Scars and Stars

by Dustin Stevens

  “Getting low, you?”

  “Damn near out.”

  “Jack grabbed the M-1s and fired another couple of rounds. “I’m not hearing much activity from the other gunners down there. Either they’ve been hit or they’ve gotten out of here. I’m going to go back down there for a few more minutes and drive back what I can. You finish your sleeve and then let’s get the hell out of here.”

  “It’s a plan,” I said and snapped off another round.

  “Jack disappeared into the trees and a few moments later I could hear the gun pick up again. I finished the last of my sleeves and rose to go, but my upper body wouldn’t move.

  “Lying there all that time motionless with the last sleeve, my body temperature had dropped. The sweat that was coating my arms had frozen solid to the rock slab beneath me.

  “My shirt and arms were frozen to the rock and my hands were frozen to the gun.

  “Jack finished his firing beside me and I heard his gun grow silent. A few moments of inactivity passed as I tried to wrench myself free from the rock, each time the skin on my forearm pulling a little more.

  “What the hell are you doing? Let’s go!” Jack said from behind me.

  “I turned my head towards him and said, “You go on ahead, I’ll be there in just a second.”

  “I could hear the sound of Korean voices growing closer and looked up to see their shapes looming in the growing darkness. I tugged again at the ground and my right arm tore itself free, leaving most of the skin behind. Warm blood ran from my forearm and I tried as much as I could to use it to free my left arm from the ground.

  “With another loud and forceful grunt I managed to pull my left arm free, leaving behind another chunk of flesh. No such luck releasing the gun though, the unwieldy implement frozen tight.

  “I retreated as fast as I could, the voices of Koreans growing closer with each passing second. The machine gun was heavy and awkward as I tried to run with both hands gripping it.

  “Jesus, what happened?” Jack asked.

  “I told you to leave me be,” I said as I continued to struggle with the gun. “My hands are frozen.”

  “Jack grabbed me and said, “Stop for a second.” I did what I was told and watched as he unzipped his pants and removed himself.

  “I knew what he was going to do, but wasn’t the happiest about it. I knew I would never make it away from the Koreans stuck to that gun, so I held my arms out and closed my eyes as he relieved himself.

  “The warm urine soaked between my fingers and within seconds I was able to pry my left hand free. Using my left to rub warmth into the right I wrenched my fingers free of the cold steel.

  “Now get rid of that thing and let’s go!” Jack whispered. Turning on the ball of my foot I slung the gun as far over the cliff as I could.

  “We paused just a second to listen and when no sound returned, we ran hard towards the north. My feet ached and the cold air clawed at my lungs, but we continued to run as hard as we could.”

  My uncle paused for a moment and licked his lips. “How those Koreans had swung around in front of us I’ll never know. Jack and I discussed it later and figured the other gunners must have bailed early or been killed because within half a mile we were face to face with hundreds of Korean soldiers.

  “They stood with torches lit and guns aimed at us as we rounded a bend in the path almost like they knew we were coming. Both of us pulled up and looked around for some avenue of escape, but there was nothing.

  “We both stopped and raised our hands high above our heads. Neither said a word and as we stood there the Koreans began cheering. Many fired rounds into the air and I thought we were done for.

  “A man I assumed to be their commander, a man in khaki pants and a tall helmet, walked forward and looked us up and down. He wore a smug smile on his face and spoke in Korean as he leaned in and sniffed me, then made a face. I have no idea what he was saying, but at the end of each sentence he and his men would laugh.

  “After a few minutes of this he pointed at us and two men with rifles stepped forward. The first slammed the butt of his gun into Jack’s stomach, bending him in half as he gasped for air.

  “I started to say something in protest but before it got out the second man’s gun slammed into my jaw. Two teeth flew from my open mouth and blood began running down the back of my throat.”

  Pointing to the page in front of us, a single tooth pressed into the middle of it, my uncle said, “This isn’t one of the teeth I lost that night but rather one I’d lose a little while later. That blow loosened most of them on the right side of my mouth and it was a wonder I managed to keep any at all.

  “Looking back, our only options were to face the Koreans or throw ourselves over the edge of the cliff and hope for the best. Sitting here now I guess we made the right decision. Sure took a hell of a long time for us to realize it though.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  My uncle reached down and pushed back the sleeve of his shirt. He bunched it with the sleeve of his dress uniform and slid them both several inches up his forearm. He turned his exposed wrist over for me to see and said, “See these scars here?

  “That night the Koreans bound our wrists with the coarsest rope I’ve ever seen. It was small enough to pull tight and thick enough to withstand whatever struggles we gave against it.

  “The Koreans stood and laughed at my bleeding face and Jack doubled over for a few seconds before their commanding officer barked some orders. Men scurried back and forth and within seconds others were jerking us upright and forcing our hands behind our backs. They made us stand straight with eyes forward and put a gun to the base of our skull to ensure we did just that.

  “The other men returned and bound our hands behind us. They took pleasure in tightening the ropes as much as they could and twisted the braids into our wrists as they went. By the time we pushed off I could feel blood dripping down the back of my hands.

