Here are further details on the story:
Story takes place in a foreign semi-industrialized country. The protagonist is a young lady.
The “small group” here is a religious minority. They are not extremists nor are they dangerous cultists. They simply want to practice their religion. Since they lack resources, they meet in the one-room building. The protagonist is part of the “small group,” and the goal would be to have the people remain unhurt as much as possible.
The three men are extremist members of the dominant religious majority. As is common in certain areas, religious tolerance can be quite low or even nonexistent in some developing countries. In the past, the dominant religious majority are ambivalent towards the religious minority. But now, there has been a sudden rise in extremism among the majority. The three men hate the religious minority and view them as abnormal freaks who are “polluting” their society.
The government in the foreign country is corrupt. Most of the police are members of the dominant religious majority. Police attitudes towards the religious minority range from
ambivalence to hatred.
The “small group” generally do not like violence. Many of them do not own guns, nor do they contemplate owning guns. Views on using deadly force to resist an attack are mixed.
There is only one wild card at the moment. That is, the protagonist has recently befriended the daughter of a powerful local businessman. This friend is also a member of the religious majority but she tolerates the views of the “small group.” She might be able to do something to help, but I’m not sure what that would be for now.
Now, a few responses to your comments:
@MyNewtBoobs They are a religious minority. By standing their ground, I mean generally trying to reason with the three men.
@optimisticpessimist I suppose that nondeadly force (such as a bum rush) could be used to disarm the three men. It would be risky though.
@Nullo Yes, we are rooting for the small group. The goal would be to keep all of them alive. If that is not possible, then at least keep as many of them alive as possible.
@lillycoyote Yes, we will definitely need a leader (perhaps the religious leader of the group) to act least coordinate the response to the attackers. We would not want a few of the group to just go ballistic.
@john65pennington Possible.
@WasCy 3 is one possible ending. 4, of course, is the preferred ending. I need to find a realistic deux ex machina, though.
@jerv Hostage might not be the right word here, but it is the closest to what I want to express. The three men are doing this out of hate.
@Raven_Rising The men just want the group dead. Yes, I can change the building to one with two rooms. What are some options that are available with a two room building that would not be available with a one room building?
Thanks!