by John Darling
Just then, Commander Knight walked passed me and threw his clipboard on the ground.
“How’s everyone feeling?!”
The group moaned like a bunch of zombies waking up. Some of the recruits even grunted as they tried desperately to maintain the position. I had the feeling some of these people had been here much longer than I have. It had only been a few minutes and I would have given anything to do anything else. Hell, I’ll run back through the course again if it means I can stop being in this position.
“Well, ladies and gentlemen take a look around! We are yet again missing one person. Can anyone tell me who that is?”
No one answered. I sure as heck didn’t know the answer. I had just started training less than an hour ago and didn’t know a single recruit in my class. However, I am interested in getting to know some of the other recruits. Maybe there’s someone else out there like me who has lost a parent.
Aside from several moans, the silence continued, despite Commander Knight asking the same question two more times.
“Well, I’ll inform you all that, once again, Recruit Petrischev has failed to make it through the whole course. Lieutenant Randall, please go get him.”
“Yes sir!”
I did not want to be Recruit Petrischev right about now. He was clearly number one on the instructor’s radar right now.
“And while we’re all waiting I suppose this is as good of a time as any to introduce our newest recruit. Everyone say hello to Recruit Flashman.”
Man I spoke too soon. Now, I’m in the spotlight. I slowly looked up and found dozens of eyes locked on me. I feel like the weird new kid that had just moved to a town in the middle of the school year.
“Now, let me set one thing straight so we’re all on the same page. I don’t care if you were a Navy SEAL, Black Ops, Secret Service or a god damn Power Ranger. You’re all here, which means that you want to be a part of OUR team. And to be a part of our team, you need to become a team. Over the next three months, you will live together, eat together, train together and work together. If being part of a team is not what you hotshots signed up for, then you’re in deep trouble.”
The moans and grunting got louder and everyone, including myself, struggled to stay up. I arched my back every few seconds in an attempt to push through the pain, but I hope we get to rest soon.
“I hear you all struggling. Push through it! You aren’t going to get anywhere in life by giving up!”
I closed my eyes and tried to picture myself in another place, and not in this position. Unfortunately, it didn’t work and I quickly arched my back again while simultaneously biting the inside of my lip.
“All right everyone, I think you’ve had enough. Now, are you ready for some chow?!”
A few recruits mumbled “yes” but I didn’t say anything.
“ARE YOU GUYS KIDDING ME? YOU EXPECT TO BE A TEAM? YOU LOSERS CAN’T EVEN RESPOND TOGETHER! LET’S TRY THAT AGAIN. ARE YOU READY FOR SOME CHOW?”
Without any hesitation, we all replied “Yes, sir!” at the top of our lungs and in unison. The shrill in his voice sent shockwaves through my soul and was hands down the scariest yell I had ever heard. His initial casual tone had lured me into a false sense of security with him for a few minutes. I’d be OK if he doesn’t scream like that again, but I doubt that’s going to happen throughout these three months.
“Good! That’s how your response should always sound like!”
Just then, the other recruit appeared. I glanced to my left and saw the guy that I had crawled by when I was under the barbed wire. He’s not in great shape like the rest of the class, and also doesn’t look to be American.
“Ahh Recruit Petrischev. It’s about time you showed up. Lieutenant Ward, get everyone to the mess hall!”
Chapter Eight: First Day Of School
Lieutenant Ward escorted our class into a tiny mess hall on Deck Five. I found out that Deck Five is known as “Training Headquarters” and where all of the living spaces are located. We all sat down at two long tables after getting food from a buffet line that had been laid out for us. I spent a majority of the time staring at my plate and hoping not to make eye contact with any of the other recruits.
No one really said much, except for this one perky blonde who introduced herself to me as Sierra Thompson. She told me that she had worked in Navy Intelligence before she was recruited by S.T.O.R.M. and was “super” excited to be here. I noticed a few people rolled their eyes as she spoke, probably because sucked a lot of air out of the room in the process. Despite the reactions from the other recruits, she seemed like a nice person, and she even wished me luck for the training. So far, that was more than any of the other recruits have done for me. The meal ended with the drill instructors abruptly telling us to stack our plates and cups.
