Just as the Abbasid Caliphate collapsed in the heedlessness of its people, just as Troy fell after its gates were opened by the horse of desire, and just as the Ottoman Empire disintegrated, consumed by internal strife , the cause was the same... Desire, when it devours the mind and blinds insight.
Mido... was no different from them. In fact, he might have been a modern reenactment of all those tragedies. Walking toward his own abyss with his own two feet, as if he had willingly chosen to burn—not because he didn't know, but because he had lost the strength to resist.
He sat on the ground, his back hunched as if the weight of the entire world rested on his shoulders, his eyes drowning in the sky , that sky adorned with countless stars, like a flawless oil painting. It was as if the entire universe had fallen silent just for him, as if the heavens had stretched out to embrace his burdened heart, not just his eyes.
The whole scene was saturated with a kind of sacred sadness—the kind that isn't spoken, but felt.
His tears streamed down, not like a river, but like a waterfall that had been holding back its collapse for months. He wasn't just crying; he was breaking apart, piece by piece, in front of everyone's eyes.
Silence fell among them... that moment when everyone knows no words can heal the wound, yet they still wanted to try, just in case light could find its way back to him.
Julia, who loved to joke even in times of sorrow, approached him quietly and sat beside him on the ground. She laughed softly and said:
"Little Saladin, don't be sad... You'll reclaim Jerusalem one day."
He didn't smile, but he lifted his gaze toward her, as if her words had pierced through the layers of pain inside him. Then came Jack, with his sharp, familiar glare, though his voice was unusually warm:
"Even though you're a despicable bastard... I don't want you to stay like this. You're stronger than being broken this way."
James followed, stepping closer and sitting in silence before saying quietly:
"Weakness isn't a flaw, Mido... The flaw is choosing to stay in it. We're not here to gloat—we're here to get you back on your feet."
Sarah, who had been watching silently, approached and gently placed her hand on his shoulder, saying:
"There are so many people who believe in you, Mido. Don't ever forget that... Our being here isn't a coincidence."
Christina, with her calm gaze and tender voice, added:
"Sometimes falling isn't the end, it's just a new beginning... Your pain isn't a sign of weakness, it's proof you're still alive."
Then Julia returned, her tone mixing humor with sorrow:
"Rise, our leader, before we revolt and elect a new head for the Party of the Miserable."
Mido looked at them, his tears still falling, but his lips trembled as if preparing to smile, that sad smile that says: I'm not okay, but I'm grateful.
"I never expected... to hear these words... when I needed them the most."
The stillness lingered in the air, and Mido's tears still hadn't stopped. He was no longer looking at the sky, but at the faces around him as if rediscovering the meaning of companionship in his moment of breaking.
But the silence didn't last long.
Serena walked in.
Her steps were confident, slow , just as they always were. In her right hand, she held a silver cigarette case; in her left, a steaming cup of coffee. She wore a black leather jacket, her hair swaying freely over her shoulders, her eyes carrying a mix of exhaustion and quiet determination.
And then she saw them.
She froze.
Her eyes landed on a scene she hadn't expected: Mido on the ground, surrounded by Jack, Julia, James, Christina, and Sarah.
His tears spoke louder than any explanation.
She was about to say something but at the last second, she held back, masking her shock with a faint, practiced smile before continuing forward as if she'd seen nothing.
She approached them, her gaze landing on James, who was sitting beside Mido. Then, in a firm tone laced with disguised jealousy, she said:
"Get up. I want to sit next to him."
James raised an eyebrow, smirking, then leaned on his elbow and replied:
"And if I don't? Will you curse me until I'm shorter than you?"
She didn't answer.
She ignored his joke as if she hadn't even heard it. Instead, she simply sat on the ground beside Mido and handed him the cigarette case and the coffee, smiling with a tender, romantic softness—like a princess from a castle carved solely in his heart. In a warm voice, she murmured:
"Here, my love... Your cigarettes and coffee, just how you like them."
