The Mummy growled, took hold of Zarah's hand, and threw her into the coffin behind it. Then, it aptly closed the door with a kick, and a second later, the coffin vanished into the wall, seemingly devoured by bricks.
Satisfied, he turned around and his gaze came to rest on Zainah.
"The mark of the crimson flower," the Mummy said, filled with surprise. "Who are you?"
Struggling to move but incapable of doing that, Zainah screamed, "What did you do to me, you freak?! Let go of me. Where is Zarah?!"
The Mummy blinked and turned to look at the wall behind him. The coffin had vanished, and the wall had long since realigned itself. Obviously, the little girl he had kicked into the coffin was the person named Zarah.
Oops, didn't know she was related to a family member, he thought. Now, this is troublesome. Right after I woke up at that.
Soon, the crimson flower markings over Zainah grew dim then vanished, and she regained her mobility. Filled with panic, she ran up to the wall and groped around. She kicked, punched. But soon enough, she started losing hope.
"No, no, no, no, no…" She slammed into the wall. "Open, you have to be in there."
Touching the wall himself, the Mummy asked joyously, "Do you think she is alive?"
Zainah turned around stiffly and stared at it dead in the eye.
"Hello," he said.
"..."
"She must be alive, right?"
"I'll kill you!"
Growl!
Suddenly, multiple growls echoed from their sides and Zainah turned around with half fright and some baseless hope. Was it Zarah? Was she back?
They were just mummies, more than one, and she felt her whole body turn cold.
Maybe, just maybe, Zarah had…
Died.
"Look at that, because of your noise, we attracted more mummies," the Mummy looked at the mummies and said with a sigh.
She looked at the wall, silent.
The Mummy stood up and extended a hand at her. "My name is Sett, what is yours?"
She looked at the wall, silent.
With a swift pivot, Sett, the mummy, moved, and she suddenly found herself weightless—a hand cradled the back of her waist. Before she knew it, she was in a fucking mummy's embrace, looking up at its hideous face, rotten and disfigured.
It smiled.
It smiled!
"That girl might not be dead, you know?" Sett said. "I am pretty sure she is still alive. But you don't seem to know she is still alive, so she doesn't seem to be another crimson-marked family—you guys are supposed to be capable of sensing each other. That's for sure, now."
Zainah felt her heart pump. So he hadn't been making fun of her when he asked that joke of a question regarding Zarah's life and death. He was truly wondering whether she knew something. The crimson mark, yes, it appeared when the Mummy appeared.
What was crimson marked? What family was it talking about? What sensing each other?
All those thoughts vanished from her mind.
So Zarah is still alive, and maybe this mummy can help me save Zarah from the wall, too? She is not dead. She is not dead. Not dead. Not dead.
Maybe this mummy might even save them from this Tomb itself!
Yes, good mummies also exist in this world, she just hadn't heard of it before.
Suddenly, the mummy put a hand against her bountiful chest and her face changed. He simply tore off her chest cloth. Then, he also tore off her waist cloth, revealing her smooth skin and feminine sacredness to its eyes.
She froze, stuck in its strong inhuman hold.
No, No, No!
Sett dropped her on the floor and took the matchbox, lit it normally like anyone would, lit her clothes on fire, and threw it at the oncoming mummies. Then, he moved back, scooped her up in a princess carry, and ran away from the spot.
She started. "Zarah is still there!"
"Of course not, dumb woman. She had been eaten by the Tomb, by now, she is probably way deep in the tomb already."
"W… What?!"
"Now, now, don't scream again and again. It's irritating, alright, and more mummies will come," he said, hands rubbing against her bare back as he ran. Soon, they turned a corner and he came to a halt. "Can't go further without confirming there are no traps."
For a spell, they were both silent.
"Who are you?" she asked, seething. "Why did you do that to my sister?"
"Like…" Sett said. "Isn't that a really dumb question to ask a mummy? I do whatever that comes to mind!"
"You are no mummy, mummies don't speak!"
Sett looked into her eyes, smiled. "When a mummy comes out of a wall-hidden coffin, the coffin always gains a life of its own and soon after, it will try to get the mummy back. If I hadn't pushed your sister inside it, it would have come to eat me instead. I thought she was some random little girl, didn't think she was family of family."
"The coffin that Zarah is in is alive?" Zainah began breathing heavily.
Sett looked around, somewhat curious, then turned back to look at her. "If I knew your identity before I kicked her in there, I would still do what I did but I would have hesitated."
"My… identity?"
For once, the Mummy grew serious. "You are family. You froze up when you saw me and the crimson flower marking also appeared on you, so obviously, y—"
She interrupted him, looking anxious. "Can Zarah still be saved?"
"Of course. I wouldn't have bothered if it was some stranger, but because she is important to you…" he changed his mind halfway into his words. "I will save her if you promise to kiss me."
Zainah looked at the face she found so revolting, overwhelmed by disgust. For a second, she was reminded of her fantasies. One day, a prince charming would come, she would fall in love, and he would save her from her sad life, he would transform her into a princess.
Those were mere dreams. A bleak reality filled her as she faced the mummy, but a second later, she nodded. "As long as you save her, I will do anything."
Amused, Sett dropped her on the floor. "Don't worry, this look won't last long. Hopefully. Now, let's sit down somewhere and sort our minds out before we do anything else."
"No, let's go save her first!"
He sat down right where he was and closed his eyes, pressing his palms together. "Rest your mind. Our only advantage against a monster in the Tomb is our minds, if you fail in that, too, you will die here. Calm down, anger clouds judgment."
After a second's hesitation, she sat down, too.
"Do you have tea?" he asked.
She felt a nerve breaking on her forehead.
He coughed. "Joking, I am joking. You know, to lighten the atmosphere."
"..."
"Tell me your name, woman," he said, looking emotional for a mummy.
"Zainah," she replied.
Sett looked at her and sighed. "I thought so, you are indeed Zainah."
She couldn't help but be confused.