The clock struck twelve midnight.
A sharp voice echoed through the staff floor.
“All workers please prepare for your shift. Day workers please exit the museum within three minutes. Double up.”
The announcement crackled through the speakers before fading into silence.
From a famous artist: “Life is a spoon and I’m a fork.”
That quote always reminded me of my life.
Nothing ever went according to plan.
Three months ago, I lost my apartment.
Two months ago, I lost my job.
Last month, I spent my birthday eating instant noodles while pretending everything was fine.
Only one thing stayed with me, my boyfriend, Alex Monroe.
And somehow, against all odds, I had finally landed a job at Deep Water Museum.
The most famous museum in the world and for the first time in a long while, it felt like life was finally smiling at me.
My red heels clicked against the polished floor as I hurried toward the elevator.
The metal doors were already sliding shut.
“No, no, no!”
I rushed forward but it was too late.
The elevator closed right in front of my face and I glanced at my wristwatch.
12:05am.
My stomach dropped.
I immediately felt cold.
I wasn’t supposed to be late.
Especially not on my first week.
That annoying old man hated late workers.
He never missed an opportunity to embarrass them in front of everyone.
I let out a frustrated groan and ran toward the stairs.
One floor.
Two floors.
Three floors.
My legs ached.
By the sixth floor, I was questioning every life decision that had led me here.
By the tenth floor, I was convinced I was about to die.
Breathing heavily, I pushed open a door.
The sound echoed through the room and every head turned toward me.
Wonderful.
Exactly what I needed.
An audience.
The night shift workers were arranged in neat rows while the old man stood before them like some angry military commander.
The moment he saw me, he frowned.
“Who are you?” he asked.
I forced a smile.
“Hello, good morning. I mean, good midnight.”
Nobody laughed.
The old man narrowed his eyes.
“Straight to the point, penguin.”
A few workers immediately looked away to hide their smiles.
“I’m sorry.”
“Sorry isn’t an explanation, honey. You’re late.” His gaze felt like a spotlight.
I wanted the floor to open and swallow me whole.
“The elevator was…”
He didn’t even let me finish before interrupting my words.
“Tonight you’ll be protecting the ancient relic.” His finger pointed across the room.
I followed his gaze and the moment I saw it, I froze.
The words “Tomb of the Devil” were written across its surface, the massive black relic sat inside a reinforced glass display and at its center was the famous blood-red diamond.
The room suddenly felt colder.
Even the workers around me looked uncomfortable.
The diamond almost seemed alive.
Its red surface glowed beneath the lights.
For a brief second, I thought I saw something moving inside it.
I blinked but it was nothing.
“Tomorrow is the grand exhibition,” the old man continued.
His voice became serious.
“Protect the relic with your life.”
Nobody spoke.
His eyes swept across the room.
“And don’t touch the diamond.”
Something about the way he said it made my skin crawl.
He stared at the relic for several seconds before turning away, then he walked off.
The entire room released a collective breath.
One worker even muttered a prayer and I almost laughed.
That man’s aura was too powerful.
Soon everyone was assigned their positions.
To my surprise, I was stationed directly beside the tomb.
I honestly didn’t understand why they couldn’t hire actual security guards.
Well, it’s none of my business, the pay was amazing.
The work sounded easy.
All I had to do was watch a fancy rock all night.
Best job ever.
The hours passed slowly.
I sat beside the relic while scrolling through my phone.
The museum felt strangely quiet.
The kind that made you aware of every little sound.
The hum of the air conditioner.
The ticking of a distant clock and the soft footsteps of workers changing positions.
I glanced at the Tomb of the Devil again and the blood-red diamond stared back at me.
I frowned.
For a second, I could have sworn the diamond had gotten brighter.
I rubbed my eyes.
Maybe I was just tired.
My shift started at midnight and I should be in bed by now.
I stood from my chair and stretched.
My back immediately complained.
“Already regretting this job,” I muttered.
Suddenly the lights flickered thrice.
My face immediately went pale and without a word, I quietly stood up.
A cold chill crawled down my spine.
I decided I needed a bathroom break, to wash my face and wake myself up.
I grabbed my bag and hurried toward the restroom.
“Get yourself together, Selene.”
I looked at my reflection, the messy hair and dark circles were proof of countless sleepless nights but I didn’t even care.
All that mattered was that I was employed.
I turned on the faucet and splashed some cold water on my face and swallowed a pain killer, before a loud metallic sound echoed through the building.
I froze in fear and the bottle dropped into the faucet.
I turned it off immediately.
The sound came again, much louder this time.
My smile disappeared, that definitely wasn’t normal.
A few seconds later another sound followed.
BANG!
My eyes widened, that was a Gunshot.
The realization hit me immediately.
“Gunshot?”
BANG!
There was another shot followed by screaming.
My heart nearly stopped.
“No…”
I could hear more screams and running footsteps.
The entire museum seemed to erupt into chaos.
I backed away from the door and every instinct screamed at me to hide.