  “For our part, no matter how hard they tried neither one of us uttered a sound.

  “The bulk of the Koreans went on ahead, with only a few in the rear to walk with us. They took turns prodding with their guns or kicking us, though we neither said anything.

  “We walked onward several hours into the night like that, the Koreans pushing forward after the fleeing Marines. It wasn’t until the moon was bright overhead that we stopped for the night. By the time we did I was nothing short of exhausted. My shoulders ached from being forced back so far. My hands were going numb from being exposed and I could feel the blood dried and crusted to my fingers.

  “That first night they placed both of us on either side of a tree and tied us in place. They pounded stakes into the bark a foot or two above our heads and pinned our wrists to them so that we had to stand the entire night with our hands overhead.

  “They posted a guard to stay with us that rotated every hour or so. Each time a new guard would come along they’d spend a few minutes working us over. Swift kicks or punches to our exposed ribs or stomach before heading off to take a nap. They knew there was nothing we could do, no use in missing valuable sleep over two prisoners that wouldn’t last the week anyway.

  “By the time daylight came my hands were pale blue. They cut our hands down from over our heads and again forced them behind our bodies and retied them. I didn’t even mind them chewing into the skin this time as the blood was welcomed warmth.

  “That day too we marched onward with Korean guards pushing us along. They didn’t seem as interested in tormenting us as they had the night before and by midday they seemed to have pretty well tired of it.

  “We walked along side by side for the entirety of that day as well, neither of us saying a word. We were both beyond exhaustion and the only thing I could do to keep my mind occupied was concentrate on squeezing as much life as possible back into my hands and the throbbing pain in the side of my jaw. I kept running my tongue over the hole where those two teeth had been and could feel at least three more were loose to the touch.r />
  “The second night they put us on either side of a tree and forced us to sit. They wrapped a long rope several times around the both of us and left us be. I guess by that point they figured if we didn’t at least sleep a little, we’d die before we could be any good to them.

  “That night I didn’t notice the cold or the pain as I slid into a deep and instantaneous sleep. It was probably more like passing out, but either way I didn’t move an inch until the blast awoke the camp just before dawn the next morning.”

  My uncle paused for a second and cleared his throat and I turned my head towards him. “The blast?”

  My uncle bobbed his head. “Whenever the military has to evacuate an area and can’t take something with them, they destroy it so the enemy can’t use it.

  “That morning we were awoke by one of the loudest blasts I’ve ever heard. The ground trembled beneath us and I could feel tremors from the base of the tree running the length of my spine.

  “My head shot up and my eyes snapped open as I thought our forces had come for us, but that hope was soon replaced by the sinking realization that our men were hopping on a ship and heading elsewhere. Nobody knew where we were and nobody was around to even bother looking.”

  Uncle Cat paused for a moment, then said, “When the blast went off the camp sprung to life. The commander stormed around shouting orders and soldiers ran back and forth. Nobody seemed to notice us sitting there against the tree and for a long time I hoped they’d just run off and leave us.

  “The commander screamed more orders at his men and marched himself back into his tent. The camp continued to bustle and after a few moments he reemerged and pointed to the two of us on the ground.

  “A sinking feeling filled my stomach as a man marched towards us and pulled a long knife from his sheath. He came right at us and raised the knife over his head and in one motion slashed through each of the ropes binding us to the tree. Sheathing the knife, he grabbed each of us by the shirt collar, hauled us to our feet, and took us to the commander’s quarters.

  “The flaps of the tent hung open and we stepped just inside and stood with our shoulders touching. By doing so we blocked the sun coming into the room and the commander had to stop and squint up at us.

  “He said something in Korean and when neither of us responded he said, “Am I to believe you’re not answering because you don’t speak Korean or because you’re ignoring me?”

  “His sudden use of English caught us both a little off guard, but still neither of us spoke.

  “I hope for your sake that it’s because you don’t speak Korean. Ignoring me would be very bad.” As he talked he stood and moved around the desk and perched himself in front of it, one leg on the ground and the other hanging limp in front of him.

  “Jack gave his head a half cock and slid his eyes towards me. I did the same and motioned towards the Korean with my eyes. My jaw was still throbbing and I didn’t trust what my voice would sound like.

  “We don’t speak Korean,” Jack said in no more than a whisper.

  “The man nodded. “As I’m sure you know, I am the officer in charge here, General Tsan.”

  “He paused and watched for some form of recognition from us, but when we gave him nothing he continued.

  “What you might not know is why I haven’t killed you yet. The answer is two very simple reasons. First is you could be a very good source of information for me. Second, you have both survived this far meaning you must be strong men. Part of our job here isn’t just to stop you, but to persuade to join our side.”

  “Your side?” I croaked out without thinking.

  “A faint smile crossed the general’s lips at the sound of my voice and he said, “Communism of course.

  “But before we get to that, I intend to use you for the first purpose I mentioned. You two want to start by telling me what that was just a little bit ago?”

