Dangerous Rivals

Prologue

“So you think it is safe to go out there and film?” asked Arnold.

“I hope so, that other film studio owner has said that he won’t stop us filming in Egypt as long as I pay him over the odds to do it. I have that in writing, so yes, we should be alright” replied Steve Sommers.

Arnold left Steves office. He played the mummy, Imhotep, in the blockbuster films and they were filming a third. But there had been some problems in Egypt from a rival film company who didn’t want the third mummy movie filmed there unless they got a lot of money. There had been threats to the actors but Sommers had struck up a deal that the owner was happy with. He was assured that there would be no more trouble.
The whole cast and crew were due to leave in sections, as not all the filming was done together. Arnold, Oded, John and Steve Sommers, the crew and a couple of other actors were going first, then a week later, the other stars would arrive. They were looking at another blockbuster if all went well.

----------------------------
Tanith had gone out to Egypt to see how close she could get to the filming of Mummy 3. She wasn’t going to be a pest or get in the way, so decided that when they drove out to the location she would follow.
The first day proved that it was going to be impossible because she didn’t drive and her only transport was either a horse or camel. So, going back that evening, she collected together a tent, food and all the things that she would need and would camp about Ľ of a mile from the set, where she couldn’t be seen if they were using long distance cameras. She could walk to the set and mingle with the extras and not be noticed.
This went on for about 3 days until one evening, Arnold, who had already noticed her around and knew she wasn’t an extra but hadn’t said anything, saw her walking up the sand dune at the back of the set. Most of the cast and crew had left in the coach and there was only him, Steve, a crewman and two cars left.

“Steve, I’ll take the jeep, you go on, I won’t be long” said Arnold.

“You sure, don’t stay too long out here on your own, you know the risks, see you back at the hotel” Steve replied.

Arnold watched him go and then he walked in the direction the girl had gone. He assumed she hadn’t realised the coach had gone and was just going for a walk. As he got to the top of the dune, he was shocked to see a tent, a fire and a camel about 200 yds away. Suddenly he realised she must be camping out there.

“Hi, what are you doing out here?” he asked as he reached the camp site.

“Arnold, shish, give someone a heart attack why don’t you” she exclaimed, jumping at the voice behind her.

“Sorry, I saw you come up here and was just going to let you know the coach had left. I had no idea you were camping up here.”

She took the coffee pot off the fire and poured herself a cup, offering one to Arnold who accepted and sat down on the sand.

“Look I was hoping no-one would see me, I am just a fan wanting to see what was going on with the filming. I was trying not to get in the way, does anyone else know who I am?”

Arnold leaned on his elbow and drank some of the coffee and shook his head.

“No, I noticed you a couple of days ago but it didn’t bother me. Look I am serious when I say you can’t stay out here, it is too dangerous”

“I have been alright since you arrived five days ago. It is lovely out here, I love the night, so simple, so deceptive”

“So you might have been and yes the night is wonderful out here but that fire can be seen for miles and there are tribes out here that wouldn’t take too kindly to finding a woman alone out here and others who would be quite pleased, if you know what I mean. Please come back to the hotel, you can ride out with me each morning if you want to, but don’t stay here on your own”

Tanith had to admit she was lonely and scared out there on her own, but only to herself. They sat and talked for a while and she was surprised how easily she got on with him, he was a real gentleman and seemed genuinely concerned that she was out there. In the end she agreed to go back with him, if he promised that Steve Sommers wouldn’t find out and demand that she left.

“Don’t worry Steve isn’t like that. Come on, we’ll leave the camel at the set, it will be alright and then put your stuff in the jeep” he replied helping her pack up.

Back at the hotel, he introduced her as one of his friends and that she would be coming out with him the next day. She needn’t have worried Steve was very nice and so was Oded, who she was really there to see and all the others.

“You’re one of the fans aren’t you?” he asked later “I knew you were two days ago when you disappeared every time I came over to speak to someone. Don’t worry, as there is only one of you, you can help out if you want. I am sure we can find you something to do.”

“Mr Sommers, thank you, I promise I won’t get in the way” she replied.

