It worked! I’m not slipping anymore!
I continued in the same manner until the power line leading to the barn was sufficiently far away from the other ones, then I lifted my legs and wrapped them around it. The pressure on my hand lessened significantly, and I sighed with relief. I waited a few moments just to catch my breath and wipe off the blood once more before I continued moving.
As I came closer to the top of the barn where the power line was connected, I heard the voices of some guards talking below. A chill went down my spine as I recognized one of the voices. It was Chang Min. With dread in my heart, I looked down and saw the ever-glowing red dot of his cigarette in the darkness outside the halo of the wall lamp. The next step was to jump down from the power line and let go before my feet touched the barn. That would make a noise, and with the guards right below me, that wouldn’t be possible. I waited.
And waited.
And then waited some more.
I could hardly open my eyes because of the pain from the sweat that seemed to flow into them like from a faucet. The blood streaming from my left hand had already reached the middle of my back. The power line cut into my hands and legs and I just barely stopped myself from emitting an agonizing grunt.
Get it together, Areum… they will hear you!
The guards were not moving. I needed to find a less exhausting position to rest my hands, so I strengthened my leg-lock and carefully let go with my hands, lowering my upper body until it was hanging vertically from my legs. The wire was now cutting deeper into my legs, but there was a painful relief in my throbbing and burning palms, and I could return to normal breathing. I re-wrapped the cloth around my left hand and then pressed it tightly against my clothes so that I wouldn’t accidentally drip blood onto my unknowing companions below me.
Chang Min continued telling stories about women he’d conquered and cracking crude jokes, at which the other guard laughed half-heartedly. It seemed like they were never-ending. When Chang Min finally threw the butt of his cigarette on the ground, I sighed with relief, but when he immediately lit another one, I considered giving up.
Maybe this was a bad idea… or maybe I can try again tomorrow…
I raised my body and prepared to retreat, but right at that moment, I heard new voices approaching from the other side. So did Chang Min and the others, and they hurried off around the corner before they were seen.
Finally!
I watched the new patrol enter the halo of the light below me, keeping a firm grip around the wire with both my hands to be ready as soon as they turned the corner. As they passed underneath me, I carefully unlocked my legs and let them hang freely. The pain in my left hand was excruciating, but with the cloth in place, at least I wasn’t slipping anymore. I started to swing gently. They were close to the corner now. I had to hurry. The strength in my left hand was all but depleted, and my right hand was becoming weaker as well.
Only one moment more and they will have turned the corner!
Suddenly, they stopped.
No! Not again!
I stopped swinging and stared at them. My heart froze, and I felt my left hand starting to slip.
They’d better not stop for a cigarette!
They didn’t. It seemed they had gotten into a heated discussion, but a moment later they were moving again, shouting something about their new schedule being ridiculous and how their superior officer was a complete idiot. By the time they had disappeared around the corner, the pain was unbearable, but I held on like the gymnast I was. I started swinging. Once. Twice.
I need more speed.
Three times.
I started hearing voices approaching from the other side.
That’s the other patrol coming!
Four times.
This has to be enough!
I let go.
I tumbled through the air, and a split second later I landed with a thump on the small ledge of the granary. I lay down and pressed my body against the cold coarse wood. I couldn’t determine if the thump had been loud or not.
Did they hear it?
I held my breath and waited. The guards had stopped talking. I quietly crawled over to the edge and looked down at the patrol right below me. They had stopped, but it didn’t seem they were looking up. And even if they did, the lamp on the wall was between us, so they wouldn’t be able to see me even if they did.
But did they hear it?
My heart was beating hard against the wood of the ledge, and the sound was pounding against my eardrums. Panic filled my body.
Why aren’t they moving? What are they waiting for?
Just as my eyes started to frantically look for an alternative escape route, a familiar sound made me sigh with relief. The guards had only stopped to take a leak against the wall.
A moment later, they disappeared around the corner.
I quickly turned around before the next patrol would come and left the outside ledge through the door-sized opening. There was no light on inside the large granary so it took some time before my eyes started to get used to the darkness and distinguish some contours. The enticing smell of corn from below ensured me I was in the right place. I tiptoed a few steps forward and noticed that the floor ended just in time not to fall crashing down to the ground floor. Squinting, I saw that I was standing on a narrow ledge that went around the inside of the entire building. I could also make out that nothing was stored up here, so there was no avoiding going down into the dark unknown underneath me. But at least there didn’t seem to be any guards on the inside. Maybe the camp management was afraid the guards would be tempted by all the food… and probably rightfully so.
I crawled on all fours, using my hands to feel the side of the ledge if there was anything I could use to get down to the ground floor. Just jumping down into a pool of darkness would most likely not end well. Not believing my luck, I almost immediately found a ladder in the corner where the ledge turned to the right. I went down it very carefully but froze with my heart falling to my stomach when one of the middle rungs of the ladder creaked. I held my breath and waited in a panic for somebody to barge through the door. But no one did. A few more rungs creaked as I progressed downward. I froze every time, but finally my feet were firm on the ground, and the front gate remained closed and silent. By now, my eyes had gotten sufficiently accustomed to the darkness to distinguish the outlines of my surroundings. I stood in some kind of corridor and all around me were stalls filled with large bags.
