XXVIII

The infirmary tent is gone, the cots, the equipment and most of the prosthetics have been rendered nearly useless after the flashbombs — a new military device that sends out a blinding light draining everything of colour and is capable of burning skin to a crisp. Another type of explosive had been dropped only a few moments later, spreading fragments of sharp metal every where when it blew up.

Yongsun hurriedly rushes back and forth between the many soldiers lying on their uniform jackets, dabbing their wounds with wet cloths. The blonde doctor is among them, her neck bandaged by Yongsun’s coat. Yongsun has taken over the role as Head Doctor, now that the real doctor is incapacitated. She begrudgingly settles into her new role, barking commands, adjusting steel joints and ‘decorating’ soldiers. 

Moonbyul is lying on one of the jackets stomach down, revealing the pieces of shrapnel imbedded deeply in her back. They stick out of her skin like small fins, blood seeps out of the wounds covering most of Moonbyul’s back with crimson lines. Yongsun hastily makes her way towards her when she sees one of the nurses holding a blowtorch and a large tweezer, ready to ‘decorate’ the sergeant’s scarred back. «No,» Yongsun grabs the nurse’s wrist, «we will not decorate the sergeant’s entire back,» she says defiantly, «we will remove all the pieces, then replace what can not be salvaged with steel.»

Yongsun knows it is a desperate attempt at keeping Moonbyul alive — no, human — let her still be a part of the old world, not the new, Yongsun prays as she gently places her hand on the Moonbyul’s back who flinches and tenses under the touch. «Let her be,» Yongsun whispers.