Abnormal {Book 1: Completed, Book 2: Ongoing}

Chapter 24

The schedule for level 2 is also very different from level 1. Today is my first group training session, where two generals are in charge of a class of 20 level 2 soldiers.

Zach introduces the new instructors to me. He points to the girl on the right. She has long, stright black hair tied back in a high ponytail, heavily lined eyes and dark red lipstick. She surveys the group of soldiers haughtily, her black fingernails tapping impatiently on her chain linked belt. "That's Amelia. She's been ranked second ever since I came here." 

His gaze travels to the other instructor standing next to Amelia. He's tall and muscular, with dark skin and an easy smile. "And that's Daniel. Nicest guy I've ever met. He's a great instructor, too."

Amelia whistles once, quietly, but at the small sound, everyone falls silent and lines up in two neat rows facing the instructors. Zach quickly pulls me into place right behind Raven. 

"Our first drill of the day," Amelia says in a cold, clear voice, "will be hand to hand combat." She then turns to Daniel. "We will demonstrate first, then let you pair up and practice."

Our two instructors crack their knuckles, then face each other, positioning themselves in defensive stances. Amelia makes the first move, rushing forward and aiming for Daniel's jaw. He dodges the blow, bringing his knee up into her stomach. She grunts and stumbles, and Daniel hooks an arm around her waist to flip her onto her back. Just as he grips her wrists together and uses his knee to pin her to the ground, Amelia brings her wrists up and into Daniel's face. He lurches back just in time, releasing her in the process. She uses the momentum to tackle Daniel, bringing him to the ground and straddling him to prevent him from rising.

After a few moments, she stands up triumphantly, a satisfied smirk on her face. Daniel glares at her halfheartedly, grumbling underneath his breath. "You win every single time."

"That's because I'm better," Amelia says smugly, reaching up to straighten her ponytail. Daniel chuckles, and turns his attention to us. "Pair up with the person right next to you. You will do this drill for an hour, then afterwards we'll do some target practices with knives. Practice starts now."

Zach turns towards me, and I shift uncomfortably. Not because he's my partner, but because I have no idea how to do hand to hand combat. During my training session with Adrius, we focused on how to shoot a gun and how to control my abilities. He taught me how to throw punches here and there, but not how to directly engage an enemy. 

Zach sense my discomfort and puts a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "You'll be fine. I'll help you every morning during practice, and you will get better over time. There's no reason to worry about anything. The instructors won't even get mad if you don't do well."

I nod gratefully, and Zach starts teaching me how to block an opponent's blow while standing behind them. He positions himself directly behind me, with his left arm wrapped around my ribs to keep me in place. 

"Now try to elbow the side of my head," he instructs. I bring my forearm up and backwards, expecting it to make contact with Zach's skull. But he blocks me easily with his right forearm, forcing me to drop my arm back to my side. We switch places, this time with him trying to attack me. I thought that this move would be easy to master, but I'm wrong. As his arm flies backward, I bring up my forearm to block it, but he's way stronger than I am. He knocks my arm back easily, and my clenched fist accidentally hits my own forehead. I groan in pain and let go of him, frustrated at my lack of skill. 

He laughs a little, shaking his head. "You just need to practice more. A lot more. You should do some drills with Raven after practice so you'll improve faster."

I sigh. "How am I supposed to learn all this before the next mission? It's only two weeks from now, and I don't want to screw up again."

"The next mission..." Zach thinks for a moment before replying. "Well...as long as you can control your abilities and use a gun correctly, you shouldn't have to worry. Hand to hand combat should only be used if somehow you lose your weapon or if you are unable to use your powers."

I nod, and he continues. "Right now you should first focus on doing all the drills and paying attention in battle strategy lectures."

He then moves in front of me again, with his back facing me. "Try to do the elbow blocking move again. You should at least learn how to do it before this session ends."

After about a dozen times, I'm finally able to hold his elbow away from my face for at least 10 seconds. He seems satisfied with my accomplishment, and decides to teach me another move. 

"This move," he explains. "Is called the Long Knee." He then faces me and puts his hands on either side of my head. "Watch carefully." Suddenly, he yanks me forward, causing me to lose my balance. Then he knees me in the stomach, and I collapse onto the ground, grunting with pain. 

"That hurts," I complain, rubbing the side of my stomach. "Well, it's your turn to practice," Zach says with a small smile on his face.

I rise to my feet and reach upwards to place my palms flat against his skull, right above his ears. Then I proceed to yank him forward, just like he did to me. I use the momentum to jam my knee upwards between his legs. I hear him cry out in pain as he releases me and falls onto the floor. 

"That...was...awesome..." He wheezes out a laugh, and I crouch down immediately, feeling extremely guilty. "Oh my god, are you ok? Should I..."

He chuckles again and shakes his head to cut me off. "I'm fine. That really was great though! I had no idea you could fight like that." Then he raises his hand to give me a high five, and I grin, feeling happier than I've had for days.

Hey guys! Did you enjoy this chapter? Don't forget to vote and comment below!

Also, I added the visuals of the new characters to "Character Visuals, Pt.2"!