“Call me Steve and don’t tell anyone you are a fan, or they will all try it” he laughed.

Tanith went over and told Arnold what Steve had said. He laughed and told her that he always knew Steve knew more than he let on about people and what they were doing. He asked her who was her all time favourite in the mummy films.

“Do you want an honest answer?” she asked.

“Of course”

“Well, although I like you a lot and think you are a good actor, I am really here to see Oded”

“Thought you were. I’ve seen the way you look at him, you love him don’t you?”

Tanith went red and didn’t say anything. He apologised for embarrassing her and she told him that she cared about Oded a lot but didn’t know if she loved him or not.

“Anyway, she is not going to be interested in me, I am too old for him. And don’t tell him please, I’d never be able to look at him again”

They spent a couple of hours making small talk and he learnt a lot about her and she about him. Then they retired for the night, he had managed to get her a room with one of the other girls from the crew and said he would see her in the morning.
The next couple of days were fun, Tanith was helping with the horses and camels and although she had some difficulty with one of the camels, she was having a good time. She had even had a chance to talk to Oded a few times. He was nice but had pulled his back slightly on the first day of filming and found it hard to do some of the riding and wanted to get some practice in.

“Look, I am going to take the black horse and go with two of the extras over to the other set, near the temple ruins to practice for a while. Will you tell steve where I am, I have finished filming today” he said about 11am that morning.

“Sure Oded, be careful yeah” she replied. “Don’t forget to take some water with you”

“I will, see you later” he said as he and the two men rode off.

Arnold saw them ride off and came over to ask where they were going. Tanith told him and he told her that several of them went there to practice.

The filming went quite well till about 2pm, when one of the crew came running over and shouted that a sand storm was coming up. Everyone grabbed what they could and took shelter wherever they could. When one started, you only had a few minutes to take shelter.
Tanith had been told that if this happened, to let the camels go, but tie the horses up if possible. Luckily all but one were in the corral anyway and she couldn’t get the other one in time. Running to the jeep, she got in and shut the door. Normally it would have been dangerous to get in one of the vehicles but this one was parked beside the ruins where they were filming.
The wind scooped up the sand and flung it everywhere, parts of the set that weren’t tied down, disappeared over the dunes. This went on for about 10 minutes, then it disappeared as quick as it had arrived. Getting out of the jeep, Tanith looked around. The place was a mess.
John came over and asked if she was alright, when she said she was, he went to see what damage had been done to the costumes. She went with him and they salvaged what they could but a lot of them would need repairing. The others were clearing up other parts of the set, when Steve used the megaphone to call them all over.

“Look it will be dark in a couple of hours, there isn’t much we can do here tonight, we will take back what can be repaired easily and then do the rest tomorrow. Filming will be delayed for at least 24 hours. For all who are using the coach, it leaves in 30 minutes” he said.

After the coach left, Tanith walked over to the horses and camels to make sure they were alright for the night. She had fell in love with one of the camels and always gave her a treat before she left. Arnold came over and asked if she was ready to go. He had a load of the costumes in the jeep to be taken back to the hotel. They would soon find someone to repair them for a some wages. The locals liked to help as long as they got paid for it.
It didn’t take them long to get back to the hotel and there were several local women willing to sew the costumes up. Tanith went and had a shower to get the sand out of her hair and everywhere it had reached, then went along to Odeds room to see if he was joining them for a snack in the dining room. She got no answer so went down alone. Arnold was already in the dining room with John when she walked in. John asked if Oded was coming down.

“There was no answer, he must be asleep or already down here” she said.

“No-on has seen him, I assumed he was upstairs” said John.

Arnold got up and disappeared out of the dining room. Suddenly Tanith had a horrible thought, if he wasn’t there, then that meant. God, she hoped she was wrong. Grabbing John, she pulled him with her as she went to the reception where Arnold was.

“I’ve asked around, no-one has seen him since this morning.”

“That means he is still out there, somewhere” she replied grabbing his arm.

“Look I am sure he is okay, but we have to find him. Have you seen Steve?” he asked John.

