Hell of a Soldier

Ch.2| Run Little Bird

I had managed to run all the way to the post we were having orientation at.

I usually was tired by 3 miles, but i had managed to run almost 6. I'd thank the adrenaline in my body for that one.

I caught my breath before joining the small group of what looked to be kids around my age. I guess they had enlisted as well. There were around 6 boys and 1 other girl. She looked like she'd rather be anywhere but here. Her blonde hair was curled and her nails a hot pink. No way she had enlisted.

"Okay, Settle Down!" A loud voice bellowed.

Everyone in the group instantly dropped any conversation they were having and stood straight.

"Welcome! Im excited to see so many of you here." The man smiled proudly.

"Thank you Sir." Everyone except me responded.

Was there a book I was supposed to read or a manual? I followed suit though.

"Im Sergeant Avery. You may only refer to me as Sergeant Avery, unless I say otherwise. I, on the other hand, will call you whatever I see fit. If you don't like that, you may leave now." Sergeant Avery crossed his arms and examined the crowd. No one budged.

"Good. Now Sergeant Perish," He nodded towards a tall man standing off to the side,"And I Have worked very hard to get where we are. To receive the titles we have. We deserve respect and If you are not willing to give us that, this will be a living hell for you." Both of the men waited for someone to move or speak up but no one did. This appeared to satisfy them.

They droned on about the expectations we need to live up to during Basic Training in order to pass and become a Private. They also gave us a speech about keeping up with our appearances and cleaning our bunk house.

I had done most of this all of my life, Basic Training would be easy.

"Blueberry, Are we boring you?" I blinked, pulling myself out of a deep thought.

Everyone was staring at me.

"No Sir." I said and met his eyes.

"Then tell me, Where were we?" Sergeant Avery glared at me from the small platform in front of us.

"You were explaining how after Basic Training we would need to choose a path within the Army." I dug my fingernails into the palms of my hands. I hadn't been paying attention so I took a guess about the topic.

"Good." Avery nodded with approval and returned to his speech. I felt eyes on myself the whole time. I refused to meet the culprit. I knew it was Perish.

After what seemed like hours, We finally ended the orientation and were taken to an airport. We were currently in Utah. We needed to be in Oregon. Ill admit I had a lot of anxiety about being on a plane. I had never even been in a car until today. This was all insane.
•••
I exited the plane on jello like legs. It was a bumpy ride. We had what the pilots called turbulence. Just bumps and a little bit of violent shaking.

The whole ride I felt eyes on me. Multiple pairs. I must've been having an anxiety attack or something. Why else would they pay attention to me?

"Straighten up! Long day, I understand. But the faster you correct your posture, the faster you'll be successful." Sergeant Avery smiled and put his arms behind his back. We all followed.

"We have about a 5 mile walk to our post. Once we arrive, you may shower and find your tents. You will have a test tomorrow, both physical and mental." Avery cocked an eyebrow at us.

"Yes sir." We all replied in union.

About a mile into the walk and my feet were already sore. I blamed it on my cheap sandals. We hadn't been given the uniform yet, so I was without proper shoes.