Trapped ( Zarobljena prevedeno na engleski jezik )

5. Forward

The cart stopped with the first rays of sunlight. Evangelia heard the murmur of people, her heart skipped with hope when she finally heard words in Serbian. She painfully straightened up as much as the rope allowed her. She couldn't feel parts of her body from its grip. Together with Matej, she twisted to see who these people were. She saw several ragged old men, thin women in tattered dresses, and crying children.

- They are ours - Matej whispered.

- Yes - his sister replied. - And as far as I can see, they are in the same trouble as we are.

Evangelia noticed that there was not a single young man or middle-aged man among the ragged and tortured group of people. They all looked so weak together. Suddenly, someone yanked Mateja and her strongly.

- What are you looking at!?

The girl's yellow eyes met the evil black ones. She shuddered. It was the one she had attacked twice, her killer from the dream.

- Look down! You have no business staring around! - he shouted hoarsely and quite unintelligibly. Then he pushed them off the cart.

They cried out from the sudden fall. They thought they no longer felt pain as their limbs had gone numb. The Turk cut the rope and pulled them up. Evangelia was holding Matej. They felt the rush of blood in the creases where the rope was tightening. They wobbled on their feet; standing caused them pain. The executioner began to push them toward a group of frightened people.

- Come on! - he hissed in his rough accent.

Evangelia and Matej quickened their pace as much as they could. Their legs were getting used to walking, and blood began to flow evenly through them again.

The people did not pay attention to the newcomers. They looked at the ground or stared blankly ahead. In everyone's eyes, sorrow and despair reflected. Surely each of them had lost someone, like Evangelia and Matej, surely everyone's home, like theirs, had been swallowed by fire. If all the suffering of this group of people were gathered and written in a book, it would fill thick volumes. The girl realized that they were not alone in their suffering, which provided her with a little comfort.

- Who are we waiting for? - Mateja asked.

The girl shrugged her shoulders and secretly glanced at the Turks. They were peeking out and walking in circles every moment. They were nervously shifting their weight from one foot to the other. Whoever they were waiting for was very important.

Suddenly, the sound of hooves echoed, and a huge carriage full of people appeared in their sight. Evangelia hoped that among them there would be someone from the town she knew. More than ever, she wanted to see Milos. If he appeared, she would jump into his arms. A trace of guilt stirred within her for not having given him at least one embrace before all of this.

A few steps ahead of the procession rode a horseman dressed in black. His hair and mustache were gray. He easily dismounted from his pitch-black stallion. Everything about him was black except for his mustache and hair. His clothes were expensive and adorned, radiating authority and power. With his black eyes, he shot a glance at the group of people. If looks could kill, they would all be dead by now. The girl shivered to her bones. Everyone was waiting for him.

The other Turks circled around him and spoke quickly. She could see fear in their eyes as well. She realized that he was their leader. The main Turk said something in a rough voice, waved his hand towards a group of people, and then mounted his horse and rode off in the direction from which he had come. Evangelia felt relieved that at least he wouldn't continue the journey with them.

He left behind a cart full of people that he had brought with him. The cart emptied, and the newcomers joined the rest. Matej and Evangelia exchanged glances. They didn't see anyone they recognized. They didn't know that people had been gathered from all the towns and villages in the area and that they were the only ones from their town.