Page 40 of Monkey Business

“Look. It’s ladies’ day. Half-price tickets all day for ladies.”

“Damn. We really picked the day to come, didn’t we?” she frowned. “Comms, did you hear that?”

“We heard.”

“Good morning! Welcome to the circus!” said a man at the gates. “Don’t miss our special exhibits of the Seven Wonders. Our circuses have recreated them and are in competition with one another.”

“Oh, that sounds like fun,” said Addie. “Let’s head over there.” Glancing behind her, she saw Piper give a half-nod, acknowledging their plan. Piper, Alexandra, Grace, and Ella walked up with Beast and paid for their tickets. The man smiled at them.

“Wow! It’s our lucky day. Four beautiful women and a blonde, redhead, brunette, and beautiful mixture of the three. I’d say we’re going have something to look at all day.”

“My husband is the only one that gets to look at me for free,” smiled Piper. The man’s face sobered, and he shook his head.

“Apologies. I meant no offense,” he said, holding up his hands.

“Who was that?” frowned Alexandra.

“It wasn’t one of the brothers. I’m not sure. Maybe he didn’t mean anything by it.”

The team found their way to the Seven Wonders exhibit, seeing their teammates a few paces ahead of them. The exhibits were interesting, but when they saw the other women had stopped at the Egyptian exhibit, they weren’t sure what to do.

“Comms? Do we have cameras or devices in place?” asked Addie.

“Nope. Nothing. Which seems odd. What are you guys seeing?”

They all leaned forward over the exhibit, but comms couldn’t see a thing on their cameras.

“We’re not picking up anything.”

“It’s Gus.”

“What?”

“It’s Gus. He’s lying in the sarcophagus. I mean, he’s lying on top of the mummy in the sarcophagus,” whispered Alexandra. The women walked around the mummy then around the other two. “I think we need Noah or Julia here.”

“On their way.”

The women left the exhibit then walked out into the open. When the sky opened up, bringing down torrents of rain, most of the people dashed inside the tents. The women huddled beneath the covered eating areas, waiting for their ghostbusters to appear. While they waited, they shared a few fair foods, indulging in the decadence, grease, and sugar that they usually didn’t eat.

An hour later, Julia and Noah were walking toward them. Quietly, they all stood and entered the exhibit once again. Inside, Julia and Noah stood over the sarcophagus, staring down at Gus’s face.

“What is he doing?” whispered Piper.

“It is him,” said Noah.

“We know it’s him. We can see him too, but what is he doing?”

“No. It is him. The mummy is him. That is why they have not found a body. They killed him and mummified him,” said Noah. “This is how he is able to move around and get to the property. His corpse is near, and somehow, he can get to us.”

“Holy shit,” muttered Grace. “I hate to ask this, but what about the others.”

Noah took Julia’s hand as they offered one another strength and support. Stepping closer to the other sarcophagi, they both gasped and stepped back. Suddenly, three women were staring at the group.

“You can see us,” said one. Julia was struggling to catch her breath. Noah held her hand tighter, and they both calmed. “You can see me.”

“We can,” nodded Noah. “Who are you?”

“Maxine Pine. They tried to kidnap me, and I fought them. I don’t think they wanted to kill me, but they did.”

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