I regretted my little white lie the moment I entered the basement.  There were boxes of supplies everywhere.  This was the only place light was allowed on since it was technically underground.  I blinked, my eyes adjusting to the light.  People were everywhere.  I didn’t understand the chaos until I heard the rumble of bus engines outside mixing with the constant gunfire.  I thought it meant that the bus had left with civilians on board but a moment later, people were rushing downstairs, carrying injured soldiers. 

                I touched a soldier’s shoulder as he went to rush past me.

                “I was told to help the medical team.  What can I do?” I asked, my voice quavering.  He wiped the back of his hand against his forehead leaving a long streak of blood.

                “You can help me.  They’re bringing the injured in now,” he explained as he began to dart through the crowd to the other side of the basement where some empty cots had been set up.  He dropped the stuff he was carrying on the table next to one of the cots.  I couldn’t focus long enough to take in anything.

                “What’s going on?” I asked him.

                He blinked his tired blue eyes at me.  “A unit of North Korean foot soldiers began their invasion into Seoul a few hours ago.  We were unprepared.  They’re taking out nearly all of Seoul working their way here.  We are the southern most part Seoul.  They’re trying to stall them, but…”  His hands worked at lightening speed to set up medication and surprisingly, an IV.  “They’re using this school and another one a few miles away as medical facilities.”

                Suddenly, gunfire roared from what sounded like above.  I covered my mouth in surprise.  “What the…”

                “If we can stop them here, they won’t be able to get past Seoul and make their way to the rest of the country.”

                “They’re shooting on the roof?”

                “Honey, you’re going to have to pick it up a little if you’re going to be any help here,” the soldier told me.  I nodded and began unwrapping packages of syringes and lining up bottles.  Copying whatever it was that he did.

                They were shooting at North Korean soldiers from the roof of this building.  This really was like the war in the 50s.  My mind couldn’t comprehend this.  My knees felt weak and my mouth went dry.

                I almost passed out when they brought the soldier’s first patient onto the cot.  He was bleeding from his abdomen.  A lot.  The soldier appeared to know exactly what to do as he moved around the cot like an athlete.  Darting around, grabbing things, shouting orders, receiving supplies.

                I didn’t recognize this soldiers.  He was Korean.  I studied his eyes.  They were fading.  I ripped open his uniform shirt and used alcohol to clean his torso, trying to find the wound.  I was moving on autopilot, bringing up all the memories from my high school volunteer work at the dinky little hospital back in Arizona.  I’d never seen anything like this when I was at the hospital.  The worst thing I’d ever seen was the little girl who broke her leg landing wrong during her gymnastics class.  She cried a lot.

                The building shook with an explosion.  Screams could be heard from what seemed to be everywhere. 

                This soldier winced in pain and blood trickled out of his mouth as I continued to try to clean the blood off.  He coughed and blood exploded into the air.  I choked back a sob.  The soldier doing all the work called another soldier over.  The two began working on the fallen soldier’s torso.  One gave him an injection while the other prepared to stitch him up.

               At a loss of what to do, I looked back into the soldier’s eyes.  I felt for him.  This could have been Seung Ri.  It wasn’t but he was someone.  Someone’s son, brother, boyfriend, best friend.  I touched his cheek and slipped my hand into his.  He squeezed my fingers.  That was a good sign, wasn’t it?  A tear slipped down the side of his face, dropping onto the cot mattress underneath him.  Gunfire echoed inside my head.

                “Hey, girl!”  I blinked and looked around to find the source of the shouting.  It was that soldier from before.

                “Nikki,” I said.

                “Nikki, I need you to focus, ok?”  I nodded.  “Can you go upstairs to the front entrance?  Tell one of the guys there that we need to start transporting patients out of here to the other school.  We are taking in more than we’re sending out and we’re running out of room.  Can you do that?”

                I nodded.  Looking back down at the soldier, he was still wincing in pain, but the American soldier working on him appeared to be almost done.  The soldier squeezed my fingers again and blinked.  I tried to smile for him as I slipped my hand out of his and ran for the stairs.  I had to squeeze past soldiers and other civilians who’d stayed to help.  Everyone seemed to be covered in blood, carrying poor, broken bodies.

                I made it to the top of the stairs and bolted to the entrance of the school where people were still flowing in and out of the double doors.  I had just found a soldier who I assumed was one of the ones that soldier had been talking about when I saw the explosion light up the night outside.  The impact of it sent me ad several others flying backwards like rag dolls.

                Landing flat on my back, clear across the hallway, I winced and sat up.  It was only a matter of seconds before I heard and saw another explosion.  I covered my face and curled into a ball as debris and bodies were scattered everywhere.

                The fire from the explosion lit up the night again before everything before my eyes went blacker than a starless night sky.

                My eyes fluttered open to see Seung Ri’s face hovering above me.  I was sure I was hallucinating.  I must have hit my head.  Where was I?  It was too dark to see around me.

                “Nikki!  Nikki, stay with me.”  His voice sounded muffled.

                “Seung Ri…” I whispered.  My throat was dry and I couldn’t hear it well inside my own head.  My head throbbed and my back stung.  I touched my side.  It felt wet.  “Where…”

                He hushed me and placed his hands on the sides of my face.

                “What happened?” I murmured.

                “The school was hit in the front.  The entire front half collapsed.  We’re trapped in here, but don’t worry.  I’ll make sure they take care of you,” he answered.  “Then you just have to wait until we can get you out of here to a better medical facility.  Better yet, a hospital.”

                Where were we then?  Was I back in the basement?  My brain couldn’t grasp a thought long enough to come up with an idea.

                “I’m cold.  Am I bleeding?” I wondered, turning my face only to see his palm.

                “A little,” he replied.  “You’ll be ok.  Don’t worry, ok?”

                I could tell he was lying.  I felt sticky all over.  Seung Ri’s uniform was splattered in blood.  I just knew it was mine.

                “You’ll be ok,” he repeated.  My eyes closed.  I felt him touching my wrist.  “I gave you back your blue bracelet.  You need protection now.  Ji Yong is wearing your green one.  He’s doing ok now.  He’s with the others on the roof on the side of the school that’s still standing.”  His voice grew panicky.  I felt him shaking my shoulders.  I was tired and my eyelids were too heavy to lift.

                I moaned and my head lolled to the side.  “Stop.  Don’t.  It hurts,” I mumbled.  Every time he shook me, it felt like someone was driving nails into my back and hammering at my head.  “I’m cold.”

                “I won’t shake you if you stay awake.  Open your eyes,” he ordered, clutching at my shoulders.  I tried, but my eyes wouldn’t open.  I saw strange spots behind my eyelids.

                “I’m tired.”

                I felt him lower the upper half of his body onto mine.  I ignored the stinging pain in my back.  And the pounded inside my skull.  I could feel his breath against my neck.  I wanted to remind him that he had a girlfriend.  No, I told myself, screw that.  Screw her.  She isn’t here now.  I was.  I needed him more than she did.  I could love him better, too.  I was cuter too, I thought deliriously.

                “Don’t fall asleep,” he whispered into my ear.  I could feel him dropping feather light kisses along my lower jaw.

                I wanted to wrap my arms around him, keeping him there, but I couldn’t move my arms.  It was like the message my brain was sending to my arms to make them curl around him was hitting a dead end.  I could hear him whispering to me, but I could no longer understand the words he was using.  So tired.  I hurt so bad.  If I slept a little, maybe the pain would go away.

                I knew my eyes were still closed, but the spots that had been dancing behind my eyes had stopped.  I panicked.  I couldn’t feel his lips anymore.  Was he still there?

                There was nothing but blackness now.