Slave Again

CHAPTER 1   “Kick me again, and I swear I’ll kill you,” Mee-Kyong growled. She fell backward, exposing the small swell of her abdomen. Pang didn’t miss his opportunity. As soon as his heel connected with the underside of her belly, a warm gush streamed down her leg. “What did you do?” Her voice faltered. “What were you thinking?” She gawked at the puddle beneath her. Pang shook his head. “You shouldn’t provoke me like that.” He sank down beside her. “You know how hard it is for me to keep my temper.” Mee-Kyong didn’t try to stand. She stared at the blood-tinged liquid on the floor. He groaned. “I asked you to help me not get so angry anymore.” He scooped her up, and a smaller leak cascaded down to the ground. “You’re bleeding.” He brushed her cheek with his lips as he laid her on the bed. She was too nauseated to open her eyes. Pang curled down beside her on the mattress, wrapping his arms around her and stroking her hair. “Next time, try not to make me so upset. At least not until our child is born.” She intertwined her legs with his, wincing as her nerves shot fire through her belly in protest. He pressed himself up against her back and ran his fingers around her navel. “I would never do anything to hurt either of you.” His hot breath tickled her ear. “You are my family now.” A shiver started at the tip of Mee-Kyong’s tailbone and scurried all the way up her back, finally erupting into goose bumps across her shoulders. He buried his face into the curve of her neck. “All I want to do is love you.” Her whole body shuddered. Half an hour later, she stood over him and focused on his snoring. Not yet. Wait a few more minutes. She held her breath. Invisible iron fingers clamped down on her uterus. Her discharge was now mostly blood instead of clear liquid. He’ll be sleeping soundly soon enough. Don’t be an impatient fool. Wait a little bit longer. A contraction forced the breath out of her, and Pang shifted on the bed. She froze. He couldn’t wake up. Not yet. She held her abdomen, pressing her fingers against the hard swell. You can do this. She stared at her bruised belly. Pang twitched in his sleep. Mee-Kyong rose slowly, keeping her hand over her midsection. She tiptoed to the far side of the cabin and turned around long enough to study her lover. She had endured so much as a prisoner in Camp 22. She could make it without Pang. But did she really want to? He was the father of her child. He had purchased her freedom with his own. He gave up everything — his job, his standing with the Party, his personal safety — just to help her escape the gulag. You owe it to him to stay with him. Pang grimaced and let out a loud snore. Mee-Kyong wrinkled her nose. I hate snoring. She reached into Pang’s traveling bag and pulled out his knife. Do it now, or you’ll never have the courage, you coward. She wished Pang weren’t asleep, but it had to be this way. If he was awake, she would never follow through. He would thwart her just as easily as he would swat a mosquito. Whether with his fists or his kisses, he could always find a way to stop her. She grimaced when a contraction seized her abdomen. More blood oozed down her leg as she studied the former prison guard. Scratch lines ran across one side of his chest. She stood above him, etching his muscular frame into her memory. Even in his sleep, he made a fist. The contraction tapered off, but she still hesitated. You’ve always been too pathetic to do anything. She should just take a nap like Pang and sleep off her worries. That night, the broker would come and hustle them into China. Once they were out of North Korea, Pang wouldn’t be so tense. He wouldn’t get so angry. She put her hand protectively over her abdomen. Her other hand trembled, almost dropping the weapon. “Maybe we should stay,” she whispered to her womb. Pang choked on his own snore. His mouth hung open as he lay splayed on the bed. Mee-Kyong gripped the steel handle. He looks so pathetic when he drools. She breathed in and plunged the knife into Pang’s chest.