Second Chance

Chapter 15 - The Great Escape

Within minutes the city was buried in a hell of heavy gunfire. Bullets flew in all directions. People were going down like ninepins. Buildings were set ablaze. There was total chaos in the streets as the hostile engagement between the two opposing armies raged on.

Jake and Wing-mun ran along the alleys surrounded by private houses to avoid being shot at. As they made their way back to the depot to get the other two horses and escape the conflict, they saw corpses lying about everywhere, many were civilians and others soldiers, their bodies torn apart or heads blown off. At a sidewalk was a young couple leaning against the wall and hugging each other. Their eyes were wide open but they were dead; they had been killed by stray bullets.

“The bombardment – something’s not right about it,” Wing-mun said, panting. He was almost out on his feet from the hard running. “I know Marshal Zhang well. He does not possess this kind of artillery.”

“Who says the assault is coming from Marshal Zhang’s men?” Jake retorted, halting at the darkened corner of the alley. His eyes were on the street. A rush of enemy troops flashed by, shooting everyone in sight. “Take a good look.”

Wing-mun was astounded when he saw troops in dark brown uniforms and flat-topped peaked caps with a red band. “So I was mistaken, it’s the Japanese Imperial Army – they are the invaders!” he cried. “Oh no, this is worse than I thought. With the bloody j**s here, it is me, not you, who are really in deep trouble.”

Jake thought he heard a slight tremble in the mobster’s voice. “What’s the matter? What are you talking about?”

“I can’t allow them to capture me,” Wing-mun said, standing in the shadow of Jake. “Ever since I was elected chairman of the Anti-Japanese Movement in Shanghai, their war minister has put a price on my head.”

Just then, one of the troops spotted them. He called out to his two comrades and together they pointed their rifles at the two friends, getting ready for the kill. But Jake was faster. The three soldiers were felled by shots to their temples; despite the long layoff, Jake hadn’t lost his touch.

The other troops who witnessed the shooting, returned fire.

“Let’s scram, Mun Gor!” Jake commanded, as he ran back into the alley.

Wing-mun didn’t need any prompting. As he chased after Jake, flying bullets whistled about their ears. Twice shots brushed past Wing-mun’s head; luckily, they didn’t injure him. He looked over his shoulder and saw four enemy troops pursuing them; their constant shooting had certainly put the two friends in great peril. However, instead of being fearful for his life, he became enraged: he was nobody’s target practice. He stopped running, turned around, and shot at the soldiers who were shocked by his pluckiness. They were killed instantly; he might not have been a sharpshooter like Jake, but he could still get the job done.

“Great shooting, Mun Gor,” Jake complimented, pausing.

“Thanks,” Wing-mun beamed, “but I’m out of bullets now.”

“Here, reload it,” Jake said, taking out a small ammo box from his overcoat pocket and tossing it over to Wing-mun. “I need a breather anyway.”

While Wing-mun placed the bullets into his revolver, Jake watched him with great inquisitiveness. The mobster saw it and knew what his friend was thinking. So after loading his gun, he tossed back the box to Jake and said softly, “You wonder why I joined the Anti-Japanese Movement? Simple. The one thing I hate more than traitors and cowards is the Japanese military. Don’t be duped by their ‘Greater Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere’ propaganda, their so-called new world order to free China from Western powers. It’s just a front for strengthening Japan’s position and advance its dominion here and elsewhere in Asia.”

“Is that the only reason for your intense hatred for the Japanese?” Jake asked, blinking in doubt.

Wing-mun remained mute for several moments then muttered, “No, there was also … Mui-foong.”

Jake raised an eyebrow. “Who’s Mui-foong? I’ve never heard you mention this name before.”

Wing-mun went mute again and stared blankly down at the ground. When he finally raised his head, Jake saw his eyes were sad. After sucking in a lungful of air and blowing steam, Wing-mun said, “I’m sorry, but we shall not go into that; I shouldn’t have brought her name up in the first place. Come, let’s go, I think we have rest enough.”

