THE BEGINNING Book Two (THE EVENT)

by Marshall Huffman

  We looked at him for several seconds and then said, “You are a good man and a good leader. I am proud to have you along.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate that,” Ky said.

  Within the hour they were leaving the sanctuary of their mountain haven and heading into the unknown. The long line soon brought to mind the weakness of not having adequate communication. Despite the problems, they marched forward toward the confrontation awaiting them in Beijing.

  It was during this time that Ky formulated a plan that might save many lives. When they had stopped for the night he went to We and Sima.

  “I may have a plan to help us gain control of Beijing with less loss of life,” he told them.

  “Ky, we are not going to try to negotiate and that is final.”

  “No. This has nothing to do with negotiations. Hear me. What if I was to circle around the city to the east and let them capture me? They do not know who I am but I would tell them that I had just escaped from a large army of five thousand insurgents and they were headed to Beijing. I believe two things would happen. Many of the soldiers would desert once they realized that they were going to have to engage such a formidable force and they would also send reinforcements to fortify the east side. You could then sweep in from the west and quickly take control of the city.”

  No one spoke for several seconds.

  “You would be committing suicide! Do you realize that? They would not take your word for it. They would torture you to make sure you were telling the truth. You know as well as I do that is how they operate. They would never just trust what you say as the truth. They do not think like that.”

  “I know. I understand the risk,” Ky said.

  “Do you? You think you can withstand the torture but no one can resist for very long,” We said.

  “I would not have to. All I have to do is let the word spread and the soldiers will do the rest. They will start to abandon their posts. Even if only a few go it will make your job that much easier. You would have to make your attack within two days after I turn myself in. I doubt I could hold out much longer. I will take a poison pill in case I am not as brave as I think I am.

  “Don’t you think they will check for any kind of capsule? Ky, they do not think like you and I. They are suspicious of everyone and everything.”

  “Let’s forget that part for now. Are you willing to try this approach?”

  They discussed it for over an hour before they finally agreed to give it a try. Ky was to travel with six others for safety and once he was in position they would go back and let the others know. Ky would then stagger into the first check point he came to and tell them his story. He knew they would rush him in to the detention center and begin to question him. The first step would already be accomplished at the border. Once he told them about the large army headed towards Beijing the word would spread and be exaggerated again and again. Soldiers would begin to abandon their posts.

  “You are either very brave or very foolish,” Sima told him.

  “Perhaps a little of both.

  “You should leave tonight. The men are ready.”

  “That is my plan. As soon as the sun sets, we will be gone.”

  “Good luck Ky, I wish you well,” Sima said.

  As soon as the last rays of the sun were once again eliminated by the long fingers of darkness, Ky and the others slipped out of the camp. They traveled all night and well into the next day before they stopped to rest and eat.

  Two hours later they were on the move again. They had to stop several times to avoid patrols but at least it gave them time to catch their breath.

  By evening they were near the outskirts of Beijing and they started first north and then to the east. It was dawn before Ky thought they had come far enough. They rested for most of the day before his escorts left him and started back to the main force.

  Ky sat alone realizing that this could well be the last sunset he ever saw. Was he truly brave enough to endure the endless questioning and possible torture? Could he actually take his own life? He meditated while the sun finally set on perhaps his last day on this earth.

  He finally stood and took a deep breath and started down the road. When he had walked for almost an hour he could make out an obstruction in the road a few meters ahead. He slowed his pace and stumbled, slowing dragging himself along.

  “Halt,” a voice yelled out. Ky immediately froze.

  “Hands on your head,” the man yelled at Ky. He placed his hands over his head.

  “Who are you and what do you want?”

  “My name is Ky. I have escaped from a renegade army that is headed this way,” he said. “Please, let me come in,” he pleaded.

  “An army? What army?”

  “I don’t know. They are many in size and they seem determined to destroy our beloved city of Beijing.”

  “Come forward but keep your hands up.”

  Ky walked slowly forward and two men stepped out and roughly grabbed him and pulled his hands down behind his back. They quickly bound them.

  “Where is this mighty army you are talking about?” a man in an officer’s uniform said stepping forward.

  “I do not know exactly. I ran away three days ago. They are crazy. They kill everything in their path. I saw them slaughter a group of young military men headed toward the city. They just murdered them without warning,” Ky told him.

  “How many?”

  “I honestly don’t know but big. Four or maybe five thousand.”

  “What? That is impossible,” the officer said, stepping forward as if to hit Ky. Ky flinched and raised his shoulder to ward off the blow but the man never hit him.

  “How do you know this?”

  “I was working in the mines and when we came out we discovered what had happened. It didn’t make sense to us but we all knew something terrible had happened. A few days later others began to join our group. About three weeks ago we came upon a large group that was organized. We thought it would be safe with them. It wasn’t until a few days later that we discovered what their real plans were. They are coming to kill all military personnel and to take over the capital.”

  The officer looked at Ky for several seconds. Ky could see the moon light twinkling off his eyes.

