[ WP ] A great evil was sealed away centuries before . A new threat rises and an unlikely band of adventurers races to prevent the seal from being broken . They arrive too late , but what is released is n't what anyone expected .

Burning torch extended before him, Adrian stepped quietly into the gloom; embers burning the hairs on his arm, pure terror drove him onward. Behind him he could make out the muffled footsteps of his compatriots. 
 
 The tomb excavation, significant enough a find to draw them from the comfort of their university halls, had been an amazing opportunity for the small team to put their name in the Egyptian Archaeology history books. 
 
 With the discovery of a hidden chamber, and the labyrinthine tunnel network leading deeper into the bedrock, academic greed had driven the team on to document the find. 
 
 Adrian reflected on the last few days, as sweat poured down his brow. 
 
 The base reliefs on the wall had, at first, thrilled them. Judy, the translation expert, had remarked on the details. The stories told were intricate and elaborate, the honored dead interred there were priests of moderate significance. 
 
 Soon, however, as the tunnels lead further in, the mood of the stories turned. Bitterness, and hostility. Words misused - projecting hostility - wove their way in. The priest's deeds were warped and denounced. The carver of the hieroglyphics has evidently become rushed, and angry. 
 
 Grammatical errors, chipped stone. No elegance. No effort. Almost as if they had simply wanted the job done quickly. The stone carvers clearly disliked lingering in the tunnels. 
 
 Deeper still they had studied the walls. Roderick taking note of the comments Judy made along the way, transcribing the progression. 
 
 The symbols denoting Evil appeared more frequently. Evil man, evil deeds, evil place, evil rock. No sophisticated story telling. Just warnings. The tunnels were filled with horrible smelling herbs, the air was stale and almost unbreathable. Every lung full tasted of dust, sand and herbal spore. 
 
 As the air had become more unbreathable, Adrian had advised Tim, the strongest of the team, to fetch some of the larger water containers, and spare torches, from the surface camp. 
 
 It had been that fateful moment, when turning back to the two studying the walls, that Adrian had noticed the hidden tunnel. Blending in perfectly with the hall pillars, the small opening had revealed an even deeper tunnel. Driven by intrigue, the team set off. 
 
 Hours later, lost deep in the tunnels, the claustrophobia had driven the to absolute terror. With the only remaining torch, Adrian had taken the lead. 
 
 Stumbling and running, hitting walls and tripping on stones, they had run. Not from anything except their fears - not knowing where they were running to. Lost in their own terror. 
 
 Eventually - something changed. The stone was darker. The floor was cleared of debris. No hieroglyphs marked these walls. 
 
 A doorway - hopes dashed as they entered: Instead of an exit they found a chamber, a dead end. 
 
 In the centre sat an immense stone sarcophagus, torch light flickering against it ominously. The team looked at one another. No lid sat atop it, from the doorway only shadows could be seen. 
 
 Overcoming his fear Adrian stepped forward, torch shaking noticeably in his hands, the oily rags were almost spent of their fuel. 
 
 Inching closer, holding his breath, eyes straining to see through the dark, night vision ruined by the flaming torch. Absolute pure tension. 
 
 The lip of platform, Adrian stepped up and forward. 
 
 With one swift movement the torch was raised up, revealing - nothing. 
 
 The sarcophagus was empty, nothing but sand and dust. 
 
 Relieved, almost laughing at his own childish imagination, he waved back to Judy and Roderick. 
 
 `` Nothing in there!'' 
 
 The two hugged each other, released from the grasp of their imaginations. They walked away from the door way further into the chamber. 
 
 Judy looked at the walls. `` See these markings? So well preserved!''. 
 
 Adrian nodded in agreement as he looked around, the glyphs on the walls were in perfect condition. 
 
 `` We'll have to hope Tim finds us soon with those spare torches!'' 
 
 Roderick turned to Adrian, furrowed brow raised quizzically. 
 
 `` Who the hell is Tim?''. 
 
 Every hair on his body stood on end and his stomach clenched with primal terror. Turning instantly to face Roderick, confusion and fear on his face, Adrian searched for any sign in his eyes that the man was joking. 
 
 As the two made eye contact, the flickers from the torch went out. 
 
 The last thing Adrian ever saw was Tim stepping out of the doorway behind Roderick. Casting off the spore-aided illusion, the millennia old Fell Horror cast its arms wide - and with a scream of unfathomable rage death and darkness filled the room. It was free at last. 
 
 ___________________________ 
 
 Wew lad i got carried away there. I didnt do any editing as i wrote that, so apologies if some minor errors appeared. 
 
 
 
 

