Chapter 11

-The train finally arrives at its destination, Arthur gets off the train and in front of him he sees a large number of experienced soldiers waiting at attention for the newest recruits. The captain joins them and waits in position as well.

-ATTENTION!! (?)

A strong voice makes the nerves of those who have arrived to increase, they immediately do as he asked. After everyone did what he ordered, he started to appear on the right side walking in the middle of the division that separated the veterans from the recruits, until he stopped right in the middle of that division and turned to the ones who had just arrived, he was a old man, but it could not be said that he was fragile, his body appeared to be extremely resistant.

-I see that we have many young people willing to serve the flag even today, that's good. Pough, cough... My name is Edgard Williams, but for you it's Mr. Colonel Williams. Understood? (Edgard)

-Yes... (recruits)

The recruits responded in an embarrassed and low way because they were a little nervous about the colonel.

-I ASKED IF YOU ARE UNDERSTOOD!!?? (Edgard)

-Yes sir Colonel Williams! (recruits)

-Excellent. I won't linger on my speech, I've never been a fan of this kind of thing, for me if you have time to talk, use this time to train. So let's get down to business, each one of you was assigned to be with a captain, you're all going to look at the tickets you got on the train and go to the designated place on it. This place is their dormitory, where they will be able to rest from the hellish training they will spend every single day with me here. (Edgard)

-Sir Colonel Williams! (recruit)

A recruit interrupts the colonel's speech by raising his hand to ask him a question.

-What the f*** is this? (Edgard)

The colonel looked shocked at what he was seeing, he walked over to the soldier who raised his hand.

-Unfortunate, why are you with your hand up? (Edgard)

-I have a question sir. (recruit)

-A question you tell me? Is that why you raised your hand? (Edgard)

-Yes. (recruit)

-Very well I will answer your question then. (Edgard)

-Thank you very much... (recruit)

-TWENTY PUT-UPS!! (Edgard)

-Ahnn...? (recruit)

-DON'T YOU HEAR ME UNHAPPY?!! IS DEAF BY ACCIDENT?! I HAVE YOU PAY 20! (Edgard)

-What, but here and now? (recruit)

-NOW!!! (Edgard)

The soldier desperate for the colonel screaming in his face starts paying for his push-ups as quickly as possible.

Scary, even from here I could see he was so nervous he even spit in the guy's face as he spoke. (Arthur)

-I'm done... now can I ask? (recruit)

-Do you still want to ask the question? (Edgard)

-Yes... (recruit)

-PAY MORE TWENTY!! (Edgard)

The soldier goes back to doing push-ups, but he barely manages to do five right and falls down because he is exhausted.

-Recruit... what are you doing? (Edgard)

-Forgive me sir! I can't pay another twenty. (recruit)

-It's sir colonel for you, don't forget that. (Edgard)

-Forgive me, Colonel Williams. (recruit)

-You are all pathetic. They don't have an iota of soldier's vigor in their bodies, they're all a bunch of worms who dared to wear the honorable Military Clothing. But don't worry, that's why I'm here. I will turn all pathetic worms into real soldiers, real heroes of the nation. DISMISSED!! (Edgard)

After the colonel's speech, Arthur walks towards the place marked on the note he received until he finally arrives there.

-Looks like it's here. (Arthur)

He enters and soon he comes face to face with the captain who was giving the speech at the train station.

-I see you all finally arrived. (captain)

Arthur was the last to arrive at the place that was with only 5 new recruits, the rest of the group was formed by experienced soldiers, who had already faced a battlefield.

