Sinister Allurement

The wind whipped my hair around in the convertible that Jonathan drove. It was a nice feeling, I was on my way to spring my brother from prison. This was familiar, one might think that Rick wasn't one to get into these predicaments, however, this assumption was very untrue. Rick was one for instigating a ton of bar fights. Nothing major but sometimes he would end up in jail, it wasn't an unknown occurrence. But that had been in his youth, I expected better from him since then. It seems that I should've checked this area of town sooner, but there was so much of Cairo to cover. If I had to conclude as to why he was here, he was sold out by someone. My mind was scattered on who... Then I realized it, Beni. The little weasel, he must be behind this. Before I could get any further within my mind I heard Evy's voice ring out.

"Eris..." She asked me loudly over the wind.

"Hmm?" I hummed out.

"How did you find him here?" She asked curiosity in her tone.

"I'm not entirely sure, I kind of just wound up out here," I said as we turned onto the road leading up to the prison.

"It's like something forced me here, I can't explain it, it took me three years to figure this out. You know Rick has always been a character, but I really thought he had moved past all that." I told her. She nodded, her honey-colored hair wavering a little underneath the hat she was wearing. Jonathan nervously brought the car to a halt and stepped out of the car, walking over to Evy and I's side, and opening our doors. I gave him a small smile thanking him and walked over to the prison's entrance. The warden was immediately on scene upon noticing the three of us lurking.

"Come, come, step over the threshold" He smiled at us revealing his yellowing and missing teeth. I grimaced wondering how he could ever let it get that bad.

"Welcome to Cairo Prison, my humble home" He continued happily leading us towards nowhere in particular.

"I'm here to get my brother out of here, his name is Rick O'Connell, maybe you've heard of him," I told him while Evy and Jonathan bickered in the background.

"Ah yes, violent fellow..." He started leading me towards where I had heard Rick on the other side of the building just a few hours ago.

"What exactly is this man in prison for?" Evy shouted over me.

"For this, I did not know, but, when I heard you were coming, I asked him that myself." The warden told her.

"And what did he say?" I asked him, curious about my brother's activities for the past three years.

"He said, he was just looking for a good time." I rolled my eyes at that comment as the warden gave a hand signal to bring Rick out. Rick and the two guards around him were fighting each other. Rick did not want them touching him. When I finally saw him he looked like a ragged wild animal that had seen better days. He was thrown into the bars in front of me.

"This is—This is the man that you stole it from?" Evy muttered out, her face showing that she was taken aback by his appearance. His hair was unkempt and matted, he looked like he should have been in an insane asylum. I knew that look she was giving him. It's a look every woman gave Rick in his life. He was a fairly attractive male, he had a lot of women who would fawn after him, and this was no different.

"Yes, exactly," Jonathan muttered back to his sister. I took the opportunity to smack Jonathan's shoulder.

"You mean to tell me that you found my brother before I did and you didn't say a word??!!" I yelled at him, fury flowing through my veins. I couldn't help this when I got mad I was just like Rick. I had a temper that couldn't be controlled, it felt like I was on fire. I had been searching high and low for my brother and to think that one of my friends... Family at that had found him, I was speechless.

"Jonathan you really are a worthless piece of shit. I cannot believe you!" I said still smacking him. I knew it wasn't his fault but this was almost beyond unfair. I knew we did not look alike but pictures should have shown him otherwise. I was inconsolable.

"Ouch, Eris quit it!" Jonathan squealed out holding tightly onto his stupid explorer hat as he called it. He shook his head unhappily, recovering himself by smoothing over his suit.

"Who are you?" Rick uttered out, looking at me with his surprised eyes.

"And who's the broad?" He continued. Charming... Just charming, he could be a real piece of work when he wanted to be. I knew he was unhappy with the situation but this was no way to behave toward a woman.

"Broad??" Evy asked looking at me appalled that we were of the same bloodline. I shrugged my shoulders, he had been in here for a while. I couldn't explain the behavior.

