Awakening

Chapter 5 - Eric (2/3)

Days passed. Mostly running, carrying equipment, fighting other men and exhausting himself. The days turned into weeks and finally months--doing the same routine, slowly increasing the pace and the load. The rough beginnings, as the sergeant called it, was trickling down the body of Eric and slowly taxing him physically. The cramps in his muscles never decreased like the medic promised and the headaches grew even more painful as time went by without much sleep. Boot-camp trampled over their bodies, souls and spirits, trying to test who of them will survive the turmoils.

The drop-rate of the recruits was amazing. First day only a few dropped out, but by the end of the first week, dozens 'rang-the-bell' as they called it--referencing to an old saying. Now, there were only a handful of five-men teams, and Eric's team was one of them. The only bright-spot in his entire stay here--what kept him going so far--was his team. 

They were split into five men teams and Eric felt he was lucky in this split, being around four straight-up guys who were intent on helping each other out. Sure, they were just a bunch of brutes without much lust for long discussions about the politics and the philosophy of things, but so was he. And as time flew by, his tendencies to push others away, were beginning to wain. Too bad Demia was not part of his team.

Eric slacked on his horrible excuse of a bed, inside a tent in the middle of another training ground on a dead rock in space--the moon. They were just about to catch a shuteye before tomorrow. The sergeant told them it will be their last day on the rock and the recruits who were good enough would advance to the next planet.

He knew he was one of them. Being in the lead on the scoreboard, which always hovered in every place around the base, assured him of his win. He never understood the ranking system around here.

"Did you hear we will have the last mission tomorrow?" Said Hawks.

"Aye. I heard that too. Some of staff even betting on final mission." Said Saib. "We like meat to them."

"We were always meat." Said Croak. It wasn't his real name, but after so much time without using his real name once, the entire team forgot it and only used his appropriate description.

"Yeah. But I checked. Some of these final missions were deadly the last year." Hawks said.

Eric heard of it too. The final mission on the moon was a brutal way to finish their first station in the boot-camp. It was the best way the military had figured out to pluck out the weak--if they were too weak and didn't admit it, they could lose themselves and die. There were no allowances. No mercy.

"Idiot. You can always quit." Saib said.

They chuckled and Eric joined in. Hawks was a huge dark-skinned bullish-guy with shoulders as wide as two men. He was the technical definition of a walking refrigerator and quitting was not part of his plans. He and Eric were one of the top rated recruits between all the teams and Eric was the lead of the entire camp.

They continued their chatter after everybody settled, but Eric's mind was already drifting away. He closed his eyes and tried to catch some sleep before the final day begins. His muscles were still stiff from today's workout and he had to relax.

"Ateeeention!" the familiar voice of the sergeant breached his conscious.

Dreaming already?, he thought at first. But after a few more moments of silence, he felt a foot kick him on his side.

"What th--" he said, but as he opened his eyes, he immediately shut his mouth and straightened himself, standing like a pole.

The sergeant was standing tall in the entrance, eyes locked on Eric like on the first day, wearing a grimace of disgust.

"Grond." He said, using Eric's surname. "Didn't you hear my command?"

"No sir." He said.

"Are you saying that my voice is not powerful enough?"

"No sir, I'm not."

"I'm not powerful enough?"

"No sir."

"This wasn't a question, recruit!" he barked "Give me a hundred. Hawks give him the pack."

Eric threw himself, as fast he could, on the ground, slowly floating down, while Hawks approached him. It was one of the staff's favorite punishments--push-ups while you are strapped with a plated back-pack. The gravity made it easier to do the workout, but the addition of the pack's immense weight and the amount of reps the staff usually demanded was taxing eventually. Eric began pushing-up and down, straining under the mass of the pack and the day's work.

"Overhearing your little chat about tomorrow," The sergeant said, speaking slowly. "We decided there was no reason to wait anymore. We are going to start the mission ASAP."

He strolled forward, hands clasped behind his back, a grin on his face. "You, children, are my best team. Even though, some of you are slackers," he eyed Eric. "I believe that you have molded yourself into almost-men."

He stopped at the end of the small tent, turning like a robot and pausing.

"I don't want to see any of you dropout or drop-dead. Especially you Hawks. Being the team of Galloway means you are all going to graduate this planet and skip to the next, no excuses."

So you bet on your own team, Eric thought.

"You all have ten minutes to prepare your gear and report at the hangar." He said and strolled to the exit of the tent, clacking along with every metallic step he took.

"Finish your hundred, Grond. I don't want to see your face before you do." The sergeant added before leaving the tent.

Everybody scattered around, throwing their equipment on the bed and rearranging the survival-kits. The noise felt far from Eric--his pumping heart was masking almost everything.

Rads! He thought as he made more reps. Where the rads are they taking us?

"Eric." Hawks said.

He was crouching beside him, his enormous figure towering over the small figure of Eric. "I'll prep your gear."

"Th..." Eric puffed. "Thanks."