Luckily, they didn't rummage through the apartments and didn't notice the tents tucked away in the corner behind the closet or the prepared bottles of water. They assumed the house was abandoned and moved on to check the neighboring buildings. It remained unclear whether they were specifically looking for our group or simply patrolling the area under their control.
I told Romka that we'd leave town immediately after a light dinner and try to get as far as possible before dark. We all needed to refresh ourselves before the long journey. However, most of the food we'd brought today required cooking over a fire, and starting a fire now was unwise. The smoke would be immediately detected and would attract the unhealthy interest of the "Khotkovskie" (people who were trying to escape). So the g
