Scenario 1: Brutal and cruel oppression
Most Afghans who have fled the country in recent weeks fear a return to the last time the Taliban were in power, 1996-2001.
Many Afghans remember the brutal and cruel oppression of the Taliban.
Girls were not allowed to go to school, women were not allowed to work, and no opposition or freedom was tolerated.
Culture, music and dance were forbidden and severely punished.
Public executions and stoning of women terrified an entire population.
During that period, Afghanistan was a pariah state.
Only three countries in the world recognized the country: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan.
During the takeover of the country, there was a lot of violence from the Taliban.
Many civilians were killed when the Taliban took city after city.
Executions of former government officials have also been reported.
And they have stopped thousands of people from getting to the airport to leave the country.
Scenario 2: "New" Taliban
But the Taliban themselves have said they have changed.
They suggest that they have learned lessons from the 1990s and realize that no country can manage on its own but must have good relations with the outside world.
Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries in the world and is currently in great need of international aid.
There is a humanitarian crisis and millions of people are at risk of starvation.
To get the necessary billions in aid, the Taliban must show that they can cooperate and that they have been reformed.
The Taliban have promised to grant amnesty to those who previously worked for the government and foreign forces and embassies.
They have also said that girls should be allowed to go to school and that women should be allowed to work.
Full coverage burka should not be mandatory, however, women must cover their hair.
Scenario 3: Something in between
A possible future scenario is something in between the "old" and "new" Taliban.
Even if girls are allowed to go to school, many parents may not dare to send their daughters there.
Women may get jobs, but many will probably stay home for fear.
Basically, the Taliban are the same movement they have always been: extremely conservative and religious.
The first thing the Taliban did when they took Kabul was to take down the flag of the Afghan republic around the city and instead hang their own white flag with the creed of Islam.
And they also put up white posters with the text "Islamic Emirate Afghanistan".
All those who have fled the country in recent weeks cannot wait to see which way the Taliban will choose.
They do not believe that the Taliban has changed.