I tiptoed over to the first stall, feeling with my toes with every step that the path was clear. The last thing I needed was to make a lot of noise tripping over something in the dark. I put my hand on the nearest bag. It was difficult to determine what the content was through the coarse cloth, but it was too lumpy to be rice.
It must be corn…
The other bags in the stall felt the same. I went over to the next stall - also corn. The next one was the same, and the next one after that as well. I slowly worked my way around every stall. The level of my panic and desperation grew exponentially as the realization started to set that all this had been for nothing.
Has all the rice already been shipped off to the Capital? Or do they keep it in another place? Somewhere more secure?
I sat down on a stack of corn bags with my heart sinking to my feet.
Okay… so I’ll get some corn, it must be better than nothing…
I wiped my eyes and noticed they were not only wet from sweat.
But… corn won’t help against her pellagra rash. Jun Ha said so… she needs rice!
My eyes had now completely adapted to the darkness, and as I stood up, I saw something in the far corner I until now had assumed was part of the wall.
It wasn’t.
It was a door.
I rushed over to it and tried the handle. It was locked. Of course. It had a tiny opening at eye level, barely large enough to squint through, and I managed to distinguish that the room behind it was also stacked with large bags.
; That must be the rice! Of course… it makes perfect sense that they keep their most valuable treasure safely locked up!
So how do I get to it?
I looked upward and saw that the room with the rice didn’t have a ceiling. But the upper edges of the walls, which were the same height as the other stalls, were equipped with coiled barbed wire.
I rushed back up the ladder, skipping the steps I remembered had creaked, and followed the ledge until I was right above the locked room. Going down wouldn’t be a problem, but I needed to come up again with enough rice to feed Nari for at least a couple of weeks… preferably, several months. I doubted I could redo this stunt anytime soon.
I went back to check if I could use the ladder, but it was screwed to the ledge and wouldn’t budge. I went back to my previous spot and looked down at our salvation veiled in pressing darkness. I wasn’t sure if I would manage, but there was no time for hesitation, so I jumped down and landed with a barely audible thump on the tallest stack of bags. A perfect gymnast landing! I held my breath for a moment just to make sure nobody - against all odds - had heard me, but around me was nothing but silence.
I touched the bag I had landed on.
I couldn’t feel any lumps like on the other bags.
Yes! It must be rice!
I went over to the door to see if it unlocked from the inside. It didn’t. I took out the cloth bag I had brought with me and discretely ripped open the corner of one of the rice bags on the ground. The magnificent sound of hard rice grain hitting the floor caressed my ears. I held out my bag, which filled in an instant.
I picked up a few grains and rolled them between my fingers as if I could absorb their nutrients through my skin. My stomach grunted in utter desperation. Finally, I couldn’t resist the temptation. My hunger took over my body and forced me to grab a fistful of rice and shove it into my mouth, something I would have never even dreamed of doing. For some reason, the pleasure center in my brain had expected the instant gratification from the sweetness of the rice exploding on my palates. Instead, I had to immediately spit out the tasteless dry lumps before they choked me. My stomach protested with a stab of pain against once more being deprived of nourishment, so I made a second attempt with only a pinch of rice grains. I soaked them in saliva for a moment, hoping they would soften up. They didn’t. Finally, I decided to swallow them as pills, only without water. I swallowed a few more pinches to placate my stomach, which was still in an uproar, before trying to close up the rift in the rice bag. Some rice grains continued to spill out.
I don’t have time to worry about that. Maybe they will think it’s just a rat…
In my heart, however, I knew somebody would be punished for this… and I couldn’t help but hope it would be Chang Min.
Too bad Chul isn’t on guard duty tonight…
I closed the bundle of rice and tied it firmly under my shirt in the hollow pit that used to be my stomach. If we used it sparingly, it should last a couple of months. What happened after that would be a problem for the future. Now came the challenge of getting out of here. I went back up to the tallest stack of rice bags and made sure my bounty wouldn’t come loose. I crouched down, closed my eyes, and visualized the jump. I opened them again, and with the strength and precision of the world-class gymnast I was, I thrust my body off the stack of rice bags, flew up through the air, and grabbed the top of the back wall between the strings of barb wire. I felt the wound in my left hand started bleeding again, but the pain was number now.
If not before, they will know it was a break-in when they see the blood trail. Rats don’t leave behind bloody hand-prints…
With my bare feet pressed against the wall, I started walking sideways. This turned out to be more difficult than I’d imagined, and I scratched the upper parts of my hands in several places against the barbed wire. After a couple of steps, I had to stop and wipe the blood off my hands to make them less slippery. Finally, I was right below the ledge. I tightened my grip around the top of the wall and walked upwards with my feet until they were supported by a crossbeam just below my hands. The distance to the ledge was about five feet. I had done this kind of jump a thousand times during gymnastics practices and competitions, but now it felt like it was my first time. I closed my eyes once more to visualize my next move, took a deep breath, then opened my eyes again, aimed, and jumped.
