Malik Idris

"Malik, are you sure you're well enough for this?" asked Nathan as he drove down the dark road, the only brightness coming from his headlights.

"I'm... fine," I said in a strained voice, my eyes shutting from the immense pain from my abdomen.

Ridwan snorted. "Once upon a time, I was stabbed too. You're not fine at all."

"Shut up," I mumbled. "Sajdaa needs us."

"Malik," sighed Nathan, "you're horribly injured. Two serial killers will not have mercy on you if you lack in your normal abilities. Ridwan and I could find her."

"I need to see that she's okay. I have to see her."

"Why?" questioned Ridwan, suspicious.

My face paled, and Nathan rolled his eyes, knowing it was only a matter of time until Ridwan would question my intentions towards his sister. I didn't blame him. My interest in Sajdaa was more personal than normal officers, if anything I was becoming obsessed with her.

After so many hardships and trials, it was Sajdaa who brought the light I desperately avoided. She held me in her grasps, bent to her every word, and hung over her laughter. Slowly, Sajdaa was becoming a drug, an addiction I needed to fulfill to keep my sanity, a beauty that kept me hypnotized.

She saw me at my worst, at my best, and at my weakest. She'd accepted all my flaws, reminding me of Islam at every corner of our difficult journey together. She never forgot Allah and she never abandoned her Creator, no matter the circumstances. She saved me from damnation in a world where people manipulated my every decision.

I couldn't lose her, not after everything we went through.

"I just care for her," I said quietly.

"Right, and it's just care you feel?" asked Ridwan, not convinced at all.

"Perhaps."

"You realize you're both Muslims, meaning you can't date or anything, right? My sister would never let a man impede on her relationship with Allah," he stated, before pondering his own words. "Unless you propose."

A slow smile spread across my lips. "Yeah."

Whether he understood the hidden meaning or not, at that moment, I knew with absolute certainty that Sajdaa meant much more to me than anyone else. Her love could fill the thirst of a man, who was deprived of such sweetness for years, leaving a bitter taste instead.

I was done with all those feelings that Audrey planted in my heart, done with letting them grow, done with the painful leaves of my past. I had Allah and Sajdaa, well, only if I got to her in time.

Please, Allah, I prayed, save Sajdaa from Audrey's madness. Please save the girl I love.

* * * *

Chills crawled up the back of my spine, an airy breeze blew past us, bringing all the discolored brown leaves with it. In the distance, a howl was heard.

I uneasily glanced at the broken warehouse in front, my hand resting on my holster. Broken windows had shattered with sharp shards, falling into the moist earth, and digging deep into the surface.

A yellow caution tape surrounded the building, but there were no officers at this time of night, only their crime scene left behind. Gesturing for Ridwan and Nathan to stay close, I took cautious steps towards the scene, walking in through the doors.

Everything was silent, too silent.

The floor creaked beneath our feet, most likely alerting those around us of our location. Quickly stopping, I surveyed the area. Remembering from my previous mistake, I turned on my flashlight, scanning every corner of the room.

Dry blood stained the damp wood, sunk into the different lines and depths of free space. I recognized the spot as where Cole and I had gotten attacked. Suddenly, memories of Audrey poisoned my mind.

Her sultry voice that tempted unwilling men into the forbidden, into the dangerous world of sin. Her eyes that begged for release from her own demons, yet she sought to control those who loved her. Her manipulation that almost destroyed the last fragments of my soul, squeezing all the light from me.

"Malik," whispered Nathan, "you alright?"

"Yeah."

Ridwan flashed his light against the damaged walls, shattered tables, and numerous boxes that filled the place. He frowned, "They can't be here."

"Why do you say that?" I asked. "This is where we got stabbed."

"It's too obvious. Honestly, haven't you officers ever seen thriller movies?"

"I feel like I'm living a thriller," muttered Nathan under his breath.

I nudged him. "Shut up," I said before turning back to Ridwan. "Okay, clearly they aren't here because they would have attacked us by now. What does the GPS reading say?"

Ridwan glanced down at his phone, where he recorded Sajdaa's location before the signal went off, probably from the killers breaking it. "It says it's here, but they aren't here. Logically speaking, there's no way they could torture two victims while a police investigation is going on."

"That leaves two other options on the table," said Nathan. "Either we got the wrong locations and they tricked us, or they have a different hideout in the same location."

I raised a brow. "Like an underground passage?"

Nathan nodded.

Gesturing them to follow me, we walked outside, scanning the area with our eyes. The warehouse was located on barren lands, not a building in sight. A light fog engulfed us, dragging us deeper into the depths of concentrated air, threatening to bring us to our dooms, a promise to pain. The moon was a brilliant light, radiance as magnificent as the sun.

Rays of light seeped through the darkness from our flashlights, touching trees and dry grass that shriveled under our feet, yet we kept walking through the foggy air, squinting to see any upcoming dangers. A loud thump was heard behind me, and Nathan and I instantly turned.

"I think I found it," groaned Ridwan as he stood up. "It looks like an underground door."

Nathan and I walked closer. Bending down, I pulled the handle, opening to complete and utter darkness. We surrounded the entrance, fear in the back of our minds. An echo of a hoarse scream was heard, and Ridwan instantly tensed, knowing the screams of torment all too well.

"That's Hamza," he whispered.

A faint whimper followed the screams. I winced at image of the torture he must have been enduring. Hamza was a strong boy, a boy who never let anything shatter his demeanor, yet he was stuck underground, forcing an exterior demon away. He was battling a monster.

"Follow me," I said quietly, climbing down the ladder with shaky breaths.

* * * *

A thick scent of blood hit me, knocking my balance from the potent stench, followed with the smell of burning flesh. A wave of nausea plummeted down my stomach and I had to force myself to focus. The walls were brown, bugs crawling along the surface, and creating numerous blackened dots against the dirt.

