Beth followed Ashley through the hallway to the school gymnasium, where Marcus and some of the other seniors were working on their project for the annual Halloween Haunt House. Beth asked, "So, what are Marcus and the others working on in there anyway?"
"It was Marcus's idea," Ashley replied. "They're doing a spooky Egyptian Tomb complete with mummies and stuff. Marcus said the concept was that it's the resting place of an ancient Pharaoh and his concubines."
"And Marcus wants me to be one of the concubines?" Beth asked with trepidation.
"Well…sort of."
"What do you mean 'sort of'?"
"Marcus will ask you to let him and the others wrap you neck-to-toe in plastic wrap and tape to get the shape of your body for one of the mummies. I already let them do it with me and, I must say, the mummy they made turned out pretty good."
Beth raised an eyebrow. "And you trusted Marcus and the guys not to try any funny business while they had you wrapped up and helpless like that?"
"Okay, I know Marcus has his… eccentricities. What artist doesn't?" Ashley brushed some of her blonde hair out of her eyes. "He's actually a nice guy if you get to know him and he's a genius. Besides, something about being wrapped up like that felt kinda good; it was relaxing, like one of those wrap treatments they give you at those expensive spas."
"And you're sure it's safe for me to agree to this?"
"Look, if you're still worried, I'll be right there watching the whole time." Ashley said. "And if any of the guys try to do anything inappropriate, I'll personally give them a good hard knee to the groin."
"Well…Okay."
As they entered the gym, Beth marveled at the sight before her. The walls of the "tomb" were painted Styrofoam; painted well enough to look convincingly like sandstone in the dark with the fog machines going and spooky music playing from the loudspeakers. There were alcoves in the walls on both sides of the corridor they had built, each with an open sarcophagus and a female mummy standing in it. Each mummy looked convincing and was even decorated in fashion that would be appropriate for a concubine of an ancient ruler of Egypt.
Beth turned to Ashley. "I've got to admit, you were right about Marcus being an artist and genius. This stuff's good enough to be on a Hollywood sound stage."
Ashley smiled. "I'm sure he'll be happy to hear you approve."
"Wow, that's a lot of mummies. Did he--"
Ashley nodded. "He convinced several girls from the cheer-leading squad and the gymnastics team to agree to be body models for these, myself included."
"Really?"
"Really. As weird as he can be sometimes, he has quite the silver tongue. He even got Alexis to go along with it."
"Alexis? As in the school's stuck-up cheer captain?"
Ashley smirked. "Well, it helps that he appealed to her considerable ego by promising that her mummy would be the Pharaoh's favorite concubine. She'll even have the honor of sharing the Pharaoh's king-sized golden sarcophagus."
Beth chuckled, "Figures. If any girl going to this school is likely to be a gold digger, it's Alexis."
They both laughed and then they continued down the corridor. At the end, they found Marcus and some of the senior boys wearing respirators and holding cans of gold spray paint. They had set up a makeshift paint booth in a corner with plastic sheeting and white butcher paper. They were currently painting the Pharaoh's aforementioned king size sarcophagus. Marcus noticed the two girls approaching. He put down his spray can, took off his respirator, and walked toward them. Marcus wore black jeans, a black t-shirt, black steel-toe boots, and had wild dark hair. He smiled as he came near.
"Hi Ashley," He said.
"Hey Marcus," Ashley replied. "How's things going?"
"Not bad, we're almost finished with the big sarcophagus. Just a couple more coats of gold paint and we can finish the piece by hand-painting some details."
"Good," Ashley smiled. "I'm sure the folks who come through here on Halloween Night will be impressed."
"That's what we're aiming for."
"This is Beth," Ashley said, introducing her friend. "She's here to become one of the mummies."
Marcus looked at Ashley and smiled. "Hello Beth, thanks for coming. If you'll go change into a t-shirt and gym shorts, I'll go get the supplies to do the wrap."
"Huh?" Beth said, confused.
