When the shots rang out, Assi Shaloub was crouched under the low ceiling at the back of the cave, peering with intense, single-minded curiosity into dark crevices never touched by the sun.
The shots, three of them, came in quick succession and without warning, shattering the tranquillity embracing the vastness of this place. Assi had heard the sound of gunshots many times, albeit not since he had taken his new young bride and fled his war-torn homeland for the safety and future promise of his adopted country. The sound was unmistakeable. Suddenly, inexplicably, a sense of foreboding washed over him, and he felt very cold and very afraid. The sound dissipated as quickly as it arrived, and an eerie quiet settled softly around him.
Instinctively, he spun around and saw his family was no lon
