The Ankh Theory

It was any other November day for Tobias Ray, the sky was a hue of grey, which was gradually getting darker as the clock turned to seven, and the air strongly smelled of rain. It had just rained and there were still puddles all around the city. Stray animals drank from the puddles and young men and women were talking on their phones, dodging all of the puddles that were along the sidewalk.

Tobias loathed walking after it rained, although it seemed to rain every day in Oregon.

The brown-haired man was walking home from his office job (which despite its amount of sales had very acute pay for its workers) and was only one quarter away from his humble abode before he realized whilst seeing the men and women on their phones that he had left his own phone at his desk. No man, woman, or person can ever live without their phone if they have ever acquired one in their life, so like any normal tech-crazed person, he turned around to go fetch his valuable mobile device.

He turned to notice there was not one stray dog or any person to be seen. The area he had just walked through was now suddenly barren, the air still faintly damp and puddles still in splotches everywhere. The city now seemed frozen in time, the sharp whispers of air that seemed to pierce his ears the only thing he could hear.

Tobias couldn’t help but feel shivers run up his spine and goosebumps spread on his skin. He felt paralyzed and couldn’t move anything but his eyes, scanning everywhere he could that was in the dim light of a street lamp or the moonlight from the full moon that shined brightly in the onyx sky. The smell of rain had been overthrown with the pleasant smell of gasoline laced with manure. Tobias gagged at the smell, his nose was sensitive and even the faintest smells agitated him. Tobias, whose body now unfrozen from the abrupt and putrid scent of gasoline, looked all around him. Searching for any explanation Tobias continued to search, looking through alleys and up and down streets. He couldn’t help but feel like something bad was going to happen, his stomach rumbled with fear (and hunger) and began tossing with uneasiness.

He finally noticed a man in an alley and ran to him but hesitated as he neared the man. The man was tall, like six feet and 7 inches tall. He wore a coat that was dark and stained though they didn’t look like normal food stains to Tobias though that isn’t what made Tobias stop in his tracks. The man had a knife clutched in his hand. The only way Tobias knew this was because the glint of the weapon struck his eyes instantly as he neared the armed man.

Tobias stood there unsure of what to do since even if he didn’t confront the man he would still have to pass him to head back to the office. Tobias was stuck between the two choices and chose to just stand there as he heard a female’s voice. She had said something, though the words quickly left Tobias’s head as he then saw the man who held the knife stab into the woman. Tobias was shocked and couldn’t help but feel sick to his stomach but muffled himself so he would not be the next.

The man turned, his eyes meeting Tobias’s without even a second to search for anyone or anything. The man only grinned, his teeth oddly yellow and his eyes blue… or grey? Tobias couldn’t tell because it was so dark and he was scared to death. The man walked off and since Tobias didn’t have his phone all he could do was run over to the woman and check her pulse.

The woman was good as dead, her eyes sunken and opened though they didn’t show fear or any emotion. Tobias could recognize the putrid smell of death coming off her body. She looked like she was taunting the knife-wielding man as though she didn’t believe he would kill her. Pain struck his chest at that thought and he hurried to the office, grabbing his phone and immediately dialing 911.

***

“Yes! Hello?” Tobias called into the phone, his heart racing as he felt as though someone was daring him to keep talking. He kept peering around the office, paranoid that the tall man he had seen was with him.

“I saw a man stab a woman, she is dead and I had left my phone at work so the first thing I did was call you… It was—” He explained, stuttering with his words.

“So you’re not with the woman currently?” The woman asked.

“No, I am not. Should I go there? It was in an alleyway down a block from Nightingale Paper. That’s where I am currently.”

“No, stay there and on the phone with me. Police are on their way.”

He looked through his blinds in his office and found himself even more paranoid that he might see the man again. He couldn’t help but find the image of the woman’s dead body stuck in his head. Her eyes were so sunken but not at all phased by the knife that stabbed her.

It was eerie.

“Sir, what’s your name?”

“Tobias Ray.”

“Tobias, I just got a report from an officer nearby and they say they can’t find a body.”

“What? But it’s—”

“Can you give me a detailed description of where the body is?”

Tobias explained exactly where he saw the woman, what the woman wore, and tried his best to describe the man. Even with all of the information he had given there was no sight of the woman’s body and Tobias was still uneasy, he only kept rambling. The woman asked him to come to the station so they could try to get the best possible idea of what happened, to which he agreed to and went to the police station where he was met with two men.

