2007 - unknown orphanage in Russia
It happened in a blink of an eye. One second 5-year-old Nina Udinov was having sticky and sloppy oatmeal surrounded by children her age and up. The next the lights went off. The only thing that could be seen in the dark was red lasers flying everywhere. Nina clung to the leg of the dinner table in fear as she felt children run past her screaming.
The soldiers had their orders; take the owed children and then take some more of their choosing. Her heart began to beat with fear when she felt a pair of strong hands secure themselves on her arms. She, like many of the other children screamed and kicked. Nina clutched the table leg for dear life. She was yanked by the soldier, thrown over his shoulder.
Nina screamed and kicked, yelling for her caretakers. But they didn't come. Nina was thrown in a trunk, on top of many other children. The soldiers that invaded their home shoved the ones that tried to run away back and shut the double doors of the trunk on them. Enveloping them in darkness.
5-year-old Nina was trembling. Knees up to her chest in fear at the coldness of the tin change and the screaming sounds of children around her. Nina had grown up in an orphanage, she knew what being surrounded by children felt like.
It was always packed. But not like this. There wasn't much difference from the children she grew up with to these strangers around her.
When the doors opened the first thing the young children were met with was cold air, darkness and rifles pointed in their faces. They all screamed, yearning to run away. The scene in front of her, of the armed men hurdling the kids in single files and everyone shouting reminded her of recess.
When the mean old bats pushed them back inside the building. Nina thought if she stayed quiet, they wouldn't see her, that they would leave her, and she could get away. She was wrong.
A guard saw her and pushed her into line with the other children. She saw an old man, with fancy looking glasses and a suit looking at the line. He pointed in her direction, when Nina realized he was pointing at her and bolted.
An armed man grabbed her before she could get too far, and the only man wanted to get a good look at her. Nina whimpered, wanting to leave.
"You will be safe here." The man assured the 5-year-old. He pointed to the line of children. "There is your family now."