A powerful explosion shook the walls as the children clutched at their parents. Then the humming returned, followed by another ominous silence. Boom. Another one. This time, closer. It went on and on, each explosion seemingly inching slowly towards them. No one slept soundly that night.

On the fourth day, they heard a voice that wasn’t their own.

"Lumabas na kayo, 'di kayo masasaktan!"

The man was speaking in Maranao, the local language. The voice was followed by footsteps above. Two, three, four more men joined him.

"Lumabas na kayo!" the man repeated. This time, it was more a threat rather than a request.

Still, they kept their silence. The parents held their hands over their children’s mouths to muffle the cries. Breathe easy, they told each other. Do not panic. Stay quiet – it was the only rule they could not break.

Teodoro "Loloy" Dando was one of the 38 who cowered in the basement, which became increasingly claustrophobic as the footsteps grew louder.

Their group, mostly teachers and staff members of the Dansalan College Foundation, had sought refuge there after armed men clad in black targeted the Christian school and laid siege to Marawi City. On the first night of the attack, the school was burned to the ground — lighting up the sky in orange as civilians retreated to the shadows.

Marawi City Jail on fire. Photo Courtesy of Corner View of Regional Emergency Assistance Communications Team (REACT)-Marang

Loloy, a family driver, was at the school to pick up his wife, Gracia. She was a teacher at the school and was waiting with their only son, Brian, when the armed men first attacked. They were in the wrong place at the worst moment. The bandits had high-powered firearms with them and were on the hunt for what they called "kafir" — non-believers. Those who were in school ran in different directions, all looking for a place to hide. The winding tension cut by the sudden rattling of gunfire and the burst of screams.

When Loloy found his family, he instantly knew where to bring them: his employer’s house. It was a few kilometers away and they could make a run for it. More importantly, his boss is a Muslim. If it was true that the armed men were hunting down Christians, he thought that it would be the safest place to seek refuge.

BREAKING: 42 teachers rescued in Marawi after being trapped in a seminar venue. This 6th grade teacher said Maute Group tried to snatch him pic.twitter.com/iTr45MXulq — Chiara Zambrano (@chiarazambrano) May 24, 2017

But, at the time, Gracia and Brian weren’t by themselves anymore. Other teachers and employees of the school were with them, and begged Loloy to take them all along. They heard that gunmen had filled the streets outside and were blocking anyone who dared to run.

"Sabi nila, 'Kuya, huwag mo kami pababayaan. Samahan mo kami’," Loloy recounted.

Loloy shuttled everyone to his employer’s house. He made several trips with the Toyota Innova he was driving, dodging sniper fire in the emptying streets of Marawi.

Loloy’s boss told them they’d try to get out of the city and find help. The Christians could stay and hide underground. The streets weren’t safe for them anymore.

The armed men had reportedly been accosting civilians, asking them to recite Muslim prayers so they could pass through. Loloy’s boss asked him if he wanted his family to go with them as he stayed with the civilians.

Gracia and Brian refused to go. They wanted their family to stick together. "Sabi ko sa asawa ko, umalis na kayo. 'Di sila umalis. Gusto nila sama-sama kami."

So, they all stayed behind.

One of the teachers had contact with the military stationed outside of the danger zone. Everyday, they would ask for help. Every single time, they would get the same reply: "Ililigtas namin kayo. Kaunting tiis lang.". Samahan mo kami’," Loloy recounted.

It was safer to wait it out.

But, on the fourth day, the armed men stepped foot inside the house. Again, the unbreakable rule: Not a sound from them, or face certain death.

"Yung iba, iiyak na lang. 'Yung punto na 'yon iiyak na rin ako. 'Di na naniniwala kasi ang tagal na. Akala namin dalawa, tatlong araw lang 'yong gulo. Pero hindi pala. Konting tiis, konting tiis. Iyak na lang," Loloy said.

"Kailan pa kaya kami i-rescue? Kaunting tiis na lang daw. Hanggang kailan ba ang kaunting tiis na 'yon?"

It was a waiting game that no one knew how to win.