“He went out earlier, look what is going on, where is Oded?” he asked.

“At the other set, I hope, come on, we have to go and find him. Tanith you stay here”

“No way, if you are going then I am coming with you” she said putting on her coat.

Arnold left a message for Steve so that he knew where they had gone. Hopefully they would be back before him but just in case. Getting into the jeep, they drove off back to the first set, so that they could use the horses to go the rest of the way. There were too many dunes from then on to be able to use the jeep.
Oded and the two extras arrived at the other location and spent an hour or so practising their riding. It was only because of Odeds pulled muscle in his back that he was doing this. After a while he got off his horse and sat on one of the ruined pillars having some of the water, while he watched the other two ride.

“Come on, I have some sandwiches here” he shouted to them.

As they rode over and dismounted, shots rang out and one the men fell, a bullet to the head. Oded and the other man flung themselves to the ground.

“Who the bloody hell did that?” said Jimmy.

“I have no idea but I think we are in trouble here” replied Oded “Somehow we have to get those horses and get out of here, now”

“Do you know where the shots came from?”

Oded shook his head but pointed to the top of the old temple above them. They had no weapons of their own, they were actors, none of their stuff was real in that sense and anyway, they weren’t even in costume, both were wearing jeans and t-shirts.
They decided that they would make a run for it or they could be there for hours. Both of them knew how to run and jump on a horse without stopping and then take off. Oded told Jimmy to run, he would be right behind him.

“Ready……GO” he shouted.

They ran to the horses and leapt on and started to ride off but a volley of shots rang out again and Jimmy fell from his horse first, shot in the back several times. Oded just had time to turn and see him fall when he felt a searing pain rip through his shoulder and arm. He managed to keep on his horse and swinging it round, headed towards the temple.
He knew there was no way he could make it away from the temple and live, he had to get inside and hope that they stayed where they were and believed that they had killed all three men.
He literally slid off the horse as he reached the temple, the pain from the bullet wounds beyond anything he had ever felt before. With the presence of mind to grab the water as he staggered inside, he leant on the wall for a few moments, trying not to pass out.
Dizziness passing for a few minutes, he managed to make it further inside the temple and slid down the wall at the far end of the bigger room, so that he couldn’t be seen from the doorway, he hoped. He had caught the wound in his shoulder on the wall as he sat down and he gasped.
What the hell he was going to do now, he didn’t know. No-one from the other set would come out looking for him till much later and then it might be too late. He was losing blood, he could feel it running down his arm. Taking his belt off, he managed to wrap it round his arm and stop the bleeding a bit but his shoulder, he could do nothing about. The pain was unbearable and gradually blackness took over and he eventually passed out.
Steve arrived back at the hotel and was given the note from Arnold plus another one. He turned rather pale as he read them.

“Bloody hell, look I need someone to ring round all the actors and crews rooms and tell them to meet down here in 10 minutes”

The man behind the desk knew something serious was up and suggested that he used the tanoy. It was piped through to all the hotel including the rooms. He showed Steve where it was and he relayed the message. Within 10 minutes, everyone was in the lounge wondering what was going on.

“Okay, we have a major problem. Oded, Jimmy and Peter went out to the temple this morning to get some riding practice in. They haven’t been seen since. Now Arnold, John and Tanith have gone out looking for them. Now this other note is from two of the actors from the rival studio. They are going against the owners wishes and have warned me here, that they intend to do something about stopping us from filming. I am going to phone the owner but in the meantime
I want some volunteers to come with me and look for them” said Steve pacing up and down as he talked.

Several hands went up including Brendan and Ewan but Steve stopped them.

“Not you two, I want you to stay here” he said.

“But they are our friends too” replied Brendan “You said volunteers”

“I know I did but I already have three of my top actors out there somewhere, I don’t know what’s happened to them. I am not risking you as well, my insurance wouldn’t stand it”

Brendan argued with Steve and finally won but Ewan said he would stay. Finally there were 10 men ready to leave.

“Now, we will be taking rifles with us but remember, this is not part of the film, this is real. If there is any trouble out there, people could get hurt. We will be using real ammo not blanks, so no messing about and please, no heroics” replied Steve.