***

The man on the right was young and had greasy brown hair and his eyes were a dull blue like he hadn’t slept for days, he wore an officer’s uniform that looked more like a swat uniform but the city was dangerous so he could only empathize with the officer and with that he had a badge that stated ‘P. JENSON’, which Tobias guessed was his last name and first initial. The man on the left was older and had a square head with grey hair that was neatly pushed back and obviously was used with a lot of gel, he wore a trench coat (how cliche) and his badge was on his belt as though shouting to everyone ‘Haha losers! I’m a police detective and you aren’t!’.

It made Tobias want to groan in annoyance though he pressed his chapped lips together.

“Good evening Tony, I’m Detective Reed.”

“It’s Tobias. Tobias Ray.

Detective Reed (more like rude..) rolled his eyes, “Tobias, we wanted to ask you a few questions,” the man stated, “Is that okay?”

Tobias nodded, “Yes, of course.”.

Why isn’t the officer talking? Tobias thought, though dismissed the thought quickly finding it unimportant.

The two men lead him to a room with a mirror, which was obviously glass that you could see through on the other side, who didn’t know that at this point? Tobias sat down and the two other men did so as well only they were in front of him. The officer seemed off… like he was sympathetic but Tobias didn’t know why.

“Toby. Can I call you Toby?”

“I’d like it if you didn—”

“Toby, we were searching for this ‘body’ you stated you found, yet we couldn’t find it.”

Tobias fell silent. He understood now.

“You think I lied about someone being killed?”

“We’re not saying you lied it’s just—” Officer Jenson assured Tobias, his voice cracking as he was quickly cut off by Detective Reed.

“We aren’t saying you lied. We just want to know exactly what happened,” Detective Reed said, his voice calm. “tell us what you were doing before.” he added.

“I was walking from work back to my apartment and I had forgotten my phone,” Tobias stated.

“Then what happened?”

“All of a sudden everything just felt off.”

“How?”

“I just walked through that street and I have taken that route ever since I started working at Nightingale Paper.”

The men were silent, their faces showing they were intrigued.

“I turn around and the whole place is dark and empty, there wasn’t even a mouse!”

The officer seems frightened while the detective doesn’t seem to believe Tobias.

“Then I was searching for anyone, just to try and understand what happened but when I came to an alley right between the old candy store and the new Café de la Déesse, or whatever it’s called there stood a man who was maybe six seven.”

Now the detective seemed to start listening.

“He wore a long, dark coat with stains, I couldn’t tell what they were from or what color they were but it was a raggedy coat and he held what I assume was a knife.”

“You assume?”

“All I saw was the glint of the thing.”

“Did you hear gunshots?”

“No. That’s why I thought it was a knife.” Tobias said, losing patience with the detective.

Tobias continued describing the man and what happened. Though when it came to describing the woman, his heart sunk. She seemed pretty and young. Her life was taken away by some foul man, but the question is why? Why her?

“She had pale skin and jet black hair and her eyes were bright green, like emerald green.”

I can only assume they think I’m gawking over her, I am not a man who gawks over a dead woman. People are twisted.

“She seemed skinny and she had a tattoo of an ankh.”

“An ankh?”

“Yes, one on her upper chest between her collarbones.”

“That might give us a lead, anything else?”

“I don’t have much else, I didn’t stay long.”

The detective nodded, “Thank you for your time.”

Tobias nodded and left, but he still couldn’t get that sick feeling out of his stomach that something was wrong.

***

Tobias had finally arrived at his small apartment, his head still filled with images of the woman. She seemed so important but Tobias didn’t know why. The woman had long black hair and her eyes were emerald green as though they were actual gems glistening from the moonlight that shone above her body from the night. She had olive skin and seemed like Tobias laid down on his bed, trying to forget the event but he couldn’t.

Tobias sighed, getting up and sitting down at his kitchen table (Which was only a few steps from his bed) that was burnt sienna and had been stained with spilled coffee from days and nights before. He looked at the ceiling and then his head turned involuntarily to the window, the moon seemed to have a pristine glow painted along the sky. Clouds covered it only slightly, moonlight peeking between the clouds. Though that isn’t what kept Tobias looking out the window.

There she was.

The woman.

She sat on his balcony rail, not dead..?

Tobias thought he was hallucinating, that he was losing it due to no sleep.

