Curious what the thump is? Read on.

 If you are enjoying this story and want to know when the latest chapter is up, follow me on Wattpad. I update Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays!

_________________

They jumped and whirled around. Chris and Samuel pointed their rigged-up flashlights at the noise. They peered into the dark, their eyes searching the shadows for an imminent attack. When the dust settled, it was nothing more than a rotted beam that had fallen to the floor.

Chris stuffed his flashlight back in his pocket.

“It’s not really a weapon anyway,” Chris said. “I would be perfectly fine with these flashlight thingies not even being necessary. Besides, I still haven’t figured out the other half of the equation. I only know how to freeze them. I don’t know how to kill them.”

“That’s what you should call them—flashlight thingies!” Kami laughed.

“Who will take care of the problem if not us? The police? Because according to you, they’re probably in cahoots with whatever’s sending out these monsters,” Samuel said. “Unless they’re just attacking randomly?" 

Chris shook his head.

“No way. That creature in the library stole the exhibit.”

“What?” Kami and Yasmin gasped at once.

“I may have forgotten to mention that part,” Liam said. “It was a nasty piece of work. What was that gunk it was throwing? Shadow acid?”

“I’m not sure,” Chris said. “For one thing, not all shadow creatures are the same. There seems to be some sort of evolution happening. This latest batch is showing signs of higher intelligence. I swear, some of those little things aren’t even smart enough to pick a booger.”  

Yasmin cleared her throat.

“I'm sorry to break up this profound conversation,” she said, “but I think we lost the shadow creature. Ready to make a run for it?”

Liam took Kami’s hand and helped her up. Her body screamed at her, but she ignored it.

“You okay?” Liam asked.

“Yeah.”

“Liar.”

“What choice do I have?”

“Just admit to your pain. Quit being so stoic.”

“Fine. I hurt everywhere.”

The corner of his mouth twitched. 

“Drama queen.”

Kami punched Liam in the arm, a pathetic punch considering her weakened state. He truly was incorrigible.

“Oww,” he complained, rubbing his arm. “My bicep is bruised.”

She was about to respond with a sarcastic retort when Yasmin spoke up.

“Listen everyone. As Liam and Haji already know, we are close to Alexandria University. We’re probably safer out in the open. Head east. Avoid the shadows. If we get split up, find your way there. Ready?” 

They exited through a side door and out into the street, where the sun shone brilliantly on them. They walked quickly, breaking into a half walk, half jog. Kami struggled to keep up. She knew she’d be paying for this later. 

They reached the university without incident. They crossed a neatly clipped grassy area with a palm tree ringed by carefully cultivated bushes in deep red and bright green shades. They opened the doors to a large tan-colored building. Yasmin led the way to a plump woman with short-cropped hair sitting at a desk. She was glaring at a computer screen and typing with short, jabbing motions, as if she were trying to stab the keyboard. 

She glanced up as they approached, and her face broke into a smile. She pushed away from the desk, rose and hugged Yasmin warmly. 

“Assalaamu alaikum,” she greeted.

“Wa alaikum assalaam Halima,” Yasmin murmured, then continued the conversation in rapid Arabic.

Halima shook her head.

Kami noted Yasmin’s crushed expression and had to look away. Strike three. This had been her last idea for tracking down their grandparents, but his secretary seemed as clueless as the rest.

“I was hoping maybe I could look through his things. I know he took lots of pictures of everything from the dig site. And I want to look at his journal, you know, the big green one,” Yasmin said in Arabic. Liam leaned over and translated for Kami.

“I’m sorry, but that’s all gone. The police were here yesterday. They said they think he might be linked to several kidnappings, and of course I told them that is absurd. I told them your Gedo is an honest man, as you well know, but they insisted on taking his papers anyway, including the journal. You’re welcome to see if there’s anything of value left,” Halima replied.

“Thank you,” Yasmin said. She opened the door to the office and the others followed her in. She pulled open the drawer to a black metal filing cabinet and rummaged through the folders, then slammed the door shut in frustration.

“They took it all!” she said.

Samuel and Chris exchanged meaningful glances.

“I can’t believe this,” Yasmin said. “Does that mean they have everything now? Who are these people? And why do they care so much about Gedo’s discovery?”

The door opened slightly, and Halima stuck her head in.

“I did think of one thing, something that happened a couple of years ago. It keeps coming into my mind. Did your Gedo ever tell you about the jar?”

“A little bit,” Yasmin said. “He said someone tried to rob the dig site, but he didn't say much more than that. It was tragic. One of the guards, I can't remember his name, Asif I think, no wait, it was Asim. Gedo told me not to tell anyone.”

“A grave robber climbed in through the back of the dig site. The guards heard a noise and chased him. As he was running, he dropped the jar and it shattered on the ground. The thief killed one of the guards and escaped. They found pieces of the jar strewn all about. They never did find the thief." 

Liam whistled, and Yasmin gasped.

“I believe he was not allowed to talk about it. I overheard him speaking about it on the phone, so he shared a few details with me. I was told not to divulge, but under the circumstances, you need to know that jar was no ordinary jar. I think it might have been radioactive or something. The pieces were separated and sent to other labs for scientists to study. Perhaps, there is a connection between the thief and your Gedo going missing?”

“I still can’t believe he never told me,” Yasmin said, shaking her head.  

“One of the pieces of the jar was sent to a lab in Cairo,” Halima said. “I can give you the address if you’d like." 

Yasmin nodded. Halima scribbled some words on a piece of paper and handed it to her.

“If it’s radioactive, could that explain the dead earwigs?” Kami asked.

“Good point,” Liam said.

“If you find him let me know. The library has been hounding me with questions to get ready for his big night, and I’m backed up with projects I can’t move forward on until I have his signature,” Halima said.

“Even if Gedo walked in the door this moment, I do not think there is going to be any exhibition. There has been a break-in at the library. His artifacts were all stolen,” Yasmin said.

Halima sat down heavily in her seat. She suddenly looked older, like she understood the hopelessness of the situation. 

“I understand protests and tanks and tear gas. But this? I don’t understand this. People missing? Heavily guarded treasures vanishing? I feel like we’re in a battle, but we don’t even understand what we’re battling against. It scares me. What can we trust in?”

“I don’t know,” Yasmin replied. “But this I know, we must do all we can do.” 

She rested her hand gently on the woman’s clenched fist for a minute, then pulled away.

If you enjoyed this chapter, please click the star and vote.

I'm excited about this question. So what was the most interesting place you ever visited and why?

This chapter's dedication is going out to very sweet and dear Wattpad buddie @Arinico! We share a deep love for learning and libraries and romance, and have even planned a world hopping tour visiting all the cool libraries. Anyone want to join us? Now if I could just figure out a way to actually make it happen! ;) You can check out her excellent writing by clicking on the link above.