The Mamluks (The Mamluks Saga: Episode 1) (5 page)

Chapter 18

The next morning, I woke up and found Audrey in my room. She
was collecting my tray from last night and setting down a new tray. I sat up on
the bed and stretched. Audrey glanced at me, frowning.

“Good morning,” she said.

“Good morning, Audrey. How are you?”

“I’m fine.”

I got up and went to the bathroom. There was a large, tube
shaped, sandstone thing sticking up from the ground that was used for
excrement. The washing area near the back wall looked like a giant bowl with
evenly placed holes on the floor and ceiling.

I took my clothes off and got inside. I waited a moment, and
the water automatically turned on. As I cleaned myself with some mula, I
couldn’t help but wonder where they were getting the water—considering Los
Angeles, and its water system, had been destroyed.

After a long shower, I dried off and headed to the dresser
by my bed.

A soldier came to the entryway, startling me. “It is time,
Human. Dress yourself and follow the others upstairs,” she said, then went down
the hall.

I got dressed quickly and followed the other women upstairs.
We arrived at a widespread room. The area was packed with hundreds of women and
male soldiers.

“Emily, over here!” Katie called out, waving.

Bridget was there, too.

I hurried to them. “What’s going on?” I asked Katie.

“I don’t know. One of the Mamluks told us to come up here.”

A few minutes later, Adomas came upstairs. All the soldiers
dropped to a knee and bowed their heads. The women silenced as he approached.
My heart pounded as he came close. Adomas looked around and smiled, holding his
hands behind his back.

“I have chosen you well, Humans.” He went to the far end of
the room and stopped. “My soldiers, you may begin your selection.”

They rose and walked from place to place, scanning the
women.

Katie grabbed my hand.
“Emily?”

“Calm down. It will be all right.”

I stood there and looked on. But for some reason, none of
them were looking at me. Finally, a soldier came up to us.

“You,” he said, pointing at Katie. “Come with me.”

She let go of me and went with him. Then, another soldier
came over and took Bridget. Soon after, all the women were gone, leaving me
alone in the hallway.

I watched the last couple go downstairs, feeling confused.
Slowly, I turned my head and saw Adomas—still standing at the end of the room.
I became numb as he walked toward me. Adomas stopped in front of me. I looked
up at him, shaking like a leaf in the wind.

“Follow me.”

Adomas led me to a room on the next floor down. There was
only a large bed inside. He walked to the bed and sat down.

“Undress.”

My eyes watered as I stripped down. I could feel him
watching me, and it made my stomach curl. I covered my chest as I stood there
naked.

“Come to me.”

I walked to the bed and stopped at his feet. He slid his
massive hand onto my back and pulled me closer. I breathed heavily as he bent
down. Adomas sniffed my body for a second, oozing with pleasure. He took his
time as he went on, gently kissing my breast and roughly fondling between my
legs.

Adomas picked me up with ease and set me down on the bed. He
stood up and took his clothes off. I looked below his waist and winced. As he
came onto the bed, I crawled backwards and got off.

“No—I won’t,” I snapped, covering my chest.

Adomas glared at me.

I stared at him for a moment, then fearfully looked away. “I
want to talk first.”

Adomas laughed. He sat on the bed and leaned against the
backboard. “You are brave to defy me.”

I slowly looked back at him.

“I was wise to choose you.” Adomas smiled and waved me over.

I climbed on the bed and crawled to him.

“Tell me your name.”

I stopped by his arm. “Emily.”

Adomas reached up and gently placed his index finger on my
chin, lifting my head.

“What troubles you,
Emily?
”

I blinked uncontrollably as I looked into his eyes.
“Everything.
Please
—tell me why you’re doing this.”

“In time, you will learn of the Mamluks.”

Naturally, I was
a little
relieved that he didn’t
kill me. So I slid down and opened my legs. Adomas got on top. I inhaled deeply,
tucked my lips, then exhaled through my nose and closed my eyes.

Chapter 19

Our food and water supply was almost out. Everyone gathered
around the fire. I let out a nasty cough and wrapped my arms around my stomach,
feeling the hunger. Madison was sitting next to me, holding her hands by the
fire.