Mido took the coffee slowly, as if handling something sacred. Then he smiled faintly and said:
"Thanks, but... Did you ask Georgia about my coffee? How I drink it?"
Serena smiled, her gaze blending affection with sharp wit.
"Yes. And I asked about many other things you love... and hate."
But she didn't get to finish.
James suddenly cut in, smirking with half his mouth, his eyes glinting with dark humor:
"What about sex? Seems like he hates that!"
And then in the blink of an eye, James was on the ground.
Serena had punched him with full force, then lunged at him with her signature athletic agility.
In a rapid flurry, she began kicking and hitting him wildly , precise, clean strikes, a mix of fury and skill, a blend of kickboxing and raw jealousy.
James yelped in pain:
"Agh! Sorry! Sorry! I was just joking, Serena! Please, stop!"
But she didn't stop. She hit him again in the shoulder, then rolled him away, shouting:
"Joking? In front of me? At a time like this?! How about I joke too and break your nose?!"
She leaned in closer, raising a finger in front of his bruised face, her voice trembling with rage:
"I swear to God, James, if you open your mouth with another word like that, I'll show you the real meaning of sex: broken ribs and internal bleeding!"
James raised his hands in surrender, laughing nervously:
"Message received! No need for further explanation, I get it!"
Serena returned to Mido, sitting beside him in silence. She didn't speak just placed her hand over his, as if saying: I'm here. Even if the whole world decides to leave.
Julia approached James quietly as he lay on the ground, still groaning softly from the punches and kicks Serena had delivered. She bent down, pulled a silk handkerchief from her pocket, and began gently wiping the blood from his nose.
Her eyes flickered toward Serena, who now sat beside Mido, trying to hide her tears behind a mask of strength. Julia smirked and teased:
"I never knew love could wake such a sleeping devil in you, Serena."
A quiet ripple of laughter spread through the group even Christina covered her mouth, giggling:
"My God, Serena's gone full street fighter... Who's next? Sarah?!"
Sarah laughed, pointing at James:
"Bravo, the first official casualty of Serena's love!"
Jack chuckled, shaking his head in amusement, while James muttered weakly:
"Thank God I didn't make a second comment."
Amid it all, Mido stood apart.
His eyes were fixed on the sky, drowning in another world.
He didn't laugh. Didn't speak. Just breathed slowly, then said in a voice as quiet as a cold breeze cutting through a long night:
"Can you promise me something, Serena?"
Serena turned to him instantly, leaning closer.
"Yes, my love. Anything."
Mido still didn't look at her. "
Whoever wins this game... and stays alive... I want them to take my body. Wash me the Islamic way. Pray over me in the mosque. Bury me according to our faith."
A crushing silence fell. Julia's handkerchief slipped from her fingers.
Sarah pressed a hand to her mouth. James slumped back, stunned, as if something heavy had collapsed onto his chest.
But Mido raised a hand, cutting off any response.
"Most of us will die. That's the truth. But Serena... she's not part of this game. I warned Georgia to stay away from her. But after I'm gone... she'll be in danger."
Serena stared at him, tears falling against her will, then screamed as if her heart were bleeding:
"You won't die! We're getting married, Mido... You promised me!"
She buried her face in his shoulder, sobbing, clutching his shirt with trembling hands:
"I don't want you to die... We're not even part of this game, we..."
Mido interrupted, his voice calm, like a man who'd already surrendered:
"Every road has its final destination... and I've reached my last stop. I can feel my death coming, like a shadow that's been following me for days... and there's no point running."
The charged silence returned but it was shattered by a sudden, visceral explosion.
Georgia walked in.
She wore a shimmering red dress, slit daringly up both sides, the fabric swaying with each step to reveal her thighs.
She moved with deliberate, hypnotic grace , seduction and cruelty intertwined, like a devil dancing on the edge of danger.
Her gaze slid over the seated men, then she spoke in a husky, heat-laden voice:
"I'm burning with desire... and about to explode... Who wants sex?"
