It was hot.
A tall blonde girl straightened up and blew at her damp hair, a rivulet of sweat sliding down her throat and pooling in her clavicle. It was a balmy thirty four degrees Celsius in the Egyptian sand. It was mid afternoon and she'd been at this for hours. Ward cracking was a tough business. So tough in fact, she was starting to wonder if this was a blood ward. If so, she'd need back up.
Everything hurt. The heat was zapping her energy, making her feel dizzy and lethargic. The sky over head was clear and bright blue without a cloud in the sky. Tilting her head back, Erika shielded her eyes with her hand and sighed. Around her, there were various tools. Her wand, an assortment of picks and hammers, brushes and cloths. Everything was covered in sand. She had sand in bits of her she didn't even really want to think about.
Dressed in a pair of shorts with copious amounts of pockets and a plain grey vest, she wore a pair of hardy boots with walking socks, having had to clamber over various dunes and through a collection of ruins on the way here. Her sun kissed skin collected a number of cuts and bruises, most of which had healed by now. But she was making some headway now.
It had been a slow process, a delicate one as the wards were volatile and new to her. Panting, she frowned at the entrance of the tomb. The tomb in question was carved deep into the rock face with two dilapidated pillars seeming to hold it up. Erika stepped forward and ran her fingers over the pale stone before looking over her shoulder. She felt odd. Strange. This place was odd and strange. Erika could feel something, like static electricity. Upon arriving, she thought she was just being silly but now, she could hear it crackling through the air and the hairs on her arms stood to attention.
A profound feeling of uneasiness swept over her as she backed up. Collecting her bag, she made sure she had everything. A bottle of water, her wand, her equipment and her depleted first aid kit. Over the course of her travels, she'd used most of it and never got around to replenishing it. It was a gift from Murphy. Was "gift" the correct word to use? It was more a necessity. There were a few bandages, a needle and thread for sewing up deep wounds, half a bottle of dittany and a few chunks of chocolate. It was two fold; for recovering from the scare of dementors and a sugar boost in case she needed to run.
Erika had disabled the wards she could find. Taking a breath, she stepped in and instantly felt cold. With her eyes on the ceiling, she held her wand aloft, the tip alight to guide her way. The cave's ceiling was carved, depicting letters she didn't understand. The light from her wand cast the carved demons' faces into an eerie glow. "Don't be so stupid," she whispered, her voice carrying down the dank cavern as she heaved a shudder. "There's nothing here. You're being silly. Don't be so sill--"
Bang!
Erika had tripped a ward. Turning quickly, her bright blue eyes were wide as dinner plates as her heart rate raised to an alarming rate. Making the decision to run for the exit, a gust of wind hit her. It was a vacuum. In vain, she tried to grip the jagged edges of a wall but the unseen force lifted her bodily and flung her. She landed heavily against the wall, her back taking the brunt as she collapsed in a heap as a searing pain began to spread.
Around her, rocks began to shift. She could hear them moving. "No!" She screamed, scrambling for the shaft of light before the rocks slammed down, plunging her into darkness. Erika struggled for her breath, in pain and disorientated. The air was thick and heavy. She knew to calm down, she needed to calm down. There would only be a certain amount of oxygen present and by panicking, she'd use it up quicker.
She shoved at the rocks in vain, tears filling her eyes as she pushed with all her might. Nothing was happening. Trapped in an airless antechamber, the realisation finally kicked in: she was going to die.
Staggering backwards, she ran her hands through her hair, her knuckles turning white as she tightened her grip on the follicles. No one knew where she was. She couldn't contact anyone. Her first aid kit was in the hall along with her wand. Tears sprang to her eyes as she blinked furiously. She didn't think she'd die here. The times she thought about it, she always imagined a dreamlike state. Maybe surrounded by her family, maybe passing away in her sleep. Not cold, terrified and alone.
She'd miss Sorley's birthday. She didn't have the chance to tell her brothers that she loved them. Nor did she have the opportunity to tell her mum and dad thank you but the worst part? She wouldn't have time to tell Murphy that she was so sorry.
"Murphy."
Erika had a light bulb moment. With her shaking fingers, she snapped the necklace from around her neck and clutched the simple gold ring. The Healer had given it to her months ago. She didn't feel right to wear the piece of jewellery as it had been intended, now that they were no longer dating. She hadn't had the heart to throw it away. Since splitting up, they hadn't really spoken in weeks. She didn't think it was what he needed for her to write to him and tell him that she missed him.
He'd had the ring enchanted. It was a summoning charm. He was linked with the ring. The mechanics were mind boggling and so, she'd never asked to have to explained. She'd never used it before but she was in dire straits. Swallowing, she blinked. This tiny bit of gold was her last hope. No one would find her body here. She hoped her family might plant a tree in her honour or something. A blue jacaranda. That'd be nice. Wiping her nose on her blood stained shirt, she closed her eyes and squeezed the ring tight, hoping against hope he'd be able to find her before it was too late.
