Author's note: Chapters 3-5 are going to be somewhat slow from a plot standpoint because I need to set the story up first.

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It took me a few moments before I was finally able to start breathing again and piece my thoughts together.

That probably just shaved a few years off my life.

The stress of this day was already too much for one lifetime.

The knocking continued, but it was clear that they didn’t want to attract too much attention or else they would have forced their way in. Before leaving the pantry, I looked back towards the box and the cubby and decided that I hadn’t left anything valuable. Turning to face the door, I walked towards it and pressed myself against the wall next to it. I knew the store like the back of my hand so I knew that they wouldn’t have a very good vantage point of the route that connected the kitchen to the pantry.

I went down on all fours, figuring that I could crawl out of the room without being noticed.

As I was crawling I could feel my heart beating fast and sweat lining my face.

I can’t get caught.

The few seconds it took to crawl from the pantry to the kitchen felt like millennia, but I was able to make it there without being spotted. I stood up and looked at the hole in the ceiling that I dropped from earlier.

That’s my only way out.

I knew that I wouldn’t have been able to make the jump from the floor to the roof so I searched the room for something that I could stand on.

The knocking continued.

 All of the tables in the kitchen were drilled to the floor, but I was able to find a cart that was used to carry food. It was tall enough for me to reach the hole, but I was worried about how steady I could keep it because of its wheels on the bottom. With no better option in sight, I grabbed the cart and pulled it towards the hole. I hadn’t noticed the metal bowl that was on the cart, and as it moved, the bowl slid off…

The bowl hit the floor with a loud ringing noise that echoed throughout the kitchen…

The knocking stopped.

“Somebody’s in there.” I heard a voice coming from the front of the restaurant. There was a pause of silence and then I heard an attempt to twist the door knobs.

I’ve got to get out of here!

I quickly rolled the cart under the hole and started to get on top of it. I had to be cautious because any misstep would cause the cart to be misplaced. Once I was standing on the cart, I steadied myself and got ready to jump. An instant before I jumped, I heard another attempt to open the lock.

They’re trying to pick the lock.

I jumped with this thought in mind which caused me to be somewhat off balance. As my right foot left the cart, my left one pushed it: causing it to roll. I was able to get my foot off the cart before it rolled too far, but the rolling made it so I didn’t get the lift that I intended. I was luckily able to reach my right hand out and grab the edge of the hole. Little did I know; there was a piece of broken metal that was poking out from the same part of the hole. The piece of metal cut the palm of my hand and caused it to burn in pain. I wanted to scream, but there would be bigger problems if I didn’t keep moving.

Bracing for the pain, I pulled myself up so that my left arm could reach the edge. With both hands on the ledge; I was able to lift my body through the hole and back onto the roof. As I removed my right hand from the ledge, I could feel the cold metal sliding out of my skin which contrasted with the burning feeling from the cut.

The strange sensation caused me to shiver as I stood up and looked at my wound. It wasn’t too deep, but it covered most of my palm and would need tending to.

Let’s cover this vent first.

I picked up the top of the vent from the roof and carefully placed it in the hole as to not make noise. A second after the vent was placed; I heard the front door of the restaurant open. I knew they were going to be in there for some time, searching for me, so I figured I should make a run for it.

Looking out towards the back of the restaurant I noticed that I was pretty high up, and jumping straight down would be out of the question. I couldn’t jump on the crates because they were unsteady after my first jump and would make too much noise. While searching for another way down, a memory of one of my mother’s lessons appeared in my mind…

She wanted me to make a shape out of brittle clay and try to drop it without it breaking. I figured it was impossible; every time I dropped the shape, it broke. After too many failed attempts, I gave up, and my mother showed me the trick to it. She made a tight ball out of the clay, and tossed it instead of just dropping it. The ball hit the floor rolling without even a scratch in the clay.

 “Well that was too simple for me to even consider and option.” I said to my mother, somewhat upset that I got shown up. “That’ usually how things are.” My mother responded without looking at me. She picked up the ball and brought it to me.

“The trick is to spread out the impact over time. Having a good center makes all the difference. You should also be moving laterally when you drop so gravity isn’t the only force on you.”

“You…?” I asked my mother confused that she randomly began to speak to me as if I were the object. She didn’t respond, just smiled and walked towards the house. “We’re done for the day, Taengo.”

