Not Dead in the Heart of Dixie (98 page)

Mick,

If you're reading this, I'm probably dead or captured by North Koreans.

Please know that you are the most sensitive, loving, tender and truly good man I've ever known. The way you touch me both physically and emotionally compares to no one else in my past.

Your strength and unselfish ability to commit to doing the right thing amazes me.

I've never felt as loved as I do when you look into my eyes. I want to thank you for making me the happiest woman in the world and making my life glorious and happy.

Continue to love our children as you always have. Protect them from the evil that threatens every moment of their lives in this horrible, unfair world. Hold them when they need holding. Advise them when they need advice. Encourage them when they need encouragement. Love them always.

Love our grandchildren and build a safe and happy place for them to raise children and grandchildren of their own and know how precious they were to me.

I'm not saying goodbye Mick. I'll see you later in heaven.

You are my one true love and I'll be with you with every step you take if the good Lord permits, and I'm sure he won't deny such a request because he is merciful and giving.

See ya later baby. Big Smooch,
 

Robin

Sunday, May 11

T
hree days later...

We're finally out of the tunnel. We were rescued by a very sexy man in a military uniform. His name is Mick Kapper. I was pretty sure our tunnel room had left earth a
nd arrived in heaven.

Anyway, w
e spent three days in that tunnel room. The only time I enjoyed it was at night when all the candles and lanterns were out and everyone was asleep.

I had finished writing and packing up my computer when Dane and I heard trucks from a distance. We scurried as fast as we could toward the tunnel and jumped inside. Dane lowered the door and checked around the edges to make sure they were covered and none of the leaves or debris camouflage had become stuck in the door causing a
seam to appear on the outside.

We walked to the tunnel room and announced that the North Koreans had arrived. I heard several gasps but other than that, there was nothing but silence.

Several minutes went by before the goats began calling for their afternoon feeding.

We panicked
, and ran in there to give it to them as fast as we could. They ate, pooped, and lay down for their afternoon nap. We spent an hour sweeping up goat berries from the floor and pouring them into plastic bags. Goats poop more than I thought, and I've had goats for nine years. I swear, they're poop machines.

Anyway, the humor of the goat poop cleanup somewhat relaxed the crowd and we began to talk in low voices an
d whispers.

Marisa chose a spot for Amber and
Michael to sit and play.

They entertained themselves until their tummies began calling for supper. We still hadn't heard a sound from outside and decided to heat a large pot of hamburger soup for supper. We used the propane grill and it took an hour
for the soup to fully heat up.

Jason was standing watch at the tunnel door and told us he heard voices speaking Chinese “or something” outside. Now, Jason wouldn't know Chinese from Japanese or either one from North Korean himself, so he calls
all Asian languages “Chinese.”

The entire room went into silent mode immediately. We were afraid to continue eating in case our silverware dinged on the side of the bowl. Marisa carefully dipped out
spoonfuls for Amber and Michael and fed them herself. Ten minutes later we were all dipping spoonfuls as quietly as possible and were able to finish supper.

We dipped
out a bucket of water from one of the horse troughs and washed the dishes as quietly as we could. It took twice as long as it usually does. I told everyone to use paper plates, bowls, and napkins as much as possible to reduce the numbers of dishes that needed washing in order to conserve our water.

We unfolded quilts and blankets and laid them out so we'd be ready for bed as soon as dark came. We were afraid to keep the room lit after dark in case the light escaped
through the ventilation ducts.

Everyone was full, dishes were clean, pallets were made, the animals were taken care of, and d
ark came sooner than expected.

We blew out the candles, turned off the lanterns, an
d were submerged in darkness.

Small noises came from people adjusting their pillows and bla
nkets. It wasn't long before peaceful, even breathing sounds came from every direction. Mostly, the young folks slept well. The older folks tossed and turned, tried to muffle coughs and sneezes, and tried to force themselves to sleep.

Most of the night
, I thought about the man I'd killed. I wondered if he had a wife and kids. I wondered where he came from and how he got to be in the position he was in. I cried for his soul and asked God to show him mercy even though I knew he was one of the bad guys.

I killed him
, and he never got the chance to repent and become a good person, but I'd do it all over again if presented with the same situation. I hope God understands, but it doesn't make it any easier to accept.

I'd just closed my eyes when Ian came to tell us the sun was up. I crawled out from underneath the cover and discovered the room was a little chilly. I
was comfortable, but several folks complained and since one of them was Elaine, Dane decided to build a small fire to heat the room a little.

Emma and Elaine cooked cheese omelets over the fire in order to conserve the propane hooked up to the grill. So, I guess you could say the fire provi
ded two services that morning.

An hour later
, one of the potty buckets was full and we were faced with a dilemma. We could have taken it to the second tunnel room if the animals weren't there. Dane decided to wait until a second bucket was full, and then try to sneak out and dump them in a swampy area several yards from the tunnel entrance.

It was an hour after lunch when the second bucket became full. The buckets of waste stunk to high heaven in the enclosed space. Ian, Dane, and Jason actually drew straws to see who'd get the honor of taking the buckets outside. Ian drew the short straw and threw on his Ghillie suit to prep
are for potty bucket dumping.

He was just about to crack the tunnel door when we heard voices. They sounded like they were coming through the ceiling. Heck, they almost sounded like they were in the room with u
s. We all froze in our tracks.