“All right everyone. It’s time to make a decision. We can
either stay here and continue to search the rubble—or go back to the surface
and pray they don’t find us,” Robert said.

No one said anything at first.

“We have no choice. Even if we find more food—it won’t
last,” I said.

“No, we do have a choice,” a man said. “We can either die
down here or die up there. And I ain’t digging no more holes.”

I nodded. “He’s right. There’s no point debating this.”

Robert let out a deep sigh. “Fine. Anyone who chooses to go
back to the surface, follow me.”

Madison and I got off the floor. We put some food in a muddy
shirt and tied it up. Robert did the same. Then, each of us grabbed a
splintered log off the pile in the corner and burned the top. Before we headed
out, I paused and looked over to the others.

“Is there anyone else?”

They said nothing and looked on with blank stares.

I stood there for a moment, in shock. “Good luck to you
all.”

We marched into the sewers and climbed through the rubble.

“Keep your eyes open for anything valuable,” Robert said.

We went nonstop for what felt like an eternity. Finally, we
found light from above. Cautiously, we moved ahead and listened for any
activity. The area sounded clear. We hurried to the light and checked it.

There was a narrow opening in the ceiling about twelve feet
from the rubble. We desperately scanned the area for something we could use to
reach it. But after searching for a while we came up with nothing.

I crumbled to the floor and released a nasty cough. Madison
sat down next to me and patted my back. Robert came over and sat down across
from us.

“Well, at least we can see the surface,” he said, looking up
at the opening. “Let’s rest here for the night.”

We put our logs together, made a fire and huddled up, lying
back to back with Madison facing up in the middle.

Later on, as the light from above faded away, I closed my
eyes and imagined I was sleeping in my old bed. I concentrated hard, trying to
separate my mind from my body. Eventually, I dozed off.

I dreamt about Emily that night. We were back in Hollywood,
going for one of our usual hikes up Runyon Canyon. When we got to the top, I
dropped my water bottle on purpose and got down on a knee to pick it up. I
showed Emily the ring I had been hiding and asked her to marry me. She said
yes. I jumped up and shouted joyously, grabbing her and twirling around with
the gentle breeze.

Finally, I got back down and put the ring on her finger. I
rose and leaned in for a kiss. But before our lips could touch, the skies
turned black. I looked up and saw spaceships coming down on us. Thereafter, in
the distance, I saw a massive explosion.

Everything evaporated, and slowly the hilltop caved in.
Emily and I fell into a dark pit. We kept falling and falling until we finally
landed on a demolished terrain. We were wearing the white bodysuits now, and
all I could see were fields of black smoke and fire.

The Mamluks marched out of the darkness and came toward us.
There were hundreds of them surrounding us. One of the soldiers grabbed Emily
and took her away. I reached out to her, screaming. Finally, a Mamluk aimed at
me and a laser came out. But before the blast could hit me, I woke up.

I was sweating and breathing frantically, looking around.
“Emily?”

“Andrew? Are you all right?” Madison said, coughing.

I exhaled and closed my eyes. “I’m sorry, Madison. Did I
wake you?

“No. I was up. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Just had a bad dream.”

Chapter 20

It had been a few days, and we were still walking with
limps. There was a Mamluk named Giedre who gave us a liquid substance that
helped with the pain. I was sitting on my bed rubbing it between my legs when I
heard footsteps approaching. I watched the entrance, and Adomas appeared.

“I can’t—I’m still in pain,” I pleaded.

Adomas chuckled and walked to me. “Are you ready to learn,
Emily?”

I nodded.

Adomas crossed his arms and casually walked around. “Tell me
your questions.”

I let out a sigh of relief. “Well, let’s start at the
beginning. Where are you from? And why did you come to Earth?”

“We Mamluks are descendants of the planet Marsden. Some time
ago, the females of our kind mysteriously lost the ability to bear offspring.”

I nodded slowly. “So you came to Earth to continue your
bloodline.”

Adomas faced me. “That is correct.”

“But why us?”

“You were the only compatible species.”

“
But
… how did you know that? Were you watching us
somehow?”

Adomas smiled. “Your intellect is impressive, Emily.”

I shyly looked away. “Thanks, I guess.”