“Do you think it could be those men?” asked one of the men.

“I don’t know, I hope not. I am hoping that Oded just got stranded by the sandstorm and that they are on their way back. But if it is” he sighed “Then let us hope we can stop them first before they do anything stupid”

Arnold stopped the jeep beside a building beside the hotel and got out. He was gone a few minutes and then came back with rifles and ammo and loaded them in the back of the jeep.

“If there is any trouble, we’ll need these” he said.

“You’re serious aren’t you?” said John.

“We could need to protect ourselves, it is best to be prepared out here. I’ve put blankets, food and a first aid kit in here as well”

“And I thought filming could be dangerous” replied John.

They drove towards the first set, it would take them about 30 minutes if they drove fast. They all hoped that the sandstorm was the only problem Oded had uncounted and no other reason.

“Arnold, what’s that glow over there?” asked Tanith “Looks like another camp fire, could be Oded”

“That’s not a camp fire, that’s the set. John load those rifles”

They watched the red glow in the sky get closer as they drove towards the set. It looked like the whole place was ablaze. As they rounded the hill just before it, Arnold stopped the jeep and they got out of the vehicle. From where they were they could see that the main set was on fire and from the glow of the flames they could see that the rest of the place was a wreck.

“We have to get down there to get the horses” said John.

“That is what the rifles are for, come on, we have no choice” said Arnold.

Getting back into the jeep they slowly drove into the set. It looks like a bomb had hit it, more damage than the sandstorm had done. They carefully walked through the carnage and discovered that all the horses and camels had gone, there was no way this could be repaired, they would have to start from scratch.

“Now what do we do?” asked Tanith “We needed them to get to the temple”

“We will have to go as far as we can in the jeep and then walk the rest of the way. We should be able to get most of the way as long as we don’t get stuck in the sand” he replied.

“It looks like whoever did this have left at least, we would have known about it if they had still been here” said John.

Arnold nodded as he and the others walked back to the jeep and started it up. They slowly drove up and down the dunes, trying to stop the vehicle from sliding on the sand. Suddenly at the top of a fairly high dune, the jeep started to side slip and as much as Arnold tried to control it, it rolled and they found themselves at the bottom, upside down in the sand.

“Is everyone alright?” shouted John clambering out and spitting a mouthful of sand out.

Both Arnold and Tanith said they were and shaking the sand from their clothes, they rescued the stuff from the back of the jeep and started to walk to the temple. Luckily for them the jeep was soft top and the sand was soft, so none had any injuries. Arnold estimated that it would take them an hour to walk to the temple, the sand was hard to walk in as it was soft, shifting sand, not like what you would get on the beach.
They had torches but relied on the moon light for as long as they could, torch light would give anyone around a good idea where they were and the last thing they wanted was to be caught out in the open by these gunmen.
Back at the temple, Oded had come round but because of how dark it was inside there, he had no idea if he had been out for a few minutes or a few hours. Trouble was , as soon as he tried to move, pain shot through his arm and shoulder and he had to fight blacking out again.
He decided to stay as still as he could, that way the pain subsided a bit but he had lost a lot of blood and felt weak, plus he was frozen both from the night air and shock. As he sat there, he came to the conclusion that he would have to get out of there himself, if the loss of blood didn’t kill him, the cold and shock would. He had never felt such pain, even when he had been in the Israeli army he had never got wounded.
Carefully he tried to move and he found that if he took it in slow easy stages, he may be able to make it to the doorway. Unfortunately as he moved, he leant on some fallen stones and one of them moved, causing him to grab one of the others, this send the pain ricocheting through his arm. He gasped and gripping his shoulder, keeled over into the sand, blood starting to pour from one of the wounds again.
Tanith was trailing behind the other two a bit, she didn’t want them to see she was crying. She had suddenly realised that she liked Oded more than she had let on and now she could lose him just as she found out. She just hoped that he would be waiting for them, perfectly okay and even angry at them for being late picking him up. Arnold turned round and saw her about 15 feet behind them. He told John to rest for a minute while he went to see if she was okay.

