The Scout

Chapter - 36

The Scout
Chapter-36 / 'lightning'
By: Mike Hurley

Todd looked at his arms; he was a scrawny 14 year old; he weighed 98 pounds, stood 5' 5", and could only bench press 85 pounds.
He collapsed after 25 push ups, and 30 sit ups. He had no idea how he was supposed to be a man. But Todd forced himself to stand tall, stop crying, and act like one.

He woke every morning with morning wood; that was the only thing that made him feel manly. But girls never checked him out, so what did it matter. He knew in the morning he would be whipped for escaping.
Then at noon, .....hung for treason. He figured it was against the Geneva convention to hang a 14 year old; but the Rebels had never heard of Geneva or its convention.

The only thing Todd excelled at was swimming. He was fast as a dolphin & his endurance shattered all State of Wyoming records, before the schools closed. His coach talked about the Olympics......then the meteors & fires came. He thought about becoming a Rescue Swimmer for the Coast Guard, at age 17. Todd could easily qualify.
He dreamed of diving out of a chopper from 150 feet, into frigid storm tossed, North Atlantic seas and pull a beautiful young Canadian girl in a bikini to safety.
Their bodies would be intertwined as the winch reeled them up. Maybe she'd need mouth to mouth, then kiss him after they landed. Such are the dreams of an almost 15 year old, red blooded, American male.

Todd sighed, and really didn't care about the Coast Guard or girls in bikinis anymore; life here was pure hell for a man who swore alliance to Canada or the United States. But he did care about his family.......especially Freedom. Todd would jump into a raging river for any of his siblings.
He knew the chances of Jocks attempting another rescue was slim to none. Todd recalled the last words his father spoke to him....."Todd, you're the eldest......you need to be a man......for our family".

Todd yelled out for the guard.....Hello!!

What the hell do you want now??!!

I want to know how my little brother is, and I need to use the bathroom.

He's being well taken care of, and will be in attendance tomorrow when you're whipped and then hung. You hungry??? You want some food??

Yes please. Todd replied. The guard stepped in the cell & undid Todd's handcuffs. Another guard handed him an old mushroom
can to pee in. He aimed his stream carefully; the guard aimed a rifle at him, then took the full can & handed Todd a plate of food.

What is this?? He asked.

It's dog food; we can microwave it for you??
Do you want a cherry on top?? Woof!!

Todd threw it onto the floor, and cussed.

The guard stepped into the cell & severely beat the daylights out of Todd.

Minutes later, Todd fell onto the wet floor in agony, blood dripped from his nose & mouth. He had 2 broken ribs & could hardly breathe. His left testicle bled inside his sac; his right one was bruised badly. His eyes were swelling shut & his spleen was bruised from repeated abdominal punches. Todd was close to passing out from the pain. Pieces of dog food floated past, taunting him. He fought to keep his head above the water.

Todd cried out for his mother again and sobbed, as he lay in 5 inches of cold water.
The cell door slammed shut; he heard the two guards laughing......"next time, he'll ask for seconds!! Arf!! Arf!! Roll over Rover"!!

Todd was just a boy.......trying to be a man, it was the most challenging thing he had ever done. He hovered close to unconsciousness.
The pretty Canadian girl in the bikini held his hand and kissed him. She kept Todd alive until a brave woman from Hudson, Alberta walked into his prison cell.