I thought the drill instructors were going to bring us back down to the obstacle course, or what they called the “O Course”. Instead, they ushered us into a classroom down the hall from where we had eaten. They split the class into two groups and sent one into each of the two classrooms. Lieutenant Ward instructed us all to take a seat and wait for a different instructor. I took a seat in the back and once again tried not to make eye contact with anyone. Once the drill instructors had all left the room, everyone began talking. However, everyone immediately stopped when the person we were waiting on walked into our classroom. Although, I recognized the person, and he was no drill instructor.
“ATTENTION ON DECK!”
Everyone hurried to their feet as Admiral Kenneweg walked into the room. It’s proper military protocol to yell that when an officer walks into a room. I’d noticed that this organization was similar to the U.S. Navy and used the same ranks, as well as the nomenclature.
“At ease everyone. Please sit down.”
A different group of people walked in right after him. He reminds me of a celebrity with fans that always follow him around and like a popular figure, I wonder if they ever leave him alone. We all followed his instructions and sat down while two members of his entourage set up a projector in the back of the room.
“Well, I know you’ve all been working hard down on the O Course for two weeks now and I wanted to use today to not only give you some time to rest but to introduce myself and let you know why you’re all here. The only thing I ask is that you stand up in the back if you feel yourself starting to fall asleep.”
The projector came on and a giant version of the S.T.O.R.M. crest appeared on the wall in the front of the classroom.
“Good, thank you. Let’s begin. My name is Admiral John Kenneweg and I am in charge of this installation. Here, we train two types of Stormers. Should you make it through our training, you will all go on to become members of a strike team, or whom we call Strikers. We also have a medical training program here, where our first responders and nurses are trained to treat Stormers who become wounded.”
The projector flashed through a bunch of different logos and even a hospital ship. I’m not sure why the ship did so, unless it somehow belongs to S.T.O.R.M.? I continued to listen to Admiral Kenneweg speak.
“I’m sure all of you have asked yourself at some point why you are here. Or perhaps you’re wondering why our organization exists. Well, I’m here to tell you something that is going to blow your minds. When I found out, it took me weeks to comprehend, let alone understand. And we fully expect it to take some time to sink into your minds as well. However, we are telling you this now because I believe that in order for you all to succeed, you must understand the mission and why we fight.”
Admiral Kenneweg gave the person on the projector a head nod, and the slide changed. Several people immediately gasped as we looked at the picture up on the wall. My eyes widened and I can feel my mouth hanging open. On the screen is something that I’ve only seen once in my life, and that was last night during the extremely vivid dream I had. What are the coincidences that what I saw in my dream is now on the wall in front of me less than a day later? There’s no way this is real.
“This is why we fight. There’s an infection that is threatening our world and it’s our job to stop it… otherwise, humanity will end up looking like this – permanently.”
He pointed to the horribly disfigured and bloody person on the projector. It almost looks like some kind of zombie… but zombies aren’t real! This had to be a joke. Suddenly, another recruit yelled out the word “zombie” and the whole room erupted into yelling. Several people claimed this organization was a joke and that all of the officers are frauds. Others commented on the picture and exclaimed how makeup was used to produce it. Two recruits stood up and immediately asked to quit.
“Enough! You two sit back down! Ensign, please play the clip.”
The slide changed and the next one that came up has a video instead of a picture. The man on the projector clicked Play and the video began. I watched several men with guns kick down a door and rush into a dark apartment building. Panicked people rushed by them as they went by. They kicked in three more doors before rushing into a room. They cleared two bedrooms and a kitchen before stopping in front of another door. The lead soldier counted to three and then kicked in the bathroom door. Inside was a person yelling and clutching their head. Just before the first soldier got within a foot of him, the person on the floor turned toward the camera. A monster like the one in the previous picture and in my dream growled at the camera. Before it could get up, bullets flew out of one of their guns and the being fell over dead. The video then terminated.
