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Her screams attracted the attention of other family members and neighbors. children who collected stones to throw at her.

Unable to bear it, she ran again, not thinking about anything other than how to escape. Her body ached from running so long and fast, but she didn't stop until she reached home.

She ran to her house, breathing heavily, covered in dust and scared from everything that had happened. Her legs were shaking, her heart was beating so loudly that it seemed to be audible in the silence of the abandoned hut. She sat down on the creaky, half-rotten wooden floor, leaned against the wall and began to cry. She herself did not know from what exactly - from fear, or from how cruelly the world was treating her.

It took a few minutes for her breathing to even out. With a headache and some tiredness in her body, she stood up and carefully moved the apples from the bag to one of her hiding places. Putting them aside for future use, she took one, the smallest and slightly battered one, sat in a dark corner and slowly began to eat, feeling hungry and empty.

Her eyes followed the last rays of sunlight through cracks in the walls and roof, golden light gliding across the dusty floor, casting shadows like those of long-forgotten dreams.

Having eaten the apple to the very core, without leaving a single piece, she imperceptibly sank down onto the wooden floor and fell asleep. In the dark silence, only her even snoring and the creaking of the old boards under her breath could be heard. The sun was slowly hiding behind the horizon, covering the world in darkness.

Suddenly her sleep was interrupted by loud shouts and voices coming from outside. She closed her eyes and noticed shadows and lights flickering through the cracks in the walls. She rose slowly from the floor, half asleep, and stood against the wall. The creaking of the old wood as she moved betrayed her presence.

The voices in the street suddenly died down. As if they had never been there. Only the rustling of footsteps and moving shadows betrayed the presence of people. Holding her breath, she carefully peered over the wall. Her eyes fell on a group of adult men with torches. They were whispering quietly, casting short glances at the house.