Never Stop Counting

Dad?!

A/N Hey, I had a technical difficulty with the 'Revision History' of this old chapter. Sorry for the inconvenience, but I have a large update just for you guys ;) <3

-- 12 February 2024, 07:12 --

Ow my legs, ow my arms, ow I'm hungry, army sucks but I know it will get better. I just have to push past the pain and just put one foot infront of the other.

One foot... one... foot... left, right, left right.

Why did I have to train my mind to think the whole time and why won't my train of thought ever stop at a station? Does my mind even have a train station?

Just keep running, just keep running. Shut up brain!

"... I heard Commander Lewis say that they found the diary of a 'Doctor Stevens' on an abandoned shipwreck near our off-the-grid island."

Woah what? Did I just hear them say my dad's name? Just when I almost forgot about him, here he is again.

"I don't know, dude. No one has been near that island for years, why would anybody want to go there?"

"I'm just saying what I heard, no need to bite my head off."

"There's also this myth that there are monsters on that island. If I were a doctor, I think I'd have been smart enough to stay the hell away from that place, it spells danger."

I have so many questions bouncing around in my head. Was my dad in that ship? Why did he leave his diary in the boat? He never goes anywhere without that darn thing. And what about the monsters? Why would he want to go to that island in the first place? He's a scientist, not a biologist, for Pete's sake!

"You're slow, maggots! You are slow!" Ow my ears, why does the general find the need to scream? What pleasure does it bring him except a sore throat at night?

So many questions... Where is the conductor of my train of thought? It's going haywire!

-- 24 October 2024, 9:34 --

(DREAM) "Julia, it is so nice to finally see you again! You have no idea how I've missed you!" These words seem so distant, but she is all I can think about. Her hands feel so soft and tiny in mine.

"I missed you too, my love", she said. She let go of my hands and walked straight towards the danger.

"No, don't do that, please! You're going to get yourself killed!"

Her angelic voice rang in my ears. "I know. Wake up, Tyler."

"Wake up, Tyler!" Suddenly her voice became demonic, as if from a third realm.

"Tyler!" She screamed at me and her face morphed into that of a monster's. "I'll kill you with my own bare hands!" It muttered its final warning.

(END OF DREAM)

"Mister Stevens! Were you sleeping while I was giving you the most important lesson of your life?!" Crap, I was sleeping. I guess the commander's speeches still bore me. I can't help that it felt like I was in highschool again with those long, boring speeches our principal gave the school.

"Here comes the finale de grande he was talking about earlier, check this out!" Mike hollered in my ear.

"Shut up, Mike! Oh my gosh..." The general took me by the collar and dragged me onto my feet. With one hand he grabbed me by the back of my neck and bent me over, right into his knee.

I saw nothing but a white light for two seconds then I heard someone screaming and next thing I knew, I was knocked back into the wall.

When I regained my sight, I remember a fight scene I once saw in a Sherlock Holmes movie. I grabbed a chair and threw it at him. He made straight eye contact with me and I started to feel uncomfortable. I threw another chair at him and saw that he mostly leans to the right to avoid this specific attack.

With this newly gained information, I threw the third chair in the same manner I threw my first two and when the general ducked to avoid my attack, I quickly slithered in from the right to attack him with a chair I grabbed on my way.

I smashed him on the forehead, but since he's our general and probably took a lot of shots to the head in his lifetime, he didn't exactly feel a thing. Wait... I've got another idea.

I went and stood on the table. This will get his attention, I thought. With my feet neatly planted on the table to make sure I don't fall off, I started doing the chicken dance, while singing the song that comes with it.

"Think you can fool me, kid?! I am the strongest man between all of you little girls!" The general bawled at me.

With my chicken attack, I accidentally took out a few of my fellow comrades who were now lying on the floor, thus only two remain standing; the general and I.

I bursted into what felt like the hundredth chorus, which was actually my fifth chorus, and, quite startled, I saw a grin creep up on the general's face, behind his fists.

With a stern and angry face, and a slightly limp body with two left feet, I sang the sixth chorus. The general just couldn't take it and also burst out laughing.

"Wahahahaha!!! This must be the most stupid and funniest thing I have ever seen!!" He fell to his knees laughing.

Now, while I have the chance. Go, Ty, now!, I thought.

I quickly jumped off the table and smashed my hands over the general's ears, impairing his hearing and putting an annoying buzzing and high pitched sound in his ears.

Who says you can't learn a thing from movies?!

"Aaargh," the general moaned and put his hands over his ears. "You are one smart cookie, mister Stevens. One smart..."

"Chicken!" Mike burst out, interrupting the general.

With that, everyone layed on the floor, clutching their stomachs with tears rolling down their cheeks.

One thing's for sure, I'm not the one who's going to have a stiff mouth tomorrow.