I charged through the diner and leaped over the cashier counter. I checked the kitchen, but found nobody. Meat burned on the grill and fryer boiled, spreading stream across the ceiling.

Before the kitchen completely fogged up, I switched the grill and the fryer off. I couldn't smell anything, except the burned burger and the greasy oil.

Toward the back on the left, I spotted the backdoor open. I walked through it, entering the back of the diner outside with a dumpster.

My smelling senses returned and I caught a similar smell from the museum. The smell of death!

On the ground, I gasped in horror.

Two bodies laid together with charcoal wrinkled skin, empty eye sockets, and open mouths in terror. Both of them wore Burger Queen uniforms, which helped me recognize them. One of them was Jeff, and the other was Brandy.

I kneeled and touched both their necks. No pulses, and their fleshes felt hard and hollow. Like nothing was inside of them anymore.

"Oh my god……" I rose as my body trembled.

Kevin reached me and stopped when he glanced at the bodies. "Oh my!"

I growled and glanced all over the place. But nothing was near the street or behind the dumpster. Even the strange ancient smell was gone. I couldn't track its origin.

Kevin kneeled toward the corpses to examine them. "Jeff and Brandy?"

I nodded. "They died the same way as the guard at the museum."

Kevin touched one of the bodies. "Oh man….. They feel dried up, like they were-"

"Mummified?"

Kevin nodded.

I never touched a mummy, but I seen unwrapped bodies in magazines and science history textbooks before. I could easily compare the bodies to the mummy photographs. "How could this totally happened?"

I looked around again. "I didn't hear anything else, and the smell is gone. It's like they were turned into raisins from nothing."

Kevin rose. "I better not touch more. The cops will find this crime scene too."

"Should we, like totally leave now?"

Kevin turned to me. "Are you sure you can't track anything?"

"Duh! If I could, I would totally be pounding the thing's butt now."

Kevin chuckled.

"What?"

"Oh nothing." Kevin fixed his glasses. "If it is a mummy, it could hide its senses to ambush its victims. Or it could be a spirit, haunting the streets."

I gulped. "I don't think I could totally fight ghosts."

"Or it is just a curse spreading across the town like a virus. That won't be good for anyone here."

I crossed my arms. "Well it totally knocked the sarcophagus down and broke out. It totally has to be a mummy."

"Right, a mummy that can sneak around and suck people's lives without detection. Why don't you keep on a lookout while I search for clues."

"Okay." I turned around and stepped toward the street. "We should call the police soon before someone thinks we totally committed murder here."

"First we examine the clues, and then we can call them."

"What if we can't find any clues?"

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

"That will not stop us from finding the creature." Kevin checked around the bodies and peeked behind the dumpster.

I watched him while keeping an eye out on the perimeter. Nobody else arrived the diner, so far for now.

"Hey! I found something!" Kevin shouted.

I quickly dashed toward Kevin near the dumpster. I smelled the intoxicating trash juice from it, but it didn’t stopped me from checking out what Kevin found.

He held up a piece of brown cloth. “Look at this. I found it on the fence.”

I beamed my eyes at the cloth and sniffed it. The scent widened my eyes as my mouth dropped. “Oh my god, this bandage has the same smell from the sarcophagus!”

“It’s not a bandage, but I think it came from the mummy,” Kevin explained. “It could had climbed over the fence to attack Brandy and Jeff. How surprising.”

“Surprising that a mummy was here?”

“No.” Kevin pointed his finger at me. “I’m surprise you didn’t smell the clue.”

I smiled while showing off my teeth. “Magic….. I guess.”

Kevin sighed, lowering the cloth. “You do need training, Jessica.”

I shrugged. “Should we leave that cloth here for the cops?”

Kevin glanced at it. “I think we should show it to Salina. It might help her craft her item faster.”

“But isn’t it totally illegal to take evidence from a crime scene?”

Kevin placed the cloth into his pocket. “Not if we get caught, and I didn’t touch anything else…..Except the bodies.”

I rolled my eyes. “If my dad found out about this, he will totally freak out.”

“If it makes you feel better, we don’t have to call the police.”

“Are you sure?”

“The bodies will be found sooner or later, but we should get home soon as possible.”

I nodded. “Okay.”

*****

The next day, I remembered I forgotten to finish my essay when I walked into my english class. I had two days to write it, but I wasted my time studying my quiz and worrying about the mummy. If only the teachers didn't give the students so much work, they would have time to finish them. I hoped Mr.Peel doesn't ask me for my homework.

After the bell rang, the students sat down at their desks before Mr.Peel strolled into the classroom. He was a skinny old man in a yellow business suit. Half of his head was bald with white hair around his wrinkled skull. He wore glasses over his pointy nose. With whiskers on his cheeks, he almost looked like a mouse living in a library.

He placed a book on his desk and faced us. "Good evening, everyone. If you haven't completed your essays, no worries. I decided to change the due date to next week."

Oh thank god!

Mr.Peel cleared his throat. "The reason is, we have a new student. I want to allow him to catch up with our assignments so he wouldn't feel far behind us. I present, Tyler Gaber."

When the new kid walked into the room and faced the class, my heart dropped. Tyler was incredibly handsome! Dark caramel skin, short black hair with a ponytail, and a chiseled face that seemed to be a little feminine. His eyes were incredibly slender like cat eyes, and he seemed to be a little muscular beneath his button up shirt and dark jeans.

Wow……

I couldn't stop my breath from leaving my lungs. I felt like the boy pulled me toward him. Even the other girls couldn't take their eyes off him.

Tyler smiled at the class with perfect white teeth. "Greetings."

His tone wasn't masculine, but it sounded soft and sweet with a high-pitched accent. A pretty boy type of tone that rattled my bones.

"Would you like to explain about yourself?" Mr.Peel asked.

Tyler nodded. "It will be my pleasure." He faced the class again. "My accent might sound odd to you, but I am from Egypt."

Egypt? Are all boys beautiful in Egypt? Hot damn!

"Where in Egypt?" A kid asked behind me.

"Cairo," Tyler answered. "Born and raised there in a beautiful desert. My parents worked at a hospital. They sent me here so I can have a better education."

"You're living here alone?" A girl asked.

"Yes, but my parents keep in contact with me every day. I can take care of myself." He smirked.

He must be totally lucky. If I had my own house, I would have endless sleepovers and a massive party. I could eat whatever I want from the fridge without Dad owning half the food. Just because you buy the food, doesn't mean you can keep them all to yourself and leave your daughter with nothing!

"Anything else?" Mr.Peel asked.

Tyler glanced around, still smiling. "That is all for now. I don't want to waste your class time with a long conversation."

"Thank you, Mr.Gaber. You may sit wherever you like."

"Thank you, too." As Tyler strolled through the class rows, the girls waved to him, begging him to sit with them. But he sat at the far right corner where the taller guys sat around him.

Mr.Peel sat down behind his desk. He pulled out a book from beneath his desk and opened it. "Now then, I will review the essay assignment again. If you already finished your essay, you may turn them in at the end of class."

While Mr.Peel spoke, I glanced at Tyler. The new kid took out a piece of paper and wrote on it as he listened to the English teacher.

When his catty eyes caught my eyes, I turned away. My heart jumped and goosebumps prickled down my legs.

Wow! I was totally falling for him! But did I felt like I seen him before?