COLD CREEK

Three: The Airport

In the dead of the night, Raiden awoke with a sharp gasp. He flung himself up to the sitting position, his eyes darting from corner to corner of the room, looking for someone. His breathing was fast and loud -- loud enough to wake Byeol. Glancing at his clock, he saw it was only 3AM - it felt much later than that. Wiping off the sweat glistening on his face, Raiden rolled over to one side of the bed and laid on his back, his arms folded over his chest and eyes stared at the ceiling. He didn't remember going to bed. But he did remember the woman.

Her face was so clear in his mind. The terrified look in her brown eyes and the mouth parted to speak. Her one hand was always clutching her stomach, as if something was inside of her, clawing to get out. The other hand was outstretched, reaching for someone to help her. Yet no one came.

Raiden squeezed his eyes shut and passed a hand over his face again. He began memorising his room, making sure everything was in its rightful place. The clothes he chose for tomorrow morning hung on their hangers and his shoes were placed neatly by the bedroom door. His comb and pomade were lined up on his dresser beside his vitamins and medications. He looked over at the window, making sure the shades were drawn all the way and the blinds were closed tightly. They were.

Angered that he couldn't go back to sleep, Raiden decided to do something quite out of schedule. Go for a very early walk. His mind was darkened by the nightmares and he knew going back to sleep would only resume the dreams. Pressing his palms against his eyes, he groaned and shook his head. He didn't understand why he was having such vivid dreams so suddenly. It was as if the universe was preparing him for something...something awful.

Shaking off the burdensome images, Raiden switched on his light, slipped out of bed, and walked over to his closet. He stood in front of it for a few seconds, thinking of what he should wear to keep warm. Out of habit, his hands rubbed together. The task of choosing an outfit was a process that was easy for most men, but for Raiden, it brought on a lot of anxiety. He wanted to make sure every piece complimented each other while serving their purpose. He didn't want to be uncomfortable, as he made the mistake of wearing his grandma's wool sweater and it caused an allergic reaction. However, he never got rid of it because of the sentiment.

As the anxiety grew, he suddenly heard a woman and a man shouting outside his house. He froze, like a deer in headlights. He listened and soon identified the voices to be those of Americans. They were probably tourists who lost their sense of direction. A Japanese couple would have known better than to be shouting at each other in the streets. At least, not at such an absurd time.

Finally deciding what to wear, Raiden opened the closet doors and pulled on a comfy striped pullover and straight fit jeans. He put on a pair of athletic shoes and called it done. Byeol, seeing his master readying for a walk, hopped up from his bed and joined his side.

In his native language, Raiden spoke. "Stay here, my friend, I'll be back. Get some rest."

Byeol whimpered and pawed at the air.

"Ah, Īe, my friend. Next time, okay?" Raiden patted his dog's head and left for the bedroom door. He reached down for the doorknob, but before turning it, he looked back at his pet and was about to say something else before he heard a knock downstairs.

He furrowed his brows, trying to think who would be visiting him at this time. Lana came to mind, but he knew her well enough she wouldn't sacrifice sleep for people. He opened his door and started towards the main room. A second knock echoed through the house.

"Byeol!" Raiden clicked his fingers, signalling his dog to join him.

Something wasn't right. The hair on the back of his neck stood up and his body began shaking. He approached the door slowly as he heard voices outside. One was a man. The other was a woman. He understood some of their words, and it sounded as if they were in trouble. He also noticed the shouting outside had stopped.

"Hello? Can someone please help us? My wife is pregnant."

Raiden straightened his shoulders and walked up to the door. He looked through the peephole and saw a middle-aged man with a younger woman who was dressed in a large coat. Her face was pale and she was shaking. If she was pregnant, it would've been a cruel thing to ignore them. Not knowing what else to do, but seeing no harm in listening to their story, Raiden opened the door and poked his head out.

"Hello?"

"Hello, sir," the man began in a dry voice. "Our car isn't working and my wife needs to use the bathroom, fast. We saw your bedroom light on. I'm sorry, do you speak English?"

Raiden nodded his head. "Yes. Um, you may come in." He stepped aside, watching their every move carefully.

Byeol growled and his hackles rose.

Raiden glanced down at his dog and corrected him, even though he knew better than to ignore an animal's warnings.

"Thank you," the man said, bowing. "Where is your restroom? Oh, may I close your door? Awfully chilly."

"Yes, you may." Raiden stood there for a second, quickly sizing up the couple. Something was off.

"Your bathroom?" the woman asked, shivering.

"Oh, yes, it's over here." Raiden turned around for a split second, just to hear Byeol let out a fearsome bark and then he felt a solid object strike the back of his head. He staggered forward, stunned by the throbbing pain. He had to fight against it and defend himself, but another blow sent the floor rushing up to meet him.

He was then yanked up and slammed against a wall. His breath escaped his body for a second before he met the floor again. Sweat gushed down his face and heat radiated off of his body. Raiden flipped over and grabbed the assailant around the neck, twisting him into a headlock. Both of their breathing stammered and strained with the same determination to survive. Raiden found his strength and was able to yank the intruder to his feet. The only things racing through his mind were 'stay alive' and 'don't give in'.

As the stranger wriggled and twisted frantically against the headlock, Raiden looked over to the sounds of the woman struggling against Byeol. Byeol had the collar of her jacket between his teeth and was dragging her across the floor. That moment of distraction was enough time for the other man to send a blow to Raiden's lower ribs, causing him to lose his grip.

The man grabbed Raiden's arms and slammed him to the ground, where he zip tied his wrists together. "Shoot the dog, quick!"

Through blurred vision, Raiden watched as his dog made his last attempt to protect his master by leaping towards the man, teeth bared and claws extended. But the woman had already drawn a weapon and fired.

