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I take a seat on the bed, setting the gun down next to me and removing the bullets just out of her line of sight, because the last thing I need when I’m working is to be worried about someone grabbing it from me.
And as promised, I inspect the kid’s wound.
* * *
SUKI
The man in black looks down at Duri’s leg, inspecting it for long minutes.
He looks like a man you’d see on the beach. Blond with a quick smile, and two big dimples. Muscles everywhere. Handsome in a dangerous way, my mother would say.
When he’d gained control of the gun, I’d thought I was dead, and I prayed for mercy for my sons.
Luckily, the man showed restraint.
Duri winces as the man shifts him ever so gently.
“Try to be strong,” I tell him. “Don’t make him mad.”
“He said he doesn’t want to hurt us,” Duri replies.
I hope his translation is accurate. He typically only translates poorly when words have double meanings or if it’s something he doesn’t understand, which admittedly happens a lot because he’s only six.
But the words he repeated seemed simple enough, and they were clearly spoken.
The man could have killed me, and he had every right to. After all, I stabbed him, knocked him out, and tied him to a bed. But how could I not when the situation was so desperate? I know how men are in times like these. I’ve seen them on the streets, acting like savages. I didn’t want to hurt him, but I had little choice.
Luckily, we were close to the building I was trying to get to, and I was able to drag him inside after I got Duri and Hyun to safety.
I wasn’t even sure if I should save him, but leaving him for dead would only teach my sons that it is okay to kill without reason.
The man mumbles something to himself. I wish I understood him. With the way he’s dressed, I assume he’s friends with the man I’d encountered all those weeks ago. The one that threw granola at my sons’ feet.
He seemed nice enough, but dealing with him was too great a risk, and while I am not so cruel as to kill, I’m not above stealing. His pack came in handy, as did his sword and gun.
That is until the sword accidentally pierced Duri.
I’ll never forgive myself for leaving it so carelessly on the desk, where he could reach it.
Hyun continues to pat his brother, oblivious to the danger we are in. I consider grabbing him up from the bed but think better of it. If this man sees him, sees how small and innocent he is, maybe his heart will soften and he will show us mercy.
It’s unfair that we’ve made it so far, so long, only to come to this. There’s no telling what this man is going to do, or how he’ll treat us afterward. I’ve seen these men in black stalking the streets, and know how capable they are. I’d be powerless against one.
Duri unleashes a bloodcurdling scream, and I rush to his side.
The man’s hand darts to the gun, but he does not raise it.
“The man is hurting me,” Duri cries. “Make him stop!”
“Shhhh,” I hush. “He’s trying to help you.”
“He is hurting me real bad.”
The man grumbles what sounds like curse words and continues working on Duri’s leg. He points over to his pack and says something. Instead of waiting for Duri’s translation, I grab it and hand it to him.
From a hidden compartment, he takes out a black pack, unzips it, and pulls out more supplies.
To my relief, it’s a suture kit.