  “And you just decided you want no part of this plan?”

  “I was born near here. Beijing is the capital of China. How could I take part in such an abomination against our country? What kind of people would do such a thing?” Ky said.

  “Where are the rest of you?”

  “They stayed. They know the army is strong and they have many weapons. They were afraid that if they did not stay and the renegades won they would be shot.

  “But you are not afraid? Why is that?”

  “You are wrong. I am afraid but I love my country more. I do not want to see this city destroyed and that is just what they will do. I have seen it with my own eyes,” Ky told the officer.

  The officer turned to one of the men and told him to guard Ky. He left and was gone for almost an hour. Ky smiled to himself as he heard the other soldiers talking about the size of the invading army. Already he had one of them say something about as many as six thousand. He knew he could count on the men to further embellish the story. Ky could see the officer as he returned on his motorbike. He jumped off and quickly came over to them.

  “Get him to headquarters immediately. They want to interrogate him,” he said to the guard.

  Ky was placed in a small cart behind one of the motorbikes and taken through the darkened streets to a formidable looking building. Ky new it was the Chaoyang Detention Centre and that was not a good place to be. Many atrocities by China’s ‘610 Office’ had been carried out there. Ky was taken inside and down a flight of stairs. It was dark and only a few tallow lamps cast an eerie glow. The guard unlocked a large steel door, shoved Ky inside and immediately slammed it closed. He sighed. He had come full circle once again. Here he was, back in a prison. He sat down cross legged on the floor, his
hands still bound behind him. He could hear someone yelling but could not make out what was being said. A few minutes later he heard footsteps echoing down the hall and the door was yanked open.

  “Get him out of there you incompetent fool,” a Major was yelling at the enlisted man.

  “Yes sir Major. Right away Major,” the man said yanking Ky to his feet.

  He was shoved and pushed down the hall and up the stairs once again. He was taken to another room and ushered inside. The room was not much larger but it was better lit. His bindings were removed and he was shoved down on a chair. Two men were present in the room. One was a Senior Colonel and the other was an enlisted Sargent First Class.

  The Colonel was sitting behind a metal desk smoking. He looked up disinterestedly at Ky when he was shoved in the room. No one spoke for several minutes as the Colonel finished his cigarette and lit another one.

  “What is your full name?” he finally said in a low voice, not bothering to look at Ky.

  “Ky Ming Kinjo.”

  “Where did you come from?”

  “I was born in…”

  “Don’t be stupid. Where did you just come from?” he said, raising his voice slightly.

  “I was sent to the Miaojing Coal Mine in the Shanxi region near Jincheng City,” he said.

  “I know where it is. I do not need a geography lesson from you.”

  “Yes Major.”

  “Tell me why you are here.”

  “I guess it is because you sent for me,” Ky said.

  Suddenly the Sargent lurched for him, grabbed him by the hair and tossed him against the wall. An iron fist slammed into his stomach. Ky slid to his knees but was pulled up by his hair.

  “I do not have a very good sense of humor Ky Ming Kinjo. You would be wise to answer the questions properly.”

  “Major, I am trying. I just don’t know what you want from me.”

  The Major thumped the table with his fist and stood up.

  “Since you seem to be dumb I think I will have to leave you in the capable hands of the Sargent to educate you,” he said and started toward the door.

  “No, wait Major. I will tell you what I know. Please,” Ky said glancing from the Major to the Sargent.

  The Major stopped, a quick smile crossed his lips and in an instant it was gone.

  “One more chance. Just one. Do you understand?”

  “Yes sir,” Ky said.

  “Why are you here?” he asked as he sat back down and lit another cigarette.

  “After we came out of the mines we knew something bad had happened. Those of us that survived went to Jincheng City. We found no one alive. Everyone had just vanished. We decided we should try to go to a larger city but we were so far away and none of us knew exactly how to get there. We started to find others from the mines around the area but as the size grew, food became an issue. Before long we were several thousand and fighting broke out among us. Just as it was getting out of control a group of over two thousand came from Ulaanbaatar.”

  “Ulaanbaatar? Mongolia? Why would they come here?”

  “From what I heard they thought that if they controlled Beijing they could control the entire country. They need food and shelter for the size they had grown into,” Ky explained.

  “And you fell in with them?”

  “Not exactly. They just started giving the orders. We were not organized. They had guns and were trained. We were just miners. They offered to let anyone join their army that would fight against the Imperial Army of China. If you didn’t, you were shot on the spot. Of course everyone joined after seeing what happened if you didn’t. That was several months ago. They have become stronger and acquired even more weapons.”

  Ky new he had him hooked. He had stopped smoking and was listening intently. The look of disdain was gone from his face being replaced by one of concern.

  “And you just walked away?”

  “No sir. I was part of a group that was to go out in front of the army and find food. We broke up when we came to Tangshan to search for food. I waited until dark and slipped away. I doubt that they spent much time looking for me. Food was the number one priority, not unimportant people like me,” Ky said.