“We examined your kind thoroughly before traveling to
Earth.”

“How?”

Adomas gave me a cold stare. “You are not privy to that
information.”

I nodded and glanced at the device on his arm. “I
understand.”

He turned and headed to the entrance. “You must prove your
allegiance to me, Emily. Only then will you be granted all the knowledge you
seek.”

“How do I prove myself?”

Adomas looked back at me. “By nurturing our spawn.”

Chapter 21

I was sitting on a concrete block, looking up at the sky
through the narrow opening. Two days had passed, and we still couldn’t find a
way out. Even worse, we were very dehydrated and had little food left.

“We have to go back,” Madison said, standing under the
light.

Robert walked to her and looked up. “You’re right.”

I put my hand over my mouth and pondered.

“Come on. Let’s get moving,” Madison said.

I stayed still and looked around as they moved along.

Madison stopped when she walked by me. “Andrew? Come on.” She
looked on as I continued to ponder. “Don’t worry. We’ll find another way out.”

Finally, I gave in. And as I got up, I put my hand on the
concrete block I was sitting on and used it for support. I paused halfway and
stared at it for a second, then I rose completely.

“
Wait
—the rubble.”

Robert turned around. “What about it?”

“Look at the size of some of these blocks. With a good
amount, we might be able to stack them high enough to reach the opening.”

Robert nodded. “That’s a good idea. Let’s try it.”

We found the biggest blocks and carried them to the light.
It took all of us to lift each one, and my back was strained by the end of it.
The hard part was stacking them evenly. We went back and forth with different
angles, getting frustrated at times. But eventually we were able to find a
stable alignment.

The stack of blocks was almost the same height as Madison.
She climbed up first and got her balance.

“All right. Now jump high and hold on tight,” I said.

She was breathing heavy. “OK.”

“Try to relax, Madison,” Robert said.

Madison closed her eyes for a second and breathed out
slowly. Then, she opened her eyes, stood up straight and leaped for the edge of
the opening. She grabbed the jagged concrete and held on.

I smiled. “Now pull yourself up.”

Madison tried to kick her leg up, but it was making her
slip.

“No, don’t do that. Just pull up,” Robert said.

“I can’t—I’m not strong enough,” she grumbled, holding on
for dear life.

“Yes you can, Madison. Come on,” I said.

“I
can’t
—we should have waited—I’m exhausted,” she
cried.

“You can do it, Madison. Just pull,” Robert said.

She let out an animated scream, pulling as hard as she
could. Gradually, she went up higher and higher.

“Keep going,” I said.

Madison kept screaming as she pulled and got her knee over
the edge. And to finish, she leaned forward and climbed to the surface.

“Yes!” I cheered, pumping my fist.

“Way to go, Madison,” Robert said, smiling.

He went next and got to the surface. Lastly, I climbed the
stepping stones and jumped to the edge. I quickly pulled myself up and crawled
to the surface. The three of us sat there for a moment, looking up at the sun,
smiling and laughing.

Then, I saw a light flashing in the distance. I paused and
stared at it. The light was getting closer and closer.

“
Shit
, it’s them,” I huffed, pointing.

We looked around in a panic.

“Over there!” Madison said, pointing at a set of scattered
concrete.

We ran to the biggest piece and ducked down. Within seconds,
I heard a ship landing nearby.

“They found us,” Madison whispered, shivering.

“Just stay still,” Robert said.

I turned my head and peeked through a crack in the concrete.
The ship was parked about ten yards away. The ramp came down, and two soldiers
walked out. They stood there for second, then marched toward us. I shuddered as
I watched them get close.

“Check over there,” one of them said, pointing to his right.

The other soldier marched ahead. The one coming at us
stopped about six feet away. He stayed still and sniffed the air, scanning the
area like an eagle.

“Let us leave. It was probably an animal,” the other soldier
called out from afar.

The soldier stayed for a moment. Finally, he turned around
and headed back to the ship with his partner. When they took off, I closed my
eyes and sighed.

We stayed put for a while.

“All right. I think it’s safe now,” Robert said, crawling
forward.

I stood up and checked the skies. The area was clear. But
there was no time to celebrate a small victory. “Let’s keep moving.”