Scars and Stars

by Dustin Stevens

  “Jack turned the homemade spear in his hand and gave it to me butt first. I took it from him and set it on the ground and began to remove my boots as he climbed into the closest tree.

  “I waited for him to get into position and survey the area. He peered long and hard in either direction and motioned it was clear for me to venture out.

  “Morning light filtered between the limbs as I stepped barefooted onto the large grey rocks and worked my way around to the pool. The water was clear and deep and I could see several fish lying along the bottom.

  “I stepped to the edge of the water, cocked the spear by my ear and waited for several seconds. I picked out a nice fat one resting near me and in one swift motion shot the spear hard into the water.

  “My aim was a little off and the blade of the knife struck hard into the soil as the fish darted to the side. I heard Jack snort above me and smirked back at him without looking his way.

  “When fishing in water you need to remember there is a mirror effect beneath the surface. You can’t aim right at what you see or you will always be a few inches north of your target. In my hunger and haste, I had foolishly aimed right at its head.

  “I pulled the spear from the water and raised it again to my ear, realigning my aim. I shot the spear back into the water and the knife found its mark just behind the fish’s ear.

  “Grinning wide I lifted the fish and held it up for Jack to see.

  “What the hell is that thing?” Jack asked.

  “I brought the fish closer and looked at it. “Breakfast.”

  “Jack chuckled as I pulled the fish from the knife and flattened it on the rock beside me. Gripping the spear just above the knife handle I sawed its head off and lay the body atop the rock. I tossed the head into the water upstream and using two handfuls of water washed the blood from the rock.

  “The fish in the pool did not seem to notice what had just happened and continued to float along the bottom. Standing erect I raised the spear to my ear and found another plump target. I speared it just in front of the gills so hard I almost took its’ head off. I removed the rest of it, washed the blood away and lifted the two large fish from the rock beside me.

  “How many you think we need?” I asked in a low voice.

  “I looked up to see Jack’s eyes grow wide as he motioned for me to get back into the woods. Without thinking I grabbed the spear and dove into the trees, bullets strafing against rock and water as I went.

  “Crashing into the forest I peered around a tree stump to see two North Koreans making their way from rock to rock towards me. I watched for a moment as they came closer before slipping to the tree Jack was in and tossing him the spear.

  “I don’t think they know you’re up there,” I whispered. “Stay here and I’ll lure them in.”

  “Jack started to protest, but I left the tree and crept to the edge of the water. I grabbed several large stones from the bank and crept my way towards the oncoming Koreans.

  “I chose a spot behind an old tree stump and waited as the first Korean rounded into sight. I let him pass and waited for the second one to show before taking aim with my first rock.

  “Throwing as hard as I could, I threw a rock that hit him on the shoulder. It caught him off guard and twisted his body sideways, his feet sliding from the log he was on into the water below.

  “He came up sputtering as his partner turned to see what had happened. The second motioned towards me as I threw another rock that landed in the water just inches in front of him. He fell back again, water spraying up around him.

  “The first guard turned towards me and raised his gun as I sprinted towards the tree Jack was in. I could hear him crashing along behind me and waited as he drew closer and closer.

  “When he was only a few feet away I slid my foot out from around the tree so he would see it and waited. I could hear his pace slow to a creep. I held my breath and knew we would only get one chance. I prayed Jack wouldn’t miss.

  “He didn’t.

  “The next sound I heard was a guttural moan followed by the clattering of a gun to the ground and a man falling. I swung out from around the tree to see the first Korean lying on his back with the homemade spear sticking up from his forehead. His eyes stared open into the sky and blood ran in thick rivulets down his face.

  “Jack hopped from the tree to the ground beside me and we each took a leg and drug the man around the tree and out of sight. I pulled the spear from the man’s face and Jack grabbed his gun and together we waited.

  “A minute later the second man made his way down the path, dripping water everywhere. Jack raised the gun but I stopped him and cocked the spear.

  “As he walked by us, I stepped forward and thrust the spear into the man’s ear. His face froze in surprise for a moment as his body went slack and fell to the side.

  “Jack raised an eyebrow and I said, “There may be more. No use alerting everyone.”

  “We drug the second man beside the first and removed a hand gun and his rifle from him. I untied the knife from the spear and gave it to Jack and took a knife from the first Korean. The new weapons gave me a sense of hope and no longer did I feel so vulnerable in the forest.

  “We walked back upstream to where we had been and I put my boots back on. The last thing we grabbed before heading out again were the two fat fish I had caught just a few minutes earlier.

  “As we left I looked at Jack and said, “I don’t know about you, but I’m not that hungry or tired anymore.”

  “For the first time in days, Jack smiled. “Yeah, me neither.”

  My uncle stopped and leaned forward with great care. Resting his left hand on his knee he reached down and flipped the page before us. On it was a miniature spear, barely eight inches in length.

  My eyes bulged at the tiny object on the page. “Uncle Cat, is that the spear you used?”

  My uncle chuckled for a second and said, “No son, not quite. Like I said, we tore that spear apart as soon as we were done there and took the knife with us. Years later we built this one from an old pocket knife blade and a stick. It’s small and looks kind of funny, but it’s an exact replica of the one we made.”

