2 A Secret Night

"Time for what appa? What's going on?" I asked confused, but curious all the same.

"Uncle, are we going to go through with it this time?" Taehyung oppa asks calmly.

"Well..." my dad was just stalling for time hence Taehyung's dad, my uncle, answered. "Yes. We are doing it...and it's going to have to be tonight."

"W-wait! What do I not know this time? Huh, appa? What have you been hiding from me again?"

I couldn't believe this, how many bombs was he going to drop on me in one day? Was I adopted or something? Was I that untrustworthy? I looked at my dad and waited for a response, which came and it held good news.

"We are going back to South Korea tonight. Nothing is guaranteed and the risk is on us, but if we make it to the other side of the border then the South will take care of us no matter what."

My dad looked glum rather than happy as he was saying this, but I, on the other hand, was very, very, very happy. So happy that I never realized the grave meaning behind, 'Nothing was guaranteed'. Foolish me. Foolish appa. Foolish decisions. Foolish night.

7 hours later

We were almost finished packing and we had gone over our plans for our grand escape and everything felt perfect and foolproof, but no one knew what the night had in store for us. The agents in the South had finally replied to our constant pleas to head back South and today at 2 o'clock was the D-day as the agents who came to our house before in the evening had said to my father. Turns out that their usual banter was coded language. The agents today had finally given us the papers that would give us our safety and ID along with other important things to show that we were people of the South and not some North Korean trying to sneak in. The papers were our lives in writing: we lose the papers, we lose our lives as well.

I could not sit still. On the other hand, I was completely surprised by how calm Tae oppa was because usually it's him jumping around and me sitting down but seems like our souls had been swapped. Or perhaps it was because I didn't understand the danger of the situation while Tae oppa did.

"Guys, it's time." Uncle broke us out of our trance.

"Right, let's go then. We don't have time to waste." My dad warned us once again, "If anything, and I mean anything, goes wrong no one looks back. No one stops and no one tries to help. No one. Got it?"

"Yes, sir!" Me and Tae oppa replied. Tae oppa looked at me and gave me a slight nod. I gave him a smile reassuring him that I will be fine. When Tae oppa looked away I realized it then, the second we step outside of our so-called house everyone follows the plan and everyone is on their own. Your life depends on you and no one else...I looked at dad and uncle and realized what if something hap-

"Let's go, move out." My dad whisper shouted as we all followed his lead out of the house. It was time to separate. Based on the plan I would go straight into the grassy fields right in front of our house. Tae oppa would go on my right. Uncle would go to my left. Appa would be the farthest on the left, so on the left of Uncle. We would continue to move as quietly and softly as possible as we crawl to avoid the searchlight that would sweep across the grassy field every 15 seconds. After crawling to the very edge of the grassy field we would have to use the haystacks that's pile up in the empty area between the fields and the border. We would still move separately. Our final destination before crossing the completely barren area right before the border is the most dangerous part. The plan is to stick to the shadows and run for your life. That's it, sounds pretty simple right?

I have been crawling for at least a good 25-30 minutes now and I can finally see the end of the field where I would have to hide using the haystacks. I felt as if we were all on the same page and felt even more joyful that we were one-third of the way done!

I suddenly heard some footsteps. I stopped. I didn't even dare to breathe. I froze trying to figure out what the hell was happening. There wasn't supposed to be any guards here today. So what was this? I looked to my right, trying to see if I can see Tae oppa, but to no success. I didn't know what to do. Go? No? Wait? Turn back?

Suddenly I heard some rustling. I was even more terrified. If we were found out now then all of us would die. We had broken the curfew and us sneaking around the border as South Koreans aren't going to go down to well with the soldiers either.

"Shit, shit, shit." I breathed out. I heard the rustlings get closer and closer to me, but I couldn't move a single muscle. "Dammit."

Suddenly, the rustling stopped. Everything seemed too silent. There was no wind. There was no sound. I felt like I was suffocating and trapped inside this deadly silence. It was like a calm before a storm. I tried looking around once again barely moving my head, but all I noticed was the darkness. Unexpectedly, everything and everyone seemed to jump into action all at once. I remember hearing my dad yelling, "RUN!" and gunshots being fired. I felt myself being grabbed by someone and getting pulled into the haystack maze with thundering footsteps and gunshots behind me.

'What the hell was happening?'

"Yah, Y/N get your head straight! Pull your fucking self together!" Someone was yelling at me...w-wait that's Taehyung! I finally looked up at the person who was pulling me and I saw Taehyung oppa's broad strong back facing me. I was then suddenly pulled back into the reality of it all. We had been found out. We were in danger. We could die right now, right here, any second.

"Shit," I said out loud.

"Yah, you back now? Can we run a bit faster then?" Tae oppa asked as we ran from one haystack to the other, trying to avoid the flying bullets that would do some damage.

"Yes! Let's go!"

"Alright, keep up!" Tae oppa immediately sped up and it seemed like we were just prancing around the whole field. I kept my eye out for appa and Uncle but to no success. Not even a glimpse was caught.

