Scars and Stars

by Dustin Stevens

  “Jack nodded. “I agree.”

  “We both turned our faces towards the officers and Phelps said, “Let’s hear your questions. The plan isn’t set in stone. You know your own capabilities better than we do and you have better knowledge of the surrounding areas.”

  “A second of silence passed and I asked, “First of all, why us? You guys have hundreds of soldiers around here, many of them from your own company. Is this thing legit or are we just sacrificial lambs?”

  “As I spoke Jack turned his head in my direction and when I finished we both looked back at the officers with the same stony faces as before.

  “You’re right,” Spires said. “You don’t know us, we don’t know you. Like I said before, we’ve all been doing this for six weeks or more now. Look around this fire. These men are freezing, starving, exhausted. They’re in no condition to make the kind of journey we’re asking you to make.

  “You two are fresh into camp. You’ve both still got a little body fat on you which tells me you have energy to work with and the cold won’t get to you as much others.

  “Judging by that little show you put on today carrying sick prisoners, you’ve also got strength and determination.

  “We’ve got over four hundred soldiers around here and no way of getting out unless we find some way to get word to our forces. The only chance we have at that is finding the two most able bodies we can.”

  “We’ve been looking for two for the obvious reasons,” Phelps said. “Two can help each other, keep each other warm and aid each other if injury occurs. If one goes down, another can finish the mission.”

  “He fell silent and for a moment the only sound was the low crackling of the fire. “I assume you’ve got some idea as to how you propose we swim through icy water in this cold and still make it south alive?” Jack asked.

  “Atwood reached down by his side and grabbed a small package and tossed it to Jack. It was small and light weight and made a loud crinkling sound to the touch. “Two weeks ago they brought in another load of medical supplies to the doctors. Most of the stuff was old and outdated, but it came in these plastic bags. We’ve been saving them ever since.”

  “We’ll give each of you winter fatigues to place inside the bags and secure to your bodies. You’ll wear what you have on now inside the barrels and to swim downstream. Once out of sight you can emerge from the water, change your clothes and sink everything back into the river,” Phelps said.

  “What kind of guard detail we looking at?” I asked.

  “Six men carrying an automatic weapon and a handgun,” Spires said. “They take the crew out with two men on either side and two in the rear. It’s a lot colder along the water, so they stay back a bit and watch before circling up and following the men back. Most of the time they’re smoking cigarettes and playing grab ass with one another, not real worried about a few haggard soldiers filling water barrels.”

  “Jack looked again to me for a long moment. I met his eyes, but said nothing.

  “Jack turned back to the officers and said, “When do we do this?”

  “Spires raised a hand towards the sky and said, “Right now we’re three days past full moon. Twelve days from now we’ll be at new moon. Less moonlight, easier for you to move unseen. Twelve days for you both to eat as much as this place will allow and sleep as much as you can.”

  “And no more stunts like what you pulled today,” Atwood said, agitation again showing in his voice.

  “Jack moved his gaze across to Atwood and said, “That stunt today helped two dozen soldiers. It also gave us a decent meal and a warm place to sleep for the afternoon.”

  “Some of us aren’t afraid to get our hands dirty,” I said, Atwood’s demeanor beginning to wear on me. The comment found its mark and Atwood grew red and balled his hands into fists, but said nothing.

  “You two stay as far away from the guards as you can,” Spires said. “Don’t volunteer for water duty and no more walks along the perimeter. You guys need food, come and find us and we’ll have someone go get it for you.”

  “We’re not used to handouts,” I said. “That’s not the way we were brought up.”

  “Phelps smirked. “Trust me, by the time you’re done you will have earned a few bowls of soup and loaves of bread.”

  “Quiet fell over the group again and Jack turned his head to me and motioned for us to be going. We both stood as the officers did the same.

  “Spires reached out and shook Jack’s hand then did the same with mine, pushing small pieces of paper into our palms. Phelps did the same.

  “Maps,” Spires said. “Surrounding areas, routes south.”

  “Study them, know them, and as soon as you have them committed to memory, burn them,” Spires said.

  “Jack and I left the fire and took a short walk around the grounds. We stayed away from the edges of camp and out of any firelight as we made our way back to the doctor’s tent.

  “Both of the doctors were lying down for the night when we arrived. Without opening his eyes Rothchild said, “I hope you boys make it. I don’t know much longer the rest of us here can last.”

  My uncle paused again and lay the book on the floorboards. He reached down and slid the next page across to reveal a small crude map, the location of which I had no idea.

  “We did as Spires said and burned those first maps the very next day. Each day they would give us new ones with better detail to study before we burned them as well.

  “This particular map is the general layout of the area surrounding the water drop point, what they like to call a bird’s eye view. They gave us at least one copy of it every day with new features reported by whomever they sent to fetch water.”

  My uncle snorted and said, “It’s funny how much different things can look when you’re in freezing water and hiding from guards with automatic weapons though.”

