THE VAMPIRE ALPHA

2-MUMMY

“Good morning, Ms. Stark, there were several inquiries regarding the artifact that would be coming this Wednesday from Greece.” A tall man with thick eye glasses and balding hair approached Sophia’s table. She looked at him and smiled.

“Good morning, Mr. Park. Which one was that again?” she asked the Deputy Curator. She was in her office and reading through the high stack of paperwork for the shipments that would be arriving that week. A generous anonymous donation was received by their museum when she started working there and she was able to acquire almost all of the artifacts and paintings that she wanted to include in their gallery and display.

“The Tempus Stone, Ms. Stark.” The man politely replied.

She was grateful that the Deputy curator was kind hearted and did not take it against her that she was the one who got the job even though his experiences were better than hers. She heard from one of the staff there that he also applied for the position when the previous curator suddenly retired and migrated abroad.

She nodded her head and looked at the ceiling to recall which item that was from the list that she was diligently reviewing.

“That particular artifact should not be made available for public viewing until we can examine it first. There are several rumors surrounding it and I don’t want people flocking here thinking that it would solve their predicaments. Please have the promotions focus on the other artifacts or probably more on the paintings.”

“Duly noted, Ms. Stark. I’ll be in my office to follow through with the documentation. Please call me when you’re done with your other half of the paperwork.” He bowed then left the office when she just smiled in response.

Since the museum is closed during Mondays for administrative and restoration work, Sophia was holed up in her office. The day went by quickly and someone knocked on her door. Mr. Park went inside to submit the presentation that he had prepared.

“Here are the files,” he handed her the usb drive and was about to leave when he stopped and said, “It’s already six pm. Are you not going home yet?”

“Really? I didn’t notice the time. Thanks for dropping the files. Have a safe trip going home.” The deputy curator left and she suddenly felt famished. She recalled that she hadn’t had her breakfast or lunch. She was so engrossed in reading the history behind the relics and artifacts as well as making the articles that they would be publishing in their brochures and docent guides that she neglected her body’s needs.

Sophia closed her eyes and reclined her chair. She particularly loved that chair since she could use it to relax whenever needed. She sighed deeply and started to feel more at ease.

When she opened her eyes, she realized that she was no longer in her office. She was lying on her bed with the lace curtains draped down. She tried to sit up but she couldn’t move her body or neck down. Then she saw a man’s silhouette behind her curtains. He was wearing a large hat and a black and white tuxedo. A gust of cold wind blew from her open window which moved the curtain, making her see the side profile of his face. She gasped when she saw his pale and smooth skin. The pointed nose and sharp jawline made him look like a statue. His crimson red lips in dark contrast to his pale face. She couldn’t see the eyes shadowed by the rim of his hat. When he was about to turn and face her, the curtain went back in place and everything became still. It was like time stopped and froze.

“See you soon, my Queen.”

She felt herself shiver from the deep and cold voice that echoed inside the room. From the stillness of the night, another cold rush of air breeze went inside the window and the curtain moved. She was expecting to see him behind the curtain just like the first time, but the window loudly crashed and her instinct was to check if anything was broken. When she saw that the window was intact, her eyes drifted towards the man but he was no longer there. Sophia sat up and saw that she was again inside her office.

“It was all a dream. Maybe I was so hungry that I’m imagining things,” she whispered to herself.

Sophia shut down her laptop and placed it in her laptop bag. She remembered the USB drive that Mr. Park gave her and took that from the table as well. She arranged the paperwork on top of her table. When all seemed organized, she stood up, took her bag, turned off the lights and went out of her office.

The part of the museum where her office was located was the gloomiest area but she didn’t mind. She’s comfortable in atmospheres with dark and eerie feels. This made her the best in her field because there was not a skull or bone that she didn’t examine when she was still studying. Even when she started working for museums during and after her Bachelor’s degree graduation, her interest always lay in relics and artifacts of dead pharaohs, mummies and other items that would seem too scary for other young people like her in that kind of profession.

As she walked the hallways, she felt relaxed in seeing the old paintings hanging on the walls, the vases and personal belongings of dead people from different centuries and generations. When she was about to turn to the main wing, a new painting caught her eye.

She had to make a double turn when she realized that the figure in that painting looked familiar. Sophia carefully walked towards the painting. She couldn’t understand why her heart was beating rapidly. The light illuminating the painting flickered and she had to squint and adjust her vision when the light turned back on.

She gasped and staggered backwards a few steps as the image in front of her registered.

It is the same man she saw in her dream! Exactly how she saw him from across her bed, the side profile, the whole image and even the clothes he was wearing. The only difference was that instead of in front of her bed, the man was standing in front of a mummified coffin.