfortable night of answering questions non-stop and ending up confused and unable to understand what they were saying because they didn’t care enough to explain what words meant. It was horrid those nights, Ahkmenrah would rest confused and have to scramble in his head the next night to ask a nicer person what those words tossed around last night were. 

Then there were the best and worst nights of his life. 

The best ones were when this one student would come around by themselves claiming to be unable to focus with others in the room and would talk with Ahkmenrah for hours until it was time for him to rest. Those nights were when memories were made that Ahkmenrah would never forget for his life. That was when he learned English slang and learned to write words and sentences in English. It was when he would laugh the most and feel the most human, all because of one student. 

James. All because of James, Ahkmenrah would feel like he was human once more and not some freak of nature that had out maneuvered death. But James only really ever came by once a month, right after the worst nights that Ahkmenrah would ever experience would James come the next night or the night overmarrow and cheer Ahkmenrah up. Once Ahkmenrah had asked James if he planned his nights out to spend the time with him after one of those awful nights but James denied it, saying this was the only time he could get without other students bothering him, so Ahkmenrah pushed it aside. He called himself paranoid and told himself to trust again.

Trust was a whole other issue that became very hard to deal with through the years of time spent with the people at Cambridge. Ahkmenrah knew who the kind people were but did he ever really fully trust them? No, he never allowed himself to. Told himself they were like the people back in Egypt that would try and sweettalk their way into the Pharaoh’s good side only to want goods out of it. So, he never allowed himself to trust them. He only allowed himself to trust James, sweet James who would come and cheer him up the best he could after the worst nights of his life. 

Without James around Ahkmenrah would have most likely fallen into a depression. Which was a word that Ahkmenrah had come to learn through James himself. No one else ever talked with words that were big and took time to explain them to Ahkmenrah. Nobody ever talked about their feelings or emotions in Cambridge. James said that one day that would change and the world would become more open, and emotions would be looked upon with respect and not belittled, but until then he had warned Ahkmenrah to be secretive about his feelings with others because they would not take to them well. 

Ahkmenrah had agreed and the conversation was left there, and happier topics took up the rest of their time. Although for the rest of the night Ahkmenarh could not help but reflect upon the fact that maybe if emotions weren’t so repressed then the students and people that surrounded him would be less mean. Perhaps some would have more passion for the subject or more patience for when Ahkmenrah needed explanations. 

Either way those hours spent with angered students were much better than the worst nights that Ahkmenrah had to spend with the people at Cambridge. 

It would be a day that students weren’t allowed to visit him, that the scientists would come by to do the next test on him. They started out small, simple physical checks that made sense but then they started expanding. It soon turned into pain testing, seeing how far Ahkmenrah’s nerves could respond. Ahkmenrah’s nerves were a big thing to be studied amongst the scientists at Cambridge. Most of the tests were done to see how far the nerves went and how much Ahkmenrah could actually feel considering he didn’t have a brain that the nerves could connect back with. And no matter how many times Ahkmenrah had explained to them that he still functioned and felt like a human, even without a brain, the scientists didn’t believe. They said they needed hard proof that his nerves fully worked. 

Other tests were done on his body corresponding with other organs as well. The scientists couldn’t believe that someone without their organs could eat and drink and feel perfectly normal. Yet here was Ahkmenrah playing the role of victim to these experiments and feeling slightly less human every time they took an experiment too far. So, he assumed they were kind of right in the regard that science dehumanizes those who bear the role of victim in these sick experiments, which was a popular saying passed around the room during his time in Cambridge. 

Those nights caused pain and suffering that Ahkmenrah wouldn’t wish upon anyone, not even the worst people he could think of would have deserved this treatment. Ahkmenrah certainly couldn’t inflict it upon someone himself, he just wondered how cold these scientists had to be to inflict it upon him. 

By the time Ahkmenrah had finished his trip through his memories at Cambridge he could already feel his skin tightening around his bones once more. His daily coma had arrived and with dawn it came. 

The night guard hadn’t come to open his sarcophagus yet, but having some more patience couldn’t hurt. Ahkmenrah had already spent 54 years in this damned position, so waiting a couple more days wouldn’t damage him much more. Especially if he had another nostalgic night. The only sufferings he had to bear on those nights were his own emotions and the wetness of the bandages surrounding his face. His throat wouldn’t be raw from yelling and his hands wouldn’t be stinging from pounding on the lid if he spent the next couple nights lost in his memories waiting for the guard to open the lid. 

He supposes that today was a good night, or at least a night better than the last couple ones. It was rare for him to get these nights where he almost completely blanked out of his life that was trapped in his deathbed and relive memories that brought both pain and joy to him. He didn’t know if he preferred the constant reminder of being trapped or the pain of reliving his past memories yet. He hopes that by the time he was ready to make a decision on which one was best that he would be out of this damned box and then maybe he wouldn’t have to make the choice at all. 

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~* 

The next night was spent like normal, screaming whenever he would hear footsteps coming in his direction, banging in between his yells of mercy. On bad days where he can’t help but let his breathing exhilarate, and his eyes build pools of water, he stops yelling in an understandable language. A weird mix of English, Ancient Egyptian, and Hun leave him, looking for even a scrap of mercy amongst those who walk around his exhibit yet no one comes.

He’s always left alone which he can only assume stems from the fear or even the cruelty of others not wanting to have to deal with him. Although he was close one night, before the awful guards came and told others to stay away from him, Ahkmenrah had managed to gain Teddy’s attention on one of those first nights. He was so close that first night. Teddy had been just about to pull out the pins, taking mercy on Ahkmenrah for once, almost allowing him to see colors again. Then the guards had come, had shooed Teddy away, had warned him of Ahkmenrah’s mercilessness and manipulative capabilities. No matter how much Ahkmenrah had fought against their words, Teddy never believed him again. 

That night had been over 54 years ago.