How did I not see that before?

Focusing back on my situation, I stared down at the jump I knew I was going to have to make. I could hear the men fumbling through the restaurant searching for me. Taking heed to my mother’s words I figured I needed to have a good center to make this jump.

I backed away from the ledge of the roof and took in a deep breath. Getting a running start, I jumped from the roof.

While in the air; I tucked in my legs towards my body and wrapped my arms around them. Now I was like a makeshift circle flying through the air. With the forward momentum I got from jumping I was able to start turning.

I hit the floor rolling and stumbled to get up. It wasn’t nearly as smooth as I had seen it movies, but it worked. Looking around to make sure that nobody saw me, I took a back route and ran from the restaurant…  

It bothered me that I had to run away from everything. It wasn’t the running that got to me, but the fact that I wasn’t able to protect anything. I couldn’t stop those men from taking my parents and I can’t stop them from violating the restaurant.

They’ve probably torn the house apart too…

I could protect one thing- I have to protect that one thing.

Haeyeon.

….

“Maybe what I wrote for today wasn’t enough…” I said, flipping through my diary. My house had been searched, but not too thoroughly or they would have noticed my diary under my bed.

“They” had checked all the drawers, cabinets, and closets- basically anywhere you could hide something. I figured they were looking for the box, but it was clear that they didn’t want to be seen because they made sure there was no ‘scene’

That can be useful information.

It made me assume that Haeyeon would be safe for the time being because looking for her at school would definitely cause a scene.

While running I was able to get to my house without being seen by anyone. I even braved standing on the same fence that I did this morning to make sure that nobody was on their way here. I knew I had some time, but I didn’t want to stay too long in case they decided to search the house again.

Getting ready to leave; I was able to find an old travel bag under my bed. It was the same one I used when we last went to visit the Hwang’s. I grabbed some clothes and the things closest to me: my diary, a book I had been reading, and my wallet; and stuffed them in the bag. I found another bag and went to my sister’s room next. Her room was barely touched by the invaders so it wasn’t hard to find what she would need.

The only things I picked up for her were: clothes, a stuffed doll, and a handheld game that I saw her play often. I wanted to grab our cell phones, but they were traceable so it didn’t seem like a good idea. Everything else I deemed more of a luxury and my father once told me to always pack light so that’s what I did.

I scanned the kitchen and found some canned food and bottled water to bring along. There was supposed to be food and water in the emergency car, but I brought it along just in case. Double checking to make sure I got everything I came for, I headed towards the back door of the house. On my way out, I saw a family photo that we had taken when Haeyeon was still a baby and decided to bring it along. As soon as I left the house, my stomach tightened and I felt tense. 

I felt a sort of calm while in the house and having to leave it made me feel sick because I knew that I wasn’t going to see it again for a long time; if ever. Leaving the house through the back was risky due to there being a lot of alleys and corners, but it was my best bet to not be seen. Once I felt safe that nobody was watching me, I cut towards a field of tall grass and made my way towards the lake…

Standing in front of the lake by my house, it felt like different day. The sun was now overhead, and its heat didn’t feel as nice. I circled the lake to find the car; it was hidden at the bottom of a small hill, under a tarp with vegetation on it.

Please be there.

 I went down the hill and saw the imprint of the car. Taking the tarp off the car, I became relieved that it hadn’t been touched. All of the expected food and water were in the trunk, and there was even an extra can of gas so we wouldn’t have to make an unsafe stop. It was an old car, but it was in good condition because my father frequently did maintenance on it. I grabbed the keys from a hidden compartment in one of the tires and stuffed our bags inside of the car. Running around carrying three bags filled with things had drained my energy so I decided to sit for a few minutes and relax. While sitting in the car I was able to find an emergency first aid kit. I poured some water on my cut hand, and bandaged it until I could get proper attention to it.

After drinking some water and having a bite to eat I noticed that it was almost time for Haeyeon to be released from school.

I know they’re going to be there.

They knew where the restaurant was so it was obvious that they would know where my sister went to school. I had been training in fighting, but I wasn’t sure that I could beat them. Plus I had no clue if they had weapons or not, and I didn’t really want to find out.

I’ve got to come up with a plan

With that thought in mind, I started up the engine and drove towards the school. I was determined to take care of my sister, and I wasn’t going to let them stop me.