The upper part of my fingertips clung to the ledge for about a second before I tumbled down and smashed my back and head into the rice bags on the floor. Hissing with overwhelming pain in my lungs and with blurred vision from the blow, I stayed without moving for several minutes. Luckily, I had lost my breath, otherwise, the pain would have made me scream at the top of my lungs.
Once the pain had resided, the panic came back in full force.
Had somebody heard me?
I held my breath and listened carefully.
Nothing!
I knew I had to try again, but my confidence had plummeted.
I need to become lighter!
I took out the bundle of rice from under my clothes, aimed carefully, and tossed it up to the ledge. This time, my precision had been good, and it made a barely audible thumping sound upon landing.
If they didn’t hear me falling, they will for sure not hear that…
I climbed up on the wall once again and got into position. Without the rice, I did indeed feel somewhat lighter.
But will it be enough?
I did the same ritual as last time - closed my eyes, took a deep breath, visualized my body flying through the air, opened them again, and jumped.
This time my fingertips grasped the edge of the ledge firmly. The blood had, however, made my left hand slippery again. I felt it slowly slipping, and finally, it lost its grip. But I still held on with my right hand. I quickly wiped off the blood on my clothes and in the next motion swung my body and renewed the grip of my left hand.
It worked!
I started pulling myself up on the ledge. Again… I had done this a thousand times on the uneven bars, but this time, I had to use every ounce of my strength as I slowly, slowly - inch by inch - in pure agony pulled myself up. Finally, I could safely collapse over the rice bundle, panting and completely covered in sweat and blood.
I did it!
The feeling of achievement gave me new energy so I only needed to rest for about a minute. I put the rice bag back under my clothes and headed for the opening under the power line. I wrapped the cloth around my hands more tightly this time, got ready, and as soon as the guard patrol I had spotted disappeared around the corner, I jumped. This time, the cloth protected my hands.
Same as before, I locked the wire with my legs and pulled myself against the cornfield. I waited for another guard patrol to pass before making the last jump to the utility pole, letting go with my hands just before I touched it with my feet. It took a few moments to regain my balance, then I immediately started to climb down the brackets. The feeling of success was invigorating. I climbed faster. I wanted to return home to show Nari the prize. To be the hero, for once… even though I knew I had to wait until the morning after our parents had left.
Maybe this time she will even thank me…
My fantasies must have distracted me because halfway down, my foot got stuck in one of the brackets, making me lose the grip of my injured left hand. I fell backward with the foot still stuck above me and hit the back of my head against the hardened wood of the utility pole. With the intense pain in my head and ankle, I couldn’t stop myself from emitting a scream. I muffled it immediately with my hands, but I knew the damage was already done. Hanging upside down with pain shooting through my head, I strained my ears to listen if anyone was approaching. I had been lucky many times already tonight, but how long could my lucky streak last?
Lucky… wasn’t that how Lucky had gotten his nickname ten years ago?
A chill went down my spine at the thought of me possibly becoming the next Lucky - the only prisoner who ever managed to steal rice and escape…
for a few minutes at least.
I held my breath and heightened all my senses. Around me was nothing but the relentless buzzing of the cicadas.
I waited motionlessly for a few more seconds.
Am I safe? Did they really not hear my scream? I guess my luck continues…
I allowed myself to inhale, then reached up to free my foot from the brackets. Right at that moment, from around both corners of the granary came guard patrols charging in my direction, screaming at the top of their lungs with flashlights searching for the origin of the scream. The shock made lose my grip and my torso fell back down again, bumping my head against the pole.
“THERE!” A flashlight hit me right in the eyes, blinding me. The men picked up their speed, growling and panting like a pack of starved wolves. “PRISONER, STOP IT RIGHT THERE!”
In an all-consuming panic and with blood rushing down to my head, I raised my body again and extended my hands towards my tangled foot.
No… this can’t be the end!
CHAPTER 31
Swift as the wind, I grabbed the utility pole, wiggled my foot free from the bracket, and fell on my back into the first row of cornstalks. Ignoring the pain, I jumped to my feet, and in the same motion spurted off through the cornfield with the screaming men and the flickering halos from their flashlights close behind me. I panted like my lungs were on fire. The long corn leaves slapped and cut my face with every step I took. I deeply regretted not having brought my shoes as it felt like I managed to step on every sharp rock or pointy branch in the field. But I couldn’t slow down. Panic consumed my entire existence.
Where will I go?
If I went home, they would for sure catch me and my whole family would be executed.
I need to lose them first! They still don’t know who I am…
I hope…
I changed direction to the left, crossed the main road, and headed towards the river, and the mountain… the same malevolent mountain where Chul had attempted to rape me. Where he had succeeded in raping Nari. It almost seemed fitting in some absurd way that his accomplice - Chang Min - was now one of the guards hunting me like a wild boar… maybe to finish the job.
The Weeping Masses: A Young Adult Dystopian Survival Saga (Juche - Part 3) Page 26