Ahkmenrah had to be over 4,000 years old by now, and if that wasn’t a wild thought. He was in the body of an 18 year-old yet here he was with the brain and knowledge from over 4,000 years ago. He wouldn’t ever dare call himself the smartest, but he must have a decent amount of information that could be shared. From his time spent at Cambridge he knows that the people there certainly didn’t know everything about his time period. He could pretty comfortably assume that the people in this museum didn’t know enough about his time either. The night guards certainly didn’t take their time to learn about him, simply locking him away. And he doubts that other exhibits would be able to gain access to books that explained anything about him without being reprimanded. 

It felt wrong keeping all this knowledge for himself. He was always a big believer in sharing knowledge. The more brains that worked together the greater the ending result would be, at least most of the time that’s how it went.

By the time Ahkmenrah was done with his nightly thoughts and routine of screaming and pounding on the lid of his sarcophagus, the tightness had started coming once more. He found his mind wandering more these last couple nights. The new guard had really stirred something up in Ahkmenrah that he thought had died a long while ago.

Hope.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~* 

The next night when he woke something felt different. Something felt wrong. He could hear the animals running wild outside of his exhibit and down the halls. Did the night guard not lock them up that night? How peculiar that is. It wasn’t Ahkmenrah’s business what the night guard did, but if he was letting the animals run free throughout the museum then maybe Ahkmenrah himself was going to be the next let out. Free for at least a night perhaps. 

But that didn’t seem right, because there were voices yelling too. Voices that instead of sounding joyous or even annoyed at the animals, sounded terrified and angry. What was happening outside of his exhibit that would cause such a scene to unfold? The night guard had seemed to be doing well, Ahkmenrah didn’t really know considering he was still trapped, but everyone outside of his exhibit had sounded happy. The night guard himself had come by Ahkmenrah’s exhibit when doing his rounds and had always paused for a moment or two outside, seemingly hesitant to come into his domain. 

In those brief moments Ahkmenrah couldn’t help but calm down. For once in his life a presence outside of his enclosure (besides the Huns) seemed to calm him, drag him back down. He was confused by this every time it happened. How could he find such comfort in a person that he hadn’t ever seen? Hadn’t even really heard his voice before? The guard kind of reminded him of his father. Which was a wild thought to Ahkmenrah considering not once had he found a presence so calming and caring but at the same time strict, just like his father was. Ahkmenrah had to imagine that the night guard was a father to a kid simply based on how his presence felt. 

But now in the midst of the chaos there was no guard, no calming person helping around, hell Ahkmenrah couldn’t even hear Teddy amongst the chaos and that man was everywhere trying to keep everything together. 

What was happening out there?

Before Ahkmenrah could try and make up some reason for the chaos he heard the locks of the gate on the outside of his exhibit come closed. The sound of the metal crashing against each other was an unforgettable noise, Ahkmenrah had only been locked away like this a couple times but those were some of his worst nights at the museum. Completely blocked off from everybody, noise barely audible from others, unable to tell who was walking by. He always felt the most alone on those nights. 

But unlike before when they would close the gates cruelly and laugh at Ahkmenrah’s panicked screams and thuds against the lid, these voices weren’t directed at him, they were directed at someone inside his enclosure.

They had locked someone inside with him. 

It took Ahkmenrah a second to discern the voices but when he did a chill went down his spine. Those were the voices of the old night guards. Why were they here? There was no reason for them to be here, so why were they in the museum? Ahkmenrah thought for a second that he must be dreaming, even though he never really slept over the course of the night, because there was no other reason that these horrid people would be here if he wasn’t having a nightmare. 

Trying to calm himself down, he focused on the other voice that joined the ones Ahkmenrah disliked. Which simply brought Ahkmenrah more shock with the realization that the one that the old night guards were taunting was the new one that had taken their place. What was happening outside of his enclosure?

The revolting voices left after making a path with their cruel laughter through the rest of the museum to Ra knows where. The next voice to come didn’t bring any more comfort than the other ones. It was Teddy who had come to the night guard’s shouts, Ahkmenrah slightly rolled his eyes, to him it was just trading one bad thing for another but to the night guard it seemed like his prayers had been answered. 

There was some muffled conversation that Ahkmenrah picked up a word here or there of, but both Teddy and the night guard had softer voices, making it hard to distinguish what they were saying. Either way by the time Teddy had left the guard seemed to be in more of a panic. His voice having risen by the end of the weird advice filled conversation that passed between them. 

Ahkmenrah didn’t really think too much about his next move, it kind of seemed like the obvious choice to get their attention, he simply started wailing and banging on the top of the lid of his sarcophagus. 

Which he hopes is working, considering he can’t really hear if he’s getting closer to his sarcophagus or not, but he can damn hope that he is. He hears the sound of metal hitting metal and he can only assume that it’s probably the giant jackals guarding him, mistaking his cries for ones of fear. Boy, when he found out that his jackal statues were with him, he had cried tears of joy at first having things from home join him but then he had cried tears of shame because he had dragged them along this bumpy ride he traveled. 

Not the time to think about that though. Not when the sound of something heavy is being shoved off his tomb. Was he being let out? The sound of a heavy stone slab hitting the floor reached Ahkmenrah’s ears very clearly. Much clearer than anything else he’s heard before. Next is the sound of a pin being pulled out, and Ahkmenrah held his breath. He couldn't believe that he was being let out. He hears the frantic footsteps of someone hurrying to the other side of his sarcophagus, the pin on that side being removed and his brain doesn’t catch up with his body as he tosses the lid off so far he hears it hit the wall. 

He still had bandages on his face but he could see light, and if that feeling wasn’t exhilarating. 

As he rises from his sarcophagus, he hears a voice starting to spew words out next to him, connecting the dots that the voice belongs to the new night guard. 

“Hey, hi. How you doin’?” The words stumble out quickly and slightly slurred, almost as if he can’t get the words out quick enough. “Sorry to bother you, but your guys there, your jackal guys. Do you think you could actually ask them to back off? We’re not trying to hurt you, and they think we are. So, could you maybe tell them to back off now!?” 

