Chapter 8: Combat Training
The dorms were split by gender, the male dorm in one building and the female dorm in another. With around two hundred and sixty recruits in total, both dorms buzzed with noise and movement as everyone rushed to find their assigned rooms.
Zephyr was relieved to find that Blondie wasn’t in his group. He didn’t have the energy to deal with whatever weird drama that kid might bring along. Instead, he ended up in a room with nineteen other boys. The space was clean and simple, two rows of bunks lined both sides of the walls, with a narrow path straight down the middle. It was just enough space to walk, with not much else.
The giant kid from before was also assigned to this room. When he stepped inside, the chatter died down slightly. Without being told, people stepped aside, instinctively making way for him as he made his way to an empty bed near the corner. He didn’t say a word, and no one tried to talk to him.
Some of the recruits already knew each other. A few had made friends earlier and were lucky enough to end up in the same room. Others were starting to introduce themselves now, trying to carve out a sense of familiarity in a place that already felt so cold and strict.
Zephyr didn’t say much. He just picked a bed, sat down, and kept to himself. His thoughts drifted to what tomorrow might look like. Training would start, and if today had been any indication, it wouldn’t be easy.
The next time he opened his eyes, it was to the sound of blaring horns. He hadn’t even realized when he had drifted off in sleep.
His roommates scrambled to their feet, some even half dressed, as they rushed out into the corridor. They joined the stream of groggy recruits stumbling into line, forming uneven ranks as they made their way to the training grounds.
The sky was still painted in that ever present dull shade of gray, except now it was an even darker shade. It was hard to tell if it was morning or night here. The darker shade seemed to be the only difference between them here.
The moment the recruits stepped onto the field, the instructor barked at them to start running as he took off ahead of them.
He began yelling to spur them on as they ran;
"Move it! Move it!"