The woman turned and sure enough, her emerald eyes glowed as she looked at him. Her hair blew against the sudden wind that struck in the nights, her lips were glistening and seemed as though she was healthy and not.. well not dead.

Tobias froze, his plain brown eyes were as wide as the moon at this point. He suddenly got up from his table chair though his hands stuck onto the table as he continued looking at the woman who resembled the dead woman he had just seen.

She got down from the rail of the balcony and knocked on his balcony’s screen door.

He almost didn’t want to open it.

Almost.

Tobias ran up quickly and unlocked the door, opening it. He stood there. Shocked. Confused. He had SEEN this woman’s dead body yet she stood there… alive! How was this possible? Thoughts raced through his head and then his eyes landed on her tattoo, an Egyptian symbol called an ankh. He didn’t know what it meant but he knew what it was since he always planned on being a historian but he couldn’t help but feel that might explain something.

“Hello, Toby.”

He stayed silent, the detective called me Toby… do they know each other? he couldn’t help but think about everything at once.

“Who are you?”

“My name is Kebechet.”

“And you were killed… I saw…”

“Yes. I was.” She said, her head tilted as though that was obvious and totally normal.

“Yet you’re not dead?”

She smiled, her lips curled into a smirk but it wasn’t angled to the left or right it was a straightened smirk as though she wanted to confuse Tobias even more.

“Explain. Or… Or I’ll….”

He couldn’t call the cops. What would he say?

“Yeah, so ya know that woman I said was dead? Turns out she’s alive and her name is Kebechet!”

They’d throw him into the nuthouse for sure.

“You’ll what Tobias?”

Tobias stayed silent, he didn’t know what emotion he was feeling. He wasn’t happy she was alive. He wasn’t shocked anymore. He was annoyed by her and her smart attitude.

“I won’t do anything,” He admitted, “But please.. explain because I don’t understand ANYTHING that’s happening…. or happened”

Kebechet’s smile dropped, she seemed more serious and her eyes seemed to dim, their emerald glow ceasing. Tobias had noticed that she had an olive glowing like texture, unlike the pale skin she had before.

“My name is Kebechet.”

“That’s a very unique name.”

The woman half-laughed and nodded as she continued.

“I was given this name because of my powers.”

“Your.. what now?”

“I was born with this.. power, Kebechet? Anubis? Does that ring any bells Mr.Ray?”

“It does. Also.. how do you know my name? Is name-knowing one of your powers?”

“You dropped your wallet, silly.” Kebechet giggled, tossing Tobais’s leather wallet at him. He caught it clumsily then facepalmed out of feeling stupid, powers aren’t real. Then again… last time he checked this woman was dead.

“So… you have powers? Like.. undying?”

“Bingo.”

“I’m… still confused.. why... why do you have powers?”

“A curse… I think…but that’s why I need you!”

“You think? Do you even know why?” Tobias was stunned, he didn’t even realize what she meant by needing him at this point.

“This tattoo I have is an ankh, the Egyptian symbol of life, or eternal life.” She explained.

Tobias nodded, listening intently.

“I was… cursed with this tattoo for as long as I can remember, I kept being reincarnated over and over, only with my memories of each past life.”

“Usually,” she said, “This would be the dream, getting to live forever.”

“You’re correct…?”

“It’s a curse. All you see is destruction and hate, everywhere. It doesn’t matter whose shoes I’m in, it’s the same thing.”

Her eyes glowed as she looked deep into Tobias’s eyes, her expression angry.

“Hate.” she muttered, her expression now dejected as she looked down.

Tobias couldn’t help but feel bad for her.

“So… how old are you?”

“Old. I stopped counting after China completed the Great Canal.”

“Wow.”

“Anyway, Mr.Ray. Will you help me?”

“But I have to go to work in the morning.”

“Quit.”

“I need money.”

“I have money.”

“How did you get money exactly?”

“That… is confidential.”

“Please tell me it’s not dirty money.”

“Oh, no-no.”

“Thank god..”

“I always clean my money, anyway let’s go. Get packed.”

Tobias began packing, why did he believe her? Why was it him that witnessed her get murdered? Why did she come here? How did she come here? Why was he packing?

Why was Kebechet cursed?

How?

When?

He had so many questions.

But he didn’t care right now, he needed an adventure anyway.

***

That was the 1st part! I was scared I wouldn’t have enough room for a whole other part so I wanted to finish it here. These will be made in parts since I really am liking how the story has been progressing. This is my first submission and I would love some advice and critiques!