-Very well, for the new recruits who have just joined our squad, I am your captain, our group may seem to have few members, but this is due to the fact that we do more infiltration or strategic ambush missions and in this type of service the smaller the team, the more efficient the work will be. (captain)

-So here we won't face the enemy? (recruit 1)

-Negative, we can still have direct combat with him, but this should be treated as a last resort. (captain)

-Understood. (recruit 1)

-Captain, how should we refer to you? (recruit 2)

-Just captain is fine. (captain)

-But what's your name? (recruit 3)

-Knowing my name is unnecessary recruit, as well as those of your companions. (captain)

-Like this? (recruit 3)

-There is no need for explanations, just keep in mind that it is unnecessary, if you want to speak your names to each other you can feel free, but I will not speak mine to anyone. (captain)

-That's kind of melancholy, don't you think? For a first presentation. (Arthur)

The captain looks into Arthur's eyes and sees that they are pure eyes, no evil could be seen in them.

- Get ready, we'll have a training in 20 minutes. (captain)

-Ehhhhh, but now. (recruit 3)

-You heard that man earlier. I think he just forgot to welcome you. Welcome to Hell. (captain)

The captain leaves the dormitory and leaves them to get ready.

-Wow, what's his problem? (recruit 1)

-Speaks seriously. Don't you need to know the names of your teammates? He's pretty dramatic. (recruit 2)

Arthur notices that the veterans haven't said anything so far, they just obeyed the captain's orders and started to change. Arthur goes to one of the veterans.

-Ohh. (Arthur)

The veteran just looks at Arthur but doesn't respond, he just turns his face away and keeps changing.

-Nice, my name is Arthur. What's your name? (Arthur)

-D22. (veteran)

Arthur didn't understand at first what he meant by that answer.

Is it that code that appears on the list of new recruits? If I remember mine was J51. (Arthur)

-Ohhh recruit. Trying to talk to Thomas? You're out of luck, huh? This guy doesn't want to talk. (veteran)

-If you're ready, go to Mike's training site. (Thomas)

-Whoa, whoa. I better get changed. (Mike)

The veteran went to change, while the other got up and left the dorm. With some doubts popping into his head, Arthur went to Mike to talk to him.

-His name is Mike right? (Arthur)

-That's right! Mike Oliveira, but some call me Mr. Handsome, but there you go, the way you prefer is fine. (Mike)

-You look very different from the other guys here... (Arthur)

Mike looks at Arthur with a dubious face.

-No, I didn't mean it that way, saying you're weird. It's just that you feel different from other veterans, you know? (Arthur)

-Do you think that? I don't see it that way. I think, just someone has to make a fool of themselves. You're on, right? Every group has someone who is always the fool, it turned out that I was left to fill that role. (Mike)

Stew? Group? (Arthur)

-Well anyway, it's a pleasure to meet you... (Mike) 

-Arthur. (Arthur) 

-Arthur. It's a pleasure, now I'm going ahead, see if you're not late in your first practice, not wanting to be pessimistic, but if the punishment for having a doubt in the middle of the colonel's speech was already heavy, don't even want to know the punishment for arriving late. (Mike) 

After getting ready for a while, Arthur finally shows up at the training camp. Although it was late, the sun was still strong and with a blinding light, the colonel was explaining the training and everyone was listening carefully. That routine, it would be Arthur's life from now on, running the track, jumping obstacles, climbing and jumping over the wall and finally going under the fence in the mud. The colonel released the recruits to start running until it was Arthur's turn, he ran as fast as he could and as he made the route, he began to remember the moments he spent with his father. His father was across the street encouraging him to run faster until he got to him, he was helping him practice to compete in school, always with a smile on his face. Already more adult they were walking in a forest and Arthur ran through the woods, jumping over the fallen logs, while his father ran after him. Arthur finally starts to climb the wall and as he climbed he realized that his father was always present in his life at all times, but that from now on he would be alone. As a last memory he remembers him lying face down under the couch playing with his father hide-and-seek, that was a very happy memory. Arthur jumps over the wall and goes to the mud and barbed wire area, he drops to the ground and starts to crawl.

In the dark woods of an unknown place, Arthur crawls over the black clay of the place along with his team. It had been 3 months since he joined the army and this was his first mission.