“A China Escape” — Episode 9

Chapter 20

It turned out that the place Bo’s had spoken of was through the forest which was behind the houses of the possible witnesses Lilly and Mr. Hill had visited earlier. Mr. Hill pulled to a stop on the same road and killed the engine. He and Lilly got out and walked past the neat row of houses filled with sleepers ignorant of all that was about to take place in their tree-filled backyard. They walked until they entered the belly of the forest. Then they walked some more. About three miles in, Lilly and Mr. Hill were greeted by a large clearing in the middle of the forest. Despite the darkness, Lilly and Mr. Hill could see a train sitting on the tracks which ran through the clearing in the woods. They also spied the shadowy figures of men perched on the ground around.

Mr. Hill shrank back behind a tree. Lilly did the same. He reported the scene before them to Bo through the earpiece Bo had given them so they could keep in touch.

“Bingo,” Bo replied, his voice shot through with static. “That’s the route they’re using to transport prisoners to labor camps — at least from here.”

“Oh? Is it normally done under the cover of darkness like this?” Mr. Hill asked.

“I don’t know. The one and only time I attended a ‘send-off’ was during midday. Even my attendance was unusual as no other civilians were present,” Bo said.

“Send-off?” Lilly said. “You make this sound so fun, like everybody’s going off to a ball somewhere instead of labor camp.”

“Whatever, kid,” was Bo’s solemn reply. “Focus in now.”

“Like a laser,” Lilly confirmed.

“If this timing of transportation isn’t normal, I suspect it’s because someone knows about Manchu being put on this train unlawfully,” Mr. Hill surmised.

Bo thought the same. “All the more reason we need to get Pastor Manchu out of their grasp quickly.”

“I’ll do that part,” Lilly said.

“Nice try, kid.” Bo’s chuckle came through Lilly’s earpiece. “There are some real psychos and sickos in the prisoner group who are deserving of labor camps.”

“No!” Mr. Hill objected. “If anything happens to you, I will never forgive myself. The task you have is risky enough. It is feasible for me to pass as a Chinese officer in the dark. I thought we went over this at Bo’s place.”

“Yes, Dad,” Lilly said. She sensed the parental concern in Mr. Hill’s voice, an overwhelming concern akin to no other, so she did not push him further lest worry overcame him completely. At that point of no return, Mr. Hill might very well ban her from joining in the rescue mission. Parental worry was not something Lilly particularly enjoyed, even though she appreciated it.

“Whatever you two do, don’t get caught,” Bo instructed them for the twenty-third time since proposing his plan. “If that happens, we’re put back to square zero, you all will be split up, and we all will be stuck in China like tar and feathers to a nude.”

Lilly stifled a laugh at Bo’s rather graphic comparison while Mr. Hill tried to keep a serious face. Bo continued. “No telling what will happen then. A rescue attempt won’t even be considered because everyone in charge will have been alerted to our first botched plan. So, again, don’t get caught. Now, I’ve secured the helicopter already and am on my way. Godspeed!”

With this, Lilly and Mr. Hill exchanged a hug, then went their separate ways. Mr. Hill stepped into the clearing while Lilly circled around it to reach the train. The nearer she got, the more she was able to overhear the conversation of several officers who were milling about. “How much longer till the train is fixed?” one of them asked circumspectly. “This is the second time it’s broken down tonight.”

So that’s the reason for the stalling, Lilly thought.

“I know that,” another male voice said. He blew in frustration. “The pig-headed engineers need to get it together or else we need to call in for another train.”

“I don’t think so,” the first person replied. “Cory wants these guys taken up there tonight. It’s already 2 a.m., and we don’t have time to wait for a send-in.”

“Yes, we do if we have time to wait for this jacked-up clunk to get fixed. I don’t have all night,” the second man whined.

“Kick your attitude down the road,” came a sniveling, heavily accented voice.

Lilly’s eyes, now accustomed to the darkness, followed a third officer who had come up behind the first two she was listening in on.

“Why? So I can run up and catch it,” the second man spat back.

The sniveling man did not laugh. “No, so the wind can blow it far away. My friend, you need something to keep you out all night. You have nothing to return to anyway.”

“Shut it,” came the second man’s reply. A small cigarette light soon glowed in front of his lips and lit up his face in an eerie orange haze. Just then, another man jogged up to the group of three. “Minho said the train’s fixed,” he reported.

