The Cursed Anubis

"Ever hear that howling at night?" Frankie the Green Scorchio whispered. The others crowded around the campfire, listening to the Scorchio's every word. "Some say it's desperate Neopets, lost and in need of food and water. But only a true Neopet would know it is the Cursed Anubis himself." Frankie looked around at all the frightened faces.

     "Who's the Cursed Anubis?" one Acara in the back piped. Frankie knew her name was Milly…or something like that.

     "Ah, so glad you cared to ask," he said, in a loud whisper. "The Cursed Anubis was the first of all Anubis. In his later years, he was visited by the Death Spirit, only to learn his time was running out. The hour before he was to be dead, the Cursed Anubis spread his soul in many different directions. So many, that one piece made it to a place in Neopia." Frankie smirked. "They say the only way to break the curse is to visit Coltzan's Shrine at the perfect moment. Midnight, on the dot. But no one's ever made it in time. No one…" Most of the girls and younger boys were freaked out now. Time to make the kill.

     "Some say he died. Others say the Death Spirit left his ripped body be for the rest of time. But, like I said, only a true Neopet knows the truth. And what is the truth, you might ask? His soulless, tortured body roams around the Lost Desert, feasting on the Anubis his soul created, and on the owners of those creations…" Everyone turned to Milly and Charm. Charm was a female, Faerie Anubis. Milly gulped. She knew this would end badly. Frankie walked into the crowd and up to Milly and Charm. "Hey Milly, I'd be careful tonight if I were you…"

     Milly bit her lip. It's just a story, it's just a story, it's just a- "Boo!"

     "AHHHH!" Milly shrieked. She had jumped a few inches off the ground and back onto her butt. Everyone laughed and laughed and laughed. The Blue Acara looked behind her and narrowed her eyes. "Billy!" Billy was a Red Scorchio, a follower of Frankie. He had hidden behind all of them all this time, and they both successfully scared her.

     "Very funny guys," Leah the Pink Aisha hissed. She was Milly's best friend, and she was always there to back up any of her friends. "Come on Milly, it's getting late. We should head to the camps." Milly smiled. She picked up Charm and she and Leah headed towards all the tents. Behind her, Frankie and Billy tauntingly howled, as if they were the Cursed Anubis.

     "You don't think the story is real, do you?" Milly asked Leah.

     "No way, nobody could spread their soul into different places of Neopia." Milly smiled and sighed in relief.

     "Hey, Leah?"

     "Yeah Milly?"

     "Thanks for coming on this field trip with me."

********

     Milly woke up abruptly. She knew she shouldn't have gone on the field trip to the Lost Desert. "Who's there?" Milly whispered. A shadow rushed across the tent's lining. She shivered. "Hello?" Then, she saw the shadow better. It was the outline of a Scorchio. Frankie.

     The tent's zipper opened and Frankie appeared in the doorway, just as Milly suspected. "What do you want?" she spat.

     "Listen," Frankie said. "The story I told, I'm sorry. It scared me too. So how about you, Leah, Billy, and I all go out and see if we can find this Cursed Anubis. I can't exactly tell if he's real or not." Milly sighed. She guessed she was up for the adventure.

     "Okay, okay, I'll go. Let me wake Leah up and I'll get Charm and we can go." Milly turned over and shook Leah awake.

     "No more pudding mommy!" she yelled as her eyes flew open. She looked around and over her shoulder at Milly. "Uh… Forget what I just said. What's up?"

     "We're going on an adventure."

     "This late at night?"

     "Yes." Milly could tell Leah wasn't fully awake because she mumbled 'Amity Nay."

     "Hurry up," Frankie hissed from outside. Leah rolled her eyes and got out of her sleeping bag and out of the tent. Milly grabbed charm and left the tent, also.

     "Good," Frankie said to Milly and Leah. He looked around. "Where's Billy?" As if an answer, a drowsy Billy staggered out of his tent next to the girl's.

     "Whuzzup?" he mumbled, rubbing his eyes. "We going or not?" Frankie sighed and started walking into the desert. Milly followed him with Charm in her arms, then Leah, then Billy.

     Wind tore at Milly's eyes. The cool sand felt wonderful underneath her feet. She soon drifted into her own little world. She felt happy and uncaring about what would happen next.

     BAM. Frankie had stopped short and Milly walked right into him. She immediately returned to the real world and stared up in horror at what made Frankie stop. Only a few moments passed and she realized that they were in the middle of now where. And no one would hear their screams.

     It was at least half as tall as Coltzan's Shrine, but it sure was terrifying. Burned and torn bandages covered its body, as if it was a walking-dead mummy. Its eyes were pools of piercing red, staring down at the five of them. It walked on two legs, and in its left hand was an ancient staff. And from Milly's point of view, it was defiantly the Cursed Anubis.

     It howled an ear-shattering howl. But, once again, they were in the middle of the Lost Desert, miles from any civilization. If they were to die, no body would ever know.

     Milly knew it saw Charm because it howled even louder. So loud, it drowned out their screams. For one second, they stood there, frozen. Then, Milly screamed again. After that, it was total chaos. Frankie and Billy ran to their left, Leah rant to her right, but Milly was still frozen with fear. Not a single one of them was to look back and call to Milly or grab her out of the way. Frozen.

     "AIIIIH!!" she screamed again. The staff in the Cursed Anubis' hand started glowing and a beam shot down at Milly. She got her legs to move out of the way, but there was no way she could dodge it again. She was a goner.

     Another beam was shot, but something amazing happened. Charm jumped from Milly's arms and into the beam. Charm was electrocuted, and once the beam faded, she dropped to the ground. Tears filled Milly's eyes. She hoped Charm was only unconscious. But she didn't have any time. She had to run. And she did.

     Milly ran for her life, screaming, hoping someone would come and help. Someone, someone out of no where. There had to be a way to get rid of the Cursed Anubis. Could she break the curse? Milly didn't know, and she doubted she ever would.

     The thumping of the Cursed Anubis' feet became louder and louder. It was on Milly's tail. She had no more time left. And then, Frankie's story. Coltzan's shrine. Milly looked at her watch. 3 minutes until Midnight. Perfect.

     Milly looked frantically around for Coltzan's Shrine. She ran for at least a minute, the Cursed Anubis still trailing her. Finally, Milly could see the peak of Coltzan's Shrine. She ran faster and faster until she had less than a minute to go. But she made it just in time.

     At midnight, she visited the shrine. Thunder rolled across the sky. Milly crossed her fingers. The stomping stopped. The howling stopped. Everything but the thunder was quiet. Milly looked behind her. The Cursed Anubis was gone. All that remained was its staff and its torn bandages. Milly had done it. She had broken the curse.

     She roamed the Lost Desert for the rest of the night, looking for Leah, Billy, and Frankie. Most importantly, Charm. Milly found Leah first; she was sprawled on the ground. She said she thought she had a heart attack, but she was good now. They found Billy next, but he seemed fine.

     "I haven't seen Frankie since," Billy said as they walked across the cool sand. Milly knew he was either dead or lost.

     And then, they found Charm, lying lifelessly in the sand. Milly ran over to her and felt her heartbeat. There was one, but slightly. She needed help and fast. Milly picked Charm up in her arms, and carried the Faerie Anubis all the way back to the campsite.

     Charm was healed in a matter of a week, as peppy as can be. They never did find Frankie ever again, but Billy, Leah, and Milly promised each other to not tell a soul of what happened the night of the Cursed Anubis.

The End