As soon as she stepped out of her home, Nina knew. The sounds she had heard were not thunder or hail, but bombs. Buildings were turning into rubble before her eyes, and there were people everywhere, running and screaming.
Nina had to admit that her life was suddenly being swept away by the unknown. The world around her was instantly drained of colour. The smell of danger and fear replaced the scent of the familiar. She realized that something had just changed her life forever. Her thoughts froze. For a moment, she forgot about beauty: the sea, her friends, the meals they ’d shared, her mother’s face, the books she ’d read, the music she loved. She felt alone, in the midst of horror.
In spite of those slogans she had recited before she left her home, her heart was heavy. Everywhere around there were shards of broken glass, debris and blood. It was impossible to avoid them. She walked slowly, her determination wavering.
Piles of garbage lay about. Some people were rummaging through them and filling bags and pockets, fighting with animals over rotten meat. Beautiful dogs, obviously loved for a long time and unaccustomed to fending for themselves, were losing the battle with rats. Nina took refuge in a long, smelly and dark entrance to a building, once an architectural gem, now crumbling under the fire.
She saw a woman walking in the middle of the street, slowly, ghost-like. The shawl that had covered her head fell and revealed grey hair, which looked odd piled on top of the very young face. She was carrying a baby in her arms, its face yellowish-blue, almost green, its eyes wide open.
Someone shouted, “You’ll get killed!” But she just kept on walking slowly, staring before her and smiling. The shells were whizzing around her.