This time the sniveling man laughed, only the laugh got caught up in his nose and came out as a snort. “Minho said the same thing last time. Ask him if he’s lying again.”

Even if he’s not, you’ll think he is because this train is not going anywhere in one piece, Lilly thought. She whispered to Mr. Hill why the train had paused. “Dad, hurry! It’s supposedly fixed now. They’re going to test it.”

Mr. Hill’s steady breathing came through Lilly’s earpiece. Finally his voice did the same. “Thank God for that and I’ve finally located Pastor Manchu. Do your thing, sweetheart.”

Lilly gripped the two flares and the small explosive device in her hands, then threw the first flare as far as she could to the right of the clearing. The other she flung into the trees a little farther away. They burst into fire at the same time, dancing devilishly against the dark sky. Lilly flicked the switch to begin the countdown on the improvised explosive device. Bo had said it would make a loud noise, a lot of smoke, and possibly a fire. She flung it in the direction in which she had thrown the first flare. Tiny sparks leaped out, choked, sputtered, and flew. Lilly watched the scene of confusion unfold before her eyes.

“Good job,” Mr. Hill said. “Live a little longer now to perform act two.”

Lilly laughed quietly. She overheard her father calling Manchu’s name and telling him to follow after him. Then she heard some rustling noises. Her heart fainted for a split second as one of the officers rushed past her yelling in Chinese. By now, Lilly was directly beside the train. She hopped aboard one compartment and ever so stealthily detached it from the crude passenger carriage it was connected to. This action sent a quarter of the train spiraling down the tracks. Lilly raced around the clearing to the spot where she knew her dad would be waiting with Pastor Manchu. Cries of alarm and joy and curses to the train’s derailment rose up from the crowd of prisoners and officials respectively. To Lilly’s delight, the mini blazes seemed to bombard their senses. Bo’s plan and Lilly’s execution of it were perfect. The flares and the train car detachment caught the officers off guard and allowed Mr. Hill an opportunity to sneak off with Manchu. When she reached the eastern tip of the clearing, Mr. Hill took Lilly’s hand and they disappeared into the forest. Manchu was in front of them. “Thank you so much!” he cried.

“Don’t thank us yet,” Lilly advised.

Right then, someone in the clearing barked, “Watch the prisoners!”

Chapter 21

Lilly, Mr. Hill, and Manchu did not turn around. Through the trees and down the slope they went. The wind whipped their hair and clothes and the tree limbs kept biting at their exposed skin, seeking to impede their ferocious progress. Within a few minutes, all three reached the forest’s edge. A body of murky water stood before them. Bo’s helicopter hovered in the air above them.

“We’re below,” Mr. Hill reported to Bo.

“Copy that,” Bo confirmed in their earpieces. “The rope is coming down. Are you being followed?”

“No. I don’t believe so,” Mr. Hill said checking behind them.

As they watched the rope being lowered, Manchu suggested Lilly go first. Mr. Hill seemed to think it was a great idea, but Lilly objected. “If we go up and something happens causing you to get left behind, everything will be in vain.”

“Oh, he was only suggesting that you go up first,” Mr. Hill said. He stood with an arm wrapped around Lilly’s shoulders. She scowled much to his humor. “But you’ve got a point,” Mr. Hill assured her.

By now, the rope was lowered, and Manchu, conceding defeat, was lifted up first to safety. Lilly and Mr. Hill breathed a collective sigh of relief. A movement in the trees caught Lilly’s eyes. She spun around to see the unhinged train compartment come barreling towards them.

“Watch out!” Lilly screamed. She and Mr. Hill dived in different directions. Fortunately, the train piece came to a riotous halt, thanks to a particularly dense patch of trees. An officer brandishing a gun and baton leaped from the wounded train part. A disoriented engineer carrying a flashlight followed him out. “Halt!” the officer shouted. “Don’t make me shoot! I know you stole the prisoner. You’re doing illegal—,” the officer barked.

“Bo! Now!” Mr. Hill said, urging him to get the rope lowered again faster.

