Visionary Kiss I & II & III

Visionary Kiss II Part 6
EXT. RIVER NILE - NIGHT

The Moon was shining down onto the desert, soft drawing the landscape, making everything look mysterious. The three vicious Mumia that quietly glided a narrow skiff out onto the river only amplified this mysteriousness. The one with the hook sitting in the middle, while the two others rowed.

They were heading for the passenger barge coming their way. Ready to complete their orders and kill everyone and everything on board, if needed.

EXT. THE BAR AT THE BOW - NIGHT

Willow walked around the barge, it was finally no longer hot. The slight breeze coming from the water had swallowed most of the heat from the day. She made a stop in the shadows watching Jonathan and the three Americans playing poker.

O'Connell came out of a door carrying a gunnysack. The one he never let out of sight.

"Sit, O'Connell. Sit down, we could use another good player."

"I only gamble with my life, never my money, Jonathan."

"Never? What if I were to wager five hundred dollars says we get to Hamunaptra before you?"

Rick returned the cocky grin, "Your on."

"What makes you so confident, sir?" Burns asked while he slipped on his dirty bifocals.

"What makes you?"

"We got us a man who's actually been there"

O'Connell's poker face dropped, perplexed. Jonathan looked around confused.

"I say, what a coincidence, why." he was stopped by Rick, who 'accidentally' hit him in the ribs with the gunnysack, shutting him up. Jonathan quickly covered, ".whose deal is it? Is it my deal? I thought I just dealt?"

Willow had heard enough she again started her walk the length of the barge. Maybe she would search for Evelyn, it was so much fun to watch her blush whenever she though about O'Connell.

BAR BARGE - NIGHT

Willow and Evelyn were sitting at a table, staring out over the passing river. So it was no wonder that both jumped as a heavy bag dropped onto the table, startling them.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare ya"

"The only thing that scares me, Mister O'Connell, are your manners." Evelyn said with her arrogant British voice she always used when she tried to hide her emotions.

"Here we go again.", Willow leaned back to watch. It was time for round two or it it round three of the fight, she couldn't remember which. Why don't they jumped each other and get over it, was beyond her.

"Still angry that I kissed ya, huh?"

"If you call that a kiss."

Rick reached into the sack and started pulling out revolvers, pistols, hunting knives, a massive elephant gun, and a half dozen carefully wrapped sticks of dynamite.

"Did I miss something? Are we going into battle?"

"The last time I was at that place everybody I wit with died."

"Evey do you really think we just can go find the city of the dead? You heard how many tried to find it. I think many of them found the city, but never came back." Willow knew that her friend was naive, but this was more than just that, it was dangerous and she should know it.

This took away the smile that had been on Evelyn's face. She looked down at all the weapons, understanding how stupid she had been. O'Connell started dismantling and cleaning the guns, only to receive help from Willow. She was used to doing this. She had learned to do it after Tara had been shot.

It had helped her to get over her fear. Spike had come up with the idea. The witch looked down at her hands, she missed the vampire. A single tear was dropped onto the table. Closing her eyes, she counted to ten and then started cleaning the gun again.

He watched how professionally the red head worked, this woman was so different from Evelyn that it wasn'e fie first time wondered how they could be friends.

"There's something out there, you know, something under that sand."

"Yes, I'm hoping to find a certain artifact, a book, actually, my brother thinks there's treasure. What do you think is out there?"

O'Connell looked up so he was able to look into her eyes, "Evil. The Tuaregs and the Bedouin believe that Hamunaptra is cursed."

"They call it, "the doorway to hell" or Ahmar is Ossirion. "Passageway to the underworld", actually." Willow said, making both of them turn to her, as she looked up both could see the know-it-all grin.

"I don't believe in fairy tales and hokum, Mister O'Connell, but I do believe that one of the most famous books in history is buried out there, The Book Of The Living. It's what first made me become interested in Egypt as a child. It's why I came here, sort of a life's pursuit."

"And the fact that they say it's made out of pure gold, means nothing to you, right?" Now it was Evelyn's turn to look surprised by his knowledge.

"You know your history."

"I know my treasure."

Evelyn got up to leave, then she hesitated, nervous. She turned back to Rick, forgetting about her friend who watched all this with great interest.

"By the way, ...why did you kiss me?"

O'Connell, cleaning his guns, just shrugged his shoulders, "I was about to be hanged, seemed like a good idea at the time."

Evelyn's eyes widened, furious, she turned and stormed off. O'Connell looked up, watching her leave, a bit perplexed, and then something or better somebody hit him.

"I cannot believe you said that." Willow hit him once again, this time harder and followed the other woman.

"What? .... What'd I say?" He called, then he heard someone snickering under the table. Quickly he reached down, grabbedt sot someone and lifted him up. It was Beni.

"My very good friend! What a surprise"

"Why if it ain't my little buddy, Beni. I outta kill you." Then he stuck a knife under Beni's throat. The little man swallowed hard, he tried to weasel his way out with a big grin that showed off his bad Teeth.

"You never were any good with the ladies, O'Connell."

"So you're the one leading the Americans, I shoulda figured. So what's the scam? You get 'em out in the middle of the desert then leave 'em to rot?"

"Unfortunately no, these Americans are smart, they pay me only half now, half when I get them back to Cairo, so I must go all the way." O'Connell pulled the knife away. Beni relaxed, rubbing his neck.

"You never believed in Hamunaptra, O'Connell. Why are you going back? The devil himself lives out there."

Both turn as they hear Evelyn's yelp. A single camel in the horse paddock took another bite at her, only to be hit by Willow. This time the camel did something that could be called a yelp and Evelyn was grabbed by Willow and both fled down the deck, not seeing the grin on O'Connell's face.

"The girl saved my life, figured it was the least I could do. Keep her out of trouble."

"You always did have more balls than brains." Beni shrank back as Rick's eyes narrowed at the insult.

"Let's make us even, shall we?"

"Even?"

Panic clear in his eyes, Beni was bed bed and chucked over the side of the barge. He splashed into the river. Not even looking the American took his bag and walked off down the deck, followed by Beni's screams.

"O'Connell! I am going to kill you for this!"

"Sounds familiar." He called back and that was when he spotted three sets of wet footprints, coming up over the railing from the river and heading down the deck. He looked around searching, on alert.


End Visionary Kiss II Part 6