As soon as the video ended, a recruit on the opposite side of the room stood up. He wasn’t just any recruit, he must have been the tallest and biggest guy in this entire class. I would have bet he’d give Commander Knight a run for his money if they fought.
“SIR! Are you telling me that we’re training to fight zombies?!”
“Yes, Mr. Quackenboss. We try not to refer to them as zombies because they are still people, but they are a threat to humanity and unfortunately must be eliminated.”
The whole room erupted again as everyone in the class shouted at Admiral Kenneweg.
“Lock it up! Like I said in the beginning, we don’t expect you all to understand this right away. If someone has a question, raise your hand and I’ll be happy to answer it.”
Sierra immediately put her arm up.
“Yes, Ms. Thompson.”
“Sir, where does this infection come from? And how exactly does it spread?”
“Good question. The infection comes from a gene that is randomly scattered throughout people’s DNA all over the world. They are born with it and it’s not something that’s given to them by their parents. It’s completely anonymous and the only explanation we have is that its Mother Nature’s way of controlling the human population. As for spreading, it spreads through biting, just like in the movies unfortunately.”
Admiral Kenneweg called on another recruit.
“Sir, how long does it take a person to turn?”
“It takes about twenty-four hours for a person with the gene to turn, and once the infection has taken over, it makes them want to infect any other being it can gets its teeth into. For the poor souls that it does bite, it takes anywhere from a few minutes to thirty seconds for them to change. That’s why you are all here.”
The guy on the projector proceeded to flip through several slides with pictures of teams of armed men jumping out of planes, scuba diving and driving in vehicles. My heart jumped when I thought I saw my Dad in one of the pictures.
“You are the next generation and it’s your job to protect the world from falling into chaos. That’s why our training is some of the toughest on the planet. We will give you all of the tools and all you have to do is give us a hundred percent of your effort at all times. Listen to your instructors and you will graduate on time. The world needs you all, even though people on the outside will never know what you do for a living. We have to protect our secret so we can protect the world. Over the next several months you will learn everything you need to know about being a strike officer.”
Just then, one of the people that had walked in with Admiral Kenneweg tapped him on the shoulder and whispered something into his ear. The guy on the projector then sped through the rest of slides and I didn’t catch what was on most of them.
“I’m afraid my time is up but if anyone has any questions Commander Kreider will be running the classroom instruction tomorrow and you can ask him then.”
One of the drill instructors yelled “Attention on Deck” and we all stood up as Admiral Kenneweg and his pack of followers exited the room. Lieutenant Ward waited until they were out of the hallway before closing the door.
“Alright, I know this is a lot of information to process so we’re giving you the rest of the day to think about it. Feel free to visit the pool, go to the gym, or relax in the lounge. Tomorrow morning we will be hitting the course again bright and early so be ready. Those who don’t make it through will be recommended to leave combat school.”
Lieutenant Ward dismissed us and everyone flooded out of the room. I was going to leave too, but Lieutenant Ward asked me to stay behind.
“Recruit Flashman, I just wanted to give you your room key. It’s down the third hallway on the left, room T17.”
He handed me what looked like a black credit card and sent me on my way. I walked into the hallway and noticed that everyone else in the class has disappeared.
I was baffled by what Admiral Kenneweg had told us. I had always thought that zombies were fictional flesh-eating creatures that some nerd in his basement created to scare everyone. Isn’t the zombie apocalypse something that just entertained those with a thirst for horror and human destruction? It isn’t actually supposed to ever happen, right? Keeping a secret from the world is one thing, and a government conspiracy is another, but this… this was just mind boggling.
