Your shoulders slump and you hang your head. You don’t want to walk inside. You want to scream out how unfair this is. You want to stamp your feet like a child having a tantrum, until Anubis gives in and tells you he’ll find a way to keep Martin and Paul alive. Or at least bring them back to life after the curse is lifted.

But something tells you that even throwing a tantrum of such huge proportions won’t do anything. Anubis is thousands of years old, after all. He’s probably dealt with those kinds of demands so many times before.

Maybe you can bargain with him before handing out whatever object he’s asked you to bring him.

Taking a deep breath, you duck into the cave.

The air is damp and you shiver, feeling chilled. The clothing you wear is thin, so it doesn’t take long before the cold and damp seeps into you entirely. And no sound carries to you from the outside. Inside, the only noise that reaches your ears is your own breathing.

Until running footsteps echo behind you. They cause you to shift and half-turn.

A slightly figure slightly shorter than you barrels into you, wrapping his arms around your waist. You stare at Paul’s blond head, feeling numb. “Paul.” His name on your lips comes out in a voice hoarse with emotion. You wrap your arms tightly around him. “What are you doing here?”

“I hid in the backseat when you drove away from home,” Paul admits quietly. “I drove here when you got in the car with Anubis and the doctor.”

You swallow hard. “Then you know everything?” Your voice comes out uncertain. Heartbroken. Your embrace tightens around him. How can you give him up? How can you give this up? “I don’t want to lose you.” Tears fill your eyes and, in spite of your best efforts, they trickle out and fall down your cheeks.

“I don’t want to lose you either.” Paul leans back to look into your eyes. Now that your vision’s adjusted to the darkness, you can make out the tear tracks on his own cheeks. He draws in a deep breath and whispers, “I saw Martin. He didn’t…he didn’t recognise me. So I sneaked out. But I can feel it. Pulling at me. If I’m gonna turn, I’d rather be dead for good than never know you or what you mean to me again.”

You stare at him and then you lean forward. He comes to meet you and your lips meet in a hard, desperate kiss. You can taste the salt of mingled tears on your tongue and you close your eyes, just letting yourself get lost in the kiss for a few seconds.

A few seconds is all you allow yourself before you pull back slowly, reluctantly, from the kiss. “Are you coming with me?”

“Of course.” Paul slips his hand into yours and grins at you, a flash of white teeth in the dark.

You take a deep breath and squeeze his hand, then turn and begin walking deeper into the cave, keeping hold of his hand.

It isn’t long before a light begins to form in front of you. Seconds later, you and Paul are stepping into a wide cavern.

It’s even colder now that the cave’s opened up. Water drips down your shirt, making you shiver and clutch Paul’s hand tighter. But the discomfort of the cold and damp pales in comparison to the sight that meets your gaze.

Martin is in the cave. He holds his rifle clutched in one hand and blood stains his face and clothes. You can see cuts and bruises covering his flesh. His clothes are torn and dirty. He has his back to you and appears to be looking at a plain, simple wooden box that’s resting on a raised rock. He’s muttering something under his breath, over and over, but it’s too low for you to make out.

“Martin.” Paul pulls his hand free of yours and starts forward.

Your first instinct is to pull your boyfriend back. But Anubis told you to bring him the item in the cave.