Ahkmenrah stares from where the sound of the man’s voice came from for a second before turning towards where he hears metal scraping against metal, presumably that’s where the jackals are. Ahkmenrah had not once tried to speak to the jackals, for most of the nights that he laid in his tomb he didn’t even know if they came to life or not. The jackals couldn’t speak therefore Ahkmenrah had never really been sure if they were alive, until one night when the guards were getting a tiny bit too comfortable in their taunts and the jackals had aimed their spears at them. That is when Ahkmenrah knew that he had giant protectors standing near him and it had made him feel a little less lonely. 

“Stand down, I need not your protection currently.”

Immediately the jackals had ceased all movement, turning towards their young speaker and kneeling before him. Ahkmenrah heard the metal of their knees hit the floor, passive once more now assured that he was safe.

“Thank you. Nicky?” The night guard’s voice turns away from Ahkmenrah for a moment to address someone else that Ahkmenrah hadn’t noticed in the commotion around him. He still couldn't see, the bandages managing to still block out most except for the warm yellow glow of the lights around his exhibit. 

The night guard turned back towards him speaking another relieved ‘thank you’. It was then that Ahkmenrah had reached up to the top of his head, eager to find the bandage that would unravel the rest among his body. Finding it quickly he rips the small bit that had managed to stay glued (it’s been 54 years what type of adhesive did they use for it to still be sticky?). After ripping that small bit, he held his breath as he continued to uncover his face, refusing to open his eyes until his full face was free. Until he knew that he had really been released and that this wasn’t a sick nightmare that would take away everything the second Ahkmenrah almost got it. 

Once his face was finally free Ahkmenrah opened his eyes for the first time in 54 years, laying eyes on the man who had opened his sarcophagus first. Only then does he notice the lack of air in his lungs and the amount of dust that he had breathed in over the years. He hadn’t even noticed that he had begun to breath in dust, but that was to be expected when he couldn’t even recall how long he was locked away for.

He coughed, straight into the night guard's face. Exhaling decades of dust that he hadn’t even realized were sitting in his lungs. The night guard coughed back at him, Ahkmenrah could see the apprehension in his face. The night guard was unsure if he was going to hurt him or not and that broke Ahkmenrah to see. Before his mind could catch up with his mouth he spoke.

“You would not believe how stuffy it is in there.”

Both Ahkmenrah’s eyes and the night guard’s eyes widened, both in shock about what Ahkmenrah had just said. Ahkmenrah couldn’t believe that the first sentence he said was comical like that, he hoped this night guard had some appreciation for humor unlike some of the scientists at Cambridge. 

“How come you speak English?” A young voice spoke from behind the night guard. Ahkmenrah almost jumped at the voice, before he laid eyes on the young boy behind the man. The kid couldn’t have been older than ten, curiosity was making his eyes bigger as he took in Ahkmenrah’s appearance. 

“I went to Cambridge University.” Ahkmenrah replied, he was very jumpy currently, unsure of himself in the presence of two people who had more power than him. It felt like talking to the scientist at Cambridge. He didn’t know what was considered hurtful to these two, if humor was greeted with laughter or with bitterness. If he was going to be set free or locked away again. 

“You went to Cambridge?” The night guard inquired. 

“I was on display in the Egyptology Department.” Ahkmenrah affirmed. Swallowing loudly, before letting his eyes roam his exhibit. All around him he saw hieroglyphs, on the columns and walls surrounding him. On the walls were glass cabinets that held different items that Ahkmenrah recognized from his time alive. 

Most of the items seemed to come from Cambridge, Ahkmenrah noticed the same crown in one of the cabinets and different weapons lined along the wall including the spears and daggers that he was trained with, and newer weapons like the khopesh along with shields that had been being developed during his time alive. 

Turning back towards the night guard, Ahkmenrah’s mouth once more acted faster than his mind. This time however it was the years of political training that he had been put through that came forward, which he supposes is better than humor at the moment. 

“I am Ahkmenrah, fourth king of the fourth king, ruler of the land of my fathers.” He was on autopilot, saying a line that he had rehearsed for hours. Staring at the night guard expectantly, waiting for him to introduce himself in return. He’s sure that the other exhibits had said the night guards name before while walking outside his exhibit, but Ahkmenrah had never managed to properly pick it up. 

The night guard cleared his throat before staring at Ahkmenrah with a sort of bewilderment as he started to speak, “Uh, I’m Larry…the son of Milton, and, uh, this is my son, Nick,” he gestured vaguely to the kid behind him before continuing on, “and we hail from Brooklyn. Well, I do, I mean, he comes out and stays with me on Wednesdays and every other weekend. That was the custody agreement we had…” 

By the time the night guard, Larry, was done speaking his voice had gotten quieter and had trailed off slightly. Ahkmenrah understood the first sentence or two, the night guard was Larry and his son was Nick. They were both from Brooklyn, at least Ahkmenrah thought so, the last bit where Larry started trailing off was lost to him. He hadn’t ever heard of a ‘custody agreement’ and had no clue what he meant by that. The first bit would allow him enough information to get through politely enough anyway; he could ask questions later.  

“Larry, Nick, guardians of Brooklyn…I am forever in your debt.” Ahkmenrah nodded to them both as he said their names for the first time. He really wouldn’t ever be able to repay them for opening his sarcophagus, which was a weird thought because normally anyone who was buried in their sarcophagus would not like to be disturbed once dead, but this wasn’t a very normal situation so Ahkmenrah guessed that it had some leeway. 

It was then that he noticed he was kind of just sitting in his sarcophagus. In his rush to allow his face to be free he hadn’t even tried to stand up and move. Now was as good a time has ever though, so grabbing the side of his sarcophagus he hoisted himself up until he could reach one leg over the side, letting his foot touch the cold, dark marble flooring. He then lifted his other leg up and stepped out of his sarcophagus for the first time in 54 years.

He couldn’t believe he was touching the ground. He could move freely around the room and have zero hindrance to stop him now that he was out of his strict holdings. It was then that he noticed how heavy his shoulders seemed to be. Looking down at himself for the first time in years he noticed a slight shine coming from underneath the bandages that he had been wrapped in. He had been wrapped in the daytime meaning he had no clue what the scientists had done, but it seemed that they had wrapped him in his clothing he had adorned. 

