War On Peace

Chapter 2

It could have only been five in the morning when a Sergeant kicks the door open. "On your feet subject 100. Time for your first day!" The light is switched on blinding me. Then a bucket of ice water is dumped on me waking me completely up. "Off your ass, lazy!"

I sit up and look at the Sargent, it is Soot.

"Normally you have to get up at seven, but since you got in a fight with Zed, you and him will be training bright and early for the next month."

Zed is at the door, he is also covered in water and still has the look of sleep in his eyes. Soot throws some clothing at me and instructs that I get dressed, so without asking for privacy I change. It was my outfit from yesterday that is now stained with blood but the holes have been stitched up.

Soot marches us out to the training course. Yells at us for a bit, then blow a whistle instructing us to go. I run across the tires and jump up on the wall. I struggle to pull myself up causing me to fall behind. Soot yells and makes us restart the course. This time I make it up the wall, barely, and then across the monkey bars, but Zed falls to the ground. Today is going to be a very long one. Fail after fail we kept having to restart the course. Others were starting to arrive and they watched us fail while waiting for a command. Finally, Soot calls us from where we were on the course to dismiss us to go shower and get cleaned up.

Zero has joined the crowd and is watching us. When I walk past, he shakes his head and winks at me. I could hear Soot chewing out someone who sat on the ground. I don't want to look back so I keep walking till I feel a hand on my shoulder.

"Chicken. This is your fault," Zed shoves me down to the ground, spits at me, and then continues walking.

"What a jerk." I get up and wipe the dirt off. "Hey asshole," I run up to him. "We wouldn't have been in this mess if you haven't insulted my face."

"No, we wouldn't have been in this mess if you would have just kept your mouth shut."

"Well, you shouldn't have swung your fist."

"If you don't shut up, I will hit you, and I won't miss."

"That's laughable. I'd kick your ass again in a heartbeat."

"You could not," he hits the wall with his fist. "Shut up, you are pissing me off."

"Then show me, go ahead and do it."

"No. That would add an extra month to this suffering."

"Whatever." I push, testing him. "That makes you the true chicken here."

A fist came flying, then another, both missing. This was too easy. He lets his little ego get in the way. It was like no one taught him to fight. Then wham, a fist connects with my jaw setting me off. I shove him to the wall, causing him to bang his head hard. I kick him in the groin and watch him slump to the floor in agony. I kick him a couple more times. Then reach down to help him up, instead, he pulls a nasty trick, pulling me down into the wall. Then he jumps up and kicks me till I'm coughing up blood. Then he walks off, staggering from the pain.

I manage to get up, the floor is covered in red, as well as the wall. Anyone who enters would notice it right away. I walk away, my rib cage flickering with pain.

In the mess hall, I get my breakfast, Zed was already there eating his food and supporting a black eye. I am sure I looked just as bad, if not worse.

"What happened to you?" Zero asks sitting down next to me. "You're covered in blood. Was that your blood in the hall?"

"Doesn't matter. I dealt with the problem," I smile at him.

"Wow, did anyone tell you that you two look a lot alike." A kid that Zero seems to know says sitting down next to us.