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Suzy remained in the tree swing, the tire drifting back and forth, each time rotating a little more. I could now see the plain back of her pink dress with frilled collar and her golden curls splashed down onto her shoulders.

  My uncle sat watching the lake as once again the fishing boat made a final pass of the evening. I stared at my cousin in the swing and the men in the boat for several long minutes until the anticipation got to me.

  I had to know.

  “So what happened?” I asked.

  My uncle slid his gaze towards me, allowing it to lead his head as he turned in my direction. “What happened?”

  “With the escape? What happened?”

  Uncle Cat smiled a warm, wrinkled smile and said, “You’re getting ahead of yourself again. There’s more story to tell before we get to that point.”

  I opened my mouth to say something but caught myself before the words came. I remembered what my uncle had told me just a few hours before and opted to wait and see how the story played out.

  “The next couple of days were about as standard as life gets in a prison camp, if such a thing exists,” my uncle said. “Each day we fought the masses for the doctor’s water and each afternoon and evening we were allowed corner space in the warmest place in camp to sleep.

  “Twice a day someone from 3rd company would bring us soup and bread, ducking it inside the tent flap and retreating back without a word. We tried helping with the process, but a strongly worded note from Spires put a halt to that right quick.

  “For most men in camps, life is a daily trial of staying alive. It is a perpetual fight to see the next morning. For us, it was an exercise in patience and boredom.

  “Patience to remain calm, knowing what lie just a few days away. Boredom, trying to fill the time until it got there.

  “Things went well for almost a week. We helped the doctors move soldiers about whenever we could. We ate, we slept, we pretended not to notice the sideways glances of the other men in camp.

  “After that first week though, things changed in a big way.”

  My uncle paused again and lif
ted his gaze straight ahead. He clenched his eyes closed and for a moment it looked as if he was gritting his teeth. When he spoke, his voice bore a slight strain to it.

  “On the eve of the eighth day the horn sounded, summoning the prisoners to the interior of camp. The horns blared for five solid minutes after which the guards encircled camp and moved inward, pushing every soldier they encountered along with them regardless of condition.

  “When everyone was assembled, we were all ordered to sit. Most of the men could barely stand and whether intended it or not, the order was a blessing.

  “When everyone was seated, Major Han strutted from behind the tent onto stage. He wore the same clothes as the previous encounter; the only difference in him being his arrogance seemed even larger than before.

  “He stood in front of the group and removed a piece of paper from his pocket. We had all seen the Communist pamphlets hundreds of times and knew on sight what it was.

  “Speaking without a microphone he said, “It seems that with each passing day, we find more and more of these being tossed aside. We find them lying on the ground, against the prison walls, my guards even tell me they’ve seen men using them as shit paper.”

  He paused for a moment as the look of arrogance lapsed into anger and back to arrogance again.

  “What we are going to do about this is have ourselves a little pop quiz this afternoon. I will pick two people from the audience. I will ask one a series of questions and for every question he answers wrong, his partner will be beaten. They will then switch places and we will continue.”

  “The smirk grew into a full grin as he paced across the front of the tent, reveling in having all eyes on him.

  “Why don’t we go with a couple of new recruits this time? Someone fresh into camp, see if they’ve been doing their studies as instructed.”

  “He paced back and forth again, rubbing his chin and trying to appear deep in thought. “Ah yes, I know, how about those two boys I hear put on a little show of strength the other day? Carrying soldiers back and forth across camp and such?”

  “The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and my heart began pounding. I had skimmed through the pamphlet once and cast it aside, more worried about the maps than anything Han gave me to learn. I shot a glance at Jack, who remained motionless, eyes focused forward.

  “Han scanned the tent and said, “I will give those two boys until I count to three to present themselves front and center, otherwise I will instruct my guards to start shooting people. Trust me, you don’t want that.”

  “Jack beside me exhaled and whispered, “We’ve got no choice” but before we could stand two men on the other side of the tent rose.

  “Phelps and Spires.

  “Han looked at the two older men standing and scoffed. “A valiant effort indeed, but the two gentlemen I’m looking for we’re rumored to be carrying men thrown over their shoulder. I doubt either of you could carry a pillow right now.”

  “Phelps and Spires stood with eyes ahead, neither saying a word.

  “A dark cloud crossed Han’s face and he said to the group, “While the efforts of your friends here are noble, I will not stand for someone making a mockery of me. Now either the men I am looking for will stand and be questioned or I will begin the shooting, starting with these two!”

  “As he spoke he pulled out his handgun and aimed it at Phelps and Spires. All around us the familiar sounds of guns being locked and loaded sounded as North Korean soldiers raised their guns to their shoulders and moved closer.

  “Jack grunted at my side and together we both stood before the group. Han continued scanning the crowd, his eyes wild with anger until his gaze landed on us.

  “Ah, there you are,” he said and a small smile danced upon his lips.

  “I slid my eyes to the left to see Phelps close his eyes and slide back into his chair. Spires looked at us and shook his head from side to side.

  “Han stood and looked us over for a full minute before the smile grew larger across his face and said, “Bring them. Because of their little stunt here today, they’ll be receiving an extra special quiz.”

