The Anubis Plague полностью

Ajmal couldn’t speak. So, he pulled the trigger of his gun. The bullet struck Upton in the abdomen but did little else than enrage the demon further. He flung a heavy steel table as if it were made of balsa wood. His body rippled with muscle, and his skin was pulled taut, and looked rough, even leathery.

What’s happening to him? This was most definitely not what Ajmal had wanted.

He pulled the trigger again, but the result was the same as before. The round struck with little effect, other than angering Upton further. This time, Ajmal aimed higher and clipped Upton in the neck, just below his lower jaw. The impact paused Upton’s advance, and his hand went to the wound. Had Ajmal mortally injured the man?

Upton looked confused as his hand came away holding a small, white, wiggling creature. To Ajmal, it looked like a worm of some kind. Upton held the insect as if it were a near and dear friend. He gently poked and prodded it until it went still, and quickly grayed in color.

His next emotional outburst wasn’t one of sadness.

It was one of unbridled rage.

Ajmal backpedaled, but his heel caught on the ancient entry’s lowermost step. He fell and let another four rounds fly. The shots were wild, uncontrolled, and only one of them found their mark, striking Upton in the side. He took the impact in stride and reached up and crushed Ajmal’s right wrist as if it were a grape.

The man howled in pain, much to the satisfaction of Upton.

He leaned in close. His breath smelled of rot and copper.

“Is this not what you wanted?”

Ajmal was so close to the man’s face. He watched the inside of Upton’s eyes undulate with worms. It was sickening.

“No!” Ajmal cried. “I wanted none of this! This was Khaliq’s dream!”

Upton sneered. “Ayad… Where is Ayad!”

The elevator door slid open.

“You looking for me?” Ifza asked, stepping out.

“Ifza!” Ajmal shouted, wailing when Upton crushed his mangled wrist more. “Help me!”

“You?” Upton said. “Yes, I know you. You’re—”

Ifza raised her steady hand, aimed her pistol at Upton’s head, and pulled the trigger. The nine-millimeter jacketed hollow point did as it was designed to do and punched a hole in the man’s forehead. It entered and spread, shredding everything it touched until it busted through the back of his skull.

Worms exploded outward from the gory wound. Upton fell backward, dying. He writhed for a moment on the floor, but eventually went still. Ajmal leaped to his feet, swatting the creatures off of his body and face. Ifza descended the steps and took in the room, leveling her gaze at Ajmal when she was done.

Ajmal cradled his broken wrist in his other hand and nodded his thanks to her.

“Ifza, your brother—”

“Is dead, most likely.”

Ajmal was taken aback by the ease with which she had said it.

Ajmal sat back down to rest. “This place… it is ours for the taking, Ifza. We can mold it into something else — something better.”

Ifza nodded softly and turned and faced Ajmal. “You’re right, my friend. We could transform the Scales of Anubis into something amazing.”

She lifted her gun and shot Ajmal in the chest twice.

“Or… I could do what I should have done years ago, and I can burn this place to the ground.”

Zahra sat back with her eyes closed and got lost in the cool breeze coming off the Mediterranean. She cradled a freshly made coffee in her hands, allowing its warmth to offset the crisp temperature. She sat in the same chair as she had done with her father, though he wasn’t here this time.

George had returned to Cambridge with the intention of staying in touch with both of his kids, regularly. Wally had done what he said he’d do and taken care of him. Besides a few scrapes, and a headful of unanswered questions, her father had fared well.

Baahir was back in Cairo, digging further into the myths surrounding the gods of Egypt. He needed to confirm that there wasn’t anything else to fear. If Anubis had been real, man or not, what about the other gods? He was also working with George and looking deeper into their family history. Baahir was still talking to Durah, the woman he met at the Big House market. He had kept his end of their deal and taken her out. Now, they were something of an item.

Rabia and Ali rejoined Wally back at the SSC but were doing so with the idea of shutting down the weapons trafficking portion of their operation. With the Scales of Anubis gone, Ali didn’t seem to think it was necessary anymore.

“There are still a lot of bad people out there,” Zahra had argued.

Rabia nodded. “Many of which have benefited from our business.” She laced her finger within Ali’s, showing more outward emotion than she had ever shown before.

“At the very least,” Ali added, “we will be more selective on who we do business with.”

Zahra was happy to hear that. She wasn’t sure what her future held, but could always use someone in their field of work to have in her back pocket.