Schler reacted extremely fast, grabbing a firearm: "Fire a warning shot! Don't let them come closer!"
The flash from the muzzle lit up the houses along the street, as well as the expressions of the refugees, as if the door to a furnace had suddenly opened for a moment and then shut immediately.
"Ah!!!"
"Help!"
"Run!"
The crowd of refugees, which had maintained some order, instantly fell into chaos. Startled horses charged wildly, causing people who couldn't dodge in time to scream in terror.
Some ran off the road, burrowing into the houses and woods on both sides. Others, in their desperation, stepped onto the ice lake, attempting to bypass the roadblock.
The ice, on the verge of collapse, emitted prolonged cracking sounds, yet more people kept squeezing onto the ice lake.
"Rioters might be hiding among them!" Schler shouted loudly: "Don't let them..."
The exasperated old Sheriff knocked Schler out cold with the butt of his gun.