Ian left the buckets near the tunnel entrance and quietly came back inside the tunnel room. He whispered to all of us to turn off the lanterns and blow out the candles. We did as we were told
, and listened to men speaking a foreign language, laughing and talking on the hill directly above our heads. It was surreal. I just knew one of them would find a ventilation duct and figure out we were inside.

My breathing became rapid and my heart was pounding. I whispered to Ian that I needed to get medicine from my pack
, and he flipped on a tiny little flashlight so I could find my way. I opened the bag and pulled out a Xanax. Elaine asked for one as well and I gave it to her.

I could barely see Velma “Battle-axe” Dodson scowling at us from several feet away. I saw her mou
th open and heard her whisper “Ya got an extra one of those?” I sighed and gave Velma a blue Xanax of her own. She popped it in her mouth and swallowed it dry.

I almost forgot there were North Koreans walking around above us after Velma “popped” that p
ill and lay down on her pallet.

Forty-five minutes later she was snoring and the whole crew became so nervous that Ian had to wake her and ask
her to sit up and stay awake.

It felt like we sat there for hours. The kids fell asleep and many adults followed their lead. We sat in the dark and listened to
each other’s tummy growl an hour past lunch time. We didn't dare cook something that would smell strong enough to reach through the ventilation ducts and tickle the noses of the enemies above our heads.

Finally, Ian flipped on his tiny flashlight and told Nana to take it to the food shelves and bring back jars of peanut butter and jelly as well as boxes of crackers and plastic spoons. We passed around peanut butter, jam, and crackers until the jars were empty.
Then, we sat there.

We could still hear muffled voices above our heads and I was almost lulled into sleep when I heard he first goat call for
its evening meal. I panicked and told Ian to get in there as fast as possible and throw feed down their throats if he had to. He shined his light toward the teenage section and motioned for Deuce to follow him.

They made it to the second tunnel room just as the second goat let out a soft “baa.” I heard food being carefully poured into feed pans and I cringed at the sound even though I knew it was too quiet to be heard outside.

Ian and Deuce returned to their respective pallets and Ian flipped off the flashlight. I was fully awake and no longer lulled by the constant sounds and friendly bickering from the enemy above.

Amber and Michael began to cry
, and Jason had the idea to take them to the second tunnel, which has supports up, and let them use a lantern to play. We hung a dark blanket over the entrance and left the door up so we could hear them if they called out. They were instructed to play a game of “no talking,” but they could use toys and their hands to motion to one another. It kept them entertained for almost two hours.

By this time
, three potty buckets were full and I decided that, if we get out of this alive, we will need to figure out a way to put a sanitary bathroom facility inside the tunnel room. I have no idea how it can be done but I intend to demand it 'til someone figures out a way.

Pao crept back into the room to tell us dusk was almost here and, I swear, I could hear boot
s crunching on fallen leaves.

We heard the voices
getting farther away as they talked. They were headed down the hill and away from the tunnel room. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief until Ian whispered “Not so fast. They may have left someone up there.”

Dane was grumpy. He picked up the propane grill and took it inside the second tunnel where Amber and Michael
were playing.

The kids
emerged several seconds later, and Amber said that Uncle Dane was being a “stupidhead” because he kicked them out of their play area.

Dane came out and loudly whispered Emma's name. She must have gotten up and felt her way to him because several seconds l
ater I heard them whispering.

Emma flipped on Dane's little flashlight and made her way to the food shelves. She motioned to Luke and Larson to follow. They came back through the room carrying containers of oatmeal
and a large bucket of water.

I guessed that Dane
and Emma were cooking oatmeal for supper and I was right.

Dane
whispered that five people at a time could go into the tunnel to eat. We stood around the oatmeal pot and dipped out spoonfuls with plastic spoons. We were allowed to eat for ten minutes before Dane shooed us out of the room, and five more people went in.

Everyone was fed and the oatmeal pot was washed and turned upside down on a towel to dry. We all kept our plastic spoons and slipped them into our ba
ckpacks to await another meal.

Dane shut off the grill and told Jason to make sure it was cool and back in the main room before allowing the kids back inside to play. He turned to Ian and told him to get the damn potty buckets outa there. Then, he laid down on his pallet and pretended to sleep.

Ian went down the tunnel wearing his Ghillie suit, which looked scary with the small amount of light from the little flashlight.

I laid down on my pallet and tried to sleep. I couldn't remember what day it was. I knew the Unit was due to arrive soon
, but I actually lost track of how long we'd been in that dark room and for the life of me, I couldn't figure it out. I wasn't about to ask someone in case they'd think I'd lost my mind. Finally, I drifted off.

I didn't wake when Ian came back with clean buckets. I didn't hear anyone snoring, or crying, or anything else. I fell asleep thinking about Mick and praying that the unit would be there the next day to remove the NK's from Kapper hill. I
prayed that they knew how many NK's were here and had prepared for them.

I dreamed that I was a bat
, hanging from the ceiling of a cave. I was watching explorers and tourists come in to tour my cave. It was a boring, simple dream but it wasn't bad. I'll take boring over bad any day.

I was pulled from slumber the next morning by the sounds of moaning. I tried to figure out who was doing the moaning. I knew it was one of the men and praye
d it wasn't Kevin, but it was.

He spiked a fever during the night and was miserable. Velma was using a tiny flashlight to examine his wounds and try to figure out what was wrong. Then, he coughed and it sounded wet and scary.