The Mamluks (The Mamluks Saga: Episode 1) (4 page)

Chapter 14

Katie was still in my room when morning came. The sunlight
coming from the windows on the back wall lightened the room.

An alien walked in, carrying a wooden tray. She set it down
on the wooden table by the bed and pressed a button on her device that made all
the candles go out. Lastly, she looked at us and smiled kindly before leaving.
“Enjoy this food, Humans.”

Wasting no time, Katie went right to the tray and dug in.
“See, what did I tell you?”

I stood up and checked the food. It was an odd-looking
vegetable wrapped in a soft shell. There was also a wooden cup of something I
didn’t want to drink on the tray, and a wooden cup of water. Katie finished off
half the food and patted her lips.

“How was it?”

She flashed a wide smile. “Pretty good.”

I shrugged and moved to the window. There was a group of soldiers
standing by the building, having a lively conversation. I put my hands on the
ledge of the window and leaned my head outside. I turned slightly and stuck my
ear out. It sounded like they were talking about the women.

Some movement from the hallway caught my attention. I moved
away from the window and stepped forward.

A soldier stopped at the entry and leaned into the room. “Finish
your food and join us in the corridor.”

We left the food and hurried into the hallway. They were
gathering all the women on our floor. Another soldier came from around the
corner and marched down the hall. He walked up to one of the other soldiers and
lifted his arm. He pressed a button on his device and a hologram popped out. I
looked closely and studied it. It was thin and rectangular like a laptop
screen, and it was showing text.

“I have a report of forty female humans. Are these numbers
accurate?” he said.

“Yes. I have counted forty,” she said.

The soldier nodded and did a quick head count. To end, he
pressed a button and the hologram went away. “Humans, follow me.”

We followed him into a massive room at the end of the hall.
There was an alien sitting on a wooden chair on the far side.

The soldier led us to him and dropped to a knee, bowing his
head. “My Champion, these are your first subjects.” He rose quickly and stepped
aside.

The alien sitting in the chair stood up and stepped forward.
He was wearing a white shirt that was open down the middle, brown pants and
black boots.

“Humans of Earth. I am Adomas, Champion of all
Mamluks
.
As the females of your species, you have been brought to me for selection.” I
took a big gulp as he looked us over. Then, at last, he went back to his chair
and sat down. “I allow the first subject to step forward.”

I looked around and checked the other women. They were all
hesitant. Terrified, I exhaled and moved forward. I stopped in front of Adomas
and studied his face. He had ocean blue eyes, a strong chin and full lips.
Seeing his eyes on me felt like a burn going right through me. “Undress—and
present yourself to me.”

I quickly took off my nightgown and put my hair back. And
instinctually, I put my hands on my hips and straightened my posture.

Adomas looked me up and down, nodding. “Very good—you may go
to the left side of the room.”

I picked my gown up and went to the left side of the room.
The next woman stepped up. She was crying and holding her head down. I glanced
at Adomas and saw no emotion on his face. The woman undressed and stood with
her hands down.

“Go to the right.”

The woman snatched her gown off the floor and put it on in a
hurry. She walked to the other side of the room with her head held high.

Katie was up next. She danced like a fool as she walked up
to Adomas.
Oh God, what is she doing?

I checked Adomas, and he was still looking on with a blank
stare. Katie took her gown off and rubbed her hands all over her body like a
stripper. I rolled my eyes and looked away. But when I heard her snapping her
fingers, I couldn’t help but look back to the silliness.

Katie turned sideways and shook her backside. Finally, she
stopped and spun back to Adomas with her arms out, smiling. Surprisingly, he
grinned and waved her to the left.

Katie did a lively fist pump. “Yes!” She happily grabbed her
nightgown off the floor and pranced over to me with a big smile. “How about
that?” she whispered, giving me a high five. “I wasn’t going to waste my
chance.”

I shrugged. “Hey, it worked.”

When it was over, there were thirteen women on the left side
of the room and twenty seven on the right. I was happy to be on the left side.
But I was also worried for the other women.

One of the Mamluks led my group to the hallway. As we left
the room, another set of women entered. We were brought to a room on the first
floor. There was a Mamluk inside, standing by a set of wooden tables that were
filled with clothing and shoes.

