Harry was right. It was dark. Sure we had flashlights and there was other functional spotlights set up at regular intervals but it was still more dark than not. Hints of light reflected off of glass eyes so that they glowed back at you. It's just taxidermy animals, nothing to be afraid of at all. The mummy was nothing to be afraid of until Set animated it. Who was to say that he couldn't activate these creatures as well? That suddenly Sim the lion or Timba the elephant would walk again but for the purpose of getting us? Would the death touch of Set be transmitted through the items he animated? We didn't know, nor were we keen to find out.
This made for an interesting walk. On the one hand, we were hesitant, concerned by what might be looming in the gloom to attack us. Yet, on the other hand, we needed to move at a rapid pace to keep ahead of the mummy still shuffling to catch up with us. Even if it was still lingering near Morocco, it was blocking our path. Ahead of us would be unblocked exits, or so we hoped.
Have you ever walked through your home in limited light? It's a place you know well but in the dark it's different. Chairs might trip you. Couches may dart in front of you. The corner of a table is never as sharp as it is when it stabs you in the thigh in the dark.
A minor victory for me was my path through this maze. Even in the dark, I knew where I was and where I was headed. Of course, there were no couches here to trip on, although there was some intentionally uneven ground to lose one's footing over. I recalled the turns in the path better than Ms. Chapman. I needed something to go right and this little success was cheering in some way. I even managed to keep her from getting hung up in that weird corner near the gnus. You know the spot, where the wall shifts like it will split off into another corridor but doesn't? Good thing I stopped her as the remains of a beer stand were stacked in that area. No couches, but there was a table available to crack Harry in the shins. As he tried to recover, he opened his eyes at the moment Larry turned to see what had happened and Harry caught the full energy of Larry's flashlight in his eyes. Sputtering, he stumbled back into the table, crashing through it. He was fine but it did make quite the racket.
Once we were this deep into the exhibit hall, it grew very dark indeed. The path loops back on itself, more or less, and the lights are placed in such a way that the bulk of the hallway is untouched by illumination. According to Ms. Chapman, this was to help protect light sensitive objects in the displays. This is all well and good until you're eluding a mummy in the dark.
Thankfully the junction was well lit. This area was the reason why I was not too concerned about heading into Africa. Three hallways as well as a couple of stairwells met up here and there should be a way available to us. I patted the smooth nose of the Easter Island head model as I scanned the are. The coast was clear. Another minor victory. It was relaxing to just stand in the light and not be struggling to see. For a moment, I stood there, letting the pressure lessen, while I waited for the rest of the group to catch up.
Harry blinked as his eyes adjusted to the light. “I must admit to being turned around in the dark. Where are we now?”
“Just out of Africa,” I noted. Gestured to the left, I added “That way takes us through the Islands of the Sea aka the Oceanic hall, whereas the other path takes us through Central America.”
“How do we get out of here?” Harry asked, keeping us on point.
“Eitherway will get us back to the entrance,” Ms. Chapman explained, “but the path through Central America is more direct.”
“And it lets out right by the escalator near the entrance to Africa,” I added.
“You don't need to tell me twice.” Quickly Harry headed for the doorway. He stopped suddenly as one of the reanimated gun men stepped from the gloom to cut him off. Smiling nervously, Harry turned back towards us and chuckled. “Then again, we could all use more exercise in our lives. Perhaps the longer way would be best.” He only managed a step or two before the other undead gun man cut off that egress.
The mummy was behind us. The gun men to either side. All possibly carrying the touch of death with them.
This was not good.
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