  The Major stood up abruptly and Ky cowered down.

  “Make sure he is telling the truth. I will be back in one hour. I need to report this to General Tusan the Major said and quickly left the room. The Sargent grabbed Ky by his tunic front and pulled him across the table.

  “That was quite a lovely story. I for one do not believe a single word. I think you were sent for more devious reasons. You are a spy.”

  “Sir…”

  “I am a Sargent. Sir is for officers that have nothing better to do than listen to crap like you just put out. Now it is just you and me. I will ask the questions this time,” he said and smiled with sinister intent.

  “Please. I have told you the truth. An army is coming and is only a few days away. If you waste time with me, they will be on you before you know it,” Ky said.

  “What is the name of this great leader?”

  “General Tay. He seems to be the one that is orchestrating all of this,” Ky said.

  “General Tay? I have never heard of this Tay before,” the Sargent said.

  “He is probably not a real General,” Ky offered.

  The Sargent reached over the table and quickly grabbed Ky’s hand and spread his fingers apart. He pulled one of them back as Ky grimaced.

  “Why are you here?” the Sergeant demanded.

  “I do not want to be a part of the destruction of Beijing,” he said but the Sargent simply snapped his finger back until a cracking sound could be heard.

  Ky screamed as his finger broke. Pain shot through his whole body.

  “Why are you here?” the Sargent asked again,” putting pressure on the next finger.

  “I told you. I do not want to see our capital ruined by these thugs,” Ky said.

  “Snap.”

  Ky cried out again.

  “I have a lot of time. I want the truth,” he said getting up in Ky face.

  “I am telling you the truth. What do you want me to say? You can make me say anything but I have already told you the truth,” Ky said.

  “You are a liar. I can see it in your eyes,” he said and smashed Ky's face into the metal table. Blood splattered both men. His nose was broken and his mouth split oven. A huge angry bruise quickly developed above his right eye.

  “Do not make me angry. I am not very nice when I get angry. My men will tell you that,” he said and slapped Ky hard enough to knock him on the floor.

  Ky lay there trying to not move but that did not stop the relentless Sargent. He began to kick Ky and at one point, just before he passed out the man crushed his heel on Ky's hand. Ky mercifully passed out. When he came to again, it was dark in the room. Every part of his body ached. He was still on the damp floor. He tried to sit up but he knew his ribs were broken. If they started on him again he knew he would not be able to resist telling them the truth much longer.

  Two strong arms picked him up and he let out a scream of pain. The room wasn’t dark, his eyes were swollen almost shut. Trying with all his strength he could just barely open one eye enough to make out light.

  “Please,” he tried to say but the words were just a mumble of gibberish.

  “Ky Ming Kinjo. Open your eyes,” a voice demanded.

  “I am trying. I cannot see,” he managed to get out in a strained voice.

  “Very well. This is General Tusan. He wants to hear your story for himself. You will tell him what you have told us,” the man said.

  “I was sent to the…”

  “We do not care about your past crimes against the people. Tell him about this General Tay,” the voice demanded.

  “I have only seen him from a distance. He seems to know how to lead. His men are very dedicated to him. I don’t know if he was in the military but he seems to know how to run his army. His attacks are swift and merciless. He elimi
nates his competition completely. You join or you die.”

  “What are his plans for Beijing?”

  “I do not know for sure but from what I have heard, he intends to gather his forces to the north and east and start a pincer movement to cut off part of the troops. Once they are eliminated they will split again and do the same thing over until all of Beijing is conquered,” Ky told him.

  “And how do we know you are not lying about this?”

  “Look at me. Do I look like a man that can take this kind of torture and not tell the truth? I was a University student when I was sent to the mines. I have never had military training. Please. Look at me. What more do you want from me?” Ky said with his head down.

  “The truth.”

  “Do what you want with me. It will make no difference. I can only tell you what I know. Do you want me to say they are coming from the west and south? Fine. If that is want you want to hear, I will say it. Then when they do not, you will want to hold me responsible for lying. Nothing I say can please you so do what you want,” Ky said.

  He could hear the men whispering but he could not hear their words.

  Finally a voice that he had not heard before said, “Get him some medical attention and get him cleaned up. Bring him to my headquarters as soon as he is able.”

  “Yes General.”

  “Do not harm him further do you understand? I want him well enough to help locate where the thinks the forces intend to attack from. If anything happens to him…”

  “Sir. I will personally take care of it,” he heard the Major say.

  ~~

  Ky was stiff and sore but most of the pain was gone. They had obviously given him a sedative of some kind. He knew he would have to be especially careful. It would be easy to slip up when he was like this. He was taken to the General’s headquarters and shown in immediately.

  “How are you feeling?” the General asked when he came in the huge room. Heavy drapes lined one wall and a giant flag was positioned behind the General’s desk. The General was sitting at an expansive desk that had nothing on it, not even a fingerprint.

  “How are you feeling Kinjo?” he repeated.