All Of Us - Part 1: Summer

Chapter 33- General Liam Ilma

Trigger warning: violence

- Evangeline -

I'm trying to remain focused. I am trying, but it's really, really hard.

"So you know how to wield the sword and the axe..."

Gail's voice fades in and out as I fiddle with a pebble I found in the corridor.

"Evangeline ?"

Its surface is smooth, and gray. Does the moon look like this up close ?

"Evangeline."

My head snaps up. "Yes ?" Gail sighs. "You need to pay attention." She glares at me. "What I'm saying is important."

"Right. Sorry." She sends me a last stare for good measure before continuing her monologue. "So, as I was saying - each rebel is required to know how to wield a certain number of weapons. You already have a basic mastery of some."

I nod. It's true; I have been training a lot the past days, trying to get my mind off what I said. It feels so strange to have everyone know a secret that was mine for so long. It's both liberating and... not.

"Everyone is also supposed to know a couple of basic combat techniques." She holds her index finger up. "Number one. How to snap someone's spine. That's what Thet is going to teach you today."

I smile at him as he comes into the cave. "Hiya, Evangeline," he greets me with ease. His demeanor is relaxed, his features joyful. We are on cordial terms, perhaps almost friendly. The past is behind us. I just hope he won't show me the move by using me as the victim.

"Alright, I'll let you two at it." Gail doesn't bother to wave as she strides out the room, and I'm not particularly surprised. She's a very busy girl and rarely comes to teach me things. Hm. Maybe I should pay more attention when she's teaching.

"Okay, we're going to be practicing on this." Something clatters to the floor and I bend over to peer at it. The dummy is a wooden torso and head, with a complex system of metal... somethings, holding it together. "Gail made this especially for this exercise. It makes a special noise when you snap hard enough. It helps us know how much strength is needed without having to kill someone every time we need to practice," he chuckles. I smile, a bit uneasy.

He kneels down till he's besides the body. "Alright, you gotta place your hands under their neck and at the head, like so." His left palm cups the dummy's chin, while his right fingers snake up till they're at the back of its head. "And then, you push and pull." Suddenly, he shoves his right hand forwards and jerks his left back. The dummy's head goes askew, and a loud snap resounds in the room. I startle. "Yeah, sorry, it's a bit loud," he explains, apologetic. "Okay, that's basically it ! Do you want to try ? The main difficulty is actually getting enough strength to do it, rather than the actual moves."

I slide off my chair and land on the floor. "Like this ?" I ask, receiving an encouraging nod in reply. In one swift move, I shove the dummy's chin up. The snap echoes in the entire room. "Wow, slow down," he laughs. "Don't break it, pal." I begin to laugh along. Is it really that easy to kill someone ?

Abruptly, my mind wanders and my laugh peeters off. My eyes drift back to the dummy between my hands. Could it be that easy ? A weird feeling spills over into my gut, a mix between rage, exhilaration and nausea. "I... I'm going to go to the training room," I announce as I spring up, my gaze still fixed on the wooden figure. "Sorry." Before I know it, I'm almost running down the hallway. I barely hear Thet's "Evangeline, wait !"

I skip sideways and bound into the training room. Thank Sheso it's deserted. At noon, almost everyone is in the mess hall. I should be alone for a while, as long as Thet doesn't decide to follow me.