The officer flung his baton aiming it to whack Mr. Hill’s head. Mr. Hill ducked. The baton narrowly missed. Lilly picked up a thick tree branch and swung it at the officer. It snapped in two after hitting the man’s chest. The stick didn’t slow him down much. Mr. Hill grabbed Lilly around the waist and held on tight. He wrapped his other hand fast around the dangling rope. By the time the officer stumbled to the shoreline, Lilly and Mr. Hill were inside the helicopter. The officer fired one bullet at the chopper, but it missed and fell with a splash into the water below. He called for help.

“Everybody up and in?” Bo asked from the pilot’s seat.

“Yes, sir,” Lilly answered.

“Not unless we want to bring a few of those officers along and pummel their heads a little bit,” Mr. Hill kidded. He breathed a sigh of relief. Lilly laughed heartily.

“Naw,” Bo said. “Let’s turn the other cheek now. I’m not good at hand to hand combat anyway. We don’t want to play with fire and get burnt.”

“Thanks to you, we did play with fire just now and escaped with zero burns,” Mr. Hill said.

“Yeah, sorry about the train thing,” Lilly smiled. “I had no idea some armed people would pour out of it like orcs in Lord of the Rings.”

Mr. Hill chuckled. “As you say, ‘No biggie;’ a train’s gotta do what a train’s gotta do, especially if that train was taken apart by the likes of a brave girl named Lillian Charlotte Hill. I am so proud of you. You did fantastically!” He engulfed Lilly in a hug.

“Did you get hurt anywhere, kid?” Bo asked Lilly.

“Just a little scrape from the trees.”

“Not bad for a rookie, kid.”

Lilly flashed a smile. She found a seat and looked around. The two strong guys who had lowered and lifted the rope sat next to Lilly. Facing them were Pastor Manchu and Sarah, her stomach bulging with their unborn child. Pastor Manchu and Sarah were in an embrace quietly crying tears of joy, in shock about the rescue mission. Lilly turned to look out the window. She silently thanked God for His protection and for all He had done during their trip to Beijing.

By the time the lone officer’s requested back-up arrived, the helicopter was flying far and away, long having vanished out of sight. And the dawn was breaking.

Chapter 22

A weekend later, Lilly and Mrs. Hill gathered with Adria and her show-runner mother, Mrs. Ava Sinise, at their favorite brunch shop, Cafe21, in sunny San Diego. They ordered their food and never stopped chatting once it was served.

“Adria, don’t dump all that sugar in your coffee,” Mrs. Sinise advised her daughter.

Adria refrained from opening her thirteenth packet of sugar over her cup of java. Instead, she stuffed it into her leather handbag with the roly-poly key chain. “Don’t worry, Mom. If anything, I’m only killing myself,” she joked.

Mrs. Sinise choked on her tea. “Honey, how morbid!” she exclaimed. “And don’t be so selfish. If you die, it will affect us all, and me worst of all.”

Mrs. Hill patted her friend on the back.

“Love in the time of death,” Lilly sighed dramatically. “Be kind to thy mother, Adria. Now, let’s not talk about sad stuff.”

“Aye, seester,” Adria agreed. “Lemme tell you about all the boring stuff that happened while you were away from the homestead.”

“Hit me with it, Barbie,” Lilly said, though she highly doubted if any of it was boring. “Did you finally destroy that evil Alice in Wonderland themed poster from your bedroom wall?”

“No,” Adria replied. “I’m keeping it up until I get my first movie role. Mom offered to try and get me a role in her TV show, but, no, I graciously declined because I so want to star in movies.”

“That’s right,” Mrs. Sinise piped in.

“Oh, that reminds me. Did you get the role in that big drama movie? How did the audition go?” Lilly asked.

“Well, the audition went superb, and it could have gone super-perb if there hadn’t been like a bajillion other girls who looked like me and did just as good as me. The part went to a girl named Cheyenne Hillary Heist. Actually, I don’t know if that’s her birth name. It’s best to say she is called that. Some actors make up part of the name they wish to be known as when they get all famous. I tried to call you several times.”

“Aww, yeah. My phone was probably out of power then, and you know how I am about checking missed calls. Next time text me. I’m so sorry about the audition. Trust me, the perfect role is waiting for you. I just know it!”

Adria flipped her blonde hair. “They said ‘no’ to perfect. I was just, like, ‘your loss.’”