“Humans, I am Linas. This is your attire,” he said, putting
his hand out toward the tables. He was dressed in a flashy outfit, which made
me think he was some kind of clothing designer. “Find a bin, take what you
need, and return to your rooms.”

We glanced at each other for a second, then headed to a
stack of wooden bins.

Katie laughed. “Wow, this just keeps getting better and
better.”

I picked up a bin and got to work. They had everything.
Funky looking dresses—pants of all shapes, colors and sizes—a variety of
blouses. After picking a few outfits, I went to the shoes. There were so many
different kinds I didn’t know where to start. Finally, I grabbed a pair of
weird-looking boots and some shoes that looked comfortable.

I left and headed upstairs. When I got to my room, I put my
stuff on the floor and sat on the bed. I stayed there for a moment, desperately
trying to understand what was happening.

Feeling lonely, I looked out the window and thought of
Andrew, wondering if he was still alive.

Chapter 15

We had been walking for a long time. I was exhausted, and
the foul smells were making us vomit.

“Wait, stop.” I dropped to my knees, threw up, and coughed
wildly.

Madison got down and put her hand on my back. “This is
awful. We should never have left.”

I stood up and wiped my mouth. “We’ll be all right.”

Thereafter, I saw a light coming toward us. At first, I
thought it was a Mamluk with a flashlight. But as I looked harder, I realized
the light was a burning fire.

“Hello? Is anyone there?” a voice called out.

I smiled. “Yes, over here!”

A group of six came forward with burning logs in hand. They
walked up to us and raised the logs a little higher. The man in front extended
a hand.

“Hello—I’m Robert.”

I nodded and shook his hand. “I’m Andrew.”

Madison leaned forward and shook Robert’s hand. “Hello, I’m
Madison.”

“It’s nice to meet you both,” he said. “Come on, follow us.
We found food and a place to sleep.” Robert and the others led us through the
rubble and into a small encircled area. There was a fire at the center of the
space.

“Make yourselves at home,” Robert said, placing his burning
log on the fire.

The others did the same.

There were about twenty people crammed in the area. Madison
limped ahead and found a spot by the fire. I checked along the walls and saw
some supplies.

“Where did you guys find all this stuff?”

“It’s from the rubble that fell through the surface when
they demolished the city. We dug through it to see what we could find. Eventually,
we found a lighter and made a fire.” Robert walked to the wall and collected a
few things. “There’s some clothes over there in the corner. Grab something to
keep yourself warm.”

I went to the corner and found a muddy, tattered sweater. I
shook off some of the dirt and put it on. Then I turned and walked to the fire.

“How are you feeling?” I said, taking a seat by Madison. “I’m
doing good.” She reached down and grabbed my hand. “Thank you, Andrew.”

I strengthened our grip and gave her a caring smile. “We did
it together.”

Robert came over and sat next to us. “You’re probably
starved.” He handed us some cans of beans and two bottles of water.

“Thanks, Robert,” Madison said.

“Thank you,” I said.

We used a rock to pop the cans open, then poured the beans
in our hands and ate them quickly. To wash it down, I opened the bottle of
water and took a big gulp.

“How long have you been down here?” I asked Robert.

“A day. Maybe two. We found an opening in the ground right
after they took the women—I’d seen enough.”

I took a deep breath. “I can’t believe it’s come to this.”

Robert nodded. “It’s unimaginable.”

I glanced at the wall and checked the small pile of food
they'd found. “We won’t last long down here. At some point—we’ll have to go
back to the surface.”

Robert looked around, somberly. “I know.”

Chapter 16

Afterward, we all tried to get some rest. But I couldn’t
sleep. I sat up and saw Robert sitting by the wall. He was staring at the fire,
twirling a rock in his hand. I got up and walked over to him.

“Can’t sleep?”

Robert slowly shook his head. “I haven’t gotten much sleep
since the invasion. It’s been no different down here.”

“Mind if I join you?”

“Not at all.”

I sat down and crossed my arms. We stayed quiet for a
moment, staring at the fire.

“Did you meet their leader?” I asked.

Robert chuckled. “No. I didn’t know they had a leader.”

“They call him the
Champion
. He had a red cloak and
everything.”

Robert exhaled. “I bet that was a sight to see.”

“Yeah, it was terrifying. Not knowing what to expect—lying
on the ground like a helpless animal.”

