2. A Few Weeks Later

Around the farm, the rural landscape seems very peaceful. Nothing is moving.

Suddenly, shots break the silence.

Peshmerga soldiers in light-colored army fatigues are in ambush on each side of the gate and of a large shell hole in the wall. They exchange fire with the men in black who occupy the farm.

After the last shots are heard, the commandant of the Peshmergas signals to his men to enter the courtyard and disperse.

The corpses of men in black litter the ground of the courtyard. The Peshmergas spread to cover all the buildings. A few of them take position on both sides of the doors that give access to the different parts of the farm. They wait. The silence is oppressive.

On a sign of their commandant, the men break open the doors and enter the three buildings. One shot is fired in the living quarters and everything becomes silent again.

After a few minutes, the captives escorted by the Peshmergas come out of the three buildings and gather in the courtyard.

A dozen women come out of the main body of the farm. They are all wearing a black niqab. Only their eyes are visible. None of them seem to bear discernible marks of violence or abuse. Two of them carry babies in their arms.

They walk with their heads down. A few of them are crying. One of them sees a fighter lying on the pavement and rushes toward him, yelling. A soldier opens fire, and she collapses on the corpse of the man.

In contrast, the women who come out of the stables cannot conceal their joy despite the obvious signs of ill-treatment they bear, with their emaciated face, their torn or absent clothes, and the visible marks of beatings. A few of them are unable to walk and have to be supported by their companions. Nevertheless, their faces are radiant.

The girls coming out of the barn walk glued to each other, blinded by the intensity of the light. Some of the oldest show marks of abuse as well.

One of them, Asherah (8), recognizes a young woman, Nahid (21), coming out of the stables. She rushes towards her, crying tears of joy.

ASHERAH

Nahid! Nahid!

While a few other girls see a familiar face among the survivors, most seem lost and look around in distress.

When everyone is gathered in the courtyard, the commandant notices that one of his soldiers is missing. He heads straight out for the stables and almost immediately reappears, dragging by the collar a man holding his unbuttoned pants. The commandant asks a soldier to handcuff him.

A group of women approaches, and they all spit on the handcuffed man. A moment later, a woman comes out of the stables, haggard, her hair undone, her clothes in a mess. Her face is empty of any expression, as if all traces of humanity have definitely vanished from her.

One of the women wearing a niqab asks the commandant:

THE WOMAN

Where are the boys?

THE COMMANDANT

There are no boys here. They’ve all been taken away.

She collapses. The other women rush to support her.

Finally, the convoy of survivors escorted by the soldiers starts to move. They pass the gate and walk away on the dirt road.