The officer slapped the boy hard, sending him flying and somersaulting. Ignoring the motionless boy, the officer ordered the others to load up. A minute later, the armored personnel carrier, belching clouds of blue smoke, roared loudly, turned around, and rolled back down the road south. The Ural truck, carrying armed men and captured villagers, followed.
After waiting a couple more minutes to be sure, I climbed out onto the road. My first step was to the man who had been shot. But the hole in the back of his head and two shots to his back left no doubt that the unfortunate fugitive was already dead. Then I approached the boy lying on the ground. The child was alive and sobbing, his face buried in the grass. I beckoned to the girls and crouched down next to the boy.
"Who are those soldie
