Prologue: The Raid
All around me is fire and the color red. What’s going on? Everyone is screaming and running for their lives as I’m sat on my knees. Should I do that too? I want to run but my legs won’t work. As I try to get up, I fall back down. Once more I try and succeed, sprinting in the direction of my house. Where is everyone? I spot a child and his mom but they don’t look familiar. Do I know them? I can’t even make out their faces. Why can’t I see them even as I hurry closer?
I stop in my tracks. Where is my mom? Is she at the house? How did I even get here? Never mind that. I have to find my mom!
“Wang Ki!” That was her; where did it come from? I search frantically, turning in every direction, faces I’m not able to make out passing me.
“Eomma!" I shout back. My eyes dart back and forth until they land on her. There! I hurry towards her.
“Run! Leave me! Get out of here!” She shouts as a man pushes her head down. How dare he touch her! A bulkier man unsheathes his sword and swings it high above his head. The other men converse between each other and look at me. What do they want?
As I realize what the man with the sword is doing, I sprint towards them but I’m suddenly halted by someone. I try to shake and shove the person off but the grasp is unrelenting.
“Stop! We have to go!” It’s Dae Sung.
“But Eomma!” I plead.
“What can you possibly do right now,” the older spit. I look at him and see his bright amber eyes glaring into mine. “We’re just kids. We’re weak. We can’t fight. We should listen to her.”
As much as I don’t want to admit it, he’s right. My heart is racing so fast it feels like it’ll beat right out of my chest. My vision starts to become blurry as I look around. I can’t see, but I hear the slice of a sword and the tiniest whimper.
Right after, a blood-curdling scream breaks through the sound of fire and mayhem. Was that me? I get dragged away in hopes that it’s by Dae Sung. Where are we going? The feeling of sheer panic overwhelms me as I hear the sound of heavy feet behind us. Are we being followed? What do they want? What’s going to happen to us? There’s so much fire everywhere. Everything is turning into ash around us.
“Wang Ki. Wang Ki, wake up,” that sounds like Dae Sung. “Wake up!”
I jolt awake drenched in sweat, Dae Sung standing over me. I realize that I’m grabbing onto his arm tightly and let go.
“Are you okay?” I nod. “Good. Get dressed. We gotta get going.” Dae Sung starts to leave.
“Wait, Hyung,” I stop him. Dae Sung pauses and looks back at me. For some reason, I can’t think of the words I want to say to him, so I just shake my head. “It’s nothing,” is what I end up with.
Dae Sung just nods. “Okay. Hurry up and get dressed,” he smiles as he exits my tent. I take a deep breath and get ready for the day.