He was both relieved and slightly angry at them. Relieved that he didn’t have to worry about finding clothing and that he could simply strip himself of his bandages and be ready for the night. Angry that they had weirdly bunched his clothing in places to wrap him. Was that why he felt so awkward in his laying position?

After years spent in the same position he had gotten used to the weird lumps that were along his body, he didn’t even acknowledge them until now. He felt the urge to rip of the rest of his bandages very quickly, uncaring if he ripped them or they were unwearable by the end. He didn’t plan on putting them back on at the end of the night when daybreak hit anyway. Before he could get to ripping them off however, his attention was drawn back to the two standing in his exhibit, which then led him to looking at the back wall of his exhibit.

On the back wall there were engravings of a very familiar tablet, but not the tablet itself. Which didn’t make any sense at all considering the museum needed that tablet for them all to come to life. Ahkmenrah’s brows furrowed in confusion, turning back to the two in the corner still slightly leaning back against the pillar, he asks the question that he can only assume is the most important in the moment. 

“Where is the tablet?”

The looks he gets from the two shows both guiltiness and hopefulness, that only confused Ahkmenrah more and his clothing was really making him uncomfortable. He could feel his emotions rising slightly, panic was starting to set in, making his heart beat double the normal amount and his breathing became elevated. 

“What’s happening out there?” 

“About that…” An awkward pause filled the silence between them before Larry took a breath and explained about a robbery happening and needing Ahkmenrah’s help and then some more about the robbery happening. The words came out rushed and slightly slurred which made it slightly hard to comprehend. Why are there so many accents in the world? Either way Ahkmenrah comprehended enough to understand that they needed to hurry and try and fix the damages that the men who were robbing the place (the old night guards Ahkmenrah believed) had either already done or were planning to do. 

Ahkmenrah really didn’t have an option, so he asked for a moment to strip off the rest of the bandages which he was granted, he did it hastily, trying to not acknowledge the weird wrinkles in the fabric of his clothing. He really should be grateful that he was wrapped with his clothes on because if he hadn’t that would have made this interaction simply more upsetting in the end. 

By the time he was done Larry had apparently decided that Ahkmenrah was decent enough to trust because he was no longer pressed to the stone column and his son, Nick, was no longer hiding behind him. Instead, he was standing next to him watching Ahkmenrah like only a young kid that found something fascinating would. It was then that Ahkmenrah realized a slight issue that all three of them would have in activating this weird half formed plan.

“How will we leave? The door is locked.” Ahkmenrah stated horrified. He was let out one night and his own exhibit was already becoming problematic. The gods really did throw him through a loop by giving him eternal life.

All three sat in an awkward silence once more unsure of the next step that they could take.

“Um, could you command your giant statue guys to throw that rock at the gate?” Nick proposed. Looking towards a giant rock that was placed in the corner of his exhibit. There was a plaque next to it explaining its importance but that could be read later. Ahkmenrah thought for a second, looking between the rock, the jackals, and the gate beyond them. He then nodded his head, turning back to Nick.

“That might just work.” Ahkmenrah agreed, his eyes lighting up with hope again, so maybe they weren’t completely stuck here. Ahkmenrah gestured to Larry to follow him towards the stone. “We’ll have to shove it over, but I think it’ll be in their reach after it’s on the ground.”

The night guard nodded in response and him and Ahkmenrah started pushing the giant slab of rock over. Once it got shoved hard enough, gravity did the rest of the work, making the stone crash with a large boom, amplified by the small capacity of the room. And just like how Ahkmenrah predicted the jackals were just able to reach and drag it out of the opening.

“Throw it, as hard as you can. Make the gate crumble.” Ahkmenrah commanded them, which they gladly did. They broke the gate in a single large crash that had smoke and small chunks of rock laying on the ground with the gate. Saying a hurried ‘thanks’ in Ancient Egyptian Ahkmenrah, Nick, and Larry had all left his exhibit in a rush, eager to get to the noise that had escalated when the noise of the crash dulled out.

Ahkmenrah didn’t know where he was going, he had no clue why he was leading this little running party through the museum. He simply kept hustling towards the noise that kept growing with every turn he took closer to it. And after one turn he was led to a balcony that overlooked the museum. At this he slowed down, the commotion was from whatever the exhibits were doing down there, which seemed a lot like fighting. But who was Ahkmenrah to know, he had never seen any of them, this could be a normal occurrence. 

Larry and Nick quickly caught up to him once he was stationary watching over the crowd. Everything seemed to pause for him; this was the first time he had seen anything so vibrant in 54 years. He was kind of displeased that he couldn’t stop and admire the colors, but he knew that the robbery was more of a pressing matter than his own desires, so he had kept quiet about it.

A loud yell took him out of his admiration pause that he had taken. The yell was weirdly familiar and had Ahkmenrah snapping his head up to see wild men dressed in heavy armor and fur pointing at Larry. Then as if something had snapped, the wild men and Larry had started running at each other, leaving Ahkmenrah and Nick alone. With a shared glance between each other Ahkmenrah and Nick started running after Larry, Ahkmenrah slowed his pace to keep with Nick not wanting to ditch the kid behind like his father had.

By the time that he and Nick had reached where Larry and the men had met, they were both just screaming at each other. They weren’t even screaming words, they were just screaming, and Ahkmenrah had never been more confused about what to do in a social interaction before. How do you break up a screaming match that’s just sound?

Ahkmenrah was about to step in and try to do something (he didn't know what, maybe start screaming as well, he sure felt like screaming) when both started shouting in a language that Ahkmenrah understood, well the Hun did at least. Larry was just kind of yelling gibberish at him that translated very roughly to probably something offensive, if the expression on the Hun’s face was anything to go by. 

“Guardian,” Ahkmenrah urged, suddenly not only was Larry’s attention on him but also the Huns who looked very pissed, Ahkmenrah couldn’t tell if they were mad at him or not but he had no problem guessing that they would most likely hurt him if he said the wrong thing. “I know Hun, if you need assistance.”

Larry looked at him unsure if Ahkmenrah was joking or not, Ahkmenrah couldn’t really blame him. Not many had the skill to pick a language that they had never once actually studied and be conversational in it. But the Hun didn’t question his credentials and started going off on Larry again. 

