In the Palm of my Hand (g/t)

Chapter 7: Inner Conflict

A few minutes beforehand...

"Put this uniform on and meet me outside." A set of camo pants and a shirt was tossed his way. He felt sick to the stomach. His head pounded inside as he struggled to collect his thoughts. Begrudgingly picking up the clothes, Cameron lumbered to his bed and began to change. At this point, he was far from being composed. He was suffocated by utter panic and paranoia with every thought spiralling back to a mental image of a tiny human Neeve, running away from him with a look of inexplicable fear in her face. In this moment, he wanted nothing more in the world than to not be a giant; a huge, clumsy brute capable of only harm and damage to beings smaller than him. He was gravely ashamed of his size. As he slipped his boots on, he raised himself off the bed and let out a shaky exhale. Even if he was trembling inside, he still had to deal with the bootcamp first. Cameron couldn't let his father notice his weakness once again. Reluctantly, he headed out the door to meet up with whatever was waiting for him outside.

Cameron was met with about a dozen people, all dressed in similar outfits as him. His father wore a moss-green shirt, which was tucked neatly into his camo pants, accompanied by rough, black army boots. He was standing next to someone who Cameron recognised as one of his father's best mates: a taller man with slick walnut-brown hair, tied into a well-kept ponytail along with a trimmed goatee on his face. He hadn't interacted much with this person, however he could already feel distaste for him assuming his father had also turned him against Cameron. He had also noticed that the man with the goatee was holding a sledgehammer. Cameron, still a bit hazy from a few minutes ago, didn't think to question as to why a single sledgehammer was needed for a bootcamp of a dozen people. As he looked around, Cameron realised that the new cadets he hadn't met before were eyeing him and murmuring amongst themselves. This elevated his anxiety even further. He forced himself to turn away from the prying eyes.

The overlapping voices of the other cadets began to simmer down as Cameron's father announced their instructions. "Alright people, I'm sure you all know why you are here, so I won't waste any time explaining." Rhys declared, aiming his stern stare at Cameron. "Follow Sergeant William Ross's and my instructions and there won't be any problems" he stated as he pointed a finger to the man with the walnut hair. "Now everyone, follow us and we can get started." The group turned to walk behind the two men making their way eastbound. Cameron was still quite puzzled at what the point of this bootcamp was and why he wasn't told much about it. "Hey, do you know what exactly we are doing for this bootcamp today?" he asked one of the boys who was about his age. The boy cackled, startling Cameron. "Are you being serious right now? The boy asked him, amused. Cameron began to stutter from embarrassment, "I-I- uhh-". "You see that big wall over there?" Oh god.... Cameron's insides began to pool with dread as he began to realise the worst. "Yeah, say goodbye to that. We're gonna blast through, and your job.." he forcibly shoved his index finger into Cameron's sternum. "Will be to capture the humans." he finished in a condescending tone. Cameron choked on his words, unable to find a response to the information he just took in. "Wha-wh- h-how.." His mouth gaped open, until he felt a firm hand grasp his shoulder tightly from behind. Cameron whipped himself around to face Sergeant William sneering down his nose at him. "Don't even think about running. Your father is right here..." The words struck him like a sledgehammer. He was helpless once again, but now, unable to run or hide. With his father controlling almost every aspect of his life, he was trapped. Cameron didn't even think he could run if he had the chance from how shook he was at this moment. Immobilised in his thoughts, he was forced to continue.

The crew made it to the wall. While the other cadets and sergeants were discussing their plans, Cameron was able to hear the meager cries of some humans across the wall, who he assumed had noticed him and the other giants lurking behind their trusted structure. A chilling shiver ricocheted through his spine as involuntary thoughts of the humans' perspective began to conjure in his mind. He was now about to be a part of their suffering. "Quickly! They'll run away!" Cameron looked up to see Sergeant William wielding the sledgehammer and aiming it at the top of the wall. He took a lengthy swing back with his powerful arms and sent the hammer crashing into the structure. A large section of the wall crumbled to the ground on the other side. Upon this occurring, the miniscule cries turned into shrill screams and wails of absolute panic. Cameron winced and turned away from the wall; the thought of him being a part of something as wicked as this was unbearable. As he contemplated all his past actions that led to this moment, he was turned back around by his father. "Go in and gather the humans." Rhys's face was devoid from any empathy; for his son or the humans. He was really serious about this. Rhys grabbed his son and shoved him through the now gaping hole in the wall. Cameron, almost stumbling to the ground but quickly recovered to reveal a sight he'd never expected to see in his lifetime.