Chapter 27 - Derek
The tunnel is slightly too low and slightly too narrow for me to be comfortable. It probably wasn’t designed for people my size. At least, it definitely wasn’t designed for comfort. The endless darkness leaves too much room for thought and far too much room for fear. I can’t see but every other sense is heightened. I can hear the fabric of Ellie’s pants rubbing against itself as she takes a step, and the gentle footsteps of Lee’s shoes behind me. Every few minutes I can smell Ellie’s hair and I breathe in deeply to inhale every drop of it.
The tunnel walls change from concrete to earth, supported by old timbers. We walk and walk and walk. After a while, Jang-mi turns on a flashlight and we can see a few feet in front of us.
We keep walking, and walking, and walking.
Darkness, silence, and walking.
I don’t know who the woman she’s with is, or if I can trust her. Hell, I don’t even know if I can trust Lee. He’s told me we would leave with Ellie after the concert but he never mentioned gunfire or tunnels. He looked as shocked as I was when we walked into the dinner hall. There’s something going on here - something bigger than us. Something that I don’t want to be caught in. We need to get out of here.
Finally after what seems like hours we stop again. I listen closely, trying to figure out what the woman is doing in front of me. She’s unclasping something, unlocking a door, fidgeting with something. Suddenly, sunlight streams through an opening and I close my eyes instinctively, bringing my arm up to shield them from the painfully blinding light.
When my eyes adjust I see that the two women in front of me have stepped through the doorway. I follow and take a look around. We’re in a massive field that extends as far as the eye can see in front of us. I can’t see any signs of life anywhere around except for an old dirt road a few hundred feet away. I glance behind me and see that the doorway is a half-concealed bunker, nestled under a big tree. Lee steps through and closes the door behind him. He and Jang-mi speak for a few seconds. It kills me that I can’t understand them.
“What’s going on?” Ellie asks. The two of them turn to her and I feel her stiffen up. My arm finds the small of her back and she leans against me. No one speaks for a few seconds and Ellie takes a deep breath. “Jang-mi, what’s going on? Where are we? What was that gunfire??”
Jang-mi takes a seat on a big tree root. She takes the pack off her back and opens it up, pulling out a small package of rice and chicken. She motions for us all to sit down. One by one we find a seat on the ground or on a tree root. I sit down next to Ellie and put my arm over her leg. She leans in a bit closer to me and I relish the warmth of her body next to mine. We may not be out of danger yet but at least we’re together.
We both look at Jang-mi expectantly. She hands us some food and slowly takes her own. Ellie glances at me and shrugs. I sigh. It’s obvious Jang-mi won’t say anything until we’ve eaten. The four of us eat in silence. Jang-mi packs up the rest of the food once we’ve finished. Finally, she speaks.
“The rebels have attacked the palace,” she says matter-of-factly. “They will have taken power by now. The Supreme Leader will be overthrown.”
I frown, taking a few seconds to let the realisation sink in. I glance at Lee, who seems unfazed by her words. A rebellion? Is this the distraction Lee was talking about?!
“Lee,” I ask slowly. “Did you know about this?”
He looks up at me and as soon as his eyes meet mine I know he did. He nods slowly.
“So, hold on.” I start. “You brought me here knowing full well there would be a fucking coup?? While I was here?? And you brought Ellie to the palace right as everything was happening?!” The anger is starting to bubble up inside me. He knew that this was going to happen and he brought not only me, but Ellie into the epicentre of this mess.
“We needed a distraction,” he says slowly.
My eyes widen. “A distraction?! Is this what this is?? This was your selfless act of helping Ellie? You used me!” I’m shouting now, the fury hurling out of me as I stare at him. He used me! Used me and endangered us for what! For political gain?
He looks at me calmly, waiting for me to quiet down. Ellie moves her hand to my knee and squeezes it gently. I can feel the calmness radiate from her hand out towards the rest of my body. I take a deep breath, feeling her warm presence next to me.
“The attack has been planned before Miss Walters came into the picture. She would have been in more danger had we not acted this way.”
His voice is calm, level. My blood is still boiling and I don’t want to believe him, don’t want to trust him. I stare at him, feeling the muscles in my neck popping and bulging as I struggle to control my anger. I could wring his neck or hit him right in the jaw for using me like some puppet on a string.
Lee sighs. “With the nuclear threat growing, China has been engaging with the rebels in the North. When Miss Walters was captured, it brought much American attention to the situation.”
“And you couldn’t afford to lose your chance,” Ellie finishes for him. I glance at her. Her eyes are shining bright, staring at Lee as he gently inclines her head. She squeezes my knee and I inhale deeply. Ellie turns to Jang-mi.
“How much danger are we in?”
It’s a simple question, but it hangs in the air between us all. Jang-mi straightens her back and stares back at Ellie, meeting her gaze head-on.
“We are in much danger,” she answer simply. “We must wait until night, and then we will go.”
Ellie nods, and says nothing. I glance at her and she looks up at me before leaning her head against my shoulder. I put my arm around her and pull her in close. As her body melts into mine I know I’m never letting her go again.