What happened? Her heart clenched painfully at the strange events that was somehow linked to the mirror.

Shaking, she stepped around the overturned table, glass crunching underfoot. The whole building remained eerily silent. She would've thought at the very least, someone would be running by her office for dear life. Stumbling slightly, she cursed and regained her footing, making her way toward the doorway.

Peeking her head around the corner into the hall, she drew in a stuttered breath. Panic expanded within her like a black hole. The corridor was in disarray, dirt and furniture lying on the ground. The amber glow from one of the rooms on the left caught her attention. The fumes of must and smoke filled her senses. Where was everyone?

Stepping into the hall, she ran her fingers along the dirt-encrusted walls. “Hello?” she called out, her voice echoing in the silence.

Another blast broke the unnatural stillness. Jamilah screamed, her heart leaping to her throat as she crouched, her hands covering her head. Although this one sounded decidedly different, she still wasn't taking chances. The safest place was in the hallways wasn't it? Somehow, that reasoning didn't sit well with her.

Again the blast sounded, and this time closer. Oh, that wasn't good. Standing, she glanced back at her office door and hesitated. Standard procedure in case of an emergency required for her to leave the building. Right now, it sounded like a solid plan. Pushing off the wall, she started toward the fire escape.

Suddenly a beast rounded the corner and barreled down the hall toward her. Everything seemed to close in on her as she stared aghast at the creature, frozen with fear. The animal had a torso of a man but that's where the similarities ended. With a head of a lion, cloven feet and a tail of a scorpion, it was the stuff nightmares were made of.

Incapacitated, her feet refused to obey her command to move out of the way. A moment later, another person appeared, this time one definitely human. He skidded to a stop, aiming his shotgun, but with a curse he dropped it and charged after the beast.

If Jamilah wasn't scared to death, she might've taken the time to admire the physique of a shirtless male running through the building. But now wasn't the time for ogling. In fact, now wasn't a good time to stand there like a statue, but she couldn't help it.

The beast drew closer. Before she had time to even draw a breath to scream, its clawed hand gripped her throat and swung her around. Her back slammed against the solid plains of the beast chest. “M-ir fyr-bnr,” the beast rumbled.

Demotic? Animals didn't speak in Demotic, let alone speak at all. No one spoke that language anymore. It was a dead language, not even the current Egyptians spoke it. This had to be a dream. The nails of the beast dug into the soft skin of her neck with a burning sting relieved her of that notion. She gagged against the pressure there. Terror rose against her chest, bringing bile to the back of her throat. Nope, this certainly didn't feel like a dream.

Clutching the mirror to her chest as though to ward off evil spirits, she tried to implore for help. “Help,” she choked out in Demotic, her voice pitched in a soft squeak.

The fingers around her throat tightened, cutting off her words and causing a tingling sensation to run along her face. Her lungs burned for oxygen and she struggled to remain conscious against the encroaching darkness at the edge of her vision.

“I will kill her, Holyman,” the beast rumbled.