by Lake, Edward
The ship opened, and an alien came marching down the ramp. He was bald like the other males, wearing a red cloak, beige shirt, navy-blue pants and black boots. He had the weapon on his arm, too.
The majestic figure slowly walked down the line, glancing from left to right. “Humans of Earth. We are Mamluks, descendants of the planet Marsden. I am Adomas, Champion of all Mamluks. Today, the conquest of your planet begins. You will do as we say—or die.”
Adomas turned around and marched back to his ship. The soldiers waited until he was in the air before rising. Then they got up and dropped white bodysuits on us. And to complete the odd wardrobe, they gave us white shoes that looked like slippers.
“To your feet, Humans. Dress yourselves,” a soldier called out.
We got up, grabbed bodysuits and shoes and quickly put them on. The material was soft and laced with tiny holes, like a sports jersey. They were a little baggy on us, too. But the shoes fit fine.
Seconds later, a group of narrow spaceships came out of the sky and landed beside us. A ramp opened at the center of each ship, and the soldiers told us to go inside. Madison and I stayed close as we hurried to a ship. But before going in, I scanned the crowd, trying to find Emily.
Wherever you are—stay strong.
Chapter 5
I woke up in a dimly lit room. My clothes had been taken off, and I was now wearing a white bodysuit and matching shoes that looked like house slippers. I looked around and realized I was in some kind of holding cell with hundreds of people.
“Andrew? Andrew?” I said with a raspy voice.
The last thing I remembered was him helping me and that dying woman off the floor. I checked the area in a daze, trying to figure out what was happening.
“Can someone tell me how I got here?”
A bearded man looked at me and scooted over. “It was awful. They lined us up like sheep, made everyone strip down and threw us these white get-ups. After that, a bunch of ships dropped down and they sent us inside.”
“But what about me? How did I get like this? I’ve been unconscious.”
“They had someone close by undress you and put the bodysuit on you. And a few others helped carry you to the ship.”
I sighed and moved closer to him. “What do you think they are?”
“Aliens of some kind. Because they sure as hell ain’t human—even though they look like us.”
“What do they look like?”
“They’re huge—each stands about ten feet tall, with muscular bodies and faces that look like they were chiseled out of stone. The females have hair—the males are bald.”
I pictured them in my head, and the first things that came to mind were the Titans from Greek Mythology.
“Do you think they’re going to kill us?”
“I don’t know. Probably, at some point. But they’re keeping us alive for some reason.” He flashed a kind smile and extended his hand. “I’m Robert, by the way.”
I reached out and shook his hand. “I’m Emily.”
As I let go and pulled my hand back, I heard a dreadful squeaking sound, like nails on a chalk board. I looked up and realized the top of the ship was sliding open. We were right under the opening, too. Large clumps of something came down on us. Robert and I, along with everyone nearby, moved out of the way.
The clumps continued and piled up fast. Then, after a few seconds they stopped falling. The ship closed up, and we moved toward the pile. Robert dropped down, took a handful of the goop and sniffed it. Lastly, he tasted it and grew a thin smile.
“It’s food.”
Right away, like a pack of wolves, everyone started pushing and shoving, trying to get to the pile. Someone knocked me to the floor from behind and dove on the pile.
“Stop, stop! That’s enough!” Robert yelled. “We need to portion this out so everyone can eat.”
After hearing his wise words, more joined in. “He’s right—he’s right,” a few called out as one.
They helped each other hold back the ones who were attacking the pile. A small scuffle broke out. But after some shouting, and more words of wisdom from Robert and the others, everyone calmed down.
Robert took a deep breath. “Don’t worry. Everyone will eat.” He turned and spread everyone out. “Now, let’s get in a line. Women and children first. And I’ll need a few volunteers.”
Without thinking twice, I got off the floor and stepped up. A few others came over as well. Robert got the volunteers situated in a row, facing the line. There were six of us including Robert, giving out one handful to one person at a time. It took a while, but we got a portion to everyone.
Afterward, we checked the remains. There wasn’t much left. Maybe four or five handfuls.
Robert put his head down and tried to walk away. “You guys eat up. I’m sure they’ll send more down at some point.”
I shook my head and grabbed his arm. “No. There is more than enough for all of us.”
We sat down together. The others took a seat beside us and grabbed a handful. I took the last piece, split it in two and put the other half in Robert’s hand.
He smiled and gave me a warm look. “Thank you.”
Chapter 6
The food they sent us tasted like beans. There was a little pushing and shoving at first, but in the end, everyone got a small portion. Madison and I were sitting together by the wall, finishing off our portions. Now that we had a little information, I was obsessively pondering the situation.
The bodysuits let me know the Mamluks came prepared. Maybe they had been watching us somehow? Or maybe they had already been here?
Moments later, the ship started moving. “God, what now?” I groaned, looking up.
We took off in a hurry and landed just as fast. The ramp opened, and I could hear the Mamluks shouting orders from outside.
“Come forward, Humans!”
We got up and headed toward the exit. And as we waited in the slow moving line, I heard people crying and screaming like they were walking into a pit of dead bodies.
