Trapped ( Zarobljena prevedeno na engleski jezik )

3. The day that took everything

Evangelia was running towards the town that was disappearing under a fiery blaze. Thick smoke had already reached her, she was coughing and choking, but she kept pushing forward. Evangelia was running straight into hell. She had to reach her home.

God save them, God protect them. She prayed incessantly. Only God could help her.

The smoke was tightening around her throat, but she did not falter. She could no longer see the sheep, she only heard their panicked bleating. If she made it out, she would come back for them. Let them flee, let them save their own lives. The idyllic day had turned into a battlefield, and everyone's life was hanging by a thin thread.

Flames were already dancing around her, and she felt the touch of heat. If only they were not in the flame.

On that day, only Evangelia was far from home, everyone else was busy with tasks nearby. The girl made of smoke could hardly see anything, helplessly waving her hand, although it did nothing to disperse him. As she stumbled through the streets, she heard the screams of women, the cries of children, and the furious shouts in an unusual dialect.

Overcome with helplessness, she slumped behind a wall, coughing violently even though she had nothing to expel. She wrapped her dress around her mouth and didn't care about her bare legs. There was no room for shame while fighting for her life.

The smoke filled her lungs, and suddenly a powerful male scream nearby pierced her ears. She peeked around the wall. She fell to her knees from weakness and the horrifying sight before her.

Some tall black men, clearly foreigners, dressed expensively and richly, were pressing knives against two townsmen. Evangelia recognized one of them the famous tavern keeper, a warm and always friendly man. He cried out for mercy and then screamed and choked. The girl witnessed murder for the first time, so brutal and agonizing. They were slaughtered him like a pig, not like a man.

She pressed herself against the wall. If they came for her, it would end the same way. She knew who the villains were. They were the infamous Turk who had been whispered about in the town for months. It was as if they had emerged from hell itself with one desire: to kill everything that moved in this town. To Evangelia's luck, the tyrants did not head towards her but got lost in the opposite direction. The girl stepped out of her hiding place and ran like she had no soul.

Just a few more steps, I'm almost there.

Their house was isolated from all the others in the neighborhood. Evangelia had always thought that was a bad thing, but now, in her situation, she was more than grateful for it. The other houses were passing the flames to one another because they were so close together. Only theirs was not burning, thanks to that very isolation.

The girl's joy was short-lived. The sight that met her eyes was from her darkest nightmare, even worse than the nightmare itself.

In front of their home stood four tall and strong mans. Two of them were holding the father, while the other two surrounded the mother, Bogdan, and Matej. Evangelia managed to keep enough composure to sneak away and hide behind an old oak tree. Thoughts were racing in her mind. She was trying to find a way to save them. What can one girl do against four men?

The father shook his head as the Turk threatened him, she couldn't hear the entire conversation, but she clearly heard one word: Exile.

Evangelia's gaze quickly shifted to her mother. She was as calm as a statue, so dignified in her peace. The girl knew that her mother was praying. The brothers were staring at their father with wide eyes, placing all their hopes in him. He had always been their greatest hero. In stories, he always emerged victorious against terrible beasts. What could four men do to him?