Robin Jarvis - Fighting Pax

Gerald passed her an assault rifle. It was lighter than she expected and she struck aggressive poses as she handled it.

“Commando girl,” she purred. “And no, that doesn’t mean I’m not wearing pants.”

“Don’t touch that lever on the right-hand side there,” Gerald warned. “That’s the safety catch. Up is safe, down isn’t, so let’s keep them up, OK? I don’t anticipate having to use them, not in here anyway, they’re just in case. I don’t even know how much ammunition is in the magazines, so no one get any ideas. I don’t need to tell you they’re not toys or replicas. These are lethal, so treat them with respect.”

He looked around for another he could entrust one to.

“Nicholas, how about you? Do you think you could?”

The boy shifted uncomfortably and looked to Esther for his answer.

“He’s not having anything to do with it,” she stated, arms folded tightly. “You walk out of here with them guns and you’re all going to get shot – and rightly so in my opinion.”

“I’ll have one,” the lad called Drew piped up.

“You’re mad, the lot of you,” Esther said, cracking her knuckles nervously. “It’ll be a bloodbath.”

“Where’s Spencer?” Gerald asked. “He’s handled a firearm before, hasn’t he? Didn’t he shoot one of those Punchinellos at the camp?”

“He’s mopping up in the no-go area,” Maggie told him.

“No, he’s not. The mop and bucket are there, but he isn’t.”

“Someone go fetch him from the loo then, quick.”

A girl called Sally jumped up to get him. Before she reached the door, it was kicked open and Eun-mi was standing there, arm outstretched, pointing the pistol, finger on the trigger.

“Drop weapons!” she shouted. “Drop or I shoot!”

Shocked, the refugees stared at her for several moments.

“Told you so!” Esther said.

Eun-mi moved her aim slowly across the astonished faces.

“I say drop!” she repeated.

Gerald was the first to comply and he told the others to do the same.

“She means it,” he said. “She wouldn’t hesitate.”

“Nabi!” the girl called to her sister in Korean. “Bring the weapons here. Be careful. Don’t let them take you and use you as a shield.”

Little Nabi gawped at her and had to be told again, more forcefully.

“Anyone moves, they die!” Eun-mi warned as her sister slid reluctantly from the chair and started collecting the AK-47s. “I aim for head. There will be no error.”

“You don’t have to do this,” Gerald tried to reason with her. “You can let us go. Just give us this one chance. You know what Doctor Choe Soo-jin is planning to do. You heard her at the meeting. You can’t want that on your conscience. It’s inhuman.”

Eun-mi tilted her head back proudly. “Doctor will be hero,” she declared. “She will find cure. She will save Democratic People’s Republic from Western sickness. Doctor Choe Soo-jin is pioneer and scientist most brilliant. Lives of European refugee little price to pay. Then Supreme Leader will save rest of world. Everyone will praise Kim Jong-un.”

“What about the life of Du Kwan earlier?” Gerald asked. “Was that a small price to pay? He didn’t need to die and nor do we. There is no cure to be found because there is no sickness. It isn’t physical. You can’t inoculate against the Devil.”

“Doctor Choe Soo-jin know best!” the girl shouted, refusing to listen. “Now no speak or I fire!”

Nabi placed the rifles at her feet and stared up at her miserably. “Do not hurt my friends,” she begged her sister in a forlorn voice that was close to tears. “Please. They are kind and nice. I like them, they are good.”

“They are enemies of our Republic!” Eun-mi answered. “You do not understand, you are too young. We have given them everything; food and shelter – when our own people are starving in the provinces. We give them asylum from their own degenerate kind and they show us only disrespect and bring disease. The Supreme Leader has demonstrated his great benevolence and mercy in saving them, but these are bad people. They have no gratitude, no discipline; their island is the corrupt puppet of America. They would have killed our soldiers to escape this base. They would have killed you too. Would you take their side against your own people? Would you betray our father and dishonour the memory of our mother?”

Nabi stared at her feet and shook her head.

“Go, now!” her sister ordered. “Fetch more guards and wait for our father – hurry.”

Nabi cast a wretched glance back at Gerald and Maggie. Her bottom lip quivered. Wiping her eyes, she ran from the room.

Eun-mi’s hand was steady. She almost wished one of the refugees would try something and give her a reason to fire. She had endured their offensive company for too long and had no qualms about pulling the trigger.

Nabi stumbled out into the corridor, tears streaking down her scrunched-up face. She cast around for any sign of the guards, but there was no one in sight and the long, empty passageway was unnaturally quiet.

“Help me!” she called out and her wavering voice ricocheted down the walls. The shadows lay deep in the recesses of doorways and the little girl wrung her hands together.

“Help us!” she called again.

No answer came. She took several apprehensive steps towards the forbidden area, but it was so dark down there she grew even more frightened.

“Hello?” she murmured.

From somewhere around the corner, she heard a door clang shut, followed by the sound of footsteps striding briskly over the bare concrete floor. But there was something else – a strange clip-clopping. It was very like the hooves of a large animal.

Nabi peered into the concealing darkness and backed away. She didn’t like it. Turning, she began to run towards the junction with the main tunnel.

“Chung Nabi!” a voice rang out behind her.

The child stopped and spun round. Doctor Choe Soo-jin was there, stepping from the shadows – a welcoming smile on her Band-Aid-patched face. In one hand she held a green book; in the other was a long silver rod, crooked at one end, and tipped with a glimmering amber star.

“Come here, dear one,” the doctor said, beckoning. “I have a blessed gift for you.”

MARTIN SHIVERED, WISHING once again for the overcoat he had left on his bunk. He hardly gave any attention to the Captain and the two other men who had whisked him away in this jeep. His thoughts were with Gerald and the rest. He wondered if Lee had agreed to the request and if the English guests of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea had managed to escape. Were they clambering down the craggy mountainside at this very minute? He hoped fortune smiled on them and they could disappear into the fog before the alarm was raised. Where they would go after that was up to Gerald, and providence. Driving through the tunnels, everything seemed business as usual and Martin took that as proof their exodus was still undetected.

He recognised this journey, it was the same one he had taken earlier that morning, and guessed rightly they were heading for the meeting room. He had no idea why he was wanted so urgently, but that didn’t really matter. His own safety was right at the bottom of his list of concerns.

Suddenly he heard the rumble and roar of four other vehicles approaching at speed. Their headlights swept the poorly illuminated gloom before them. Voices were barking commands and, as the lead car drew closer, he made out the thick black eyebrows of General Chung Kang-dae.