What was one to do when life had no meaning? When the air they breathed was poisonous? When every substance they consumed twisted their stomach into foul, distorted knots? When looking at the sun blinded them so badly they could not even see into their soul? What then? Then... They wandered.
And that was the only comfort Nadia felt she had to cling to. As she guided her camel, Amasi, through the small town of Murzuq, the heat began to reach her. The sun was climbing higher and higher into the crisp Libyan sky above. And she could feel the sweat beading up on her skin. Seeking shelter, she took cover in a tiny cafe that looked more than a bit beaten up.
She entered the cafe and sat down in a wooden chair near the window. A small breeze was blowing in westward and it rolled right through the strategically placed opening. She rested her chin on the window sill as she let the breeze lap up her face. Her eyes closed for what seemed only a moment.
She awoke to the sound of gunshots ringing out. The cafe was ablaze. She sat up quickly and coughed as thick, black smoke clouded her lungs. It seemed that everywhere she looked, there was fire. Fire and smoke so thick, she couldn't even see. The heat was more intense than she'd ever experienced before.
Her immediate reaction was to get on her hands and knees and crawl to the exit. She coughed hoarsely as more smoke clouded her lungs and chocked her. She made her way across the floor carefully, as boards were falling out of the ceiling, and there seemed to be glass everywhere. She closed her eyes and coughed again. She'd reached an extremely thick pocket of smoke, and she couldn't even see her nose. She reached out blindly and instantly recoiled.
Her hand had grazed something neither flame, nor glass. It was clammy, cold flesh. She was trying to desperately wipe the smoke from her eyes as she peered down at the lifeless face of an old man. He had blood all over his chest and it looked very fresh. He'd been stabbed through the heart.
As she promised she'd pray for his family later, she gently crawled over the dead body with another hoarse cough. She was almost to the exit when she realized that she'd forgotten to close his eyes. It was a thing of respect, but it was mandatory respect. She started to crawl back to him when a board fell out of the ceiling and landed, still ablaze, right in front of her.
Had there been less smoke in her lungs, she would have screamed. But at the moment, they were too full of the poisonous gas for her to make a sound. She continued towards the door, wishing she'd thought of the man sooner. Now, it was either leave him, or join him. She couldn't take that risk.
She pushed open the door to the cafe and crawled onto the desert sand just as the rest of the structure holding the building together collapsed. Nadia silently thanked Allah for holding it together long enough for her to escape. She still felt guilty for the man, but that was on the back burner of her mind now.
As she crawled onto the sand, she saw an even worse fate than she had inside. Bodies lie motionless everywhere. Blood tainted her once beautiful sand. Eyes open, expressions of horror. Everywhere.
Down the street, the fighting still raged. Gunshots rang out clearer than a sheep's call on a soundless night. But where Nadia lay, everything was still. Quiet. Dead. And the fate of those alive looked none to well.
As Nadia tried to rise to her feet, she quickly fell, clutching her side. She could barely breath. And as soon as she tried to stand, her lungs clenched even tighter than they were now. She was in immense pain, with nothing to ail her. She fell to her knees again.
She looked over, to the eyes of a wounded child. He was still alive, and looked fit enough to walk. But oh, he was so far away. Could he even see her now, as she clung to her life by a thread? As she withered on the ground? She doubted it. She tried to call to him, but her lungs produced no sound.
Determined, however, she forced herself forward on her knees. She could make it to him before anyone spotted her if she kept a steady pace. If she could make it to him, and he was able to walk, or better yet, run, he could get help. He could summon her guards, who she was stupid enough to sneak away from, or the authorities, or someone. With that bit of hope, Nadia trudged on.
But even that glimmer of silver in the darkened cloud before her was quickly crushed. The fire had obviously started at the cafe, for it had now spread to surrounding trees. One of which, fell a few feet in front of the nation. Flames 6 feet and higher sprung off the trunk, making it impossible to cross. It pinned her between the flames of the trunk, and the flames of the still blazing cafe. She was trapped.
Feeling like a hopeless, caged animal, she collapsed on the ground. This had to be it. First she'd been separated from her brother, and now she would die, like a helpless human, on the soil of her own country. What a pitiful person she'd become. She felt there was nothing left to try for. That boy would be long gone by now if he were smart. And the people that had attacked this village had ceased fire. Everyone was dead. She was the last one. And she wasn't far behind. Not baring to see their faces anymore, she closed her eyes.
However... Though everything was still, she thought she heard something. Something... familiar. Like... camel hooves running on the sand. She smiled as she heard that. She liked the sound. It was steady, and familiar. She hoped it would be the last thing she heard.
And then, she could feel her body being lifted. She did not bother to open her eyes, for she knew it was the arms of Allah, lifting her to his kingdom. And she knew the pain would soon dull. She was set on a rough leather surface that felt like a saddle. She smiled wider. "So the ride to Allah's kingdom is a camel." She thought. And the thought amused her.
She bounced around for a while, not bothering to open her eyes. She was a bit afraid of heights, and she knew she must be far off the ground by now. She didn't want to look down and fall off of Allah's camel. That would just be a shame.
Eventually, the camel stopped, and she assumed they must have reached their destination. She kept her eyes closed, however, as a respect to Allah. He lifted her off the saddle of the magic camel and set her down on something that felt oddly like a mattress. Did they have beds in Allah's kingdom? She didn't know why they would, but she wouldn't question him.
Then, a voice commanded her to open her eyes. She saw the face of someone familiar, but she just couldn't put a name to his face. She bit her lip out of habit and dreamily cocked her head to the side. Who was he?
Her hearing was distorted, as if she were under water. But she could faintly hear her name being called. "Nadia. Nadia." The man said. She chewed on her lip harder, it helping her concentrate.
She could feel herself slipping into unconsciousness. But she couldn't go just yet. No. Not yet. She was determined to remember his face. The man kept calling her name. "Nadia! Nadia!" He yelled now. But he'd called her something else too. "Libya!" And that's when she remembered.
"Egypt." She said back as she fell into unconsciousness with a smile on her lips.