"This is your brother??" Evy mouthed the words to me, inaudible to everyone else, I nodded slowly.

"I'm just a local sort of missionary chap spreading the good word, and all that, but this, this is my sister Evy," Jonathan said the lie easily falling off his wretched tongue. He pushed Evy towards Rick.

"How do you do?" Evy mumbled out, trying to cling to her brother for protection. But of course, Jonathan was no help.

"Yeah well, guess she's not a total loss," Rick said, I had had enough.

"Richard O'Connell!! These happen to be my friends, I know it's not the best of times for introductions but please be decent towards these people as I happen to like them, otherwise, I will leave you here, it took me three years to find you, at least this time I will know exactly where you are" I told him off trying to be a bit delicate but failing altogether. This is not how we were taught to behave, to be fair, we didn't have parents to bring us up in this world growing up in the orphanage. But the nuances of human contact are not difficult to maneuver. His attitude needed an adjustment. Rick rolled his eyes at me.

"Okay, mom." He berated me. While Evy and Jonathan had a whispered war behind me.

"Um, we have found... Hello, excuse me?" Evy said as Rick looked away from us much more interested in what the warden was yelling about further away. We would talk later. I knew he hated me yelling at him in public, this was no different.

"Rick..." I snapped at him again. This time raising my hand in front of the bars that separated us and snapped my fingers in front of his face to pay attention. He glared at me with his piercing eyes.

"We've um we've both found your puzzle box, and we've come to ask you about it." Evy continued looking between the two of us, knowing this was a normal relationship between brother and sister. I'm sure she's wanted to deck Jonathan in the face on multiple occasions.

"No." Rick blurted out immediately.

"No?" Evy asked him, upset he was dead walling her.

"You came to ask me about Hamunaptra," Rick said like the know it all he was pretending to be. Jonathan quickly shushed us all, making sure no one else would hear these words.

"How, how do you know the box pertains to Hamunaptra?" Evy asked him flabbergasted.

"Because that's where I was when I found it, I was there," Rick told her.

"But how do we know that's not a load of pig's wallow?" Jonathan asked getting uncomfortably close to Rick. I shifted my weight from foot to foot.

"You know, do I know you?" Rick asked pointing his finger at his face.

"Jonathan, I would step back..." I muttered out, something told me this was Rick playing with his food before he ate it. Jonathan glanced at me before he answered Rick.

"No, no, no, no. I've just got one of those faces." Jonathan murmured smiling briefly. Rick then violently plunged his fist through the bars that contained him, his fist landing right on Jonathan's cheek. I knew he remembered his encounter with the man. Evy unceremoniously stepped over her brother to get closer to Rick.

"You were actually at Hamunaptra?" She asked almost in a trance with Rick now. I knew he knew when women liked him, this was no different. He smiled revealing his white teeth.

"You swear?" She asked.

"Every damn day." He insisted.

"No that's not what I meant." She stammered.

"No, I know what you meant, Seti's place, City of the Dead" He waved his arms around knowing everyone assumed the place was cursed by a mummy.

"Could you tell me how to get there?" She persisted,

"I mean the exact location" She leaned towards Rick bending down to his level, placing her hat in a way to conceal her lips as if someone were to read them. She was doing this as a precaution as the warden was on the same side as I was yelling at some other cellmates. I bent down to tend to Jonathan fanning him with my hands. I then proceeded to smack him as we needed him awake if we were to get my brother out of the hell he put himself into. However, he did not wake, I gave up and left him there, we would probably need to pour water on him to get him up as he was out cold.

"Do it, lady!" Rick yelled as he was dragged away by the guards in his cell away from the bars and back into the confines of his cell.

"Where are they taking him??" I asked as I noticed what was happening as the warden was now near us.

"To be hanged, apparently he had a very good time." The warden smiled his yellow smile again. I stood up, my body shaking. Whether it be fear or adrenaline I wasn't stopping to ask questions.

