The soldier was astonished by Joonam’s request.

“As you wish.”

Someone snuck behind the impatient boy and threw a potato sack over his head in a second. The soldier in front of Joonam punched him in the stomach,  leaving him unable to move. His knees buckled as he coughed blood. Joonam closed his eyes, gasping for air on the floor.

“Get him out of here.” 

Joonam woke in a much less luxurious setting with dirt and rust covering the metal table in front of him. The floor was dirt and the walls were made of corroded steel. A man wearing white robes stood across Joonam reading a romance novel.

“Where am I?” 

“Cairo, dumbass.” The man responded rudely. 

Another man walked to the doorless frame. 

“Khalfani get back to work.”

“Shut up Amun. It’s not like you’re doing anything.”

“I’m doing something right now. Get back to work.”

Khalfani left a cup of coffee for Joonam as he left nonchalantly. 

This coffee is fucking disgusting. He thought to himself. Joonam walked outside in the scorching sun. Giant metal structures with starving workers filled the water resembling dunes. The sound of gunfire could still be heard in the distance as if Joonam was still in the capital. Amun lightly jogged to the visitor.

“Hey, you’re in the third division.  Get a move on.” 

Amun guided the confused foreigner to a group of workers collecting precious metals imported from an asteroid. 

“Just do what the others are doing until I get back.”

Khalfani waved to Joonam from the back of a cargo box.