Lilly stirred her tea with a Pixy Stix. “To be honest, though, I think if you took that weird poster down from your wall, you might have better luck,” she joked.

“Aye, whatever,” Adria said. “I have something else kinda sad and not boring to tell you about.”

Mrs. Sinise, who had been talking to Mrs. Hill, stopped mid-sentence. Adria caught the look of girlish glee come over her mother’s face. She covered her mother’s mouth with her hand to stop her from blurting out the news. “I’m telling,” Adria said.

“What is it?” Lilly asked.

“My oldest brother’s getting married,” Adria groaned.

Mrs. Sinise applauded. “Yup, darlings! Sig is engaged. I can hardly believe my first baby is getting married.” Instantly, she turned back to Mrs. Hill and the two of them began planning for Sig’s wedding.

“Believe it, Mom,” Adria sighed.

“Who’s the lucky lady? And why do you sound so glum about him getting married?” Lilly questioned.

“Well, the ‘lucky lady’ is this lady from Georgia, Natalie Hersher Simi. I think it is,” Adria began.

“She won’t have to change her last name much,” Lilly commented.

“Not really,” Adria agreed. “I’m going to suggest they just combine the two last names into a portmanteau — Simise!”

“So splendid!” Lilly giggled.

“Anyway, Lilly, Sig said they met on one of his Doctors Without Borders tours. And they’re already planning to start an organization together called, ‘Missionary Impossible.’ Cheesy, right? They got the name from those Tom Cruise movies.”

“How old is Sig, again?” Lilly asked.

“Twenty-four.”

“Well, he’s doing awesome for that age and he’s so kind and caring to others. I’m sure he’ll make a great husband to her.”

Adria agreed. “One thing I can’t call him is a selfish meatball.” She laughed her bubbly laugh before continuing. “Natalie’s a really nice person, too. Actually, she’s like my big sister now, but I don’t think you’ll understand why I don’t want them to get married. See, once Sig gets married, the natural progression is for Ruby to go away and get married, then for Lyle to go away and get married, then for Kyle to go away and get married. I’ll be the only one left at home with our parents and my family won’t be a family anymore. For example, Sig and I can’t make donuts every Friday like we did when he was at home.”

Lilly hugged her friend. “Don’t worry, Adria. Your family will still remain a family even when all your brothers move away. Change is going to happen, but you guys can still meet up for holidays and planned occasions. They aren’t going to forget about you, and you and Sig can still make donuts together over Skype.”

“Of course you’re right,” Adria said after a pause. “If he has a computer. While we’re at it, he can even share our recipe with the people he’s helping!”

“And your pretty face,” Lilly chimed in.

Now it was Adria’s turn to giggle. “Stop it, matey! Sig doesn’t know it, but I tried to break off their relationship by telling Natalie that he’s really prideful just because he’s a vegan — the only one in our family. I told her he calls me his ‘little carnivore’ and every time he eats with the family, I have to scowl at him and whisper across the table, ‘Take your silly salad and tofu with you and climb into a cubbyhole somewhere. We don’t want to look at your smug face chomping.’ But she just laughed. It did nothing to make her say ‘no’ to Sig’s bling ring engagement thing. I did check out the bright side though. Eventually, I’ll have three older sisters and you and I will get to be flower girls three times over, and then, of course, you’ll be my best maid at my wedding!”

“That’s some serious future planning,” Lilly said. “But aren’t we too old to be flower girls?”

Adria waved her hand dismissively. “Oldy schmoldy! We’re only thirteen. Now tell me about your time in China.”

First, Lilly presented the mirrored iPhone case she had bought in Beijing for Adria.

“It’s lovely!” Adria said admiring herself in the glass. Lilly pulled out her own phone with its waterproof case. Both girls snapped a silly photo of the other. Lilly rapped her knuckles on her phone case. “Substance over style,” she said, taking a jab at her friend who was checking her teeth in the mirror.

Adria smiled so wide the gap in her front teeth showed. “Style over substance. You know me so well, seester.”

“This way, if we’re ever drowning, I’ll be able to call for help while you can only stare at your dying face,” Lilly joked.

Adria laughed so hard that tears began to drop from her eyes. She punched Lilly in the shoulder good-naturedly. “I’d grip your foot so tight that when you got rescued, I would too. Now, shut up and tell me about your latest adventure,” she begged.