by Iris Yang
“Right,” agreed Birch. “Turn your body. Face the rock wall. C’mon!”
Twisting the cloth bag behind her back, Daisy did as she was told. She pushed her chest up against the craggy surface and moved one tentative step to the left. Then she froze. “I can’t do this!” she cried. Terror pinned her to the spot. She panted, “Ge, don’t make me do this. Please!”
Birch’s heart tightened. They were stuck on a narrow ledge hundreds of feet above ground, and he didn’t know what to do.
Should we turn back? But if we do, then how can Danny get down the staircase? And even if he can, he’ll be exhausted. We still have a long way to go. How can I add more burden to him? We don’t have much time. It’s getting late. God forbid, if anything happens to either of them…
He rubbed his forehead, and his fingers came away wet. He was between a rock and a hard place—on one side was the sister he adored; on the other was a pilot he admired. How could he choose between them?
“Daisy,” Danny called out, his eyebrows furrowed with worry, “you told me your brother never promises anything he doesn’t do. You told me that he always keeps his word. Remember? You told me to trust him. So, you must trust him! He won’t let you down. He’ll never let you fall. I have faith in him. So should you.”
Daisy trusted her brother beyond any doubt; it was herself that she doubted. Her fear of falling off the cliff, and taking her brother with her, paralyzed her. What would Jasmine do? Instinctively, she knew that Jasmine wouldn’t get stuck here. She would keep going no matter what. Taking a deep breath and willing her body to relax, Daisy took a tiny step.
“I won’t let go of you,” Birch promised.
The narrow section was only ten yards, but it seemed longer than the Great Wall. Her heart beat frantically, and her breath came in short gasps.
Courage is doing something when you’re scared half to death. Over and over she recited what Danny had told them. The cadence of the words acted like a drumbeat in her head. I’m scared, but I can do this. She inched her way along the ledge. Each step was as difficult as the Long March.
“You made it!” Birch exclaimed once the ordeal was over. Relief flooded through him.
“Next time, I expect you to walk backwards and lend me a helping hand,” joked Danny, winking at her and eliciting a smile. He offered her his hand when she reached him and felt the sweat in her palm.
Chapter 45
They continued for another hour. Birch held on to Danny, and Daisy brought up the rear. Just before they reached the main path, both men stopped abruptly, their soldier’s intuition suddenly keen. Daisy almost bumped into them. Before she could say anything, Birch spun around and put his index finger on his lip to hush her.
They slowed their steps and edged forward in silence. Soon they could hear the low hum of conversation. At the crossroad, several dozen yards ahead of them, two Japanese soldiers sat on a fallen log, eating and talking.
Birch drew his pistol. But Danny stopped him. “Too noisy,” he cautioned.
Birch nodded. Switching his gun to his left hand, he took a knife out of his pants pocket. Pantomiming a stabbing gesture, Danny asked Daisy for her dagger. As he took the knife, he signaled for her to hide behind a large tree.
On their bellies, the two men crawled toward the Japanese soldiers. When they were twenty yards away, Birch gave Danny a hand signal, and a silent agreement passed between them.
Together they threw their knives at the Japanese. Their aim was impeccable. Both soldiers dropped forward without a cry. They were dead before they knew what hit them.
Daisy let out a cry of relief. The thought that she might have encountered the enemy alone made her cringe. Luckily, her big brother had good sense.
When the trio reached the bodies, she winced and tried to avoid looking at the bodies, but a single curious glance revealed the knives protruding from the backs of the enemy’s necks.
The men pulled out their weapons. Danny wiped off the blood on the dead man’s clothes. This one’s is for you, Jack! Just wish you could see it. They had always cheered for the other’s success, and then worked hard to match it. They had been as competitive as they were loyal. Would he ever find another friend like Jack?
Danny folded the blade before handing it back to Daisy. “You were right. Your brother and I won together, just like you predicted.”
