A lone soldier swaggered down the line.
“I’m Sergeant Jason Mills. You’re under my protection. Do what I say and nobody else dies.” He strolled along the line. Children cowered, sniveling. Men and women stared at the asphalt. “Which one of you is Topher?”
Nobody moved. He yanked a woman up by her hair.
“Topher?”
The children kneeling at the woman’s feet began to wail.
“Please,” she said.
He put a knife to her throat.
“I’m not going to ask again.”
“I’m here,” Topher said, but Mills didn’t hear him. He pressed the knife down and the woman began to scream.
Topher yelled, “I’m here!”
Mills stopped. Another soldier jerked Topher to his feet.
Mills said, “You’re Topher?”
“Let her go.”
“I’ll need to verify your identity first. You answer correctly, she’s free.”
“Okay.”
Mills motion