Before I could decide what to do, voices echoed from outside.
“Everyone get down!”
“Move!”
“Nobody be a hero!”
The bathroom door burst open.
Three masked men stormed inside carrying rifles and one of them spotted me immediately.
“There she is.”
I turned to run and a strong hand grabbed my arm.
I screamed.
“Please!”
The robber dragged me forward.
“Found another one.”
I struggled and within seconds I was dragged back into the exhibition hall.
The scene looked like a nightmare.
Workers were kneeling on the floor.
Some were crying, others were shaking.
Several armed men stood around them.
The leader stepped forward and unlike the others, he looked calm.
“We are not here to hurt anyone.”
Nobody believed him.
His rifle was proof enough.
“All we want is the diamond.” His finger pointed toward the blood-red gem embedded in the Tomb of the Devil.
The room fell silent.
The leader smiled beneath his mask.
“Cooperate and everyone goes home alive.”
A worker suddenly tried to run.
BANG!
The bullet hit the floor beside him and everyone screamed.
The worker immediately dropped to his knees.
“Next one won’t miss,” the leader said.
Silence returned and the robbers approached the relic.
One of them brought out several strange tools.
They began cutting into the protective casing of the tomb but nothing happened.
The glass refused to break, another robber tried, still nothing.
The leader frowned.
“Again.”
The men continued and minutes passed but nothing worked.
The tomb remained untouched.
Almost as if it didn’t want to be opened.
My eyes slowly drifted toward the hidden alarm switch.
Only museum workers knew about it.
It sat beneath a decorative panel near the tomb.
One press.
That’s all it would take for the Police and security to reach the hall.
My breathing became heavier, I could do it.
I had to do it.
While the robbers argued among themselves, I carefully shifted.
I took a step but nobody noticed, I took another step.
My fingers trembled, just a little closer.
I reached toward the panel and I was about to press the button.
Then a voice shouted.
“She’s moving!”
My blood ran cold.
The nearest robber immediately turned.
Our eyes met and everything happened too fast.
BANG!
Pain exploded through my chest.
I looked down and saw warm blood flowing down my chest.
My white shirt was stained red.
For a moment my brain refused to understand, then my legs gave out.
I collapsed to the ground and slammed my head on the protective casing, it cracked.
As blood poured from the wound, the tomb absorbed it instantly and it spread into the diamond but nobody noticed.
Everyone was staring at me.
“Why did you shoot her?” the leader shouted.
“She tried to raise the alarm!” The robber sounded defensive.
The leader cursed, then suddenly, The diamond pulsed strongly, the room fell silent and a low vibration spread beneath our feet.
The entire museum began to shake.
Everyone screamed.
Cracks spread across the tomb.
The blood-red diamond began to shift from its place and the lights flickered violently till every bulb in the room exploded.
Instantly, everywhere went dark.
Glass shattered and display cases burst apart.
Some ancient artifacts crashed onto the floor.
The air became freezing cold, that everyone was shivering and their breath turned white with frost.
Something was waking up and that thing should have remained asleep forever.
The tomb rattled and the sound grew louder and louder.
Until it felt like a giant beast was pounding against its prison walls from the inside.
Another crack appeared and black smoke poured from the relic.
It wasn’t normal smoke, this one moved.
It twisted like a snake.
People screamed and ran in every direction.
One of the robbers collapsed, his terrified scream turning into silence as his skin rapidly decayed.
The panic became intense as more bodies fell to the floor one after another while others cried and begged for help except me.
I could barely keep my eyes open.
Blood continued spilling from my chest.
The world around me blurred then the tomb exploded.
A loud roar echoed through the darkness.
The black smoke gathered together, taking shape and growing taller, then a pair of red eyes opened.
The sight alone made my soul tremble.
I saw a creature.
It slowly stretched as though waking from a very long sleep, then it yawned.
Somehow, he was more terrifying than all the guns in the room combined.
The creature looked around before its glowing eyes found me.
Everything stopped.
It stared.
I stared back, unable to breathe or move or even avoid his gaze.
Slowly, he walked toward me.
Each step made the floor shake.
The darkness moved with him.
I tried to crawl away but my body refused to listen.
I was losing a lot of blood.
The creature knelt before me.
One clawed hand gently lifted me from the floor.
The contrast confused me, his touch was so gentle and careful.
His fingers touched my cheek.
They were cold, but strangely, I wasn’t afraid.
I should have been.
Instead, something inside me went completely still.
His eyes studied my face and recognition flashed across them as if he had finally found something he had been searching for.
The corner of his lips slowly curved upward then he pulled me closer and whispered.
“My bride.”
Hello, I’m Your Novocaine.
They say Novocaine numbs pain.
The world already has enough of it.
If my stories can be your Novocaine, even for a few hours, then every word I’ve written was worth it.
If you enjoyed this chapter, don’t forget to add this book to your library, leave a sweet comment, and share your thoughts in a review.
Your support means more than you know and inspires me to keep writing.
See you in the next chapter.