Husk

Chapter 4

3 Years Later

Time - 4:28 pm

Location - Montana Military Base, USA

Cobalt was the sort of person who believed if they acted tough, they looked tough. This logic was what had gotten him through high school without any bullying incidences, and had actually helped him come out on top of the high-school-food-chain.

But right now, Cobalt was not in high school, therefore his logic didn't quite work as well as he had hoped.

"On your feet, Maggot!" Sergeant Williamson shouted at the new recruit in front of him, spittle flying from his mouth. Cobalt struggled to his feet and stared straight ahead. Dirt coated his hands and boots from the many brutal push-ups the sergeant ordered him to do.

"I'll have you know my wife never said that! If I catch word that you say anything like that to a superior again, I will personally have you expelled from the military! Do you understand?" The sergeant was right in Cobalt's face, screaming as if Cobalt was deaf and he had to yell to get him to hear.

"Sir, yes sir!" Cobalt yelled back, voice cracking at the end.

The sergeant stepped back and addressed all 16 members of Unit L-7. "Get your weak little asses into the shower rooms now! Thanks to your little friend here, it's cold water for the lot of you!" The rookies did not groan or whine, and instead stayed still until the sergeant properly disbanded them.

"Dismissed." He said, and the recruits got into two lines and began jogging in the direction of the shower block. Cobalt reluctantly followed, although his hesitation was barely noticeable. He hung towards the back of the squad, although this didn't stop the dirty looks from being thrown at him from the other members of L-7.

You deserve it, though. He smirked on the inside. His big mouth had gotten him into trouble, like it normally did. He'd been in the military two weeks, and he'd already let something slip. There would be no second chance next time.

It was awfully quiet in the shower room; the sprinkling of water covered any whispers amongst the crew. Cobalt ignored the glares that were aimed for him, and instead tried not to shiver from the cold water coming from the tap. Everyone was only under the water for about one minute at a time, and soon they were all getting dressed back into their camo-coloured gear.

It was when Cobalt was pulling on his shirt that someone finally spoke to him.

A squad-mate Cobalt knew by the name 'Levi' walked over and had a serious expression on his face. Levi was about 8 or so years older than Cobalt, who was 20. It was odd for a rookie to join at that age, but not many unit members seemed to care.

His voice was low as he spoke to Cobalt.

"I'm sure I'm not the only one in this room who doesn't appreciate having cold showers because of a moron like you. I'd advise you to get off your high horse and stop acting like you're better than everyone else here." He said softly to Cobalt. Cobalt rolled his eyes, and Levi pushed his shoulder into the wall he was in front of. He was dead serious, trying to reason with Cobalt.

Around this time, some of L-7 had started glancing in their direction.

"None of us are going to get far if we act cocky. If you continue, you'll end up missing out on the opportunity to do something great. I'm telling you this because if I don't, someone else will; and they won't be as nice as me." Levi patted Cobalt's shoulder to emphasise his points, and Cobalt slapped his hand away. Levi took this as his sign to leave him alone, and giving a last warning look, strolled back to where he was before.