Story: Striking Back: Prologue

In the distance, one could hear the sirens screeching and the
dogs barking. A 7 feet tall, muscular figure was running
through the snowy forest, away from the sounds of pursuers
behind him.

The man’s name was Gregory Burns. For the past four years,
he had been working under the Lancaster division of the
British SAS (Special Air Services). Two months ago, he had
participated in an unofficially sanctioned operation into North
Korea. He and two other operatives had ventured into a small,
coastal town to retrieve a defector of the North Korean
leadership.

The plan had been going well until several patrol guards
chanced upon them at the wrong time. To prevent the whole
thing from going to hell, Burns had willingly sacrificed himself
by engaging the guards head on.
The defector and his two comrades had escaped (at least to
the best of his knowledge they had) but he was left to fend for
himself. In the past few weeks, it had taken every trick in the
book to stay one step ahead of the brainwashed Communists.
Burns made it a point to avoid the heavily populated areas.
Instead, he kept to the wilderness and only moved far during
the wee hours before the dawn. He had made like Bear Grylls,
and scrounged up any source of nutrition he could find. From
wild herbs to raw salamander, he did his best to adapt his diet
accordingly. His endurance did have a limit, though.
Four days ago, his pursuers finally pinpointed his location.
Cornered and weak from hunger and exhaustion, he had
surrendered without a fight. When the North Koreans saw that
he was in no shape to talk, they provided him with ample
medical treatment and nourishment. However, Burns knew
that as soon as he was well enough, they would probably start
exposing him to the most brutal forms of torture. So, on the
fourth day of his captivity, he made his move. With some
difficulty, he managed to feign a heart attack, and was
brought to the medical wing.

Once he was alone with the physician, it was easy enough to
scare her into unconsciousness. (She had probably never
seen a foreigner before.) He then proceeded to knock out the
two guards stationed outside the door. With his adrenaline
pumping, he quickly fashioned an explosive out of the oxygen
tanks in the room. When he was almost done, he changed into
the guard’s uniform. He was halfway out of the village when
the explosive detonated.
So here he was, dressed in a North Korean soldier’s uniform,
armed with an assault rifle and pistol, running away into what
would hopefully become his freedom.
To be continued....
By John Farson