Already Gone (Jerod's First Tale - Part 6)

I don't know which is uglier, the snake in the basket or the snake trying to lay on some charm.

That's unfair. The snake in the basket is actually quite a handsome animal. Unlike the other.

"Hey, Den, party time. You wanna help me down some drinks?"

"Cold drink in this hot climate sounds like just the thing."



"Think you can outdrink me?"

"Any time, Shrimpy boy."

What a freaking idiot. There is no way he has a hope in hell of drinking me under the table.

"Den old man, you have to keep up. That's only your third."

"Gosshh, thash a great drink."

"Here's to our holiday."

"Cheerssh"

I poured him another. It was his last though, a few sips and he started for his tent.

"Den, you can't quit on me now man."

"Shuure I can. Gonna shleep now."

Mwhahahaha, I know he'll be getting shleep. Cause that last drink was laced with some nice sleeping drugs so the men coming tonight can easily cart him away.

Well, easy as in he won't resist. He's not a featherweight, they will be doing some heavy lifting.

The next morning, I checked the tent to find that it was empty.

Bye bye ex-traveling companion of mine. Hope you have a miserable time wherever the hell they dump your sorry ass.

At least I didn't have to kiss him or share his bed/tent. Letting him paw me was disgusting enough. However it was very very profitable.

Dude came around to chat briefly and collect payment.

I was happy to give him some of Dennis's money for the pleasure of having him removed from my life.

Once that was done, I was free to do what the hell I liked until time for the return flight. Sweet. Very swweeett.

I went back to the woman who agreed to lose the paperwork to settle the payment.

She asked me to retrieve some stuff from one of the local tombs in return for knocking the payment down a bit. I only had a brief whiff of tomb the other day, I wanted more. Danger, treasure, it's all a massive high.

It turned out, this was just a small tomb, right next to camp. Why none of the other souls had plundered it was a mystery.

But that means it's all mine. There are coins on the floor, the chests have various historical treasures.

Not nearly as much as I'd like but it's a good start.

I found that there were a number of secrets to unlock.

Stuff to move. Note to self, gym much more often.

Right about now, I could use Dennis's bulk to help shift that.

No, god no. Strike that thought. I don't need a goddamn soul in my life. Just me.

It wasn't long before I uncovered a secret stash.

Then I found an easier way out through a secret door.

Man, this tomb stuff is awesome and dead easy. I don't know why people think it's dangerous.

I returned for my 'just' reward. Between the goodies that I had found, and the discount on her services, this really was going to be a profitable trip.

She also taught me a new song. I'll bet Tania will be impressed that I've learned an Egyptian tune.

Damn and blast that little blondie. Why did she have to be good?

I did make a lot of contacts with other members of the Company while I was there.

There was some muttering about Dennis Racket and his failure to attend critical meetings or even answer his phone. I believe that the batteries to his cell just happen to be in my pocket.

I spent Dennis's money at the local shops.

And bought myself the best grub in the town.

There was so much to do that I was glad to pay for the little rental scooter. Running to the pyramids and the sphinx would have been asking for heat exhaustion.

Granted, it wasn't exactly my money that paid for it.

Back to the Great Pyramid. Man, I need a longer holiday, I really don't have time to explore this one.

Or course I drank whenever I finally crawled back to camp after a long day. I had a blast now that Dennis was out of the picture.

And when I finally got home to Twinbrook?

I celebrated again. I have plenty of cash, had a complete blast in Egypt, and there would be no pink tux in my future.

Cause there is nothing like strutting your stuff to prove that you are on top of the world.

Dennis will be back, eventually. But not for weeks, maybe a couple of months if I'm lucky. By the time he does return, things will be very different in this town.