“He said he wants to tear you apart.” Ahkmenrah scratched the back of his knuckle while directing the words at Larry. What happened next was a weird thing that Ahkmenrah couldn’t even really explain. Larry had said something which caused the Hun to say something, and now they’re hugging, is this normal? Because Ahkmenrah doesn’t think he’s ever going to get used to this. Luckily, Nick doesn’t seem to understand it much either, then again, the kid’s 10 and doesn’t understand Hun so Ahkmenrah guesses the kid has some leeway for confusion. 

Either way whatever was happening between Larry and the Hun seemed to calm down the situation. How they had gone from screaming at each other to hugging it out was confusing but Ahkmenrah supposes that might be due to himself not knowing very much about what was happening away from his exhibit over the past couple nights, so he decided to just accept it. Apparently, so did Nick because the boy didn’t seem to question anything either. 

What has Ahkmenrah missed over the years?

Once that ordeal was over with, Larry moved to the balcony railing overlooking the chaos that the other exhibits were reeking below, the Huns moved forward joining him forming a weird line up along the railing. 

“I need everybody to listen up!” Larry hollered but his voice was lost to the noise from below. Even though the noise wasn’t directed at Ahkmenrah (it was directed in the opposite direction in fact) he couldn’t help the small tremor that went through his body. Kahmunrah yelling at him, the noise of war, the party that he got poisoned at, the loud chatter of rude students, of the machines doing testing, of his screams and hands pounding against his sarcophagus. 

Instinctually, he backed away from the sound until he felt the wall behind him. He knew logically that Larry wouldn’t hurt him, it just wouldn’t make sense for him to do so. That didn’t stop Ahkmenrah’s heart from beating twice as fast as before. Neither Larry nor the Huns noticed Ahkmenrah’s apprehension, Nick did, he was looking back at him with confusion written over his face. 

Ahkmenrah couldn’t really blame him. If he hadn’t been put through the years of experience, then he would probably be confused too. He smiled at the boy kindly, waving his hands in front of him slightly hoping to convey the message that he was fine which the boy accepted moving forward to stand on the opposite side of his father. 

Larry had attempted to get the exhibits attention again but had once more failed. That was when a piercing yell sounded from a hallway that was attached to the main entrance. Ahkmenrah fully jumped at the noise, it was so loud and all encompassing, at least Ahkmenrah wasn’t alone in his reaction to the shout. The other exhibits had all frozen in place, some of the more skittish animals had left, darting through one of the many hallways that were connected to the central lobby. 

Once the museum had fallen quiet the giant voice had said ‘My dum-dum wants to speak’. Which was apparently referencing Larry because he muttered a ‘thank you’ and then all the other exhibits looked up at him. What is happening right now?

Ahkmenrah hadn’t noticed but while the giant unembodied voice was yelling what he believed to be ‘quiet’ he had slowly crept forward towards the balcony, most likely trying to get a look at what exhibit had such a booming voice (he was never good at concealing his curiosity). When Ahkmenrah came back to himself he found himself standing behind Nick, looking over the edge of the balcony railing, suddenly very aware of all the eyes that were pointed in his direction. 

At first all the exhibits looked at Ahkmenrah with confusion, they had never seen him before, the only thing that they might recognize is his voice, but even they would only recognize it if he were to shout. But all of that sweet anonymous glory lasted only a couple seconds before Larry’s first sentence chose to leave his mouth. 

“Now this here is King Ahkmenrah,” The immediate reaction was that confused silence which Ahkmenrah supposed was better than panicked screams so he counted  that as a win. “His tablet is what brings you to life every night.” 

Obviously, most of the exhibits didn’t know Ahkmenrah by name because the reactions that Ahkmenrah was expecting when he was introduced came after. Many of the exhibits down below had panic gleaming in their eyes, he could see their bodies tensing, he was afraid that they would descend into chaos once more and not listen to anything that Larry had to say. Even the Huns that were standing on the opposite side of Larry had started looking at Ahkmenrah in confusion. It was clear that almost the entirety of the museum believed the stories that the old night guards had told and Ahkmenrah wasn't sure if he was ever going to be able to make them think otherwise. 

Thankfully, even though the couple seconds of acknowledgement seemed like a new type of torture the attention was swiftly moved onto Larry who had started up some type of speech on fighting against the old night guards and uniting has a team and a whole bunch of other things that Ahkmenrah was only half listening to because he was still getting worried glances from some of the exhibits. Specifically, Teddy. 

The man was standing on the opposite side of the balcony but his displeasure with Ahkmenrah being out of his tomb seemed palpable enough to slice with one of his daggers, and he was on the other half of the building! If Ahkmenrah had to talk with Teddy tonight, he didn’t even know how he would react to that. He could barely stand having fear aimed at him, he’d be bowing on the ground if anger was the emotion aimed. 

Whilst he was lost in his head, Larry had continued to speak to the exhibits and eventually Teddy’s gaze had left Ahkmenrah returning to Larry. The amount of tension that left Ahkmenrah’s body was as palpable as the earlier tension, his shoulders sunk and he finally managed to raise his head high enough to see over the railing.

The exhibits had started forming clusters and running down the hallways connected to the main lobby, and before Ahkmenrah knew it he was being tugged along with Larry and Nick as they went back the way they had come from. This time Ahkmenrah took a chance to look around the hallways, most of the walls had photographs hung with captions underneath them (Ahkmenrah would have to go and read those later) but some were blank, just a yellowy brick color. Before long they had run into a big room that had numerous elevated platforms with different items laid on them. Some of the platforms stood empty which made it clear where some of the exhibits stood in the day. On the far wall was a glass container that housed three people. The two men were arguing but the woman was looking out towards the group that had just entered. She placed her hand on the glass as if reaching out to touch but being unable to because of the glass. 