Not knowing where else to go, I decided to check out my new room. I walked back past the mess hall and just before the hospital is the hallways Lieutenant Ward mentioned. I found the third one and sure enough, the room T17 is right where he said it would be. Every room I walked by had nametags on it and mine was no different. I looked up to see who my roommate was, and I was slightly disappointed to discover that I was going to be sharing a room with the only person who couldn’t get through the O Course this morning… Recruit Petrischev.
I slowly opened the door, but quickly stopped as soon as I heard somebody talking.
“Dad, I can’t do this. I’m exhausted, and I’m sure all the other recruits hate me by now. They’ve made me run the obstacle course twenty-eight times in the last two weeks. I’m not supposed to be here. I want to leave. Please tell them to let me go back to Japan.”
Immediately I felt really bad for this guy. Anyone who doesn’t want to endure this training shouldn’t have to. The conversation continued and I could hear another distorted voice from inside the room address him as “Alexei.” After twenty seconds of eavesdropping from the hallway, I decided to walk in. I opened the door, and Alexei immediately closed the laptop on his desk. We both looked at each other while his laptop echoed a lady’s voice, the same lady I’d heard multiple times since getting here.
“Connection Lost.”
After a few seconds of awkward silence, I introduced myself.
“Hi there, I’m Trevor Flashman. I apologize if I’m interrupting.”
I wondered who he his Dad is and why he was talking to him on his computer. He stood up, we shook hands and he told me there was no reason to apologize. Alexei’s voice was cluttered with remnants of a Russian accent, but it didn’t keep me from recognizing his dejected mood. He must have been down from performing poorly in the O Course this morning. The last thing I wanted to do was rub it in his face even more.
After we shook hands, I looked around our quarters. The room was fairly big with two desks, two chairs, two closets, and a fridge. The desks both had beds above them and ladders at each end. Overall, the room was about the same size as the one I had had back at the
Academy. There was also a shiny silver laptop set up on my desk just like the one on Alexei’s desk. Part of me wanted to check it out, but Alexei was climbing up the ladder to his bed so maybe now was not the best time.
“Hey Trevor, I’m sure you’re a nice guy and all, but we don’t need to waste time getting to know each other. I don’t plan on being here much longer.” He rolled over toward the wall. “Can you turn off the light? I’d like to close my eyes and picture myself somewhere else other than here.”
Alexei’s deflating mannerisms sent off a major negative vibe. I did as he asked and flipped the light switch. Even though it was the afternoon, a nap didn’t sound bad right about now. Maybe it would help me digest all of this crazy information. Just then, my father came into my head.
So he spent his career secretly fighting zombies and never told me about it? Just how did he get involved with all of these people? Part of me didn’t exactly believe that all of this was real but the rest really wanted to complete this training. We had just been told that we’re being called upon to defend the human race from zombies and it’s our job to prevent the world from falling into chaos. Finally, some action has come into my life. How could I not want to pursue this career? As long as I don’t have any more of those weird dreams, what’s the worst that can happen?
Chapter Nine: Isn’t This A Team?
“WEE-HOO!! WEE-HOO!! BANG! BANG! BANG!”
“LET’S GO RECRUITS!! IT’S TIME TO GET UP!”
Loud sirens accompanied by flickering lights sent my mind into a frenzy as I woke up. The hallway outside our room was filled with yelling from a group of frantic drill instructors. I could hear Commander Knight waking the other recruits up. I guess this is what an early morning feels like at combat school.
Seconds later, our door flung open and two drill instructors ran in. Their lips were moving but the words got all jumbled together as they entered my ears. A few seconds later, they ran back out into the hallway. I looked over at Alexei, who was staring at the ceiling with a terrified look on his face. If anyone doesn’t want to be here right now, it’s him. Unfortunately, going back to bed clearly wasn’t an option and he was going to have to tough it out. As I climbed down from my bed, I wondered when Alexei would move. I thought about saying something, but after a minute, his arm slowly pushed back the covers. Alexei reluctantly got out of bed and we both ran out our door to start the day.
