Shouting and screaming, the gunmen ordered us off the bus.
Armoured vehicles blocked the road as the ambulance leading our convoy approached a regime-held crossing point south of Aleppo. The commanders looked like Russians.
We knew we were in trouble. Large numbers of armed men in combat fatigues — Syrian army conscripts and their militia allies — moved down the line of buses and cars that were meant to take us out of the city, barking orders.
It was the second stage of the on-off evacuation of rebel-held eastern Aleppo, which finally fell last week after months of bombardment by government forces.
On Friday morning, we were told we would be allowed to cross to the government side of the divided city through the checkpoint at Ramouseh, just to the south.
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All hell broke loose once we got there. As some of the men disembarked they were seized and bundled off to a yard. Once behind its walls they were forced to strip, despite the cold.
I watched as the militias picked out their victims, swearing at them, insulting their mothers and hurling sectarian insults.
Anyone who took the bait was singled out and beaten. Money, documents and mobile phones were ripped from our pockets, belts or hands.
As the arguments grew more intense, dozens of the men were forced to the ground. Many were bound and bundled in rows. Four men were shot dead near me. Many more trembled and cried as militias put guns to their heads and threatened to pull the trigger.
The Syrian government forces were bent on revenge against an enemy who for years had defied their siege and had now been defeated.
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It was a big victory for President Bashar al-Assad — and an indictment of the West’s failure to give adequate backing to those fighting since 2011 to topple him.
Families desperate to escape slept in the streets or in abandoned buildings in freezing temperatures near the evacuation point in Amiriyah district.
With the women and children imploring the troops on behalf of their men, the captors eventually had a change of heart and told the women to walk back to eastern Aleppo. One who was heavily pregnant was forced to turn and retrace her route on foot.
Four hours after the convoy ground to a halt, the men were allowed to go back, too. No one dared to disobey. The regime fighters fired their guns in the air to keep us moving.
We started to run. Some people were screaming in terror. We feared government forces would follow us, killing those in their path and using us as human shields to occupy our streets and alleyways. But the troops had stayed at the checkpoint, and gradually the sounds of gunfire receded into the background.
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By nightfall I was back where I started on Friday morning. I had hoped to reach safety but am instead among the tens of thousands still caught in Aleppo, just another victim of the conflict that has gripped my homeland for more than five years. I will try again today.