We followed the sound of guttural groans, followed by the yelling of another, much older man. There was no doubt that Hamza was getting tortured. Ridwan prepared to sprint to aide his brother, but I gripped his shoulder, pulling him close.

"If you run there, you'll get us all killed," I harshly whispered.

He clenched his fists. "He's killing Hamza."

"We'll get him," I reassured. "Nathan, call for reinforce-" I was cut off by a familiar deep voice.

"Your uncle deserved every pain that I inflicted on him!" he shouted, a voice that sounded a lot like Chief Turner.

"S-Stop. Leave me a-alone," cried Hamza.

Nathan gasped, seeing the light coming from the corridor to our right. "It's my fucking dad!" he whisper-yelled. "God dammit! We can't call for reinforcements."

"Why the hell not?" asked Ridwan angrily.

I sighed, running a hand down my face. "Because our calls go through Chief Turner. If we send it the way we normally do, he'll get the update."

"No offense, but he seems a bit busy slicing my brother into pieces!" Ridwan yelled, his voice quiet so only we could hear.

I pondered some possible actions we could take. We were stuck on thin ice since our Department Chief was the killer. It all made sense.

Every time Nathan and I called for help, he knew our whereabouts and our locations. He also knew that Sajdaa would be with me. Chief Turner was a lot smarter than I originally thought and a lot more calculative.

"Okay," I said, keeping my voice low, "Nathan will text our most trusted officers and specifically tell them this is undercover work, so they don't tell Chief Turner. If I'm doing my math correctly, it should take them approximately thirty minutes to get here, forty being the latest. Ridwan, you need a weapon, right?"

He shook his head. "Nathan can shoot him while I grab Hamza, or I could restrain him."

I glanced at him wearily, disbelief painting my features.

Ridwan rolled his eyes. "We fought off Ethan's gang, remember?"

"You're right," I sighed, "but take my gun."

"No, you need it. I don't know how to aim a gun, so it's useless to me."

"Good point," commented Nathan, turning back to me. "there's no signal down here."

"Climb back out. Take Ridwan with you. Find him any weapon we have in the car that he could use, even a bat," I demanded.

Before any of us could move, a soft whimper fell to my ears, a voice so hushed that I almost didn't hear it. Ridwan raised his brow at me, but I silently gestured for them to hurry and make the call. Time was running out, and Hamza's and Sajdaa's life were depending on us.

"H-Help," she whispered, feebly.

My legs moved on their own, starting with long strides, before moving to full sprints, where I followed the quiet sobs coming from the left corridor. It was Sajdaa. I knew her voice like I knew my own mind. Running down the darkened hallways, my heart rapidly beat against my chest as I prepared myself for the worst.

Please be alright.

At the end of the hallway laid Sajdaa, her hijab loosely wrapped around her head. Her legs were sprawled across the damp ground, blood pooling around her. My heart lurched, and I instantly ran towards her, gathering her injured frame in my arms, and fighting the tears back.

I touched her bruised cheek, turning her to face me as I knelt before her. The corners of her lips were cut upwards, forcing an eerie bloodied smile in its place. Sajdaa's clothes had been ripped and torn in multiple places, exposing wounded flesh to my bare eyes. I gripped her cold wrist, searching for a pulse.

It was there, but extremely weak. Her skin was freezing, most likely from the severe blood loss from her numerous lacerations. Harsh gashes tore at her usually smooth golden skin, which became a shade paler. She was beaten and bruised, left for the dead. Sajdaa's injuries were worse than the previous victims.

Cradling her cheek, I whispered her name in a constant chant, begging her to open them. "Please, Sajdaa. Tell me you're still alive, tell me you're not gone. Sajdaa, please answer me," I pleaded.

Her eyes fluttered open, showing me the dark eyes that I'd missed. "M-Malik," she stuttered.

Hearing her voice awoke the feelings I'd tried so hard to suppress. Her voice was soft, comforting and reassuring all the doubts I had previously, and suddenly my confident demeanor fell apart.

"I'm here, shh. You're safe now."

Her eyes widened as she noticed my arms wrapped around her waist, keeping her firmly against my chest, but surprisingly, she didn't push me away. She stayed frozen, drinking in her surrounding, until I gripped her chin in my hands.

Gasping, she stared at me, lips parted. Even with all the scars and torture she had endured, my eyes purely focused on her shallow breaths like it was hard for her to breathe, and her tear-stained cheeks, letting me know that someone had stolen the innocent light that used to shine bright within her.

They scarred her.

I pushed her stray hairs back into her hijab, trying to ignore the splatters of blood that coated the edges. Sajdaa shivered under my touch, but was too weak to move, too drained. I noticed the burn marks on her wrists, and anger flared deep within, begging to touch the surface, to slaughter those who dared to hurt my Sajdaa.

"Who did this?" I lowly growled. "Who fucking touched you?"

"A-Audrey, your ex-girlfriend," she replied, quietly.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I breathed, "Fuck."

Without realizing, my grip tightened around Sajdaa's waist, and I refused to let her go. Audrey did this. Audrey hurt her. Audrey killed all those other victims. It was Audrey and William the whole time.

"I'm so sorry," I choked on my own despair, "I'm sorry I didn't get here fast enough. I swear if I had known, I would have killed them both. Sajdaa-"

"Malik, no!" she screamed with wild, fearful eyes.

I felt something hard hit the back of my head, my eyes shutting. Sajdaa's horrified expression the last image on my mind.

Assalamualaikum!

Alright, so technically Malik admitted his love for her, but if course, he didn't get the chance to say it in this chapter.

Tell me your thoughts about Malik and Sajdaa. Are they your favorite couple? XD

Don't forget to vote, comment, and follow!