Tombquest: Book of the Dead

Sneaking Out

In the forty-eight hours since his mother went missing, Alex had discovered only one thing: Even the most important mission can be sidelined by a well-meaning aunt.

Alex was stuck in his new "room," which was actually his uncle's office. He was playing Dragon Stryke II: Out of the Sun on a semi-ancient computer and waiting until it was late enough for him to sneak out. His dragon crested a mountain peak. Alex flapped its wings one more time and then took a quick look out the window at the old, rusty fire escape. Will that thing even hold me? When he looked back, his dragon was engulfed in flames.

He scanned the screen to see where the attack had come from. It had come from out of the sun, of course. A fire-breathing red dragon had swooped down from above. Alex watched the crumpled, smoking frame of his lightning-breathing blue dragon crash into the mountaintop. In the end-of-game quiet, he listened carefully. Aunt Adele was still in the hall complaining loudly about one of her coworkers.

Alex looked around the room and saw the confines of his new world. The thin foam mattress he slept on was rolled up in the corner. His clothes were stuffed into an old cardboard box marked Taxes, and Legend of the Death Walkers was propped up by the window along with a few of his mom's other things.

He turned back to the computer and hit reset on the game. His blue dragon re-formed in midair and breathed out its trademark lightning bolt. The dragon was brand-new, all the damage from the last game gone. A fresh start: full health. Just like me, he thought, scanning the sky for enemies.

The TV blared to life out in the living room and was briefly muted. "Alex! TV!" screamed Adele.

"No thanks!" he shouted back. "Playing Dragon Stryke! Probably going to turn in early! Tired!"

The volume roared back to its normal, neighbor-shaking level. Alex locked the door and checked the time: a little past seven thirty. He was running late. He saved the game, turned off the light, and grabbed his backpack.

Alex pushed the chair in and stepped over to the window. He tried to be quiet. The old window groaned but slid up with surprising ease. But as soon as the window opened, the door did, too. Alex looked back. It was his cousin Luke. His room was on the other side of the thin office wall. Busted, thought Alex. His cousin had been surprisingly cool to him so far, but Alex figured that was over now.

"Where you going?" said Luke. Dressed in his standard array of workout gear, he looked like an ad for Under Armour.

"Uh, nowhere?" Alex ventured.

"Yeah, right," said Luke. "Don't sweat it. Why do you think that window slides open so easy? I use it, too."

"So you're not going to ..." Alex couldn't bring himself to say "tell." It sounded too babyish around his cool, cocky older cousin.

"Nah," said Luke. "Just wanted to let you know there's a missing step halfway down. Kind of dangerous in the dark, so watch out."

And just like that, he was gone.

Alex slid one leg through and stepped gingerly onto the battered metal fire escape. The whole structure swayed slightly and Alex glanced back into the safety of the office.

What the heck, he thought. You only live twice.

He slid the window closed behind him and crept carefully over to the steep metal stairs. The fire escape swayed a little more, but he climbed down to the second-floor platform without the whole thing peeling off the building. The missing step was tricky, but he got past it without breaking anything thanks to Luke's warning. An extendable ladder led down to the alleyway. It let out a single, strangled-cat screech as Alex pushed it down. A light came on in the window next to him and he scampered down quickly without risking a look.