Broken Wings

Chapter 5 Heritage

20 years ago

Somewhere, South Korea

It was dark as a woman flitted through the shadows, carrying a dark lump close against her chest as she fled deeper into the woods. The woman's long raven hair flew out behind her, but there was an unusual flash whenever the strands caught the moonlight. Almost like they weren't naturally so dark... like they were much lighter underneath the disguise they were wrapped in. The woman's caramel eyes flickered back at the shadows behind her, seeking any signs of movement. But there was nothing, except for the faintest rustle of leaves that could be explained by the wind. But she knew and her nose twitched anxiously while her heart pumped fear through her veins.

Heightening her defenses, she ran on. It was when she was about halfway through the forest that her pursuers finally gave up all pretenses. Engines roared to life as motorcycles and jeeps suddenly shot forward more quickly, and tires crunched fallen leaves, leaving a trail of desecrated corpses smashed into the snow-covered soil. The woman's own steps quickened as she all but flew through the trees, weaving her way through like a gazelle zig-zagging across an African plain. But like any straggler from a herd, she was vulnerable on her own against the pack that chased her. And she knew that too.

As the sounds of her predators came ever closer, the woman suddenly darted into a tight cluster of trees. In the darkest shadows, she dropped to her knees quickly and tucked the child she had carried into the cover of the roots that crawled all around the tree's base like an intricate spider's web. Big amber eyes stared up at her as the little girl tried to reach up toward her mother once more, not understanding why she was being put down.

The woman shook her head quickly and she whispered softly, "Sun-Mi, stay here. Keep your head down and no matter what happens, do not be seen or come out until you are quite certain you are alone. Do you understand?"

"But Mama-" The little girl started to protest, but the woman cut her off sharply.

"No buts."

The little girl flinched and the woman's expression softened. Pressing a quick kiss on her daughter's head, she stroked her child's light hair gently.

"I love you, my darling daughter." The woman whispered before her fingers slipped away from her child reluctantly.

The child watched as her mother took off once again, fleeing into the distance; but not for long. Bright lights flashed and shouts echoed as a swarm of vehicles suddenly broke through the trees and circled the lithe female. The woman was forced to a halt as she was completely surrounded. Guns cocked and engines continued to run even as the vehicles screeched to a halt; and a figure stepped out of one of the jeeps. The man didn't walk too far, staying close to the vehicle he'd exited even as he addressed the woman he had finally caught up with. Almost as though he were afraid of getting too close to her; as though she was the dangerous predator.

Hidden in the shadows, the child watched from through the tree roots where she could just about make out the two figures in the distance. She heard the man call out to the woman, who replied in the same foreign tongue that the child couldn't understand. It sounded like what her mother had started trying to teach her lately (English, or something) but she recognized none of the words being spoken even if she uneasily understood the tone they were spoken in. The man seemed angry and almost afraid; her mother was defiant and sharp.

The young girl watched as the man waved his hand and said something in a curt tone. An ultimatum. Her mother raised her chin and this time the child understood what her mother said.

"No."

As soon as the word left the woman's mouth, everything moved quickly. The man said something; a gun fired and was quickly followed by others. The gunshots seemed to ring in the little girl's sensitive ears. And her eyes went wide with horror as her mother collapsed in a pool of red that stood out starkly against the white snow.