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T’AE YEON-WOO WALKED into the room Cowboy was staying in carrying a tattered jacket. Cowboy sat up on the cot, having given up on sleep an hour earlier when he realized it just wasn’t going to happen.
“Here, put this on,” T’ae said, tossing the jacket to Cowboy.
He caught it and then looked it over.
“For what?” Cowboy asked.
“It is time to go.”
“Go where?”
“We have arranged for your safe passage,” T’ae replied. “We must go now.”
T’ae walked up to Cowboy and tried to grab Cowboy’s arm. Cowboy immediately withdrew as he stood to face off against the much smaller man.
“Hold on a second, mate,” Cowboy said as he stepped back. “What’s the plan here?”
“We have a very small window to get you across. There is no time to waste.”
“And you’ve made arrangements with my government?”
“Yes, of course,” T’ae said, motioning impatiently for Cowboy to come on. “You must hurry.”
Cowboy slowly stepped back until he was backed into the corner. He tossed the jacket on the cot. T’ae stayed where he was and continued to motion for Cowboy to go with him.
“How do you know what government to contact?” Cowboy asked.
“Pak told us when he asked for our help. Now, come, you mustn’t waste any more time!”
Maeng came down the stairs and froze as she saw the standoff between Cowboy and T’ae. “What is going on? We must go now! Why are you both just standing there?”
Cowboy relaxed slightly as he saw Maeng. His guard was up and his gut told him something wasn’t right, but they were both saying all the right things to make him believe that they were allies. His head was still in a fog and he was in a lot of pain. He wasn’t sure if his paranoia was caused by his injuries or something more.
“If you stay here, we cannot protect you,” T’ae warned. “The army will find you as they found Pak.”
“You must hurry!” Maeng said.
“I think I should call my friends, first,” Cowboy said.
“You can talk to them when you are across. We have coordinated this through your government,” T’ae said.
“Which government?” Cowboy asked.
“What do you mean?” T’ae asked.
“You said you made contact with my government – which one?”
“I understand your suspicion, but we truly must leave now. As I have explained, we work with the CIA and they are helping to get you out. We cannot allow you to use that phone because the North Korean government may be listening,” Maeng answered.
“There is no more time,” T’ae said.
Cowboy reluctantly complied. T’ae grabbed the jacket off the cot and handed it to him once more. “You must wear this and keep the hood up to help conceal your identity.”
“I stand out no matter what I wear, mate,” Cowboy said as he accepted the jacket and put it on.
“Please do as we say,” Maeng said. “We are trying to help you.”
Cowboy put the jacket on and followed them up the stairs and out of the basement. They led him through the tiny kitchen and outside, where an old, four-door sedan was waiting in the darkness.
“Please put the hood on,” T’ae said before getting in the driver’s seat.
Cowboy put the hood on and got into the backseat as Maeng took shotgun. T’ae put the car in gear and the diesel engine roared.
They pulled onto the empty highway. Cowboy did his best to keep track of their progress, but he had no idea where he was or which way was home. The pitch-black highway and lack of cultural lighting from the many homes without electricity weren’t helping either.
They droned along the highway for twenty minutes and then pulled off the highway onto a narrow dirt road. T’ae put the car in park and killed the car’s engine and headlights.
“What now?” Cowboy asked.
“We wait,” T’ae said.
Moments later a pair of headlights flashed in the distance. T’ae and Maeng exited, and then T’ae opened the door for Cowboy. The hair on the back of his neck was standing up. Something about it just didn’t feel right.
“What’s this?” Cowboy asked.
“These are our associates,” T’ae said. “They will take you the rest of the way.”
“Who do they work for?” Cowboy asked suspiciously.
“Come,” Maeng said. “We mustn’t keep them waiting.”
Cowboy tried to get a feel for his surroundings as he limped along behind T’ae and Maeng. It was nearly pitch black with a moonless night, but Cowboy could see that there were fields on either side. He could just make out the silhouette of a mountain to his left and an abyss of darkness to his right.
His escape options were limited, but as they approached four dark figures, he at least had a plan.
“Wait here,” T’ae said.
Maeng stood by Cowboy as T’ae continued toward the figures. As Cowboy’s eyes adjusted, he saw that they were four men dressed in dark clothing. They spoke to T’ae in Korean. One of the men pulled out a lighter and lit cigarette. The glow from the lighter was just enough for Cowboy to see that they were wearing camouflage.
“Are they military?” Cowboy asked.
Maeng said nothing as she stood next to Cowboy and watched T’ae.
“Answer me,” Cowboy whispered.
T’ae stepped out of the way and the four men approached. As they grew closer, Cowboy could now clearly see that they were all military.
“What in the bloody hell is going on?” Cowboy asked.
“I’m sorry,” Maeng said.
Cowboy pushed her out of the way and started running toward the field to his right. The pain from his injuries was overwhelming, but he pushed through as he stumbled through the field. He could hear the men running behind him as they gave chase. He ran as fast as he could, pushing through the pain as he heard them shouting.
Cowboy ran through a drainage ditch and tripped. He did a forward somersault and tried to get back up. Within seconds, the men were on top of him. They punched him in the gut and started kicking him. The hits knocked the wind out of him as the men flexcuffed his hands behind his back.
As they rolled him over, Cowboy saw Maeng hover over him with a needle.
“I am sorry. I had hoped this would go easier for you,” she said as she stuck it in his neck.
“Who are you? Where are you taking me? Why did you do this?” Cowboy mumbled before drifting into unconsciousness.