Defence

1

She jumped over a dead log laying still on the ground, slid onto the dead leaves listening to them crumble underneath her, then reached for a thin tree to her side to help anchor her from falling any deeper down the hill. Footsteps rushed above her on the trail leading east into the woods, which smelled of heavy animal dung and the earth. Whispers and shouts went from one person to the next.

“Sir, we’ve lost track of her,” a male soldier reported.

His general grunted in the dark and glanced around in his heavy uniformed suit. Victoria could barely see his shadow standing from just above her.

“Keep an eye out! We’re moving farther east! I don’t care whatever lions or tigers you see, shoot all animals in the way! I don’t care what happens, we need to find her this instant!!”

“Yes, sir!” they all shouted in unison.

How many of them had come? 20? 30? 45? Victoria tip-toed up making sure she wouldn’t slip and clutched onto the only handgun she’d been able to take with her. Just hours earlier she’d recalled that she had merely escaped death. How dare those bastards betray her?

The president’s son had made an official trip to Kwangju to attend a board meeting with some government directors to speak about some bills that were being passed concerning student education in his father’s stead. There Victoria had lurked around as one of the female employees serving coffee.

Just before the clock struck 10 a break had been issued and almost everyone had left the hall leaving the president’s son alone with one of his man. Victoria paced back and forth in front of the large white doors decorated with gold rings around the rectangular doorknobs. Her heart grew weary and nervous for some reason that night. She’d never felt that way since a long time. Was something bad going to happen? Before she pondered on the door opened abruptly and the man who’d been inside stared at her suspiciously.

“You’re still here?” he asked.

Victoria glanced at him, eyes full of surprise then she smiled. She had learned from experience that a woman’s smile held much power over a man. Men found it seductively alluring.

“You’ve worked hard,” he bit back his tongue.

As he walked pass Victoria listened to his footsteps before she snorted, “Tsch!”

Turning back to the doorway she slowly reached for the gun hidden on the strap around her thigh under her maid uniform. Barely touching it, a gunshot resonated from inside the room making her jump. In that split second she realized someone else had made the shot. She should have run away at that moment but instead she pulled open the door to see the president’s son bending over the oval desk that ran all around the room, blood seeping from his head.

An immediate death.

Victoria turned around to scan the room. Who had done it? Who had given the shot!!! She felt her brain scream then her eyes spotted the small hole in the third window from the right. Someone moved from the rooftop of the building just across from the city hall building disappearing from sight.

“Freeze!!!” a voice warned from behind.

Victoria felt her jaw grow tight. Had the order to assassinate him been a real order? Or were the guys in the gang playing around again? Victoria slowly put her hand on her thigh and turned around with an innocent face. The expression from the guard behind her grew surprised with gentleness before he lowered his gun.

“Miss…” he began.

In that split second she grabbed the coffee mug and turned to look at him, “Would you like some coffee sir?”