“I felt the same way with just the soldiers. It was
very
demeaning.”

I paused and thought about Emily. “I’m still trying to
figure out why they took the women.”

“I’ve been thinking about that, too. I met a really nice lady
on the night of the invasion. When they took her, it was like losing a lifelong
friend.”

I couldn’t help but wonder. “What was her name?”

“Emily.”

My heart thumped and my eyes grew wide as I quickly faced
Robert. “What did she look like?”

“
Uh
—she had brown hair, sky-blue eyes, a slim build—a
beautiful young woman.”

I shed a few tears as I looked up at the ceiling. “Thank
God.”

“I can see that she’s someone special to you.”

“Yes. She’s my girlfriend.” Now all I could do was hope
Emily survived whatever the Mamluks had planned.

Chapter 17

I lay on my bed, staring out the window. It was like being
frozen in time, without memories to look back on, and no future to look forward
to. All my life I had been taught to make the best of a bad situation. But how
could anyone prepare for an alien invasion? I was lost—and there was nowhere to
turn for help.

I heard a knock at the entrance. I turned my head to check,
thinking it was Katie. Surprisingly, it was a young girl holding a tray of
food, wearing a plain white dress. I got up and walked to the entrance.

“Hello. My name’s Emily. You can come inside.”

The young girl had the saddest look on her face. “They told
me to bring this to you.”

I stepped aside. “Please, come in.”

The girl hurried to the table by my bed and set the tray
down. She spun around and tried to leave just as fast.

“Wait,” I begged, grabbing her arm. “Tell me what happened.”

She pulled her arm away and tried to run away again.

I quickly, and desperately, reached out to her. “Please,
come back.”

The girl stopped and turned around. I walked up to her
slowly. She looked away and put her head down. I opened my arms and gave her a
hug.

“It’s OK. I won’t harm you.” Gently, I rubbed her back.
“Please, tell me what happened.”

She wept terribly, and it made me fear what she might say.
“They brought us to a room and made us put these white dresses on.”

“What’s your name, Sweetheart?”

“Audrey.”

“How old are you, Dear?”

“Eleven.”

I cringed after hearing her age. “Come on. Sit down with me
and have something to eat.”

“I can’t. They told me to come right back.”

I held my tears back and let her go. “Well… I hope to see
you around. Good luck, Audrey.”

She hurried into the hallway and ran away. I stood there for
a moment, thinking about the other women. It was disturbing to see the Mamluks
turning them into servants.

I heard someone coming down the hall. Seconds later, Katie
walked inside with another lady.

“There you are. I was looking all over for you,” she said.
“Bridget—Emily,” she went on. “Emily—Bridget.”

I reached out and shook Bridget’s hand. “Hello. Nice to meet
you.”

She had blond hair and brown eyes. “Pleasure to meet you,
Emily,” she said in a British accent.

Katie moved past me and pranced to my bed. “What goodies did
you get from downstairs?”

“Just a few things.”

“Katie and I were headed to the roof to mingle with the
others. Care to join us?”

“No thanks. I’m still trying to collect my thoughts.”

Katie skipped to me. “Well, don’t be a stranger. And don’t
stay cooped up in your room all day.”

I smiled and nodded.

Katie left with Bridget.

Later on, I ate the food Audrey had brought me. And shortly
after, I decided to go for a walk. I went downstairs to the front entrance and
found a soldier standing nearby. I approached her with caution.

“Hello. How are you?”

She turned around, smiling. “What is your name, Human?”

“Emily.”

“Are you looking for something,
Emily
?”

I pondered for a second. “Yes, actually. I’m looking for
answers. But I’m afraid to ask questions.”

She gave me a firm look. “You humans are emotional creatures.”

“Yes, we are.”

Another soldier walked in from outside. I moved away as he
drew near. He glanced at me before walking up to the other soldier.

“Your duties are complete for today,” he said to her.

She left her post and headed outside. “Farewell, Emily. Keep
searching for the answers you seek.”

I stood there and watched her leave, thinking about what
she'd said. Then, even more anxious than before, I looked up at the other
soldier.

“Where do you go when your duties are over for the day?”

“Home.”

“Where is home?”

He chuckled and looked down at me. “Anywhere we choose.”