Her eyes flickered between James and Jack, then lingered on Mido... as if asking:
Even as you're dying... is there still a man left in you?
Jack glared at her with disgust, muttering under his breath:
"Damn it, Georgia... this isn't your moment."
James, barely back on his feet after Serena's beating, managed a pained smirk:
"After all this... does anyone even still want to live?"
Christina closed her eyes, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear before remarking dryly:
"Even in moments like these... someone always thinks sex is the answer to everything."
Georgia prowled toward James first, leaning in with a predatory smile:
"Have you lost your strength... or is there still a man left in you?"
James recoiled dramatically:
"After what Serena did to me? I'm a religious man now!"
Sarah burst out laughing until her laughter died abruptly as Georgia turned her attention to Mido. She inhaled his proximity, studying him like a jeweler appraising a rare gem.
"You're the only one I haven't figured out yet... What kind of man hides under all that ice?"
Mido lifted his gaze slowly, eyes drowned in sorrow, his voice glacial:
"I'm just death postponed, Georgia... Seek life elsewhere."
Her smile faltered. Rejection was foreign to her especially from a man whose eyes held such depths.
Then Serena erupted to her feet. Her eyes were red-rimmed, fury blazing across her face as she stepped toe-to-toe with Georgia, unflinching:
"Mido isn't yours. Never will be. And I swear to God, if you come near him again... I'll rip out your tongue before you can open your mouth."
She lunged forward but Julia caught her shoulder:
"Not worth another fight, love. You've said enough."
Serena didn't back down. She sneered at Georgia:
"Go pick one of the trash men around you. But him? You're not even worthy of the grief he carries."
For the first time, Georgia was speechless.
Her control slipped. A fleeting glance at Mido then she turned on her heel, her scandalous dress swishing as she retreated from a truth heavier than her allure.
The group settled back into uneasy silence, the air itself charged and unfamiliar.
And Mido? He closed his eyes and whispered to no one:
"Every time I think I'm close to peace... war comes knocking again."
A heavy silence fell after Georgia's departure.
Only Serena remained standing, her hands trembling with rage, while Mido sat motionless, his eyes tracking the clouds as if they carried some ominous prophecy.
James sat on the ground, still catching his breath from the beating, when suddenly he muttered under his breath:
"Oh God..."
Sarah turned to him, startled:
"What's wrong?"
He slowly lifted his head, a strange smile twisting his lips , a mix of defiance, desire, and surrender:
"I think... I think I'll take Georgia up on her offer."
The entire group gasped in unison.
Christina:
"Have you lost your mind?!"
Jack:
"That woman is a demon!"
Serena:
"Did that punch knock out your sanity, or were you never sane to begin with?"
But he ignored them all, rising to his feet.
His gaze locked onto the doorway where Georgia had disappeared, his smile widening as if pulled by some invisible call.
At that moment, Georgia reappeared in the doorway, now wearing an even more scandalous dress, her eyes burning like a lioness spotting prey.
"I promise you, James..."
she purred, her voice dripping with dark allure
"the most beautiful night of your life."
She stepped toward him, extending her hand.
"Come, my groom... You're late for your wedding night."
James smiled, entranced, and reached for her. In one swift motion, she wrapped her arms around him, lifting him in a theatrical, almost mocking embrace, right before sealing his lips in a deep, possessive kiss.
The group watched in stunned silence as she carried him off toward the house like a long-awaited prize.
Everyone stood frozen.
Sarah:
"James! Please, this isn't you!"
Christina: "
She's dragging you to hell ,snap out of it!"
Jack:
"Damn it... He's not listening."
Just as Georgia reached the threshold, she paused, glancing back with eyes aflame half-lust, half-mockery.
Mido, who had been silently observing, took a long drag from his cigarette.
He closed his eyes, then said in a voice colder than death:
"I'll finish this cigarette... then I'll handle it. Before it's too late."
The air itself seemed to still. No one dared respond.
Because they all knew , when Mido moves, there's no room for regret.