“It’s all gone!” a woman cried out in horror.
Finally, we reached the exit and went down the ramp. My mouth dropped open and my eyes got wide. Madison was breathing out of control, like she was having an asthma attack. I went numb as we moved forward, looking around in disbelief.
“God, no,” I cried.
The entire city was leveled. All that remained was miles and miles of blistering rubble. We walked into a sea of humanity and stopped when there was no room to move.
There were hundreds of soldiers patrolling the area and dozens of ships flying overhead.
A soldier walked by, carrying a stack of shovels. “Humans—take these tools and dig deep.” Then he threw the shovels to the ground. He went on, throwing more and more shovels at us.
Still shaken, we each staggered to the growing pile of shovels and picked one up. Wasting no time, Madison and I got to work.
“Well, at least we know why they’re keeping us alive,” she said.
I let out a miserable sigh. “Yeah.”
Chapter 7
I picked up a shovel and let out a quiet, aggravated screech. “I can’t believe this is happening.”
Robert reached out and gently rubbed my shoulder. “It’ll be all right, Kid. We’ll find a way out of this.”
One of the aliens came over and crouched next to me. I trembled a bit and got busy. Robert picked up his pace, too. As I bent down and shoveled away, her hand went over me like a dark cloud. I cried, thinking she was going to hit me. Yearning for protection, I glanced at Robert. He was staring at me, ready to jump in at any moment.
I felt her hand touch my head and slowly go down my back. “This victory has been unpleasant. I expected more from your kind.”
I inhaled and froze. My heart was beating so fast. Please don’t—please don’t.
“You are fortunate to be female,” she went on, sliding her finger around to my stomach and up to my chin.
I looked up and saw
her face. She was smiling, and had an eerie look in her eyes.
Then, surprisingly, she brushed some dirt off my face. “You are beautiful as well. That gives you an advantage.”
I tried to say something but stammered over my words. Desperate to relax, I slowly exhaled. “My name’s…Emily.”
She chuckled. “Are you afraid, Emily?”
I nodded quickly. “Yes—I’m terrified.”
She laughed, turning toward another alien. “They are very fragile. Perhaps we have chosen the wrong species.”
He walked over and looked me up and down. “Leave her alone.” Then he waved the other alien away.
She got up and gently shoved me. Still, that light tap sent me stumbling to the ground. She glanced at me before walking off, smirking. Robert helped me up and brushed some dirt off my back.
I heatedly slammed my shovel into the soil. “Great, now they’re humiliating us. Toying with us for fun.”
Robert gave me a one arm hug. “Well, they look like us. So I guess they act like us, too. I’m just glad she didn’t hurt you.”
I was so mad I wanted to shove my shovel up her ass. But having Robert there calmed me. I leaned into him as the sun came over the horizon. It was pleasing to see the light after enduring the darkest night of my life. The warmth covered me like a blanket as I looked on.
And lastly, I closed my eyes and imagined I was back in my old bed. “You’re right. We’ll find a way.”
Chapter 8
It had been a while since the first night. Most of the guys, including me, had full beards now. Our white bodysuits were filthy, and I had lost count of how many holes we had dug. About seven people that I knew of had broken down and tried to run. They were all killed.
So far, the only things the Mamluks put in the holes were giant trees and huge plants that had strange leaves—indubitably ones from their planet. Eventually, they realized we couldn’t work nonstop for long periods of time. So they gave us breaks throughout the day. And at night, they let us sleep. For food, they were still feeding us that goop that tasted like beans. Along with that, they gave each area a barrel of water.
We'd been working for what seemed like half the day. Finally, a soldier stepped forward and sounded the horn for break. Everyone plugged their ears as the annoying blare echoed across the land.
Madison hunched over and let out a deep huff. “It’s about time.”
The Mamluks spread us out and dropped a barrel of water. Then they made us line up. There were four soldiers watching us. One at the front of the line, one on each side of the line, and one in the back.
“Remember—get what you can and move on,” a soldier called out.
The barrel was about eight feet tall. The soldier at the front of the line yanked a cork out the top of it, leaned the barrel forward and allowed the first person to come up. When it was my turn, I jogged to the running water and took a few gulps. I hurried back to the hole we were working on and took a seat on the edge.
After Madison got her drink, she walked back to the hole and took a seat beside me. She grunted sorely and reached down to her right calf.
“You all right?”
“Yeah, I’ll be OK.”
I jumped into the hole and took her right leg. “Let me help with that.” I massaged the calf tenderly whenever she would wince.
Madison smiled and put her hands back. “Thanks, Andrew.”
Afterward, we got back to work. The Mamluks marched past us like hall monitors, crossing their arms and pausing to check certain areas. It was so degrading, and I realized that I’d had enough. But if I was going to make a run for it, I didn’t want to do it alone.
“Have you thought about trying to escape?” I asked Madison.
She sternly shook her head. “No. This is it for us.”
“Come on. With a good plan we could make it.”