"It gets a bit warm being wrapped in several layers of plastic and tape," Ashley said. "I personally would've stripped down to my underwear if we didn't have to worry about Mrs. Mason or one of the other teachers peaking in here at an inconvenient moment."
Beth noticed Marcus blush slightly when Ashley said that. Ashley turned to her and said, "Anyway, go to the girls locker room and get changed."
Beth emerged from the girls locker room wearing a white t-shirt, blue gym shorts, and a pair of ankle-length socks. She tied her light-brown hair back into a ponytail. Marcus and the others were waiting back in the gym with the rolls of plastic wrap and packing tape, and a pair of EMT scissors.
"Okay," Marcus said, rubbing his hands. "Just bring your feet together and cross your arms over your chest, and we'll get started."
Beth nodded and assumed the pose. Ashley and one of the other seniors helped hold her steady as Marcus grabbed the first roll of plastic wrap, starting by wrapping her ankles and calves. He worked his way up over her knees, her thighs, and her stomach. After he wrapped her arms, chest, and her neck, he immediately started back down. When that roll ran out, he grabbed another and started again.
Ashley wasn't joking about the heat, Beth thought. It was already getting a bit warm inside her plastic cocoon with Marcus just finishing a third layer of wrapping. A bead of sweat rolled down her forehead and just missed dripping into her left eye. Marcus paused for a moment.
"If you need a sip of water, let us know." Marcus said. "We don't want you to get overheated or dehydrated."
"I'm good for right now, but thanks."
Marcus nodded and went back to work. About a second into it, he glanced over his shoulder and called out, "Bob, could you bring one of those folding chairs over here? We're going to need to wrap her feet next."
One of the other boys gave him a thumbs-up and went to fetch the chair. Marcus looked up at Beth. "It's easier if we have you sit down when we wrap your feet, that way we won't have to worry about you falling over and getting hurt."
Beth shrugged. "Okay."
Marcus smiled. "We're getting close to finished here. After this, we just have to do the outer layer of tape to hold it all together and then we can cut you out of there."
"Great," Beth replied, thinking, Well, this isn't so bad.
Bob brought the chair over and they sat Beth down. Marcus grabbed more plastic wrap and went to work on her feet. He then started with the packing tape, wrapping toe to ankle before having them get Beth back up and continuing. He was applying the tape so tightly it was compressing the plastic wrap, but otherwise it wasn't too uncomfortable.
As he got to her neck, Marcus smiled. "Okay, it's time to get you out of there. We'll just turn you around and I'll cut a slit down the back with the EMT scissors so you can--"
Marcus reached behind him, but whatever he was reaching for wasn't there. He cocked his head and called out, "Guys, does anyone here have the EMT scissors?"
Everyone shook their heads. Marcus groused, "Shit! Not again!"
"Again?" Beth blanched.
"We've had problems all week with other groups 'borrowing' our stuff without asking, usually at the worst possible moments." Marcus sighed and rubbed his brow. "It's a wonder we've made any progress here at all."
"Well I can't stay like this all day, I'm starting to feel dizzy."
"Mike, Ashley, take her over there and lay her down on a gym mat for now." Marcus said pointing. He then turned to Bob and one of the other boys, "Bob, Jake, go find out who has our scissors and bring them back on the double… and don't take no for an answer."
"We're on it." Jake said as he and Bob left the gym.
Beth lay on her back on one of the gym mats by the bleachers. She stared up at the drop ceiling tiles and fluorescent lights high above. Her eyes fluttered, she could barely keep herself awake. Despite her best efforts, she finally drifted off into slumber…
In the dream, she was laying naked on a stone altar in a torch-lit Egyptian temple, her arms and legs restrained in stout metal cuffs at the four corners of the slab. Ashley came into view, dressed in the garb of a high priestess. She announced to the various figures in gray hooded robes, "Our great Pharaoh Marcus has decreed that this lovely young maiden will be joining him in the afterlife and serve him as one of his many concubines."
