3 W I S H E S & 17 D A Y S

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"What the actual hell..." Zahir's eyes became wide as saucers and within a fraction of a second, he grabbed Khaled and rolled to the other side of the room. The spider-like robot raised one of its four legs and stomped through the walls.

The rumbling of cement and sand erupted through the air which woke Fatima and the soldiers up. They pulled their bags aside as all of them stared in disbelief. The robot flashed its blinding lights at the group and their was a whirring sound that began to grow louder.

"RUN!" Fatima shouted and they dashed out the apartment's door. A laser beam struck the wall right in front of Zahir's head as he escaped with mere seconds to spare. When they ran down the hallway to sprint out, there was another one standing in front of the entrance.

"Over here." Jalil waved over to the rest. He stormed up the staircase and the rest were right at his feet. Waheed waited for Fatima go right after Jalil before following her. Zahir struggled to carry Khaled and run at a fast pace at the same time. He grunted as he tripped over debris, falling down.

Khaled cried out as he slipped from Zahir's clutches and then the other one emerged from down the hall, tearing down walls to get through. Zahir cursed, hauling himself up right away. He snatched Khaled again, throwing him over his shoulders. He ducked, throwing himself at the staircase, letting Khaled go.

"Khaled, go after them and STAY with them." He ordered. Another flash of the red laser beam hit the grown hear his feet. He scrambled a few steps up, pulling Khaled with him.

"No, I don't want to leave you!" Khaled shouted, tears streaming down his small face. Zahir held both sides of the young boy's face, pressing his forehead against his.

"Khaled, please." He whispered. Khaled nodded, saying a small "I love you" before running after the others. Zahir replied the same words back in a whisper before running out into the hall once again.

He glanced at the one standing at the entrance of the door, still lingering around. He darted there, not looking back at the one that's been destroying the place. He heard the whirring of the other robot once more as he slid under the four legs of the second one. He came out on the other side and then took all his might to get on its back. The robot stumbled around and the other continued aiming for Zahir.

He waited. 1. 2. 3.

At the third count, he dived off the robot as the laser beam hit it. A crackling sound escaped the machine as it lit up in flames. Zahir kicked up dirt, running further as the robot burst, pieces of it flying everywhere. He looked over his shoulder to see the apartment crumbling.

No, no. no.

He watched in horror as the other one emerged from the entrance. The apartment collapsed behind it, making a terrifying sound of rubble and rocks crashing on one another. Zahir stood still in shock, knowing everyone had still been on the top floor... his little brother there too.

The robot raised its lights to flash it on Zahir and he was bathed in the artificial, white lights. He heard the whirring sounds once more but didn't move an inch. Were they really dead?

Then, there was a sound of the machine failing. The engine gurgled and made weird beeping sounds. The lights went off and he stood in the pure darkness eloping him. The robot's legs crashed underneath it and then the entire body fell over to its side.

Jalil and Waheed emerged and right after them was Fatima and Khaled. Zahir ran towards them, bending down to embrace Khaled in a tight hug.

"I thought I lost you." His voice slightly quivered. "How did you guys manage to escape from the top?" Zahir looked up at the others.