Page 48 of Ancient Obsession

“I’m okay. I know you didn’t do it on purpose.” Oliver gave him a shaky smile. “I’m just jumpier than usual.”

“I know. And I apologize once more. I should have considered it.”

“Thanks.” He was surprised to see his hand shake slightly when he lifted his coffee cup.

“Find out anything new?” Dave asked.

“Not really. I haven’t read through Samira’s notes very thoroughly yet. I was thinking back on the timeline of events.”

“Want to talk it through?”

“Yeah.” He slid the plastic bag across the table. “Take a look at that. Can you see the slight discoloration?”

Dave picked it up and studied the fabric inside. Oliver liked how Dave traced a finger along the length of the material and then pinched it between his fingers like Oliver had done himself.

“Yeah, I see it. It’s this part here.”

“Right. I’m trying to figure out what caused it.”

“Could something from that time period have caused it? Like when it was first woven or cut into strips?”

“It’s possible. But I was wondering if it might have happened when we all lifted the lid.”

Dave slid the bag back to him. “Like when the air touched it?”

“That might have done it. Or maybe it’s from that stuff that got all over us.”

“Oh.” Dave sat back in the chair and drank some coffee. His eyes widened and he set the cup back down. “Wow, that’s strong.”

“Oh, yeah. I didn’t sleep well so I made a stronger batch.”

“This’ll keep you up today for sure.”

Oliver idly spun the bag on the table. He wondered how many people had worked to create this fabric, how far it had traveled since it had been woven into life.

“What else is on your mind? I can see the wheels turning.”

“We talked about it a bit last night, but it seems so crazy.”

“A mummy waking up after thousands of years, climbing out of its coffin and walking around a college campus systematically murdering the people who were in the room?” Dave shrugged. “Just another day in Parson’s Hollow.”

Oliver chuckled. “True, but it’s happening in Glenmont.”

“Right.” Dave took another sip. “You still think the mummy has been reanimated?”

“Maybe it’s because of our background with so many cryptids, but it’s the best explanation I can come up with. And isn’t that a bunch of weirdness?”

Dave cocked his head. “Is a mummy a cryptid?”

“No. I mean, I wouldn’t classify it that way. Cryptids are things that have no physical evidence and are more urban legends, like Bigfoot, Loch Ness Monster, Mothman, those things. A mummy would be more of a monster.”

“We’ve been dropped into the horror section of the Universe’s big bookstore.”

“Felt like that yesterday when Detective Carter laid out those crime scene photos. There was so much in each one. I wish I’d been in a better frame of mind to see details, but…” Oliver shuddered. “The doors were practically destroyed, and Lucien and Dominic had been so…broken. Not only were their arms and legs twisted, but they showed deep scratches on exposed skin, like gouges from long nails. And on top of all that, there was bruising around their necks, which makes me believe they were eventually strangled.”

“Christ, that’s awful.”

“It is. And all of that points to either someone psychotic and incredibly strong who holds a murderous grudge against them all, or…”