They pressed onward, and in a couple of hours reached a creek with crystal clear water splashing from boulder to boulder then cascading down the steep mountainside. The thunderous sound of rushing water drowned out any other noise. The moist air turned the area to a lush green. Tall trees thrust up to the sky, their branches covering the trail and creating dappled shade, with sunlight breaking into dozens of golden beams. Shrubs and patches of emerald moss carpeted the forest floor; clusters of red and blue wildflowers dotted the grass along the creek. If they hadn’t been pressed for time, they might have stayed longer.
Again—it happened. This time it was a surprise to both parties.
Two Japanese soldiers appeared around a bend in their path. For a second, everyone stood still. Then all hell broke loose—screams, shouts, gunshots. Without a weapon, Danny whirled around. Ignoring his multiple injuries, he tackled Daisy and threw her to the ground. Jumping on top of her, he tried to shield her. Bullets sailed over their heads, and one grazed Danny’s left shoulder. Blood spurted out. He sucked in a harsh breath as the fiery sting ripped down his arm and splintered toward his head.
At the same time, Birch drew his pistol, opened fire, and dove for cover. His shooting was as good as his knife-throwing, and with several bursts, he raked the enemy. Two bullets caught one Japanese soldier right between his eyes. A couple of slugs hit the head of the other, who dropped to one knee, his face masked in blood.
In a matter of seconds, it was quiet, except for the ever-flowing water.
And Daisy’s scream.
Everything had happened so quickly. She’d been two steps behind the men and didn’t understand why Danny had shoved her down. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the Japanese firing at them, and out of fear for the two men she loved, she screamed.
“It’s over, Daisy.” Birch shook her. Then he pulled Danny to a sitting position, his heart still jackhammering in his chest.
Daisy cried out when she caught sight of the blood spurting from Danny’s shoulder and from her brother’s forehead. Fear glazed her black eyes and twisted her delicate features.
Birch had sustained a shallow hit when a bullet grazed his scalp. The injury looked messy, but luckily it was superficial.
A collar of terror tightened around Daisy’s neck even as her hand darted to the cloth bag she was carrying to search for the medicine. Her fingers were so shaky and numb, she couldn’t feel anything.
“Stop, Daisy,” said Birch. Blood trickled down his cheek, chin, and chest.
“My God…your head…his shoulder…medicine…” Her gaze swept from her brother’s temple to Danny’s shoulder.
“We don’t have time,” exclaimed Birch. He knew that the gunfire would soon draw more Japanese. He hauled Daisy to a standing position, cupped a hand on her elbow to stabilize her, and reached out to Danny with the other. “We’ll be fine. We’ll be fine.”
Just then, Daisy found the bottle of medicine. She twisted off the top and shook the Magic White Powder first onto Danny’s wound, and then onto her brother’s laceration.
They were on their way again when Danny turned to Birch. “Your little sister can certainly scream, but I hope next time she screams”—he rubbed his ear and made a puckish face—“I’m a little further away from her.” He could always find a joke to lighten the mood; that was the only way to stay sane in an insane world.
However, his untimely joke would haunt him the rest of his life.
Chapter 46
One look at Dead Man’s Pass, and Danny understood why Daisy didn’t want to take this route.
The gorge was one of the deepest canyons in
the world. Between sheer rocky cliffs, the two sides were connected by a narrow bridge made of rough wooden planks intertwined with ropes. It was no more than twenty yards, but it wasn’t for anyone with a faint heart. One missed step would send one down the deep gulch.
The bridge was too narrow for two men to walk side by side, and it was not possible for one to hop from one plank to another. Wasting no time, Birch bent down in front of Danny, and before the American could argue, Birch picked him up on his back. The two hundred-pound weight made him stumble. Sucking in a breath, he stabilized himself. With both his hands he readjusted and secured the man’s position on his back. Without turning, he shouted to Daisy, “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”
At five feet ten, Birch was tall for a Chinese. He’d grown up tall and strong, just like his parents wished for him when they named him after the white-barked birch tree. Danny was six feet three, a heavy load. The primitive bridge was challenging for anyone to cross, but it seemed like an insurmountable task to carry another person on one’s back.