  Chapter Forty-One

  My mother pushed her way through the swinging porch door and walked out in the oncoming evening sun. Her black dress sparkled in the bright light as she raised a hand to her eyes to shield them from the encroaching rays.

  “You found a friend out here Austin?” she asked as she walked behind my chair and ran her hand over my hair. Her voice still wasn’t the sing-song I was used to, but it was much better than what it had been that morning.

  “Yes ma’am,” I said and looked from Uncle Cat to my mother.

  “He isn’t bothering you out here is he Uncle Richard?” she asked.

  My uncle raised a hand and smiled. “Oh no, not at all. I’m probably bothering him, he’s been so nice to sit out here and listen to an old man ramble all afternoon.”

  Mama cocked an eyebrow and said, “Oh really? We can’t seem to get a word in with this one jabbering away all the time. You sure you’ve got the same guy?”

  Uncle Cat only smiled and said, “I don’t know who he is, but he’s been right good company out here just the same.”

  My mother kissed the top of my head and headed towards the door. Over her shoulder she said, “If he gets to bothering you, just send him in,” and disappeared back into the house.

  Without turning to look at me Uncle Cat said, “We’ll be done out here soon enough, but not just yet. We’ve still got story left to tell.”

  Remaining hunched forward on his elbows, my uncle leaned forward with a great sigh and passed the top page from right to left. I remember watching the calm methodic manner in his movements, several seconds passing before I shifted my eyes down to the page before me.

  On it was a clear tube with a long sharp needle on the end. Several numbers were written in black along its side and it was cased in a plastic wrapper.

  “Uncle C
at, what is that?”

  My uncle smiled with one side of his mouth and said, “I guess I should be glad you don’t know what that is either. That son is a syringe.”

  I furrowed my brow and asked, “What’s a syringe?”

  I’m not sure if my uncle didn’t hear me or chose not to answer, but for several long minutes he stared straight ahead. I couldn’t tell if he was lost in thought or lost in another time, but either way I knew he wasn’t there with me.

  After several deep sighs and a few heavy blinks he came back and said, “Neither one of us were that hungry, but we ate those fish anyway. We were both subsisting on pure adrenaline and it seemed foolish to let the fresh catch go to waste.

  “I have no idea what kind of fish they were, something somewhere between a catfish and a bass. It had the mouth and body type of a bass, but the scale-less skin of a catfish. As we walked, we’d peel back the skin with the knives and gnaw away at the raw flesh. Despite both saying we weren’t that hungry, once we got going it didn’t take long for us to finish them off.

  “We worked our way back upstream to our original path and crossed back headed south. The day was well on its way by that point and we wanted to put as much distance as we could between us and the Korean guards lying downstream.

  “Moving through the woods, we stayed the same course through much of the day. By late afternoon we were encountering fresh tracks and signs of recent passing, but didn’t see anybody.

  “A few hours before dusk we began to climb. The terrain changed from flat forest to rising rock and we had to choose our steps with care to keep from setting off any rock slides.

  “We moved on into the night, the world a new shade of cold as the terrain grew rockier and afforded even less shelter from the wind. At midnight, our ascent ended.

  “The trail was narrow, resembling more of a goat path than anything. Jack was leading and he stopped so fast I almost knocked into him.

  “Together we had reached a ridge that tapered down into Pusan. The moon was just a few days past new and cast a thin pale light over the scene before us. The lights of the city could be seen flickering in the distance and scads of campfires dotted the land surrounding it.

  “So which side is which you reckon?” I whispered to Jack.

  “Jack nodded with his chin towards Pusan and said, “I’m guessing we’ve got the city and all these fires out here belong to people who aren’t happy about it.”

  “Standing shoulder to shoulder we surveyed the landscape for several minutes before I asked what we were both thinking, “What are we going to do?”

  “Jack exhaled and lifted his gaze to the sky. “I’m thinking we’ve got five, maybe six hours before daybreak. We’ll say five and a half before first light.”

  “So five and a half hours to go or get off the pot?” I asked.

  “Jack ignored the question and studied the terrain before us, his eyes darting back and forth in the soft moonlight.

  “What are we looking at?” I asked.

  “Trying to assess distances,” Jack said. “Way I see it, we’ve got three options. Left, right or straight up the middle.”

  “I swung my gaze from right to left along the horizon and said, “Right now we don’t know who’s who, so we have to assume the outlying fires belong to Koreans.”

  “Jack nodded. “Yup, and I don’t know about you but I’ve only got so much left in the tank here. Shorter sounds better.”

  “For Jack to be so candid surprised me. I tried to find the words before settling for a simple grunt and head bob.

  “I followed Jack as he descended the ridge, each of us choosing a path amongst the rocks and grasses. The front side of the slope had a much softer slope than the back, and for a longer time we were out in the open.

  “We stayed in a deep crouch and darted across as much as our bodies would allow.