“Tan are you alright?” he asked going up to her.

“Yes, I’m fine, how much further?” she asked sniffing.

He took the rifle and rucksack from her and holding her arms, looked at her. Even in the moonlight he could see the tears on her cheek. He said nothing but put his arms round her and pulled her to him. That little gesture set her off and she cried into his shoulder.

“Sshh, I am sure he is okay, Tan, honestly. I was right in what I said the other day, you are in love with him aren’t you?”

“Yes, but I didn’t realise it till now” she said wiping her nose “What if he is……”

Arnold put his finger to her lips and stopped her, shaking his head.

“He’s not, believe that. I am sure that he is alright. Come on, we only have to go over that next dune and we will be there.”

Tan put the tissue in her pocket and picked up the bag and rifle, then kissing Arnold on the cheek and thanking him, walked over to John and they went on the rest of the way. They stopped at the top of the dune and looked down at the temple. It seemed quiet enough and they could see no-one about. Suddenly the neigh of a horse from behind them, made them slowly turn round wondering who it was. But Tanith jumped up and ran to it, when she realised that it was Odeds horse.

“It’s Jet, it’s the one Oded was riding this morning” she said.

She ran her hand down it’s mane and her fingers touched something sticky. As she shone her torch onto it, she saw it was blood.

“Arnold, there is blood on his mane, Oded must be hurt, the horse isn’t”

“Come on, let’s find him now. Just watch out for these people, they could still be here, there are several places for them to hide here” replied Arnold.

They walked towards the temple and while John and Tanith went in the main part of the place, Arnold said he would have a quick look round outside the place.

“John, I’ll look in here, you go that way, shout if you find anything” she said.

“You too” he replied cocking the rifle just in case.

As Tanith walked through the main hallway, she found that there were small rooms off it, but they were all empty. Going further in, she came to the main room at the end of the long hall. As she shone her torch around, the beam picked out Oded laying on the floor.

“JOHN, IN HERE” she shouted running over to him. “Oded, Oded, can you hear me?”

John came running in, gun aimed and then saw her with Oded laying in the sand. He rushed over and knelt beside them.

“Oh my God” he said. “Is he?”

“No, not yet, but his pulse is so faint I can hardly feel it and he is so cold. Get some of that old wood over there and start a fire. We need to get him warm and quickly.”

Leaving him where he was for a minute, Tanith grabbed the blankets out of the rucksack that John was carrying. She laid one on the floor, as close to the fire John was lighting and then got him to help her lay him on it. As they moved him, they saw the wounds.

“Bloody hell, he been shot” gasped John.

At that moment, shots rang out and Arnold came running in. He told them that there were some men on the top of the temple and had fired at him as he got to the doorway. He saw Oded and rushed to his side.

“He’s been shot, from what I can see, twice. Once in his arm and the other in his shoulder. From the state of the sand and his t-shirt, he has lost a lot of blood, plus his pulse is hardly there and he is frozen with cold” she told him.

He could see from the torch light and fire that he was in a bad way, he was ashen in color and they really needed to get him out of there and to a hospital. But with those men on the temple, Arnold wasn’t sure if they would get out alive. But he kept that part to himself for the time being.

“Who the hell did this?” asked Tanith.

“I think they are from that rival studio I told you about. I recognised one of them”

Steve and the others had arrived at the set and saw what was left of it. Brendan walked around and looked at it.

“Jesus Christ, there isn’t a thing left intact” he said kicking some of the stuff.

“Well, that’s the set finished. We’ll have to find somewhere safer than this. Now all we have to hope is that Oded and the others ARE okay” replied Steve.

He had managed to get hold of the owner of the other company and he was flying out that night. He had an idea who it was, apparently he had sacked two of his actors that he was using on his new film and they had warned him that he would regret it.
Suddenly shots rang out and about half a dozen men on horses raced towards them. Steve shouted for them to get behind cover as three of the men with him fell. Grabbing their rifles, they fired back and took out two of the men on horseback. The others jumped off and ran for cover too, firing as they went.