Madison gave me a heated look. “Andrew—just stop.” She slammed her shovel into the dirt and dug out a big chunk.
I put my head down and got back to work.
But luckily, a man to my left leaned in and offered some helpful advice. “You know, I’ve heard whispers about openings in the ground, scattered all over this terrain. Looks like they missed a few spots when they tore up the roads.”
Gradually, I nodded. “The sewers.”
“Exactly,” he went on. “I wouldn’t be surprised if someone else has tried it.”
I glanced at him, wondering. “Would you?”
He quickly shook his head. “Hell no. Too risky.”
“I agree,” Madison cut in.
I shook my head. “No, it’s worth the risk. I mean, what have we got to lose?”
Madison laughed. “Our lives.”
“Not much of a life anymore, is it?”
Madison stopped and glared at me again. Then she looked away and went back to digging. “I’ll think about it.”
Chapter 9
The next day during our break, the Mamluks dropped some food on us. The pile was about six feet high, plenty for our area. We made a circle around it and dug in. But just like with the water, we didn’t have much time. I stuffed my face, gagging as I gobbled the food.
A horn sounded, and the soldiers ordered us back to work. Madison and I went to our hole. But before we could start digging, I looked up and saw a group of ships approaching. They swooped in and landed about twenty yards from us.
“Attention, Humans!” a soldier called out. “All female humans—to the ship.”
Madison looked at me with panic in her eyes. I turned around in a fluster and saw women walking to the ships with their hands up. The Mamluks marched from group to group, making sure all the women were moving.
“Shit,” I snapped, trying to think of something.
Madison put her hands up and walked forward.
I desperately grabbed her. “No!” I need you.
She cried out and tried to pull away. “It’s no use.”
The soldiers were getting closer. Then, finally, it hit me.
“Get in the hole.”
“What?”
“Just do it.”
Madison hurried into the hole. I grabbed my shovel and scooped some dirt.
“Lie down and stay still.” I shoveled dirt onto her as fast as I could. I kept looking up to check the Mamluks. They were now a few feet away. With only seconds to spare, I stopped and put my shovel down. Madison wasn’t covered all the way, but it was still hard to see her at first glance.
A soldier walked past me, pushing through the crowd, checking for women. Don’t move, Madison. Please don’t move. Shortly after, more soldiers walked by, going near the hole. My heart pounded like crazy when I heard them stop. I froze and closed my eyes, praying.
“The area is clear.”
I opened my eyes and let out a huge breath as they carried on. Then, I glanced at the hole. “Just hold on, Madison. I’ll get you out of there.”
Chapter 10
An alien found me and pushed my back, pointing to a row of spaceships that just landed nearby.
“Move,” she barked.
I stared at Robert as I walked forward. He stared back at me, giving me a look of encouragement. Finally, I looked away and released a few tears. Thank you. And goodbye.
I walked to a ship and headed up the ramp. When I got inside, I took a seat against the wall and wrapped my arms around my legs. Once the ship was full, the ramp closed and we took off. Minutes later, we landed somewhere and the ramp opened. One by one, we left the darkness and walked into the light. I stepped off the ramp and realized we were on the roof of a sandstone building.
I looked up over our heads and saw a massive hovercraft that resembled an upside-down mixing pot. It stopped about thirty yards from us and a spaceship flew over it. The top of the hovercraft opened, and the ship poured a thick, tan-colored sap into the opening. After a few seconds, the spaceship stopped and few away.
The hovercraft closed up and made loud, swirly noises like a blender. Finally, the bo
ttom opened up and a block of sandstone dropped to the ground. A group of soldiers walked up to the block and began to mold it with their laser gadgets. Up until then, I'd thought their devices were just weapons. It was shocking to see that kind of advanced technology—and it made me wonder what else it could do.
An alien came forward and moved us along. She took us to an entrance at the far end of the roof and headed inside. We followed her and went down a long hallway. The entire building was made of sandstone, and crafted nicely. The alien brought us to a huge room that had a pool in the center of it. There was steam coming from the water, and tiny pellets of what looked like soap were lined up along the perimeter.
We all looked at each other, not knowing what to think. Another alien came in the room and guarded the door. The one who led us in took her gadget off and set it on the floor. Then she undressed, taking off her black boots and pants.
I froze and stared hard. Her body was an impressive showcase of muscles. She turned sideways, revealing her backside. Like her breasts, it was so firm it hardly moved as she stepped into the water.
“Undress and follow me.”
I stepped forward and quickly undressed. The other women followed along. We went into the pool and followed her to the far end. Being in the water felt great. I had forgotten how soothing a warm bath could be.
I stopped a few feet from the alien. She carefully fluffed out her hair a bit. Watchfully, I copied.
She reached over and picked up one of the pellets—but it was bigger than the others. And gently, she scraped it against her skin. “Go to the edge and take a piece of mula.”
We hurried to the pellets and took a piece.
“Clean yourselves.”
I softly scraped the substance against my arm. It was a little sticky, and it smelled like leaves. There was so much dirt caked on our bodies that within minutes the water was a big puddle of mud.
