Mordecai sighed deeply as he saw the siege tower roll up to the Wall of Jerusalem. Never before in his days had he seen a major battle - this would be a first. And from what he had heard, the bloodshed was not a pretty sight.

He gathered up his thick robes, adjusting his staff quickly to accommodate his change in posture. It was imperative that he must reach his wife and children before the conflict escalated further - stories of what both sides could do to innocents were commonplace and unpleasant.

Nodding a swift farewell to the three nearby, Mordecai set off at a quick pace towards his home, slipping through the dense crowd of frightened citizens that were hurrying in the opposite direction. Up ahead, he saw heavy door and windows being flung open, heads appearing at every entrance. His own home was no different - his wife, Naomi, was bustling the two children out of the doorway, clutching small packages of food and bundles of hastily-wrapped clothing.

Their eyes met as the crowd thickened - the strain, the force of the flowing crowd, was beginning to overtake the man of God. He noticed the sad look in Naomi's eyes. Mirroring the expression, he gave up the fight and allowed himself to be dragged backwards, never taking his sight off his wife until he was swallowed up by a knot of petrified youngsters.

After several seconds of frenzied scuffles, Mordecai burst out of the front row of citizens and hurried up the road towards the three, flinging aside his outer robe as he fled. 
"Hurry!" he cried. "The city will soon be overrun with people!"