“These people are determined to stop us filming aren’t they?” shouted John

“Yeah, looks that way”

As Steve ran over to where Brendan was, a shot rang out and he fell to the sand. Holding his arm he crawled quickly behind the gold chariot, or what was left of it. One of the other men, who was Egyptian, took off his turban and ripping it, wrapped it round Steves arm.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine” he replied “It’s not deep, just a flesh wound”

A gun battle ensued with bullets flying around, but within about 20 minutes, several of the men lay dead and so did a couple of Steves men. They were dressed in jeans and leather jackets and were definitely weren’t from Egypt. Steve and another man were hurt but they gathered all their stuff together and got into the truck to drive as far as they could go. They also knew that they couldn’t go too far in the sand dunes.

“Steve, you alright?” asked Brendan seeing some blood seeping through the cloth wrapped round it.

“Yeah, I’ll be alright, let’s just find the others and hope they haven’t met up with this lot or any others.”

Arnold was keeping an eye out just by the doorway of the temple. He could hear that the men were on the top of the temple, every so often a rock would fall as they walked around. It was light now, even though it was only 5am and he knew that unless Steve and the others came looking for them, they were in trouble. Oded needed help and quickly but he also knew that if they tried to leave they would be shot.

“How is he?” asked John coming over to where Oded was laying.

“Not good, we need to get him out of here” she replied.

Just then he opened his eyes and tried to focus, she lifted his head to help him drink some water.

“It’s okay, take it easy. You’re going to fine sweetheart”

All he managed to say were their names before passing out again. He was so cold, even though there was a fire and he was covered in a blanket. They were both really worried and guessed he didn’t have much longer unless they could do something to get him out of there. John said he was going to see Arnold. As he left, Tanith lifted Oded up and sitting behind him, pulled him against her and wrapped the blanket round him. He was shivering and she cold feel the cold from him through her jumper.

“Arnold, as I see it we have two choices. Either we take the chance and make a run for it or we remove those bullets ourselves. Oded isn’t going to live much longer unless we do something, he is getting worse”

“If we try running for it we will all be dead. But how can we take the bullets out, none of us are qualified for that John.”

“I don’t think we have a choice, not if he is going to live. The wounds are infected, they have to come out”

Arnold told him to watch the door while he went back to have a look. He found Tanith cradling Oded in her arms, trying to keep him warm, tears ran down her face. She wasn’t stupid, she could see he was dying in her arms and there was nothing they could do about it.

“Tan, we can’t get out of here, those men are still there and I am not sure how many of them there are. That leaves us one alternative, we have to remove those bullets” he told her.

“We can’t, none of us know what to do. Okay I worked in a hospital but that was 25 years ago. I couldn’t do that”

“Well John can’t, he passes out at the sight of a cut finger, I know, I’ve seen him. That leaves me. Tan, listen to me, Oded is going to die if we don’t do this, the bullets are stopping the wounds from sealing and he can’t loose much more blood. We have to do it and do it now”

She knew he was right and nodded her head. Arnold helped her move him onto his stomach, so that they had access to the wounds. Going to the rucksack, Arnold pulled out two knives and placed both of them in the fire to sterilise them.

“Look, I want you to hold his arm still while I cut the one out of his shoulder first”
he said placing a torch each side of the wound so he could see what he was doing.

He hesitated as he picked up the knife, he was terrified of what he had to do but knew that if he didn’t, Oded would die. Tanith gave him a reassuring kiss on the cheek and squeeze of the hand, knowing what he was thinking. He looked at her and taking a deep breath, began.
The one in his shoulder was quite deep and had chipped the bone on the way in, he picked out about six pieces of bone before he found the bullet, it was lodged just under the shoulder blade and very carefully, he managed to dislodge it so that he could remove it with the knife. He handed it to Tanith, who laid it on a cloth.
Covering the wound with a pad from the first aid box, he wrapped a bandage round it to keep it in place.

“One out, one to go. This one shouldn’t be as difficult” said Arnold wiping his forehead with his hand.

“You’re doing great Arnold” she said reassuringly.

