"How'd you sleep?" Louis whispered to Clem, leaning to his left.
"Okay, I guess." Clementine whispered back.
"What are you two talkin' about?" Brody whispered from Clem's other side.
"I was just asking Clem how she slept." Louis explained.
"Oh, I thought it was about the-"
Brody stopped herself before she said anything else. They had all agreed to not discuss anything about their plan, or that they even had a plan, in public.
It didn't get more public than another one of the Delta's training grounds.
The area was outside of the main base, but to compensate, three armed guards watched their every move.
It looked to Clem like some kind of shooting range. There was a long wooden bench set up in front of a multitude of paper targets at varying ranges.
"All of you, shut it and listen."
A stocky man in army fatigues strode in front of them. He had a neatly trimmed beard and wore dark sunglasses that partially obscured his heavily lined face.
"Today you'll be undergoing firearms training. My end goal is to make you as proficient as you can be so that when you're no longer recruits, you'll be a useful asset to the Delta. You'll have also learned a life skill."
He delivered his introduction with a hint of humour. His joking side quickly disappeared as he moved on with his speech.
"I want to make something abundantly clear. The most important part of this training course is learning how to safely handle firearms. You will not lay a finger on any weapons until you're acquainted with the safety rules. I expect you to learn them and remember them to the letter. I see anyone in breach of those rules, disciplinary action will be taken and you'll be exempt from firearms training for two weeks per offence."
He took a deep breath, sighed, and began walking. He paced in front of everyone who was lined up, sizing them up.
He stopped in front of AJ and chuckled. The instructor snapped his fingers and called one of the guards over.
"Go to the armoury and check out a .22 rifle and a box of ammo for the little guy." He smirked.
The guard nodded and started jogging back to the Delta's gate.
Louis slowly raised his hand, as if he were in a classroom. The look on his face told Clem that he was worried to ask his question.
"What?" The instructor said impatiently.
"I was just wondering something. Why all this training? I get the jobs, but what's the point of making us do climbing and shooting and all that stuff?"
The instructor slowly walked up to Louis.
The boy flinched when the instructor raised a hand upwards, but he brought it down into Louis' shoulder in a sort of friendly gesture and smiled.
"You're being trained so you can fight for a good cause. You see, we're at war." He let go of Louis' shoulder and stepped back to address the whole group, "with some of the most sick, cruel and evil bastards you'll ever meet. As residents of the Delta, it is your obligation to protect her from those monsters."
"So we're being conscripted?" Violet said.
"Living in this world nowadays is a war of its own. What's one more?" He smirked.
"They're gonna send us into a war-zone? Make us kill people?" Brody whispered, sounding terrified.
"We'll be gone before they get the chance." Clem whispered back in an attempt to comfort her.
In truth, Clem didn't know how long it'd take them to escape. The planning alone, she knew, would take a very long time. And the Delta was a fortress, getting out of a place like this would need perfect execution of said plan.
Before then, who knows what could happen.
YOU ARE READING
The River (Clemerva)
Fanfiction"I haven't been avoiding her. I mean, I have. But it's not... I just don't want to talk to her until I know exactly what I want to say. Fuck, relationships are hard." The redhead sighed. "I wouldn't know, I haven't been in one before." Clem shrugge...
