Killers

Chapter 5

"Young! Front and center!" Rox called out. I was aligned between Stuart, Topher and Chuck. We were at the field, along with four other teams. I looked around me and saw the squad leaders in a huddle, maybe discussing the game plan for our training. It was time to train for combat. Topher told me that the best squad will be sent out by the Chief Commander to hunt down the Fuckers (Topher's name for the Things.) I knew the whole objective of the training was to be the best but I honestly didn't want to excel if excelling meant having to face those horrible creatures again.

"Alright," Rox said as she made her way back to us. Since Topher, Stuart and I were about 5'11 each and Chuck was 5'3, we had to bend down to make sure he didn't feel left out of the conversation. "Topher, you will be by my side at all times. Dexter and Stuart, you will remain behind and Chuck, your position will be in the middle." This somehow struck a chord with Chuck.

"Why am I always in the middle?" he said.

"We've been over this, Chuck. It's to keep you safe" Rox replied forcefully.

"Ha! You're not my mum, Rox. She died a long time ago. I can take care of myself, thanks" he snapped and walked off, taking his place behind a crate and wiping his paint gun.

"Chuck, I" Rox said softly while reaching out her hand to place on his shoulder.

"Get off! I'm not a child anymore. It's time you realized that and leave me be" he barked, smacking her hand away.

I went over to Rox to comfort her but she shoved me aside, heading to her position.

"I'm fine, Young" she growled. I was speechless for a beat before Topher patted my back and led me to my position. Stuart and I stood at the back, holstering our paint guns. It was training so there was no need for bullets. Chuck, with no other choice, grudgingly stood straight in between us and Topher. I could tell how important this was to Rox because she had abandoned her whole cheerfulness and replaced it with hostility. The sound of the whistle filled the silence and we were on the move. I was pretty much clueless as to what I was doing so I turned to my left to look at Stuart. He was expressionless but I could see how concentrated he was in training.

We moved with our guns by our sides, side-stepping over rocks and twigs. The field we were in was designed especially for this type of activity. It was huge so getting through it felt like escaping from a maze. There were brick walls and crates to hide behind as we tried our best to locate the other squads. Before the training started, a few other members of squads who had trained a day before us or were going to train the next day, were either wearing a white vest which meant uninfected or a red vest which meant the opposite. The objective was to save the uninfected and shoot the rest.

Since Rox and Topher were upfront, we had to rely on them for information on what's ahead. Even though this was a serious situation and I had to be completely focused on being badass, I couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy whenever Rox would touch Topher's arm or whisper something into his ear. I knew it was all strictly professional but still.

Chuck was moving swiftly and keeping up with Rox and Topher despite how angry he was at the position he was assigned to. We heard shots being fired so we halted to a stop. Rox made some sort of signal which I should know the meaning to if I had read the guidelines that she had told me to brush-up on earlier. I looked at Stuart questioningly but Stuart being Stuart didn't utter a word. He just looked at me with a look that said 'you should know this by now, you idiot.'

I huffed and waited for someone to make a move but we all just remained motionless, hiding behind individual crates. A moment later, we heard the shuffling of footsteps and Topher peered behind his crate to see who it was. After a look, he crouched back down and said something to Rox. Their proximity made me a bit queasy. I never thought I would be a jealous boyfriend but then again, I'm not her boyfriend. Am I?