to make them out but could only tell that there were several, they were small, and they appeared to be permanent structures. That meant the inhabitants had to be South Korean, and presumably friendly.
It took him the rest of the afternoon to get closer, making dashes from cover to cover. That was fine, because he would rather make the final approach in dusk.
He crouched in cover about twenty yards from the edge of the small settlement. There were three small houses, one barn, a long, low building built into the hillside, and some small sheds. There were lights, and smoke coming from the chimneys.
He had seen a few people about, all women or old men. They had been doing chores, a lot of them connected with the long building.
Finally it was fish or cut bait time. Either he could sneak into one of the outbuildings and try and hide there for the night, or approach the people here.
He risked discovery hiding in one of the outbuildings, and the locals might have useful information. Such as if there were any NK units around here.
A middle-aged woman came out of the nearest house, heading for the barn. Bundled against the cold, she carried two buckets and strode quickly toward the building.
Tony waited until she had gone inside, then ran to the door. He pushed it open, slowly, to see a dark, wood- beamed interior with stalls for farm animals. Stepping up to a trough, the woman was just about to pour a bucket’s contents into it when she turned her head to the sound of the door opening.
Her rapid-fire Korean was so much gibberish to Tony, and he tried to calm her, slowly and softly asking if anyone spoke English. She quieted, and finally on the third repetition she pointed over to a hay bale and made a sitting motion. As soon as Tony sat down, she set down the bucket and ran out of the barn.
All Tony could do was wait. Either she would bring help, or the enemy. On the off chance that it was bad news, he got up and flattened himself against the wall next to the door. He drew his pistol and worked the slide.
A few moments later she reappeared with an older man following her. She looked at the hay bale, puzzled, then sensed a movement to her right and saw him holstering his pistol and stepping forward. The woman frowned but shrugged her shoulders, then stepped out of the way.
Tony bowed to the older man, who smiled and said, “You are among friends. I am Sook Yon-Gil. This is my sister-in-law.” She bowed again, then left.
Tony was surprised. Many Koreans in Seoul spoke some English, but this was a long way from the big city. “Your English is excellent.”
Mr. Sook smiled and bowed. “I worked with the American Army in the last war. How may I help you?”
Tony explained who he was. What he needed was obvious.
Mr. Sook was direct. “You can stay here tonight, Major. My sister-in-law will bring you dinner, and you can sleep in the barn. We are the only ones who know of your presence here. It is best if most of the family does not see you.”
Tony was aware of the risk they were taking. “Are there any North Korean units around here?”
“No, not since their initial passage.” The man scowled. “We have nothing here they care about, and they were still barbarians. My brother has a broken arm, thanks to them.”
The woman came back in with a covered basket and began to set out food. Mr. Sook continued, “Eat and rest. I must discuss this with my brother and brother-in-law. I will come back later. We don’t get much news about the war.”
Tony relaxed and tried to eat slowly. The survival kit rations were neither hot nor filling. The meal was, and delicious to boot. Mr. Sook returned as Tony was finishing, accompanied by his two male relatives. The pilot rose as they came in.
The three men stepped in, formed a line, and then bowed deeply. Reflexively, Tony returned the bow and waited.
Mr. Sook was obviously the oldest of the three brothers and the head of the family. His expression was solemn, and contrite. “Major Christopher, I am ashamed. My brothers have reminded me that I failed to thank you for what you are doing. All three of us fought in the last war. Two of my brothers died. Our two sons were called up when the communists invaded us.
“We can help you to reach safety much more quickly than by walking south. We are…‘sending a message.’ With luck, we should have a reply by evening tomorrow.”
They would not explain further but asked him for news about the war. Tony provided them with an overview while Sook translated, then the Koreans started asking more detailed questions.
Some were about cities and towns, and others about military units. He was glad when he could say that he didn’t know if a city had been occupied. When he did know, the news was usually bad.
The conversation wandered, and finally Tony was yawning so much that they excused themselves.
His “bed” was an alcove in a stack of hay bales, arranged to conceal him completely once he was inside. He was asleep in seconds.
A bright light in his eyes and harsh voices in Korean yanked him out of a deep sleep. The hay bales above him had been removed, and a black-suited man, armed with a pistol, was holding a flashlight and inspecting him closely.
Tony struggled to sit up, and the man stepped back. There were two more like him, while Mr. Sook and his entire family stood to one side in the barn.
The black-clad men were obviously soldiers, and probably Koreans. They not only wore cold-weather gear, but also knitted hoods that covered all of their faces except their eyes. One, probably their leader, was conversing in harsh tones with Mr. Sook, while another stood near Tony, and the third covered the door. They were armed with communist-made AK-47 assault rifles.
His heart sank, and he tried to decide what to do next. His pistol was within reach, but the odds that he could take out three alert and armed men were poor at best. And how many of the Sook family would be hurt if he started shooting? But wouldn’t they already suffer for collaborating with the enemy? Still, the thought of just accepting capture…
The leader saw Tony moving and came over. He stood at attention, saluted, and said in accented English, “Good morning, Major. I am Lieutenant Kim of the South Korean Army Special Forces. We can get you back to your own lines. Are you able to travel?”
“Yes,” Tony said automatically, still recovering. With that, they gathered his possessions, Tony said thank you and good-bye to the Sooks, and they set off into the night.
Tony was full of questions. “I don’t understand. Our lines are miles away. How did you get here?”
“We didn’t come here, sir. We stayed behind when the communists advanced.”
“But the farmer said it would take until late tomorrow for help to come.”
“We have a system set up with all the citizens here. They knew that if they left a sign in a certain location, they would get ‘help.’ They were told it would take twenty-four hours. We are much closer than that, but there is no need for them to know everything.”
“What happens next?” Tony asked. They told him.
They hiked the rest of the night, about three hours, and around dawn Tony was blindfolded. Another half-hour march followed, with Tony’s stumbling progress supported by a man on each side.
Finally they took off the blindfold and Tony found himself in a solidly constructed underground bunker. It had a bunkroom, a kitchen/mess hall, storage rooms, and several other sections he wasn’t allowed to see. In fact, he never saw the entrance, from either side.
They waited there all day, and then at nightfall they took another hike, this one about two hours long.
Lieutenant Kim had used satellite communications to arrange a rendezvous. With what, he wouldn’t say. He just kept them moving, checking more and more frequently on a large-scale map of the area. Finally he took out a small device and started pacing. Tony realized it was a portable inertial navigation unit. Their rendezvous would be precise, almost to the yard.
Kim finally signaled a halt and deployed his men as pickets around the area. They waited.