Jake grew even more curious – this was the first time he caught Wing-mun in such an emotional state over a woman; he had always treated the opposite s*x as objects of pleasure and nothing more. But he respected the mobster’s decision and let the matter drop, at least for now. With gun in hand and ammo box in his coat pocket, he then led the way. They snaked from one alley to the next; Jake seemed to know where he was going. At the same time, the rifle shots were thinning out.

Although relieved that they had arrived at a part of the city yet to be under siege, Wing-mun realized they were going in the wrong direction.

“Hey, stop, the depot’s on the other side,” he pointed out to Jake.

“Yes, I know,” Jake acknowledged. “It’s too far away from where we are. With the enemy already in the city centre, we could be dead before we reach there. I know of a nearer place where we can get our hands on a couple of horses.”

“Where?”

“We will be there very soon. Just follow me.”

About a hundred paces later, they came to a T-junction. At last Jake stopped running. Before them stood a brightly-lit Gothic-designed marble building with two onion-topped towers. “Here we are,” he announced to Wing-mun.

“A church?” Wing-mun said in exasperation. “You brought me to a goddamn Catholic church? Have you short-circuited your brain? You can’t find horses here, only bloody nuns and priests!”

“God will provide,” Jake said in a soothing voice.

“When in hell did you start believing in God again?” Wing-mun asked, fixing his buddy with an incredulous stare.

“Five minutes ago,” Jake said, grinning. “Now calm down, will you? I am very familiar with this church; when Mei-suet was alive, we used to come here often. There’s a stable at the back.”

“Oh, what a bloody fool I am,” Wing-mun berated himself. “Of course there is, or else you wouldn’t have wasted your time coming here. Sorry for snapping at you, brother.”

“No apology needed,” Jake smiled. “Let’s go in, but do it quietly and keep out of sight. We don’t want the priest to hear or see us.”

With the surrounding trees shadowing them, they tiptoed to the church’s rear. Along the way, Wing-mun heard noises in the main room. Curious, he tapped Jake on the shoulder and whispered, “What’s happening inside?”

“The nuns are carolling,” Jake whispered back. “Christmas is around the corner, you know.”

“At a time like this?” Wing-mun said, surprised. “Don’t they know the fighting will reach here very soon? They should be going into hiding, not singing dumb songs at the altar.”

“Guess they have faith in God to protect them.”

Wing-mun shrugged, replying in mock solemnity: “I doff my hat to those nuns; they really help me understand the meaning of the words, ‘blind faith’.”

Their eyes lit up when they came to a large brick-and-wood stable with a door at each end; there were at least ten horses inside, each kept in a stall. They looked about. When they were certain that there was not a soul in sight, they quickly took their pick of the stallions and saddled them up.

“My, my, what will the head priest say when he finds two of his horses missing?” Wing-mun asked, as they were about to ride off.

“Oh, most probably this: I’ll blast the heads off those rotten bastards who dare to steal my precious stallions, or words to that effect,” Jake replied.

“Come on, be serious. Priests are pious men. They don’t use that kind of foul language.”

“No, they don’t, but I do.”

Wing-mun chuckled.

“Okay, where to now?” Jake asked when they came out of the back door of the stable. “We can’t go back to my house due to the blockage of the south gate by the troops.”

Wing-mun thought for a moment then said, “Let’s take shelter in the monastery tonight. It’s at the far west end of the city. I don’t think the enemy can reach there so quickly, maybe in a day or two. Also, it has a telephone; I need to call my people and find out what is actually going on.”

Jake nodded, and they sped off. The two dark-brown church horses, although smaller and lighter than Flash, were swift. Wing-mun looked back, and saw billows of smoke pouring out of burning buildings in the distance. Sounds of gunshots could be heard once more. The enemy was advancing fast. Soon they would be at the church.

The mob boss sighed. I pity those poor nuns inside, he thought. Jesus or no Jesus, they are going to get r***d and killed by this bunch of maniacs who have no respect for any Gods except their own Kami and their emperor.