  “The words had just finished leaving his lips when guards seized us from all sides. Many of them wore smirks and from their demeanor and positioning so close to us I couldn’t help but think that they already knew what was coming.

  “A guard grabbed both of us on either side and another prodded us with the barrel of his gun. The men around us watched in silence as we were led from the tent, across the grounds and out the rear gate.

  “As we exited Han and another officer jumped into a small green Jeep and sped towards the command post to the east of camp. It stood in the center of a cluster of small buildings, in the foreground of several longer barracks.

  “The guards marched us out the back gate and pushed us to a jog. As a group we moved across the open ground and less than ten minutes later stood in front of the command post.

  “The buildings around us were all painted brown with words written in Korean in bright yellow. We stood in the cold morning air, breathing and sweating for several minutes until Han’s voice called, “Bring them here.”

  “The guards shoved us up the three wooden steps and through the open door into a small room littered with maps and reeking of stale cigarettes. Han stood in the center of it with two other men and motioned towards a descending staircase. “If you would be so kind.”

  “I glanced at Jack and the look on his face said he didn’t like this any more than I did, but there was little we could do in a room with seven armed men.

  “We followed the steps down into a large earthen space, barren except for a large fire pit blazing forth. The fire illuminated everything and made the mud walls sweat from the heat.

  “Han sauntered down behind us carrying a very large knife, the stainless steel of the blade glinting in the firelight. “I won’t insult your intelligence enough to continue to pretend that this has anything to do with pamphlets,” he said and placed the blade of the knife in the fire, the handle resting between two large stones on the outer edge.

  “In a place like this, things that aren’t happening can be just as important as things that are. Take this past week for instance. Your first day here you boys were carrying prisoners around like they were feed bags. Ever since you have barely emerged from your tent.

  “Han lifted the knife from the fire and inspected the glowing blade, then placed it back where he had gotten it.

  “One of my guards saw you two talking with that group we brought in a couple of weeks ago. Since then you haven’t gone back, yet everyday one of them is seen bringing food to your tent and just now two of their leaders tried to take your place.”

  “Han picked the knife up again and said, “If you cut a man, you run the risk of him bleeding to death before he can tell you what you need to know. By heating the blade first, you can sear the skin on contact. Twice the pain without any of the nasty side effects, like death.”

  “Han passed the blade in front of us to make sure we saw the blade glowing bright. “Now what’s it going to be? You two going to tell me what’s happening, or am I going to have to get physical with my friend here?”

  “Neither of us said a word.

  “Han’s eyes passed from me to Jack and settled back on me. He looked me up and down and started to speak, but before he could Jack spit on the ground at his feet. My eyes shot open with shock, the only person in the room more surprised than I being Han himself.

  “How’s that for an answer?” Jack asked.

  “Han stood with mouth agape for another moment or two before motioning to the guards behind him. He kicked dirt over the spit as guards tied Jack to hooks in the wall behind us. I screamed out in protest but was restrained by several guards as Jack remained silent, not resisting in the slightest.

  “Han thrust the knife back in the fire and looked up at me. “The way this works is I will ask you questions. For every one you don’t answer, he gets a little better acquai
nted with my friend here.”

  “He pulled the knife from the fire and held the gleaming tip close to Jack’s face. “How you feel about that? Leaving that pretty little face of yours in the hands of this man?”

  “Jack’s face remained stone still. “Do what you have to, he doesn’t know anything and he will not say anything. He will not say anything.”

  “I knew that last part was aimed right at me and I set my mind to remaining silent no matter what happened.

  “Han looked at me and smiled. “We’ll see about that. Now, why don’t you start by telling me what those boys around the campfire wanted with you two?”

  “I breathed in and said with as much hatred and gravity as I could muster, “What campfire?”

  “Han’s eyes went from my toes to my head and he shook his head to one side. “Have it your way then,” he said and ran the knife from the base of Jack’s ear to just below his jaw line. “Each time you defy an answer, I take this line another inch across his jaw. You stay silent; I’ll cut him from ear to ear. Little something I like to call a Korean Grin.

  “Now, again, what did those men want with two piss ants like you?”

  “I stared straight into Han’s eye and said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Without hesitation Han took the knife and increased the incision to just right of Jack’s throat. I could hear the skin popping and hissing as the hot metal seared it and the smell of charred flesh hung heavy in the air.

  “Jack’s eyes burned with hatred and his mouth twisted into a shape that screamed with fury, but he made not a sound.

  “Let’s keep going, shall we?” Han asked. “Why is it on your first day here you two were carrying soldiers all over the place and now you never leave the tent?”

  “A hundred different insults sprung to mind, but I feared what he would do to Jack if I said any of them. “Just got tired.”

  “Han shook his head and with one fluid motion extended the cut another two inches beneath Jack’s jaw line. “Acting like I am stupid is even worse than lying to me,” Han said. “Last chance to free your friend from his misery. What do you all have planned here?”