Birch bent forward, adrenaline coursing through him as he trudged one step at a time. His heart hammered wildly, and his pulse quickened. The decayed boards and rotten ropes threatened to break at any moment. No matter how brave he was, he couldn’t help but wonder if the old bridge could hold their combined weight.
“Grab the rope,” yelled Birch. Two lines at waist level flanked the bridge. The one on the left side was limp, almost useless. Danny clutched the rope on the right.
The planks creaked and the bridge swayed under their weight. The springy movement brought a ripple of goose bumps onto Birch’s skin. Cold mountain updrafts sent chills up his spine. Below he spotted a hawk. With several deliberate beats of its powerful wings, the bird drifted, swooped, and dove suddenly when its prey came into view. With a shrill cry, it disappeared into the fog above the river at the bottom of the gorge.
The endless abyss took Birch’s breath away. But he remained focused and proceeded slowly. At one point, a piece of plank broke. He didn’t see it happen, but he heard it—the snapping sound and then Danny’s gasp. His heart sank. How big is the gap? Will it be trouble when I come back for Daisy?
Sweat poured into his eyes, but he didn’t have the time or a free hand to wipe them clean. Sheer determination propelled him forward.
Halfway across, they heard yelling from a short distance away. It was in Japanese, “Yamero! Stop!”
Birch picked up the pace.
Daisy had watched nervously as Birch navigated the bridge. To prevent herself from crying out loud, she bit her knuckles.
So focused was she on her loved ones that she didn’t hear the Japanese closing in from behind. They laughed and shouted at her, signaling her not to move. But Daisy broke into a frantic run and sprang onto the bridge.
It was too late. A couple of steps later, with a loud blast and her scream, the old bridge broke in the middle. The soldiers probably meant to frighten her, to slow her down, but the hand grenade had damaged the already-rotten structure, and it snapped, cutting off the only escape route she had. Now she was separated from the two men she loved.
Birch was a step away from the end when the explosion hit. Both he and Danny seized whatever was within their reach and their bodies slammed into the mountainside. Wood shattered. Debris sprayed and plunged into the rocky chasm.
Birch snatched a nearby tree branch. A large piece of skin on his left elbow tore away, and blood oozed through his blue shirt. His forehead, grazed from the bullet, started bleeding again. Pain stole his breath. Ignoring the wounds, he hauled himself up and over the rim.
Danny held onto the rope with his one good arm. His left arm and shoulder were too injured to be useful. His right leg found a foothold on the rocky wall. A second later the rock broke loose under his weight, and he slipped. Rough rope ripped the skin of his palm. A thousand pinpricks stabbed him. He almost let go of the lifeline.
“Hold on!” yelled Birch. Hanging by one hand to the tree branch, he reached down with the other and seized Danny’s right bicep. “Hold on!” he repeated. Using every bit of his strength, he dragged his companion to safety.
The two men lay breathless on their stomachs. It took a few seconds to get their breath back. When they peeked over to the other side of the gorge, their hearts stopped. “Oh, shit,” mumbled Danny. Birch just stared at his sister’s small frame hanging from the cliff.
Daisy had stepped onto the bridge as it snapped. Her instinct for self-preservation had driven her to grab a piece of the plank as she fell. She was left dangling against the sheer cliffside thousands of feet above ground.
Even more frightening was the sight of four figures in muddy yellow uniforms ogling her from the rim. Her body stiffened. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t breathe. Terror stifled the scream that filled her throat.
Before she could blink, two soldiers gripped her by the arm. She screamed, her legs kicking the air. The right sleeve of her lilac shirt tore apart, and for a moment she hung suspended. Then the soldier’s rough hands hauled her up and over the edge of the gorge.
Birch whipped out his pistol and fired.
Danny picked up a rock and threw it at the enemy.
One Japanese crumpled from a shot to his chest. Another slapped his hand over his head, blood spurting between his fingers. The rock hadn’t killed him, but it had hurt him. Enraged, he lifted his weapon and sprayed a hail of gunfire.