Beth couldn't believe what she was hearing, but at the same time she somehow was unable to say a word of protest. Priestess Ashley spoke again, "Let us now prepare her to become part of his harem… for all eternity."
The hooded figures chanted prayers to the gods as they gathered rolls of bandages and various other items for the ritual. Beth's eyes widened as two approached the foot of the slab and began wrapping her legs. Two more started on her arms, and another wrapped bandages from her waist to just under her armpits. They then wrapped her shoulders, neck, and head, leaving only her eyes and her lower orifices uncovered. They paused as Priestess Ashley approached again, holding what looked like a golden chastity belt with the symbol of the goddess Isis engraved on the shields.
Priestess Ashley smiled and then said, "We must now ensure that the Pharaoh's new concubine shall be properly protected on her journey to be with him, and that no evil spirits may sully what rightfully belongs to our great and mighty ruler."
The belt was locked around Beth's pelvis, the shields blocking access to her vagina and anus. Priestess Ashley nodded approvingly and motioned for them to continue her preparations. The hooded figures unshackled Beth's legs and brought them together. They wrapped her ankles and feet together, then worked their way up her calves, knees, thighs, and stomach. They wrapped her chest just under her arms and worked their way back down, tucking the end in at her ankles. They placed a golden ankh over her belly and bound it in place. They put a gold and jade scarab on her chest and quickly wrapped over it. Finally, they placed an Eye of Ra on her forehead and secured it with bandages. They crossed Beth's arms over her chest and wrapped them securely in their pose. Beth had resigned to the inevitable as the bandages continued up her neck and drew near to her eyes to seal her fate…
Beth felt someone touching her cheek. Her hairline was damp and her entire body was wet with sweat under all the plastic. As she slowly opened her eyes, she found Marcus knelt down over her. He asked, "Beth? Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I think."
"We finally got the EMT scissors back," Marcus said, holding them up. "Turns out it was Sylvia and her group that had them over at the Mad Scientist Lab in the band room."
"Really?" Beth could picture Sylvia with her curly red hair in her mind, and immediately felt red hot annoyance with her.
"Yeah. If you'll roll over on your front, I'll slit the back so you can wriggle on out."
Beth complied and Marcus cut a slit in her cocoon from the back of her neck and down to her waist. He then helped her slide out and get to her feet.
"You sure you're alright?" Marcus asked again.
"Yeah, I think I need to take a shower though."
Marcus nodded and took the skin of plastic and tape she had just shed over to a table, where he and some other members of the group taped up the slit in the back and started stuffing it with foam and a long piece of wood to hold it ridged. Beth watched as they wrapped the whole thing in light brown athletic tape and then attached a similarly wrapped mannequin head at the neck. As Beth walked off to the girls locker room, they began decorating the Pharaoh's newest concubine.
After a long shower, changing back into her regular clothes, and drinking a bottle of water, Beth came back into the gym. The mummy Marcus and the others had made of her was already standing up in its sarcophagus, and it looked beautiful if she dared say so herself. She was then surprised to find Sylvia in much the same position she had been in, with Mike and Ashley holding her steady as Marcus was wrapping her ankles to neck in plastic.
Marcus looked up and said, "Beth, glad to see you're doing alright. It would seem Sylvia's decided to make up for the earlier inconvenience she caused us by volunteering to be our final mummy."
Sylvia looked at her sheepishly and said, "Hi, sorry about all the trouble."
Beth smiled. "Water under the bridge."
"Please don't say water," Sylvia said. "I had two large Sprites at lunch today and I'm fairly sure they're well on their way to my bladder."
Thanks for sharing, Beth thought. "Oh, Okay…"
Beth waited until she was sure all eyes were on Sylvia and then she filched the EMT scissors. She went over to the gym mat by the bleachers and hid them underneath one of the corners. Marcus and the others would probably find them easily enough, but in the meantime she would enjoy watching Sylvia squirm a bit.