Larry picked up a round black ball from the ground and shouted a warning before tossing it straight at the glass. As expected, the glass broke and came down in tiny sharp pieces, Ahkmenrah reached for Nick who had been standing in front of him and pulled him backwards by the arm, not wanting the kid to get impaled by any loose piece of glass. Thankfully, most of it stayed in piles near the original place the wall had been built, although there were some shiny places on the floor Ahkmenrah would try to avoid stepping near. Sandals didn’t provide much protection from glass, and Ahkmenrah did not feel like dealing with injuries at the moment. 

It was then that he noticed his grip on Nick and quickly released him, looking back at the boy to make sure that he hadn't gotten a random shard embedded in his skin. Nick seemed shocked, but after a once over Ahkmenrah deemed him as fine and passed it off as surprise of the noise. He, himself, was surprised that he had even thought to grab the kid. Apparently whatever protective instincts he had ran deeper than his fear of loud noises, because he hadn’t even flinched, he had simply grabbed Nick in hope of keeping the boy out of harm's way. Wasn’t it peculiar how instincts worked? You could know someone your whole life and still not protect them in a dangerous moment, yet you can also know someone for 10 minutes and drag them away from unsafe things. Ahkmenrah supposed it had to do with Nick being a kid, kids were always easier to protect. 

Either way, by now the small group was rushing out of the room and down the stairs, this time they had another person in their party. Ahkmenrah believed her name was Sacajawea, he honestly wasn’t sure though, so much was happening tonight and Ahkmenrah was quickly becoming overwhelmed. It was honestly amazing he hadn’t yet broken down from the overwhelming sense of rushing through everything so quickly. Ahkmenrah had always thought that when he was let free for the first time, he would be able to appreciate everything and take his time. Yet here he was rushing from place to place barely stopping to look at anything, then again a robbery was currently happening and Ahkmenrah assumed that that took precedence over his own feelings. 

They continued to run through hall after hall, and ended up in a large gray room with a huge open door that led outside. The first thing Ahkmenrah registered was the chill that swept through his bones as the group went outside. He knew that the white layer of powder on the floor was called snow, he’d seen it before at Cambridge, and he knew that surrounding nations had it back in Egypt, but never once had he touched it. 

It was very cold, and almost instantly melted against Ahkemnrah’s feet. He didn’t mind it, if anything he gladly accepted the new feeling, it reminded him that he wasn’t simply dreaming, and it reminded him that he was still human albeit an immortal version of one. Ahkmenrah was so caught up in the new sensation that he didn’t comprehend what was happening in front of him until loud pounding footsteps were barreling towards where he stood. 

In a blur, a carriage with four beautiful black haired horses ran by at full speed, Ahkmenrah’s eyes widened has he realized their trajectory would lead them to plowing Sacajawea over, before Ahkmenrah could even think to move, Sacajawea was being taken to the ground, just out of reach of both the horses deadly hooves and the fast paced carriage wheels. Ahkmenrah knew that he wouldn’t have been able to save her even if he’d tried, he was too far away and that would only put them both in danger if he were to move (and unlike Sacajawea who could be repaired with wax, because Ahkmenrah had at least noticed that about her, he would be a pile of blood and guts that would be unrepairable). 

On the ground with her was Teddy, at least half of Teddy was with her. It didn’t take a genius to know that he had gotten run over by the powerful wheels and now lay in two pieces. Ahkmenrah felt conflicted over what he should be feeling for Teddy. It was valiant of him to sacrifice himself for Sacajawea (even if he could be repaired) but at the same time it felt weirdly equivalent for Teddy to be forced to stay in the same position unable to move on his own (even if it’s going to be for a lesser time than 54 years). 

Ahkmenrah didn’t have the time to ponder it very much before feeling the signature tug towards the tablet. Ever since it was made the tablet had a specific tug that Ahkmenrah felt towards it. Even when he was still alive, every once in a while, mostly on the full moon, Ahkmenrah would feel the need to sit before it and be close with it. On multiple occasions Ahkmenrah’s parents had found him sitting in front of it, almost in a trance-like state. His parents found it a symbol for his devotion to the gods and the goods that he was blessed with, Ahkmenrah now knows that it was most likely due to the tablet’s magical abilities. 

“He’s got my tablet.” Ahkmenrah finally spoke up, all the people in front of him besides Nick who seemingly refused to leave the Pharoah’s side after he pulled him away from the glass, looked back at him. 

It almost seemed like they either forgot he existed or forgot what the original goal was. Either way, Ahkmenrah’s words brought them back into action and just in time for two small miniatures to show up in a small car. Loud, pounding footsteps could be heard travelling after the car, Larry and the miniatures were having a conversation but Ahkmenrah was too distracted by the skeleton of a giant creature to listen. 

This thing was huge, way bigger than any animal Ahkmenrah had ever seen in Egypt. At Cambridge he’d heard a few words about these ginormous creatures, he believed they were called dinosaurs, but he had never seen an actually life sized model of one, and all the talk at Cambridge couldn’t have prepared him for the sheer size of the dinosaur. Not only was the thing huge but its teeth were pointed and could most certainly cut and tear through meat with ease, it reminded Ahkmenrah of the crocodiles in Egypt. He had no doubt that one bite from this thing would very easily be the death of him (again) and immediately treated the thing with apprehension. 

Larry seemed to have the opposite reaction and was overjoyed to see the thing. Apparently the thing was dubbed ‘Rexy’ and male. The next thing Ahkmenrah knew was that himself, Nick, Larry, and the Huns, plus the dinosaur and miniature car were heading towards the direction that the old night guard had left in. It was then that Larry let known the wondrous plan he had formed upon seeing the dinosaur.

“So, what’s gonna happen is that, I’m gonna ride in on Texas,” he paused and turned towards the Huns. “You guys are gonna follow me, and you guys are gonna ride on the opposite side of the path on Rexy. That should corner him if he went into the park.” 

Ahkmenrah’s heart rate leaped up again (honestly he thought he might have a heart attack by the end of the night) why must he ride on the thing that could rival a crocodile? Not only himself but the kid as well, did Larry not care for his son’s safety at all. His expression must have shown his concern (probably bewilderment too) because Larry laughed lightly at him, and normally Ahkmenrah would take offense at someone laughing at him but honestly this was so absurd that he didn’t care. 