A sharp pop cut through the air and Byeol collapsed to the ground at the same time Raiden fell unconscious.

What felt like hours, Raiden's eyes fluttered open. The moisture of his own breath surrounded his senses and he realised quickly a cloth bag was tied around his head and his arms were still cuffed behind his back. He felt the rumbling of the vehicle beneath him, knowing very well he could be far from home now. In a whirling panic, he began shouting in Japanese.

Someone knocked him hard across the face, silencing him.

"Listen, if you just behave and not fight us, this will be a smoother drive," came the woman's voice.

"He probably doesn't understand what you said," the man chuckled as he patted Raiden's face in a condescending manner. "Hey, Roe, help us out."

Raiden felt his heart banging against his chest and his lungs were aching from the lack of oxygen. His wrists were burning and his clothes were soaked from his sweat. He heard another voice, one from the driver's seat. He sounded like his junior, early twenties at least.

In Japanese, the third stranger spoke. "Raiden, don't be afraid. They don't understand Japanese or Korean, so what I'm about to say, keep it to yourself. You are in trouble. You won't be able to run away. Where you're going is a very dangerous place."

Raiden wanted to reply. He wanted to scream. But he knew better than to cause any suspicion.

"I know you don't want to die, and neither do I. Just listen to me. I'm not on their side. I'm from Korea, but I can understand you. You're the second person besides myself they've imported."

"Imported?" Raiden repeated to himself.

At those words, Raiden felt the car come to a stop. The lighting outside had brightened and he could only assume it was the sun finally rising.

"Tell him to behave himself, okay?" the man growled as he popped open the car door. Before getting out, he ripped the bag off of Raiden's head and unlocked the cuffs.

Raiden gasped as fresh air filled his body. He had to sit for a moment to collect his senses, but as he did so, he quickly observed his captors. The woman to his left had changed out of her coat and was wearing casual attire and was carrying a backpack. The annoying man to his right was wearing a more formal outfit, one that a person would wear for even a stranger's approval. And then there was the driver, young and tough looking.

Raiden studied the boy. Roe, so they had been calling him, had a smoother facial structure with a small, pert nose and slender lips. His eyes were dark and serious, ones that concealed hundreds of untold stories. His jet-black hair resembled that of an anime figure with the way the tapered strands hung in his face. He looked like someone who once smiled a lot, but whatever had happened to him, his happiness had been buried deep within a nightmare.

"Get out," the man commanded, jerking Raiden out of the car.

Raiden looked around his new environment and saw that they were standing in an airport parking garage.

"Roe," Raiden said softly as he managed to stand beside the driver while the other two were on their phones.

"Hmm?" Roe looked over and the corner of his mouth pulled up into a weak smile. "You speak some English?"

"Hai. I understand better than I can talk."

"What about Korean?"

Raiden nodded. "Fluent in both."

"Good. From now on, you and I speak those, I don't care which ones. I can understand both, too. The more they believe you can't understand English, the better we'll be. I'm Roe Seo-Jun, by the way."

Raiden smirked. There was something intriguing about this new stranger. His mind seemed fast, always staying a step ahead of the others. He looked smart, but in a dangerous way.

"Raiden Morita."

"I know. I didn't tell them to shoot your dog. They weren't supposed to. They're both impulsive. They also tried to steal a different car early this morning by following this old woman, made her crash the car instead--,"

"What are you fools talking about?" The man groaned as he clicked his phone off.

"We're introducing ourselves," Seo-Jun replied brightly. "Is that bad? We have to be civil to the new guy, don't we?"

Raiden looked at his captors and then back at Seo-jun. He noticed the boy's voice changed whenever he spoke to the others. It was more sarcastic and empty of emotions.

"Whatever, hurry up. We'll miss our flight. Come on, Jennifer. Did you tell him we're on our way?"

"Yes," Jennifer replied as she locked the car. She joined the other man and glanced over at Raiden. She smiled and looked him up and down. "You're more handsome in person."

Raiden didn't reply. No compliment could ever soften him towards such people.

"Roe, what do you think?" Jennifer asked. "You think he'll do well?"

Seo-jun merely looked down at the ground and grabbed Raiden by the arm. "Thought you didn't want to miss your flight?"

"You've always been such a sassy bastard. Can't stand giving me credit," Jennifer snarled as she shouldered Seo-jun out of the way. She strutted forward, leading the way to the automatic doors.

Under his breath, Seo-jun began talking to Raiden. His voice was soft and strangely comforting. Even though it seemed he was working for these two, it was apparent to Raiden that he was sincere about his words and actions. "It'll be explained more when we get back. But I promise, I'm on your side. When I heard about your profile, I swore to myself I would not betray you. You're probably the vision I had been dreaming about."

Raiden's eyes widened and he remembered his dream. Was fate doing something? Raiden swallowed and looked over at the parking lot railings. He saw the perfect opportunity to escape. If he broke from Seo-jun's grip now, he could run up those stairs and disappear over that wall. He could be free. He could also get the police. Raiden bit his bottom lip and made to change his direction before Seo-jun tightened his hold on him.

The younger man looked over at Raiden and shook his head slowly.

"Don't. Others have tried at this same spot. You do not want to find out the consequences. Stay with me. Here, don't forget to put on your mask." Seo-jun pulled out the mandated piece of cloth and fitted the loops around Raiden's ears.

Raiden blinked away the oncoming tears. He wasn't one to surrender to emotions, but now that the lower half of his face was covered, it was now going to be harder to signal for help. A shuddering sigh left his body as the sliding glass doors opened. The four of them entered the airport as if they had all agreed to do so together.