Scene 5

A courtyard outside The Sand Monster's hideout just before dawn. Layla is in a 4ft by 4 ft. cage, still dressed as a bride. 4 armed masked men guard the cage.

Keen: (to Layla) I'm gonna give you one last chance. You either marry the distinguished leader—in a dignified and happy manner—with a smile plastered on your face, or I will torch you!

Layla: (stoic) I've made up my mind. I'm staying right where I am.

Keen: (annoyed) Well that's just great.

Avine: I'm not cooperating anymore either! I'd rather die than smell one more of you on me.

Namoon: Me too. I refuse to be "married" anymore!

Selwah: Banging on the cage. Let me in too! I've had enough of this humiliating life. I've died a thousand times over!

All the girls clamor until each of them goes into the cage. Envy tries to join them. One of the gunmen points the barrel of his gun at Envy's head while Keen pulls her away from the cage.

Keen: (to Envy) Oh no! Not you! You're mine. I went ahead and bought you myself for a pack of these (he taunts her with a pack of cigarettes) and I'm not finished with you yet. You'll be unrecognizable by the time I'm done with you. No one will ever envy you again.

Envy spits in Keen's face. He throws her to the ground and kicks her hard in the stomach. For the first time she yells out in pain. He ties her up in a plastic chair so she's forced to watch her sister and friends burn alive.

Keen: You whores, you think you're so noble. You're nothing, you're less than nothing. We'll just go out tomorrow and steal a bunch of new girls—younger dogs who are way more submissive than the likes of you. When you get a bad, disobedient pooch what do you do with it? You train it by starving it and beating it. If it still won't obey—you kill it. That's what all of you prostitutes are—bad-dirty-dogs. (He picks up a can of gasoline sitting near the cage and pours it around the perimeter. Finally, tossing some in the cage.)

Zyran enters.

Zyran: Sir, there's been a major disturbance. Our ammunition supply house has been ransacked. Our tanks and trucks have been destroyed. It looks as if a bomb went off.

Keen: What? How?

Zyran: We're not sure, sir, but there isn't a single working vehicle left. And... several of our men have been killed. Others are severely wounded.

Keen, full of hatred, lights a match and tosses it at the cage. The perimeter slowly catches on fire.
Keen: (talking to the 4 guards.) Men let's go. (To Zryan) You stay here. (He tosses Zyran the key to the cage). When they're dead, bury what's left of them. Then lock this one (points to Grace) in the cage. She's mine.

As Keen exits smoke begins to billow around the cage.

Envy: (pleading) Please Zyran, you're not like Keen. Let them go. Tell Keen you buried them. You can lock me up—do whatever you want with me—but please let them go!

Zyran: (Shaking) Shut up. Don't talk to me.

Envy: Can you really watch these girls die this way? You're not like the rest of them. I've watched you.

Zyran: (uneasy) Don't watch me. They're not people anyway, they're property.

Envy: I know you don't believe that. Look at them. Will you watch them burn to death?

Zyran looks away from the cage. Takes off his scarf and gags Envy's mouth with it. She struggles to free herself.

Song: "Trapped in a Cage" (Track 20)
(As the girls sing Envy tries to free herself from her gag and ropes.)
Layla sings:
Young man, can you see me?
I want you to know there's a better way.
Young man, can you hear me?
I want you to know I forgive you.
Layla and girls sing:
We're trapped in a cage, but we're people just like you.
Do you have any fears or are you made of stone?
Layla sings:
Young man, can you reason?
You'll not receive your palace in the sky.
Almighty God will not be pleased with you,
If you burn us alive.
Layla and girls sing:
We're trapped in a cage, but we're people just like you.
Do you have any fears? Or are you made of stone?
(Envy finally removes her gag.)
Envy sings (to Zyran:)
The fires rage, yet you look away,
Is your conscience intact, or is it a soul you lack?
The smoke thickens in the cage.
Layla sings (with difficulty breathing, due to her asthma and the smoke):
Young man, can you see me? I want you to know I forgive you...
End of Song
Layla collapses.

Zyran looks up, horrified at what he sees. He stands up, drops the key to the cage. He exits quickly through the door stage left.

The Yazidi girls are coughing, some are crying, some are screaming as smoke fills the cage. Grace knocks over the chair and manages to untie herself. She is coughing, she feels around for the keys and opens the cage. She drags Layla's body out laying her downstage center and she weeps.

Envy: Layla? (she pats her face gently) Layla no! You can't die!

Layla coughs. Envy pulls Layla up so she can lean against her.

Layla: (weakly, struggling to breathe) Save the others.

The Yazidi girls cry inside the smoke-filled cage. "Help me! Save me! Please someone!" Envy leaves her sister and goes back into the cage and disappears into the thick smoke.

Lights out. End of scene 5.