The gunfire had stopped by now another half an hour had passed and I and Tae oppa were hiding behind one of the closest haystacks to the border area. We would just have to run to make it across that short 4 meters. On the contrary, we had not seen dad or Uncle at all. We had no clue where they were if they were safe or not, if we were on the same page or not, when or if we should run or not. Everything was a mess. Our plan, which had felt foolproof in the beginning, was now a floundering mess. The only thing that seemed concrete and definite was the hand that was resolutely holding onto my hand right now. I looked up at Tae oppa and saw him drenched in sweat and panting. He didn't seem fazed at all. Rather he seemed determined and confident, which gave me hope.

"Yah, did you see anyone?" Oppa suddenly asked me.

"No. No one at all. What do we do now? Everything is silent again. Do you think something happe-?"

"Be quiet. Both your father and my father are stronger than they seem. They are fine. They have to be. Let's just wait a little bit longer. Stay alert." Oppa replied sternly pulling me back into my senses.

'Right, this was no time to wallow in sadness and worry. We have to think, so think Y/N!'

I kept on looking around and checking and listening, but nothing. Nada. No signal or anything of any sort. I heard some more footsteps and we moved to a different haystack as quickly as possible and then returned to the old one again after the soldiers had checked our haystack.

As time passed by there were no sounds of the soldiers any more, but I couldn't help but worry even more about appa and Uncle. What's happened to them? Are they okay? Alive? As I was stressing out once again Tae oppa nudged me.

"Yah, yah! Isn't that Uncle?" Tae looked a bit relieved.

I looked up to see the flare signal. It was very faint and pretty dark so that it wouldn't be so visible in the night sky as a neon flare would be. It was the signal to inform us to run now or never. They were alive! I looked at oppa and nodded my head. We took off running not paying attention to anything, we had only one job: to run. That's what we did. And that's why I missed seeing the few soldiers lying in wait for us and the stupid rock that I stepped on bringing myself and Tae oppa down.

"Ah!" I was down and so was oppa, but he pulled me up and again and tried to run again, but my ankle would not listen. I then heard the gunfire again and felt someone else hoist me up along with oppa and we were running again. I looked to see that it was appa. Of course. Uncle was right beside him as well.

"Wait, don't shoot anymore!" I heard one of the soldiers yell out the command and everything stopped once again. We didn't though. We kept on running we had maybe three feet in front of us when someone suddenly appeared in front of us and shot.

I felt the searing pain on my left arm and fell again. I heard appa yelling, "Y/N get up! Get u-" I heard another shot. This time I didn't feel it. I saw it. I saw appa hunching over in pain. Another shot. Appa's stomach was shot. Appa was down on the floor now. All of a sudden my ears wanted to go on high gear and I was flooded with sounds. Gunfire. Screaming. Footsteps. Laughing. Cursing. But I only paid attention to one thing, appa's moving lips.

"Quickly, go. GO!"

I came back to earth then. Was this man crazy? How could I leave him, my only real family, behind? Hell no!

"Appa no! Get up let's go you can do it! Taehyung help me!" I was grabbing onto appa's arms and trying to pull him up, but no one helped.

Appa turned to Uncle first. "Keep her safe for me."

He then turned to Taehyung oppa. "Always stay by her side. Help her. Guide her."

"Y/N this is for you." Appa handed me a USB. "Keep this safe. Stay strong, safe and happy. I am always watching. Love you. Now go!"

Uncle suddenly pulled grabbed a gun near us and so did Taehyung and they started firing madly. I, on the other hand, was balling my heart out!

"APPA! NO APPA! YOU CAN'T DO THIS! NOOO APPA DON'T LEAVE ME! PLEASE APPA!"

Appa only smiled at me and motioned for me to go. Taehyung oppa suddenly grabbed my hand roughly and pulled me away!

"NOOOOO TAEHYUNG! NOOO APPA, DON'T DO THIS! GET UP APPA GET UP! NO APPA! PLEASE COME LET'S GO TOGETHER! APPA YOU PROMISED YOU WOULD STAY WITH ME! APPA!"

By now Uncle was also holding me back we were only one foot away from crossing the border and I saw him, that monster. He was covered in all black from head to toe. A sniper. He stepped out of the shadows and pointed his gun at appa's head. I froze. No, no, no!

"NO DON'T YOU DARE! APPA! GET UP!"

Too late. He shot. It hit a bullseye. Everything became still. Appa was gone. No movement. No rise and fall of his chest. Just gone. Just like that.

"APPPPPPAAAAAAAA! NO!"

We were all frozen. I saw him turn and point his gun at me. I saw the shining bracelet swinging from his hand as he held up the gun at me. It was black with a wolf engraved into the silver portion of the bracelet. I couldn't have cared less if he did shoot me at this point. I heard a shot. I didn't feel anything though. I saw him fall on his knees. Everything was once again in motion. Taehyung and Uncle pulled me up and carried me to the other side. South Korea. Finally safe. I couldn't stop staring though. Appa, on the other side. Dead. Motionless. Gone. I was lifeless. I saw the doors being closed as the soldiers were still trying to come at us. The last glimpse I got was appa being kicked and stepped on by the oncoming soldiers...and that monster on his knees holding onto his side as he glared at me.