Both Danny and Birch ducked. Bullets slashed all around them, hair-raisingly close. Then, abruptly, the shooting stopped. They caught a glimpse of an officer slapping the soldier who had fired. Apparently, they had seen the American and wanted to capture him alive.
Birch aimed at the officer, but in a split second he’d pulled Daisy in front of him, using her as a human shield. Birch tilted his pistol up, and the bullet sailed over their heads.
They were so close, yet so far away. An unbridged gap lay between the girl and the two men.
Danny could see a look of horror on Daisy’s pale face. A hand snaked out from behind onto her chest. She screamed. Kicking and yelling, she struggled to get away, but there was nowhere for her to go. She leaned forward, trying to jump over the cliff, but hands clasped her arms and legs from behind, holding her in place. She shrieked while rough hands tore at her clothes.
Birch took aim again. No one was in sight, except Daisy. She stood with arms pinned behind her back. The front of her shirt had been ripped open. The Japanese were in hiding. One cowered behind her. Two crouched on either side of her, clutching her legs; their bodies protected by large boulders in front of them.
Daisy bit the arms and hands around her. She jabbed her elbows backward.
Most Chinese women were taught at a very young age to be submissive. But Daisy was an exception. Growing up in a military family, she was encouraged to be an independent and confident woman, and now she fought her captors ferociously. Yet she had no means to free herself.
“Ge, open fire! Kill me!” she yelled, panic-stricken.
Birch squeezed his eyes shut. A vein bulged in his neck. Daisy’s wails and pleas made his blood run cold. He lifted his pistol, his hand steady, yet he felt nothing but turmoil in his head. Taking a ragged breath, he squinted his eyes as if in this way he wouldn’t see his sister die. Then he pulled the trigger.
“No!” roared Danny. He bumped Birch and the bullet missed Daisy. It hit one side of the cliff and sent a few small rocks tumbling down the gully.
The hands from behind Daisy had already ripped off her clothes. It was clear that the Japanese were going to rape her right in front of the helpless men. Profane laughter mixed with her hysterical cries.
Danny turned his gaze along the gorge, trying to find a way back. As far as his eyes could see, there was no way to cross. Even with healthy legs and supreme rock-climbing skill, it would take a day or two to get down and up again. An unreachable gap opened between them and swallowed up any hope of reaching the young woman.
While Danny inspect
ed the gorge, Birch watched helplessly as his sister struggled. Daisy’s suffering completely unhinged him. He again raised his arm and aimed. A muscle quivered in his jaw as he pulled the trigger before Danny could bump him again.
No bullets were left in his gun.
“Please, Danny!” Daisy begged. She looked at Danny like a drowning woman in search of a lifeline. Her eyes grew larger as hands started to fondle her bare breasts. Her pale skin lay in stark contrast to the pink scarf around her neck. Enemy’s blood, bright red, trickled down her mouth. “Please!”
Her pleading cut into Danny’s heart. Grinding his teeth, he lowered his head. He couldn’t stand to watch her suffer. The rock was still in his hand. Instead of throwing it, he squeezed it as hard as he could. Blood from his ripped palm stained the rock. He was a Tiger trapped over an impassable gulf.
Meanwhile Birch moved a few inches away from Danny. His eyes were moist. Torn by sorrow, he bit his lower lip until he tasted the salty flavor of his blood. He didn’t hesitate for long, though. In response to the urgency of her cry, he had to act. And act fast!
He tossed the empty gun to the ground and pulled two hand grenades from his waistband. Clasping the handles in his right hand, he used his left index finger to secure the safety pin’s pull ring. In one heart-stopping motion, he removed the pin. With one hand blocking his companion, he threw the grenades at his sister.
“No!” A wail lodged in Danny’s throat. He gazed at the hand grenades in the mid-air as they flew toward Daisy. Time seemed to slow as he watched the terror on her face dissolve into peace.
Daisy Bai, a girl as fresh as a daisy, would forever be seventeen.
Chapter 47
Pieces of her pink scarf floated on the wind, twisting and turning, refusing to fall, but finally making a last circle and then spiraling, one by one, into the abyss.