Chapter Fifteen: The Bulgarian Camp

In the Bulgarian camp, where everything was bleak, there was a guard named Boris, notorious among the refugees for his cruelty and arrogance. Boris made it a daily mission to bully the refugees, but he seemed to have a special fixation on tormenting Abbas. Perhaps it was because he noticed the fire of determination in Abbas's eyes, a flame that enraged him, or maybe Boris just needed someone to channel his anger toward.

The First Incident: On a cold day, Abbas stood in line for food when he felt a heavy hand slam down on his shoulder. He turned to see Boris grinning wickedly.

Boris (mocking): "What? Hoping to find enough food today? Maybe you should stop eating... You won’t need it when you die here."

Exhausted after a long night of cold and hunger, Abbas didn’t respond. But he didn’t lower his head either. Their eyes locked, and Abbas stood his ground, which only seemed to insult Boris.

Boris (angrily shoving Abbas): "Didn’t you hear me, you wretch?"

Abbas nearly stumbled but caught his balance. His friends in line looked on with concern, while Abboud, watching from the back, felt anger boiling inside him.

The Second Incident: A few days later, Abbas was trying to fix one of the blankets that barely kept the cold out of their tent when Boris approached again.

Boris (kicking over the bucket of water Abbas had been collecting): "You think those blankets will save you? You’ll freeze to death anyway."

Abbas ignored him this time, focusing on his task. But Boris wasn’t ready to let it go. He grabbed Abbas by the arm and yanked him off the ground.

Boris (furious): "I’m talking to you, coward!"

Abbas was starting to lose his patience. He tried to pull free from Boris’s grip, but the guard was stronger.

Abbas (calmly, trying to control his anger): "Let go of me."

Boris (mocking): "What will you do? Hit me? Go ahead, try."

There was a tense moment, but Abbas held back, knowing that any confrontation with Boris would lead to severe consequences.

The Third Incident: One day, while the refugees were gathered in the yard for their food rations, something unexpected happened. Boris stood in front of the crowd, scanning their faces with disdain. When his eyes landed on Abbas, he slowly approached.

Boris (authoritatively): "Abbas, I think you need a lesson."

Without warning, Boris struck Abbas across the face. Abbas fell to the ground, blood dripping from his mouth. Everyone went silent, paralyzed by fear of Boris’s wrath. But Abboud, watching from a distance, could no longer contain himself.

Abboud (furious, stepping forward): "Leave him alone!"

The entire crowd was stunned. No one had ever dared to confront Boris before. Abboud stood tall, his eyes burning with anger.

Boris (grinning mockingly as he faced Abboud): "And who are you? The hero? You want to be a savior?"

Abboud (with a steady voice): "I just want you to leave us in peace. We didn’t come here to die at your hands."

But Boris wasn’t planning to back down easily. He swung at Abboud, but Abboud was quicker this time. He dodged the blow and pushed Boris away.

Boris (seething with rage as he stumbled back): "You’ll pay for this."

Before the situation could escalate further, other guards intervened, pulling Boris and Abboud apart. But Abboud knew that this wasn’t the end. Still, he understood that standing up to Boris had been necessary. They couldn’t let him keep terrorizing them.

In the following days, Boris became more cautious. He no longer targeted Abbas or Abboud with the same boldness, but he hadn’t forgotten what had happened. The tension in the camp remained, and everyone knew Boris was simply waiting for another chance to strike.

Yet, for the first time, Abbas and Abboud felt that they had reclaimed a small part of their dignity in that desolate camp. Even in the face of cruelty, they were determined not to lose hope, and not to allow Boris, or anyone else, to extinguish the fire that kept them moving forward.