“You’ll be fine, Rexy is a gentle giant.” Larry explained, reaching out to pet the beast who happily leaned down and wagged his boney tail. 

Ahkmenrah hummed, still unsure whether or not he actually trusted the beast. Sure, it hadn’t attacked anyone yet, but, looks could be deceiving and Ahkmenrah wasn’t about to blindly trust something that could kill and most likely had killed in its actual life. 

As if sensing Ahkmenrah’s displeasure with the creature, it turned towards him and nudged him lightly with his snout. The beast didn’t open its jaws, it just stood and stared at him with empty eye sockets. Hesitantly, Ahkmenrah reached to pet the beast and felt its cold snout. It felt smooth along the top with some small divots of rougher bone underneath. The beast happily leaned into Ahkmenrah’s touch, its tail wagging lightly behind him, almost as if the beast was afraid to use any sudden movements. 

“See, he likes you already,” Larry insisted.”Now it’s best you guys get on him.” 

“Won’t we fall through?” Nick looked to all of us waiting for an answer. 

“Not if you use this rug.” Larry retorted, grabbing a decent sized rug that was placed against the building. 

‘How lucky we are that there is a convenient rug right when we need to ride on top of a dinosaur.’ Ahkmenrah thought sarcastically. 

Rexy bent down and allowed for the rug to be placed on top of him, Ahkmenrah stared at the dinosaur once more, this creature could end his life but at the same time he wasn’t about to let the kid get on first. So, he hauled himself up until he was sitting on top of the dinosaur, it wasn’t the comfiest spot he’s ever sat on but it wasn’t the worst one either. Larry helped Nick get up until the boy sat in front of Ahkmenrah on top of Rexy. The dinosaur then started to stand up and Ahkmenrah was taken aback by the pure height at which they stood. He could see so much from sitting atop Rexy, more than he would ever have imagined seeing from the ground.

“Follow us to the park!” Larry yelled from down below, Ahkmenrah nodded whilst Nick gave a thumbs up to his father, obviously much more comfortable on top of the dinosaur then Ahkmenrah was. They waited until Larry and the Huns were a decent pace away for Rexy to start moving. The first couple steps were big and booming and very much so jostling for the two on top of Rexy. Ahkmenrah grabbed onto the pair of bones that was in front of him through the carpet, not only stabilizing himself but also caging Nick so as to make sure the kid didn’t fall off. 

Once they got into the park, Larry directed them down a separate path adjacent to the one that he and the Huns were taking. It was then that Rexy started to actually run down the path, which caused the two on top to be beyond jostled. Ahkmenrah was reminded of the time that he rode a donkey back in Egypt. It wasn’t common to ride one but Ahkmenrah got to when he was about the boy’s age and riding on the giant dinosaur reminded him of that fond memory. 

Ahkmenrah couldn’t help the smile that took over his face once the memory resurfaced suddenly riding on the dinosaur didn’t seem the worst when he thought back on his family in Egypt. Nick must have been having the time of his life too, as he had a similar smile on his face and what kid could brag about riding on the back of a dinosaur. 

A rumbling that wasn’t Rexy dragged Ahkmenrah’s attention back to the path they were romping along, in front of them was the stage coach with his tablet in it. Ahkmenrah knew the man in the carriage deserved to be run over by a dinosaur, what with all the bad the man had done to Ahkmenrah, he was ready to let the man perish. But the horses that led the coach didn't deserve to die, they were only doing a job that was forced upon them, they didn’t know who they were helping. 

So, Ahkmenrah pulled lightly at Rexy’s ribs that he held in his hands and the dinosaur seemed to understand the meaning and slowed down slightly. Ahkmenrah then pulled slightly to the side hoping that the beast would turn so the horses weren’t collateral damage if a crash happened. Whether the beast was following Ahkmenrah’s version of instructions or the small motor car in front of them Ahkmenrah didn’t know, but he was filled with relief when Rexy romped right on by the stage coach without hitting any of the horses. 

Rexy came to a sudden stop at a snowbank that would have sent both Nick and Ahkmenrah over his head if Ahkmenrah hadn’t had an iron grip on one of Rexy’s ribs and moved to grab the kid by the middle. Ahkmenrah was seriously going to have a heart attack by the end of the night. Thankfully, Rexy lowered himself to the ground and allowed for Ahkmenrah and Nick to get off easily, seemingly searching for something in the snow. 

Ahkmenrah looked towards where the Huns and Larry had been and found the Huns walking towards the path that Larry had just gone down on Texas. Without a thought Ahkmenrah started following where the Huns were going, Nick followed walking slightly behind Ahkmenrah. By the time that Ahkmenrah and Nick had caught up with the Huns, Larry had come back with the old night guard and the tablet. 

“Tell Atilla to have his boys take him back to the museum, put him with the rest of the guards.” Larry instructed Ahkmenrah. If he were being honest Ahkmenrah was more focused on the tablet that Larry held in his hand. The tug that Ahkmenrah had almost forgotten about came back full force and was eager to be fed. He had to stop himself from taking the tablet with brute force to help relieve the urge to hold the tablet close in safe arms. 

“Take him back and tie him with the other thieves.”  Ahkmenrah passed the message through and the Huns quickly agreed before the main man, who was Atilla, looked back towards Larry.

“And no limb ripping.” Larry added after Atilla looked back at him, apparently that was a needed warning, Ahkmenrah could feel the confusion becoming evident again. He had been swept into the fray and had forgotten about his confusion and want to see the world but now it came back with a hungry vengeance and Ahkmenrah could very easily see himself slipping away into dissociation if he didn’t try and focus on what was happening in the moment.

“Why can’t we rip him to shreds? He came into our home to steal.” Attila retorted back.

“No, no, no, no-” Larry began but was quickly interrupted by Atilla again.

“Just a small amount of limb ripping.” 

“A small amount.” Larry spoke with a very thick accent in Hun, but it didn’t seem to matter because the Huns got the message and carried the old night guard away happily. Of course, the old night guard had tried to fight but nothing he did could beat the Huns strength as they headed away towards the museum.