Getting the other knife from the fire, he got Tanith to lift his arm and support it while he got the bullet out. It wasn’t in very deep and only took a few minutes to get it. Then doing the same with his arm, he wrapped it up in a bandage. Just as they finished, there were shots coming from outside.

“Stay with him, I’ll be back” he shouted as he ran out.

“Arnold, be careful” she called after him.

Turning Oded over, she covered him with the blanket and felt his pulse. It seemed a little stronger already. Perhaps he was going to be alright after all. Making sure he was okay, she ran after Arnold to see what was going on. They were crouched down just outside the door, firing at some men over by the ruins of the other part of the temple. Grabbing the other rifle, she went next Arnold and knelt down.

“Get back in there with Oded” he shouted at her.

“No way, we are in this together, he is okay” she replied firing at one of the men.

Bullets ricocheted off the temple walls and they had to duck behind them to avoid getting shot. Suddenly shots were coming from over the dune and two of the men were killed.

“Thank God” said John “Steve is here, we’ll be alright”

“Go back to Oded, please Tan, we’ll be alright now Steve and the others are here”

“Okay, don’t get yourselves killed”

She went back to where Oded was laying and kneeling beside him, she lifted his head and gave him some water. His eyes flickered open and he looked at her.

“Tan……how…how did you find me?” he asked in a whisper.

“Don’t worry about that, you’re going to be fine. We’ll have you out of here very soon. Here drink some more of this”

He laid back down but stayed awake this time. He winced as she checked his arm and shoulder, they weren’t bleeding anymore. He jumped as he heard shots from outside.

“Take it easy, Arnold and John are out there and some of the others from the hotel, it will all be over very soon. Then we’ll get you to hospital”

He didn’t pass out again but he couldn’t keep his eyes open and drifted off to sleep as she held his hand. Just then a nose made her turn round and Arnold and John came in. Just behind them were Steve and Brendan. Steve’s arm was in a sling and Brendan looked the worse for wear but they were all okay.
The owner of the other company had not only flown out from his home in Spain but also got a helicopter to fly him right out to where they were. He had some men with him and they landed on the temple roof. The men were soon overpowered and arrested. He had waved to Steve and the others that it was safe.

“He’s going to be alright” she said as she ran into Arnold arms. “Thank you”

“Let’s get out of here” said John slinging the rifle over his shoulder “Pity we didn’t have a camera running, nice bit of shooting that”

Steve and Brendan laughed and went to find some things that they could make a stretcher out of to carry Oded to the helicopter that the man had relocated down beside the temple. Tanith sat beside him and kept hold of his hand as they flew him to the hospital. The men they had arrested were taken back to the hotel in the truck where they would be taken away by the police the police and charged with murder and attempted murder. Their acting careers were definitely over.
Oded and Steve were taken to the hospital in Cairo and Arnold told the doctor what had happened and what he had had to do. They were told to wait in the waiting room and he would see them as soon as he had assessed the situation. John had stayed at the hotel, he hated hospitals and would wait to see Oded when he got back. Steve came in first, his arm had been stitched, the bullet luckily for him had just grazed it and not entered the arm.

“You okay Steve?” asked Arnold.

“Yes, I’m fine, we just have to wait to hear about Oded”

It was a couple of hours before the doctor came back and told them that they could go in and see Oded.

“Which one of you took those bullets out?” he asked.

“I did, I didn’t think I had much choice if he was to live” replied Arnold.

“You did a brilliant job, all we had to do was replace some of the blood he lost and clean and stitch him up. Using that knife red hot as you did, sealed the wound. He is in a room and we want to keep him in for 24 hours observation but if everything is okay he can go home tomorrow. He has a drip in but that is to replace fluids. But he will be fine”

“Would he really have died?” asked Steve.

“Yes, if those bullets hadn’t been taken out, he wouldn’t be here now”

Steve told them to go and see him, he would see him tomorrow. They were shown his room by the nurse and Arnold went in first.

“You go in first, I’ll see him in a minute” she said.

Oded was propped up in bed with the drip in his right arm and the other one in a sling, all bandaged up. He opened his eyes when he heard the door open.