  “A full minute passed with neither of us saying a word. The general looked from one face to another before picking up a long steel blade from his desk. “I will ask this once more. What was that explosion?”

  “I weighed in my head what the consequences were for the information were we to give it to him. There was nothing he could do with the data after the fact and there was a whole lot he could do to us for not telling him. I opened my mouth to speak but apparently Jack had reached the same decision.

  “The Marines were clearing their trail,” he said. “Clearing their trail?” the general asked.

  “Ridding themselves of anything they couldn’t carry on board or move.” As Jack spoke he maintained a low voice that dripped with disdain and kept his eyes locked on the back wall.

  “The general nodded. “I had figured as much. You Americans think your gear is so superior that we’ll go diving for your scraps like dogs.”

  “There was nothing resembling a question in there and we both remained silent.

  “The general studied us for another moment and said, “I like you two. You have a certain confidence about you that as an opposing general I loathe, but as your future leader I enjoy.”

  “My brow furrowed at his last statement, but he continued as if he didn’t notice.

  “As of this morning, I am having you two sent to join up along the trail back to Hagaru. From there you’ll head north into one of our indoctrination camps. If everything goes well, I’ll see you both back here in a few months wearing the other flag with red, white and blue in it.”

  “He snapped something out in Korean and the man with the knife reached in and pulled us out. He shoved us towards the back of camp, then passed us along to two young soldiers. Neither one was even as old as we were, but the automatic weapons in their hands made them appear much more senior.

  “Both of them circled around and pressed a gun to our back. Using the tips of their barrels they spurred us forward for what turned out to be the better part of the day. Each time we tried to pull forward a little to get past the gun point, they would speed up and jab us even harder.

  “Just before nightfall we came upon an enormous cluster of people camped by a river. The rising moon cast a pale light over the scene and as we approached we could see many people huddled together and Korean soldiers standing sentry around them with guns in hand.

  “Our two handlers gave us one last shove into the mass of people before joining the ranks of the other soldiers standing guard. They spoke to no one as they took their spot and nobody moved their heads from the surrounding areas to acknowledge their presence.

  “Jack and I stumbled forward into the group and stood together surveying the crowd.

  “You see anybody at all we know?” I asked as I scanned faces.

  “Not a soul,” Jack said as he did the same.

  “A few minutes passed as we continued to scan the grounds before a voice said, “Boys, why don’t you come join us?”

  “We both turned our heads to see an old man sitting cross legged on the ground as several older women and a few children crowded in around him. Most were pressed tight against one another and a few had even managed to find sleep.

  “Jack and I glanced at each other before making our way towards him. We moved slow and took up seats on the outside of the group.

  “The old man reached forward and said, “You boys lean in here and we’ll help you out of those ropes. I can see from here they must be cutting into your skin.”

  “I glanced down to notice the dried blood still caked on my hands from the walk the day before. I extended my wrists towards him and his delicate old fingers deftly untied the Korean knots. Jack leaned forward and did the same and within minutes we were free from our physical bindings.

  “Thank you mister,” Jack said, rubbing each of his wrists.

  “The old man leaned forward again and said, “Name’s Mercer. Reverend Mercer.” As he spoke he extended his hand and each of us shook it.

  “Roberts,” Jack said. “I’m Jack and this here is Cat.”

  “Mercer looked from one to another of u
s and said, “You boys must be freezing.”

  “Jack ignored the statement and looked around the camp. “Who are all these people? Where did they come from? Where are they going?”

  “The reverend dismissed the questions with a wave of his hand. “There will be time for all of that. Trust me; there will be plenty of time. For now, you boys must be freezing.”

  “Mercer reached into his jacket and pulled two large handfuls of straw. He handed one to each of us and said, “Use it as stuffing to keep warm. Use anything you can as stuffing. Leaves, grasses, rags. Straw works the best though.”

  “Jack and I looked at the wads of straw in our hands and I asked, “If this stuff is so valuable, why are you giving it away?”

  “I’m not, I’m recycling it.”

  “Recycling?”

  “Mercer sighed. “Let’s just say the original owner won’t be needing it anymore.”

  “Jack and I each nodded as Mercer nestled himself down lower with the people around him.

  “Like I said, there will be plenty of time for everything tomorrow. Tonight, you boys get warm and get some sleep.”

  My uncle stopped again and his breathing slowed a beat. I could tell he was back to the present and I looked up to see his eyes darting back and forth across the water.

  “Neither one of us really knew what to make of Reverend Mercer that first night. We talked it over a little and decided he probably knew what we were about to go through better than us and did as he suggested.

  “That evening I collected several large handfuls of straw along with some Aspen leaves and dried grasses. It wasn’t like sitting next to a crackling fire, but it did help insulate.

  “Jack and I moved to as close to the center of camp as we could and found a free spot. Our decision to sit in the middle had nothing to do with stealing warmth, but spoke more to the fact that it gave us ample warning in every direction should the guards decide to get any ideas.

  “We sat with our backs to each other and despite itching a little bit from the straw, I did warm enough to find some sleep.”