“Oh, boy-”

“What is it?” Ahkmenrah asked. To him Larry should have been happy, the night guards were taken care off and they had the tablet, if anything, everything seemed to be in their favor right now. 

“I gotta get you guys back to the museum.” 

Ahkmenrah could now see the issue. He had been so caught up in the happiness and laughter of the Huns that he had forgotten about the rest of the museum running loose through the city. He gave a thoughtful hum but before Ahkmenrah could offer any advice Larry had already turned to him. 

“Ahkmenrah, I’m gonna need your help. This is your tablet. You know the instructions. I need you to get everyone back.” Larry was dead serious as he handed Ahkmenrah the tablet and the only thing going through Ahkmenrah’s head was the fact that he didn’t know if he really could call everyone back. He didn’t know the secrets of the tablet, his father had never told him. But, Ahkmenrah wasn’t about to start debriefing his life with a man he just met so he’d have to try something.

“Recall all those under your command where you shall be.” 

Ahkmenrah had no way of knowing that it would work but the tablet had glowed a bright gold light so Ahkmenrah would assume the best for right now, that would however mean that he had to get the tablet to the museum very quickly. The command wouldn’t stop until hopefully every exhibit was in the museum, but it wouldn’t be very efficient if the tablet wasn’t in the museum at all. 

“We need to go back to the museum.” Ahkmenrah urged the two, looking back in the direction that he had come from. He didn’t know where he was in the park, he’d never been out here after all and he wasn’t about to get lost when the exhibits would be coming towards wherever he was. Thankfully, Larry took the lead and started walking down a path, Ahkmenrah and Nick were close to follow behind him. It wasn’t long until they reached the museum, they weren’t very far away from it to begin with but Ahkmenrah hadn’t been paying  the most attention, he had been more focused on not falling off the dinosaur. 

When they got to the doors of the museum, Larry and Nick had no hesitation when walking into the spinning door, Ahkmenrah on the other hand had some apprehension. He’d never seen a door spin, not even at Cambridge did they have spinning doors. Before Nick or Larry had realized Ahkmenrah had stopped they had already passed through the door and were in the museum. It was then that Nick looked back and saw Ahkmenrah standing on the other side, holding the tablet close to himself. A smile came across the boy’s face before he came back outside to Ahkmenrah.

“Have you ever been in a revolving door?” Nick asked so innocently that Ahkmenrah couldn’t bear to lie to the kid, so he shook his head. “It’s really not that bad, come on.” 

Nick had grabbed onto one of Ahkmenrah’s hands and had pulled him forward slightly. Ahkmenrah had no reason to believe the kid would lie to him about anything, let alone a door so he went without resistance. It was only a matter of seconds before they exited into the museum but Ahkmenrah’s astonishment with the door lasted for the rest of the evening. Even while he was helping Larry check in the other exhibits the spinning of the door caught his eye. It was such an efficient thing that really spoke of the time that Ahkmenrah had been trapped away in the sarcophagus. 

By the time every exhibit had been accounted for, there was only about an hour until the sun had to rise. Larry had become busy with a newly waxed Teddy and Ahkmenrah had no desire to speak with Teddy yet, so he had left through one of the many doorways that lead into the deeper parts of the museum and had begun to inspect the different exhibits that were still telling the tales of the things that had gone down that night. 

Not many noticed him as he went through hallway after hallway, he was quiet on his feet, something he had learned since his early childhood in Egypt. The few who did notice him either gave him a curt nod or blatantly stared. He expected at least some hesitation from the exhibits, they didn’t know him after all but he was happy to respond back with his own nod, no matter the way they reacted to seeing him walking the halls. 

It wasn’t until Ahkmenrah was examining his own exhibit that Larry came to see him.

“Hey, thanks for your help today, dude.” Larry had seemed tired and Ahkmenrah didn’t blame the night guard at all. “You do have to put the tablet back and get in your sarcophagus though.” 

Ahkmenrah could feel his skin prickling with that uncontrollable panic once more, it felt like he had just gotten free, yet here he was being forced back into his own golden cage. Larry could tell he was getting defensive because his whole body had become rigid and his peaceful expression had gone sour. 

“Listen, I’ll make sure you get out tomorrow,” Larry had continued. “But right now, the sun’s gonna rise in fifteen minutes.” 

Ahkmenrah knew that logically, he had to get in the sarcophagus. Larry wasn’t trying to be mean on purpose or cause Ahkmenrah to feel uncomfortable. This was simply his reality and Ahkmenrah knew it, that didn’t stop the unwelcomed feelings from rising like a tsunami inside of him. 

“I’ll stay with you until the sun rises if that helps,” Larry added, he really was trying to make it easy on Ahkmenrah. “I don’t think they’ll be checking your sarcophagus in the morning so if you really wanted you could forgo the bandages.” 

Ahkmenrah’s body became slightly less tense, without the bandages it would be less suffocating in the small space. Hesitantly, Ahkmenrah approached the place where the tablet was meant to lay, he took a deep breath and put the tablet back in its place. That was the easy part. Next, he turned towards his sarcophagus, he had already taken his crown off and put it back in the glass cabinet it had been held in, so all that was left was putting himself in. 

“I’ll make sure you're let out tomorrow,” Ahkmenrah had almost forgotten that Larry was even there. “You’ll be the first one unlocked.” 

Ahkmenrah nodded, he truly did appreciate what Larry was doing for him. That didn’t make the next step any easier. With a sigh that came from Ahkmenrah’s soul he lifted himself up and laid himself in the sarcophagus. He tried to even out his breathing, the stiffening of his flesh had already started happening, he knew the sun was right around the corner. Larry had come around and picked up the lid of the sarcophagus, he balanced it on the edge of the base, not even halfway across Ahkmenrah’s body. 

“You alright?” 

“No, but that won’t stop the sun.” 

So, Ahkmenrah took the lid and brought it so it covered him fully, concealing him from the bright world of colors outside and returning him to the dull blackness that he had spent so many years with. There wasn’t even a minute of waiting before Ahkmenrah’s world went black for his daytime slumber and he’d be forever grateful for Larry’s choices that he had made that night.