On January 8, hundreds of thousands of Iranians took to the streets against the cleric-led regime that has ruled for nearly 50 years. In Karaj, the protests filled a wide boulevard and were met with tear gas canisters and gunfire. Video footage from a 37-year-old beautician and her friends showed them fleeing and hiding among trees, with sounds of live bullets ringing out. She screamed to the crowd, "Don't be afraid," as chants of "Death to the dictator!" rose up. The protest night became one of the bloodiest, with monitoring groups reporting at least 6,854 killed, mostly on January 8 and 9, possibly three times higher. At first, the beautician did not join the protests but joined on Jan 8 after her wages dropped drastically, leaving her unable to afford basic items like cooking oil. On that night, protesters in Karaj marched confidently, chanting against leader Ali Khamenei. The violence's exact start is unclear, but she reported nearly 20 people shot in her area, including the killing of family friends. The crackdown continued with snipers firing on the crowd. Since then, the beautician has stayed indoors, afraid of security agents raiding her building. She and neighbors avoid answering outsiders. She shared, "We are all in mourning, filled with anger that we no longer even dare to shout out, for fear of our lives. Because they have no mercy." The fear and grief have silenced many after the harshest repression in years.