AUGUST IS A FEVER

26

As the day went on, the PSFs that took you in this field brought you into a group of other kids. 5740 was in the group too, standing next to you with his hands still restrained just like the rest of the children. Although the kids that were standing around you were all like you, having lots in common, you stuck out like a sore thumb. Your white dress made you feel like the odd one out with all of these kids in black uniforms.

The PSFs that brought you here seemed to disappear and be replaced with even meaner and stricter ones. There were three of them in total. There were two guards who looked eerily similar as they stood on either side of the group of children. They looked almost parallel, holding their rifles in the same exact manner. They might've been twins, both having pale white skin and dirty blonde hair that was shaved short. Finally, there was one in front of you who seemed to be a higher up for the two men. She was short, shorter than you. Her skin was just as white as the men, but her hair was dark brown and her eyes were almost black and hard to read. Her hair was tied back in a tight low bun that rested on the base of her neck. The main one began to speak, her voice loud and assertive.

"5740, it's good to see you're back with us. Honestly, where would you go without us?" Said the presumed PSF as she nodded at him. The happiness she expressed on her face was obviously sarcastic. "We've got a new solider with us today. Everyone say hi to 2847."

The children were unnervingly silent, not one of them even dared to open their mouths one bit. Not even in the slightest.

"Good. You've all finally learned to shut the fuck up." Said the main woman. "For the new girl, I'm gonna do a little introduction so she's not completely lost."

Her almost black eyes flicked and locked with yours creepily. A small thin and bored smile spread on her face as she began to speak.

"My alias is Venus and you are to listen to my instructions and not question a thing." Venus said. "You are stuck here and everyone you've loved has left you for dead. No one will come here to save you. It's Operation Jamboree forever and it's all you have now. You will listen to us because there is no other way out of this. If you are to disobey our instructions, will starve, waterboard or kill you if necessary. Listen to us and only us. We're all you have now."

Every whine of her cadence sounded rehearsed and fake, though it felt as if she meant the words she spoke. Part of you was already beginning to foolishly believe her.

"We're gonna start with ten warm up laps around the field before we get into today's training." Venus said. "If you aren't to finish in an hour, we will either starve or waterboard you. You're time starts... now."

As soon as she muttered the last word, every kid in black began to run the laps around the perimeter of the football field. You attempted to run, but your bullet wound and heavy boots made it incredibly difficult. Maybe you could go to Venus and ask her if you could get excused? There was absolutely no way you could do this in the current state your body was in. Limping to Venus, her almost black eyes snapped to you. It was chilling.

"What are you doing? You're supposed to be doing laps." She said as her hand began going to the hand gun on her tool belt.

"Wait." You said, your hand went to the edge of your white dress and lifted it up, exposing the deep and bloody bullet wound for her eyes to examine. "Is there an Infirmary I can go to?"

Venus' sharp eyes dug into you like daggers, fueled with judgement and anger.

"Mars." She called for one of the guarding men with white skin and blonde hair. He walked over to her, back straight and face emotionless. "Waterboard her."

"What?" You yelped. Mars pushed you forward with the muzzle of his rifle.

"Quiet, Red." Sneered Mars. "You disobeyed - refused to do the training."

You couldn't fight it. Voice breaking, you tired to say something, anything, but the sentences stayed stuck in the back of your throat.

You went inside the building, taken into some sort of cell. It was too dark to tell where you were. The only thing you could see however, was a metal chair with a buzzing, bright white light blaring itself down upon it. The guard pushed you towards the chair, sitting you in it. The touch of the metal chair touching your skin was chilling to it and you had to fight a shiver from slipping down your spine.

Mars took ropes and tied your hands together behind the cold backrest of the chair. Holding back a hiss of pain of the ropes already leaving a burn on your sensitive skin, you could feel the guard tying your ankles to the legs of the chair. It was hard to see, the light blinding you.

The moment your eyes began to adjust to the saturation of the light, you could hear the sounds of a sink running. Before you knew it, you could hear footsteps behind you and the feeling of a soaked towel covering your face tightly.

You tried to hold your breath for as long as you could, but you couldn't help but inhale for the air you desperately needed. Through your nose, you breathed in water, it burning your nose and lungs as you screamed and cried as you helplessly inhaled in more and more. Mars was suffocating you and you struggled to fight it. The more you fought, the tighter his grip grew on your face with the towel. It wasn't until the water in the towel ran dry that Mars pulled away. You gasped and coughed for air, tears and snot spilling out from your face.

You just wanted Clay. You wanted him here. He's all you ever wanted. And now he's gone and not coming back for you. What Venus said was true after all. This is your life now and there was nothing else you can do.

The waterboarding went on for what felt like the rest of the day. Due to lack of oxygen, you passed out. Everything went black for the second time today.