“Arnold, thanks for coming after me.”

“You didn’t really think we would leave you out there do you” said Arnold. “How do you feel, you look better than the last time I saw you”

“A lot better now. I want to thank you Arnold, for what you did. The doctor tells me I would be dead now if it wasn’t for you”

“You’d have done the same for me”

Arnold told him what happened to the set and how they found him etc, he in turn told him about the temple and how Jimmy and Peter had died before they had a chance to do anything. The door opened and Tan came in and Arnold said he would go and get them all a coffee.

“Come and sit by me Tan. Thank you for staying with me out there”

“I’m just glad you are going to be alright, that is all I prayed for”

“The doctor told me that I nearly died and that if it hadn’t been for you and Arnold I would have done. I owe you one”

“You don’t owe me anything Oded, I’m just happy to see you on the mend. You had me scared out there”

“Did I, I can’t see why. I am nothing special, just another actor doing a job”

Arnold came in just as Tanith ran out in tears. He looked at Oded and asked what had happened. Oded told him what he had said and that he didn’t think he had said anything wrong.

“You idiot Oded, can’t you see she is in love with you. You always were dumb when it came to women. Don’t worry, I’ll find her”

“Arnold, tell her I’m sorry I didn’t know” he said.

Steve got back to the hotel and the man from the other company was waiting for him.

“I am sorry Steve about this but you do understand that it had nothing to do with me”

“Yes I do, the men told us that it was their idea not only to finish us but you too”

“I have decided that this has all got out of hand. Therefore, I will not be taking that money off you and on top of that, I have instructed my company, here in Egypt to help you rebuild the mummy set. Is that acceptable to you?”

“Thank you, very acceptable. I am just sorry that it had to come to this for us to be able to work together.”

He arranged to have all the hospital bills paid for and anything else that he could do, he would do.
Tanith had left the hospital and got a taxi back to the hotel, she should have known better than to fall for someone who didn’t want to know. She was packing her things when there was a knock on the door. Opening it, she found Arnold standing there. He could see she had been crying and he closed the door behind him.

“What are doing?” he asked.

“Leaving, I’ll be gone by the time Oded gets here tomorrow. I should have known better shouldn’t I? Someone like him and someone like me”

Arnold took her by the arm and sat her down on the bed and he told her something that he knew that Oded might not tell her.

“He was hurt, badly by a woman 2 years ago. Since then he has put up a wall round himself, he is scared, scared to allow himself to get close to anyone. I know because I was there while it was going on. Give him a chance, he does care, honest”

It took a bit of persuading but he managed to get Tanith to stay and see Oded when he got back the next day.

“Get some sleep and I’ll see you tomorrow” he said as he left.

Tanith decided to give Oded some space, she knew he was back in the hotel, John had phoned and told her. But she would leave it a day or so before seeing him. As much as she wanted to make sure he was really okay. A knock on the door, woke her up, she had been really tired, more than she thought. Putting on a dressing gown she went and opened it. Oded stood there.

“Can I come in?” he said.

“Oded, yes please, should you be walking about yet?”

“It’s okay as long as I don’t walk too far, I’m still a little weak and dizzy”

He still looked pale and she made him lay on the bed.

“You should have your feet up, go on”

He apologised for what he had said the day before and asked her to sit beside him. As she did, he took her hand.

“I know Arnold will have told you what happened a couple of years ago. All I ask is that you bear with me, give me time”

“I’ll give you all the time in the world sweetheart, just believe that I love you” she said.

Snaking his good hand into her hair, he pulled her down for a kiss, deepening it almost immediately. Then he reached over and turned out the light.

Downstairs, Steve was telling them about the new set and that they would be working with this new company from then on. It could be to both their advantages.

“Where is Oded, I thought he was well enough to join us for a drink tonight” asked John.

“Oh I think he is busy at the moment John, something he has to sort out before he loses out again” replied Arnold with a smile on his face, glancing up the stairs as he led John into the bar for a drink.

The film would be finished and the two companies would go on to make several films together. The men that were arrested were to spend a lot of time in jail and they wished they are never started all this.