  “By the time we reached the bottom of the ridge, we were both panting hard. The exertion mixed with heightened apprehension had my entire body tense and I could feel sweat forming in the small of my back. After days and days of fighting off freezing conditions, it was a good feeling.

  “Once we hit forest again we were able to be a little less careful in our movements, using the trunks of thick old trees to conceal us as we worked our way forward. Every so often we’d stop and listen for any sound of enemy, but each time we found nothing.

  “As we moved a thought hit me and I whispered, “Jack, if this is all forest, how were we able to see all those fires from atop the ridge?”

  “Jack moved on for several steps without answering. His ignoring me grew annoying and after a minute I asked again. Without turning, he pointed straight ahead. “You’ll see in a minute.”

  “He was right.

  “Whatever ire I might have had at Jack disappeared on the spot, replaced by worry as we reached the edge of the forest. In front of us spread nothing but wide open plane, dotted with tree stumps in every direction.

  “I don’t remember Pusan being this open,” I said.

  “Jack shook his head. “It wasn’t. See all these stumps out here? Looks like the Koreans stripped it clean.”

  “Confusion crossed my face. “Why?”

  “Trying to lay siege to the place, starve them out. No trees means no way to sneak in supplies.”

  “What about the sea?”I asked. “Don’t they realize it’s a port town?”

  “Jack nodded. “I didn’t say I understood it, I just said that’s what it looks like they’ve done.”

  “Resting against a pair of trees we stared out over the cleared grounds, collecting ourselves for a moment. “So what are we going to do?” I asked.

  “Staring hard over the plain Jack said, “It looks like most of these trees they cut about two feet off the ground. That’s way low for us to run, really too low for us to crouch too.

  “We’re going to have to Army crawl it.”

  “My eyes bulged a little as I locked in on Pusan in the distance. “That’s got to be a few miles or more.”

  “More like four or five,” Jack said. “We’ve got maybe four hours of light too so we’re going to have to get moving.”

  “I started to protest, but realized there was nothing to say. He was right, if we didn’t get moving we’d have to wait in the woods another twenty hours and risk being seen. Also, every day we stayed meant a little more moonlight we’d have to contend with.

  “Stay behind me, move from stump to stump as much possible,” Jack said. “If you need to break just shake my foot or make a tiny whistle.”

  “Nodding my understanding, I dropped flat to my stomach and waited as Jack slid forward in front of me. I watched as he slid his right forearm and knee forward and followed with his left. When he was a few feet in front of me I did the same, my body realizing in minutes just how hard this was going to be.

  “An Army crawl is a way of crawling without ever lifting your stomach from the ground. Soldiers have been using it for hundreds of years to move undetected or to get under heavy obstacles. It’s not a natural position and puts enormous stress on your limbs. Every step is a task, forcing your body forward along the ground.

  “Jack moved from stump to stump, carving a path like a snake up through the leveled forest. For a while I did my best to follow his movements, but soon my path was more of a straight line. I just didn’t have the energy to exert moving side to side.

  “Inch by inch we crawled through the darkness of the night. For the first hour we didn’t see or hear a thing, but soon thereafter we started finding a few of those fires we had spotted from above.

  “Afraid to so much as breath we crept by the small pockets of men, certain that the rifles strung across our backs wouldn’t go very far should they discover we were there. Most of the fires held small clusters of tents, but were void of movement.

  “Several hours into our crawl my body began to give out on me. Days of little food, less sleep, heightened anxiety and constant pressure were taking their toll. Dust and grass
es mixed with the cold air in my nose and mouth and clawed at my lungs. The material on my fatigues grew thin with wear and I could feel my skin scraping against the barren earth.

  “The night sky began to lighten little by little as forward we continued to push. The lights of Pusan grew closer, but not fast enough. As dawn approached, it became apparent we weren’t going to make it.

  “We pushed hard for a while longer before Jack stopped and allowed me to crawl forward beside him. Our breath was raspy and hoarse and for several minutes we lay with our chests heaving in the night air.

  “We ain’t going to make it are we?” I asked.

  “Jack swung his head to each side as he gulped in air. “We don’t have a choice.”

  “I lay on my side and looked back towards the woods, but couldn’t see a thing through the darkness.

  “How much further you think we have to go?”

  “We’ve been going hard for several hours now. Less than two miles,” Jack said as we both stared at Pusan. It seemed so close, like some cruel twist on a Christmas tale of lights leading folks home.

  “We’re going to have to run, aren’t we?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

  “Jack exhaled and said, “Yup. We’re going to have run crouched from stump to stump as best we can while we still have some darkness. After that, it’s a sprint to the finish.”

  “I waited a few more seconds to regain my breath and said, “Let’s do this.”

  “Jack climbed to a knee and said, “Side by side from here on in. Everybody that sees us will be seeing us from the side; we want to give them as small a target as possible.”

  “Together we rose to a crouch and began moving forward. In that position it was little more than a fast walk, but it still felt like we were flying compared to lying flat and crawling along the ground.

  “We kept that pace for almost half an hour until the first silver light began to paint the sky. Again I was glad for the extra cloud cover as we continued moving forward.

  “How much further you think it is?” I asked as we moved straight for the city.