Jekyll & Hyde Inc.

“It can’t be dogs,” said Daniel, straining his eyes against the gloom ahead. “There’s no way they’d be able to stand the smell. I’ve got a gas mask on and I’m having trouble coping.”

“What else could it be?”

“I have a feeling we’re about to find out.”

“Good,” said Tina.

They moved slowly forward, the murky waters lapping up around their thighs. They rounded the next corner and then stopped again as they found their way blocked by half a dozen living nightmares.

“Alligators!” said Daniel. “Look at the size of them!”

“Those are crocodiles,” said Tina.

Daniel looked at her. “How can you be so sure?”

“The mummies are big on tradition,” said Tina. “And the old-time pharaohs really got off on throwing their enemies to the crocodiles.”

Daniel studied the huge creatures carefully. At least ten feet long, they had dull gray scales, mouths packed full of teeth, and cold, unblinking eyes. Packed tightly together, they filled the tunnel from wall to wall like a living barrier. They hadn’t just arrived, after a wander through the sewers—they’d been carefully placed in position to insure no one got past them. While Daniel was still trying to work out how anyone could have arranged that, one of the crocodiles turned its head to look at Daniel—and then lurched forward, heading straight for him. All the other crocodiles surged after him, their short, stubby legs churning through the dark waters. Daniel thrust a hand into his backpack for the flare pistol.

“No!” Tina said sharply. “Any flames could ignite a pocket of gas and blow up the tunnel.”

“Then what are we supposed to do?” said Daniel, reluctantly taking his hand out of the backpack. “Those things are really picking up speed.”

Tina’s laughter filled the tunnel. “Let them come. I always wanted to fight a dinosaur.”

“You’re weird,” said Daniel.

There wasn’t much room to maneuver in the tunnel, so Daniel and Tina just stood their ground and waited for the crocodiles to come to them. The moment the first of them came within reach, Daniel slammed his fist down hard on top of the crocodile’s head. The skull broke under the impact, and the crocodile’s head was forced down into the water. All Daniel had to do then was hold it there until the beast drowned.

Tina grabbed the next crocodile to arrive, and hauled it up out of the waters. The great jaws snapped at her viciously, but she easily evaded them and slammed the creature against the wall. Brickwork shattered, and the crocodile went limp in her hands. She turned the semiconscious creature around, took a firm hold on its tail, and then used her crocodile as a flail to bludgeon the others to death. Tina whooped loudly, as she brought the dying crocodile hammering down again and again. Blood spattered across the walls and stained the waters. Some of the crocodiles tried to back away, but Tina brought her crocodile slamming down with vicious force until nothing was moving.

One crocodile did manage to get past her and lunged at Daniel, its jaws stretched wide. Daniel grabbed them with both hands, and held the beast back as it strained toward him. Finally he forced the jaws apart until the muscles tore, and then broke the crocodile’s neck.

Daniel and Tina dropped their dead crocodiles and listened carefully, but everything was still and silent. Daniel let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, and allowed himself to relax. The mummies must have thought six oversized reptiles would be enough. And if the intruders had been anyone else, they would have been right. A thought struck Daniel, and he turned to Tina.

“Didn’t the ancient Egyptians worship crocodiles?”

Tina shrugged. “They worshipped pretty much everything at one time or another, often in strange combinations.”

“So we just killed the mummies’ gods?”

“Start as you mean to go on,” Tina said briskly.

It took them a while to clamber over the dead crocodiles and continue on their way, but the access point to the British Museum turned out to be just around the next corner. An ancient trapdoor in the ceiling, it opened easily to Hyde strength and persuasion, and Daniel and Tina quickly pulled themselves up and into the Egyptian Rooms. Which turned out to be unusually dark and gloomy because all the electricity had been turned off. Instead, dozens of candles and oil lamps had been set up all over the place, giving the setting a warm yellow glow like the patina of age. There didn’t seem to be anyone else around.

“I’m guessing this isn’t a power cut,” Daniel said quietly. “Just the mummies making themselves at home.”

“Like this place isn’t creepy enough at night,” said Tina. She glared around at the various Egyptian artifacts, as though daring them to start something.