"There will be no such thing." I sternly stood up to him, he cowered below me for an instant. But he stood his ground, as he was a cockroach who refused to die.

"This is my prison." He looked at me his eyebrows knitting together.

"How do you think the world would like to know that you are paid a fee of 50 pounds to take the army's deserters? Sounds like a human rights violation doesn't it Evy? No trial?" I asked bringing her knowledge into the conversation. Evy came to stand next to me. I knew the big words would probably render the warden speechless and unsure. But, he was a man, it was inevitable he would continue on his path of destruction. Though this was worth a shot.

"Oh yes, I can't imagine many people would be doing business with this prison if they knew what was actually going on here." She happily retorted with me. He wavered, glancing between us. He didn't call off his guards but he knew we were onto something.

"Come follow me." He said as he led us to another part of the prison, what I saw stopped me in my tracks, a hangman's noose. My feet willed me forwards, he led us up some stairs to a viewing area. The prisoners and guards were all chanting. He sat Evy down in a chair and I sat next to her hoping she had a better plan than I did. I watched as Rick was getting brought up the stairs to the platform.

"I will give you 100 pounds to save this man's life." Evy started with. I hope she knew that I would split this with her if she could get it done.

"Madame, I would pay 100 pounds just to see him hang." The warden blurted out.

"Two, 200 pounds." She countered.

"Proceed." The warden let the charade continue.

"300 pounds." I watched as the noose was put around his neck and he looked so fed up with the shit in this prison.

"Of course, we don't let him go." The warden told the executioner.

"500 pounds!" Evy yelled out. The warden stopped everything.

"And what else? I am a very lonely man." He put his hand on Evy's leg, she slapped it away quickly with the book in her hand. Everyone started laughing at him.

"NOO!!" I heard Evy yell and stand up, my heart stopped as I watched my brother fall through the panel he was standing on noose holding him by his neck.

"Haha! His neck did not break. Oh, I'm so sorry, now we must watch him strangle to death." The warden smiled his nasty teeth showing. I pulled my gun out from my waistband, enraged with the tiny man who held the keys to the kingdom. I walked over in front of the warden, holding the gun to his head. I was not going to sit back and watch this happen.

"He knows the location of Hamunaptra!" I blurted out this time.

"You lie." He looked enraged at me.

"I would never!" I smiled at him this time begging him to call me a liar again. Rick's sarcasm in my voice.

"Are you telling me this filthy, godless son of a pig knows where to find the City of the Dead?" He looked to Evy this time who seemed speechless, she had never seen me use a weapon. I cocked the hammer as she replied to him, the noise filling my body with joy. My fingers itching to pull the trigger and watch his brains spray along the wall behind him.

"YES!" I just about blew a gasket, I glanced at Evy asking if she wanted me to shoot him. She continued to look at the warden, giving my display of violence no mind.

"If you cut him down we will give you 10 percent" She continued looking at my brother hanging there gasping for air, he didn't have much time left.

"50 percent" He bartered.

"20," She said.

"40," He argued back. My finger moved towards the trigger from the side of the gun, wrapping around it like a snake wanting to get closer to its prey. I started to press the trigger feeling the gun react to my movements, the hammer slowly moving forwards. Evy's voice snapped me out of it.

"30," She persuaded him.

"25," He broke, he knew he had lost putting his hand on his head. Unfortunately, today was not the day to take his life. I released my finger from the trigger placing it back on the side of the gun.

"Ah, Deal" she smiled feeling victorious.

"Cut him down." He delivered the order and I put my gun back in my waistband where it couldn't be seen and stepped aside turning around. I watched my brother fall to the ground, he was worn out beyond compare. I knew I would need to get him home and cleaned up, but god. It was worth it. He looked up at us grateful. I ran down the stairs eager to see him, the wind blew in my face tousling my hair. For once, it felt like I had complete control. Everyone was all right.

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