Its dark outside, even if you gouge out your eye. Nevertheless, he wanted to walk. The need to warm up had nothing to do with it. It just became unpleasant to lie in a cramped tent alone with an impending psychosis. Ever since he came here, all sorts of devilry has come into his head. This is probably how the hot heat affects him. Even the desert is beginning to be associated with a place burned to ash, like the inside of a furnace.
We fell into the sands of Egypt,
In the ashes! On fire! In blood!
A chorus of hysterical voices continued to whisper in their ears. Since the voices followed him relentlessly wherever he went, Sam assumed they were auditory hallucinations.
Nothing, its too early to get scared. Tropical fever happens to those who move to a hot zone from a cool climate. And people also have sunstrokes. The heat affected his brain.
The sand crunched unpleasantly under the soles of his sandals. There is nothing under it, although Leah thinks differently. It was she who inspired him that a whole army of ancient immortal pharaohs was sleeping in the sands. You should not communicate with a crazy girl, even if she is very cute. Leah is too fixated on her profession, which has already become something of a hobby for her. All her idols are relics wrapped in bandages, in a word, mummies. They will not rise from the tombs, but something alive in the deserts definitely dwells. Some force gathers here like a cloud. A sandstorm is probably approaching.
Sam was extremely amazed that he had made his way to the structure, something resembling a small pyramid, the entrance to which had been opened. Soft orange light pours from inside the opening. Someone lit oil lamps there? What was happening was like a dream. Only a bird, headlong flying past, scratched his cheek with a claw. The pain was real. It means not a dream.
Exactly in time! Someone in a long robe that covered the whole body appeared as if out of nowhere. A powerful figure blocked the passage, reminding of giants. Sam was glad he was boxing. It might come in handy now, but the stranger didnt attack him. A hand with long, sharp claws, each the size of a razor, delicately beckoned to a pyramid in which something was moving.
The time for the night session has come. Do you want to watch a movie?
Movie?! Sam was dumbfounded. This is an opened pyramid, but inside it something similar to a movie projector really works, you can hear the rustle of film. The image is not visible, but obviously, both frightening and attractive sounds come from the soundtrack. And above all this, the ancient Egyptian images and stucco figures of the gods open their mouths.
And this is a session! Inside the mausoleum! No comfy seats, no popcorn, and most importantly no tickets. Judging by the sounds that came, it was clearly not about an educational scientific film about an ancient civilization. There was a spectacular action movie about a grand war and demons. Sam remembered the golden vision in the tent. Will the film feature the same fairytale character? If so, its worth the risk.
Just one soul
Moscow city center
Come in, sit down!
Kirils legs were numb. It was hard to believe that the superstar herself invited him, a simple guy, to her hotel room. And the room did not look like a hotel room. There was a pyramid-shaped fountain at the door. Multicolored lotuses floated in the water. Incense smoked on the tripods, which made his head spin. In the wall alcoves were statues of the beast-like Egyptian gods. They seemed to be squinting at the guest. Probably, this effect is created by smoke and semi-darkness. It looks like its not a living room, but a temple.
Only a bed under a thick canopy reminded of palace luxury. But the place for the guest was set aside on the couch. On a mahogany table was a tray of brandy and two rock crystal glasses.
A first aid kit would be more useful to him now than alcohol. He nearly fainted outside the cinema from blood loss. There he was found by agent Athenais, gave him his business card and explained where and when to come. So you can get caught in the arms of the mafia. What if the star keeps drugs, collaborates with criminals and is looking for a fool among fans who can be framed? Instead, Kiril thought only about whether to buy roses and condoms before going up to the top floor of the skyscraper hotel. The hotel was called Akhetaton, like the cinema. The building was somewhat reminiscent of the pyramids. Inside, everything is in Egyptian style, except for amphorae with lush bouquets of red roses. They are more like Roman ones.
Go away!
Is it the flowers whispering? They are so deep red that they remind of blood. And he was still wondering whether to buy roses for her. There are more of them here than in the flower shop! And the hotel itself inside resembles an ancient temple.
It was like I got inside the film, Kiril looked at Athenais. Live she was even more beautiful than on the screen. She didnt change. A chic scarlet robe with wide, like a kimono, sleeves now replaced the dressing gown. The dragons embroidered on it with gold thread grinned menacingly. It seems that in some old film he had already seen a similar robe. And that movie was not with Athenais.
I know your brother, she admitted suddenly.
So thats why she invited him here! Kiril felt uncomfortable. Everything is decided by connections! And he hoped that he liked her.
Youre different, Athenais looked at him appraisingly. Mikhail always pokes his nose into other things. One day he will run into it.
What to think and say now? Kiril was effaced. Athenais suddenly got up and walked around him. The dragons on her robes seemed to come to life. Is this some kind of visual effect? Or an optical illusion?
What kind of lighting and effects can be applied in general to make an actress look like a real deity. Up close, there was no trace of makeup on Athenaiss face. She didnt even have makeup. No mascara, no eyeliner, no brushstrokes of powder or foundation, and the impression is that shes a statue coming to life! This was impossible to achieve without the efforts of the makeup artist and operator. But he is now not inside the film and not in a dream. His star is really close. This moment is worth enjoying.
Why does he feel that not everything is cloudless? Because this moment will eventually end and be kicked out of here? Is it possible to expose someone from the tomb, which seems to be a hotel? They say that those who voluntarily enter the realm of ghosts remain in it forever. And it doesnt matter that this idol lured you here. The pyramid is a symbol of death and eternity. And the Akhetaton hotel is a copy of the pyramid.
I have always believed that one soul can be more important than all the souls in the universe. Once I promised that if I met such a soul, then for her sake I would spare the whole world. But a lot of time has passed since then. Im not going to keep my promise, although I like you. And the priest to whom I promised this has long been dead. In this era, I am going to act by the method of exclusion, destroying in turn all the souls that might interfere with my plans.
She did not read an excerpt from the script, although what she said was suspiciously similar to the plot of the first film with her participation. Kiril looked at her slightly dumbfounded. The wound on his wrist opened again. Under it, something like letters, or rather hieroglyphs, appeared on the skin. Athenais grabbed his wrist. She really has marble fingers.