Chapter 6: Sleep

As dusk started to settle over Agrabah, Aladdin most definitely wasn't waiting around. After hearing Warek's story about the people in Agrabah, both Aladdin and Jasmine traveled around the city, comforting citizens and warning others about the strange events. Some had already heard from word of mouth, others were concerned and determined to stay inside for the night, and certainly not to travel.

Genie and Abu accompanied Aladdin while Jasmine, Iago and Carpet made their separate rounds. They planned on reuniting at Aladdin's usual hiding place once they were done. Aladdin saw that Razoul had kept his word. Palace guards were posted around the city, keeping watch that evening. Even one of them that saw Aladdin nodded to him with a friendly gesture.

Genie twiddled his thumbs, looking downward as Aladdin turned to face him.

"Genie, what's wrong?"

"Uh, well..." Genie gingerly put a hand behind his head, his expression sheepish. "I guess I never had a chance to apologize."

"For?"

"Well, for making it seem like I didn't believe you. If I hadn't, you wouldn't have left the palace the way you did earlier, and..."

Aladdin shook his head, waving a dismissive hand. "Come on, Genie. Yeah, I was mad about it. A little. But I know it was - it's still - hard to believe, even for me. And Jasmine told me you were doing everything you could to keep a look out over Agrabah. So it's not a big deal. We'll find out whether Jafar's really behind this or not."

"Really? I feel like happy dancing." Genie transformed into a Scottish dancer, complete with traditional attire and tipping his hat forward. Aladdin laughed.

"Even so," Genie said, transforming back to his usual self. "I think we have to worry about where Jafar's gonna show up. He didn't exactly drop a hint last night, did he?"

Aladdin shook his head, his smile fading. "He didn't say where, only said when. It's almost nightfall. I wonder if Jasmine and the others are done with their side of the city yet."

Before Genie could answer, Abu shrieked and pointing towards the ground furiously. Genie and Aladdin looked in the direction of his finger and saw a scorpion making its way from behind a pot toward them.

"Huh, I didn't know Agrabah had a scorpion problem. Usually they don't bother to make their way into the city," Genie said, slapping his forehead. He flew over to the scorpion, and picked it up before conjuring magic to trap it in a encased cube. The scorpion tried to clip and stab the surface, but to no avail.

"Neither did I," Aladdin said. "He came out of nowhere."

Abu looked down along the ground from Aladdin's shoulder, his fur bristling as he saw another one coming from behind where Aladdin stood. He screeched in alarm, but too late when one of the scorpions pinchers closed around Aladdin's ankle. Aladdin yelled, but before the creature could strike with its tail, Abu lept off Aladdin's shoulder and pulled the creature's tail back, long enough to stop it before Genie swept it up with a wave of magic, trapping it in a similar fashion as the first.

Abu screeched as he saw Aladdin kneeling down, wincing while clutching his hand over his ankle.

Genie looked equally concerned. "You okay, Al?"

"He didn't sting me, just pinched me. I'm fine." He opened his eyes and looked between the two of them. "Where did they come from anyway?"

"Dunno, but if I didn't know any better, I'd say that was coordinated."

Aladdin raised a brow. "Right, as if those scorpions were planning to sting me."

"Mmm," Genie said, frowning. He looked doubtful over the whole thing, but Aladdin thought he was probably worrying too much.

Aladdin stood slowly, opting to change the subject. "Anyway, I think we'd better try to find Jasmine and the others."

As Aladdin, Abu, and Genie left down the alley, they didn't notice the shadowy figure that watched them, and who subsequently freed the trapped scorpions, all according to plan.

Jasmine, Carpet, and Iago met up with Aladdin, Genie and Abu in the middle of the marketplace. It was quiet, and it seemed most, if not all the citizens of Agrabah had taken to their homes. The sun had disappeared from the horizon, and the full moon took shape in the sky.

Jasmine sighed. "Well, so far, so good. No sign of Jafar, and everyone's inside for the evening except the guards posted."

Aladdin nodded. "That's good to hear. We just finished up. Nothing unusual there either, not that we've heard from any of the people home."

Iago folded his wings across his chest. "I could go for a little quiet and keeping my feathers for a night in Agrabah. For once."

Genie whispered close to Aladdin's ear. "Look who's talkin' about quiet." Aladdin snorted, giving a knowing glance at Jasmine.

"I heard that!" Iago shouted, flapping his wings in Genie's face while Genie fended him off. That made the whole group laugh.

But in the midst of that laughter, Aladdin stopped short as he thought he caught something moving behind him out the corner of his eye. His momentary smile faded. When he looked over his shoulder, he didn't see anyone and figured it was the passing of a cloud over the moon, judging for the way the light shone over the city.

He started to feel his ankle sting from where the scorpion had clipped him. He didn't think much of it at first because it hadn't happened long ago. But then the effect started cascading in a quick wave that overtook him. First his ankle felt numb, then it traveled up his legs, torso, arms, up to his head where it made his mind swim. Then his vision blurred.

Something was definitely wrong.

Aladdin felt himself lean against the alley wall, his breathing more labored. He closed his eyes, trying to will away from the effect, but the blood pounding through his ears became more prominent, drowning out the voices before him.

Genie who took notice of his condition first. "Al, what is it?"

He struggled to speak. "I...I don't know."

Then he couldn't fight the compulsion to sleep anymore.

As Aladdin fell to the sands, Jasmine and Abu were the first to race toward him, but were stopped short by a large mount of sand formed a barrier between them and the group, taking shape before their eyes. It swirled a moment like the spiraling body of a snake before wrapping itself around Aladdin's body and covering him.

"Aladdin! No!" Jasmine cried.

Both Carpet and Genie flew to the shape at once, but as quick as they pushed through the thick sand cloud, the sands dropped back to the street.

And Aladdin was gone.