Page 16 of Black Wing and Shadows
Was he serious? I had hardly any energy left to walk. People around me started collapsing. Yes, he was for real. I also fell and began doing pushups. They were slow and, frankly, untidy.
I counted aloud: one, two, three, four, five, seven, eight. No, five, six, eight. The pain was overwhelming. I wondered how many repetitions I had completed. I needed to focus on something other than my screaming arms, aching legs, and strained core muscles. Everything fucking hurt intensely. My eyes throbbed, urging me to shut them, but I knew if I did, I might collapse.
“Stop. On your feet,” he said. I didn’t know how much time had gone by or how much I had accomplished.
“Now fall in a single line and run,” he commanded.
I thought they were trying to kill us. We hiked up a rugged mountain with little food and less sleep. Now we ran around the rocky summit. I looked up at the clear sky and admired the brilliance of the stars and the glowing moon. I couldn’t focus on the burning strength in my calves. Everything in my body threatened to give out.
“GET UP, CADET!” Ramuel yelled behind me. I turned my head to see what was going on and saw a cadet from the third squad lying on the ground. We all came to a stop, observing the situation. Most of us moved to a bent-over position, trying to catch our breath.
“Everyone else, keep going,” Pascal said. We all resumed running. Increasing numbers of cadets collapsed, most of us vomiting at least once. After about thirty minutes, they ordered us to stop. I suspected my ankle might be sprained. It throbbed painfully with each heartbeat.
I stepped wrong earlier, but I couldn’t give it the attention or focus it needed, or I wouldn’t be able to keep going. It was screaming for help.
Our group returned to our area and collapsed onto the mats. I sat down, pulled my ruck closer, and took out a wrap I had packed in case one of my joints failed. I wrapped it firmly around my ankle, lay back, and aimed to fall asleep. My entire body shouted negative thoughts, so I forced myself to think of something positive. I looked up at the night sky, trying to drown out the crying and vomiting across the field. I focused on the stars, the moon, and the sounds of nature.
***
I made it to the end, and there stood the handsome guy I couldn’t keep my eyes off of when he came near. I made my way to him, and he walked toward me, closing the gap. We stood inches apart, staring into each other’s eyes. His right hand grabbed the back of my neck, and his left reached around, pulling me into him. His gorgeous, full lips crashed into mine, sliding his tongue into my mouth for me to suck on. He drew it out and sucked on the bottom of my lip. Fuck me, his kiss was glorious. He pulled away from my lip to start kissing down my neck. His hand moved to the back of my hair, before gripping a handful of it, and then he playfully nipped at my neck. He moved both of his hands down to my ass, gripped my hands so tightly before pulling me up into his arms and carrying meinto—
“Wake up, everyone... We gotta go, everyone else is sleeping,” Callum said.
“I was dreamingsoooogood, though…” I cried out. “Yeah, it looked like it,” he said, looking over his shoulder at me. My face tightened, wondering what that meant.
We all quietly got up, grabbed our things, and put them in our bags. The other squads were still sleeping, and our best advantage was to get ahead. We started down the mountainside, moving slowly and quietly for the first twenty minutes or so to avoid waking anyone. My body just wanted sleep and food—lots and lots of food.
I also wanted to revisit that dream because it was incredible. I hadn’t seen Zane since that night in the sparring gym, even though I looked for him while walking the hallways. I didn't know which branch he belonged to, as we didn’t ask personal questions. He was dressed in black, and his name was Zane... yet I found myself dreaming about kissing him.
The third day unfolded much like the previous ones. Our group moved steadily, avoiding land mines and deadly arrow traps. Other squads weren’t as fortunate. Explosions from land mines echoed with screams nearby. We couldn’t tell which units had triggered them, nor had they passed us. We reached the caves and proceeded toward the one closest to our destination, just as we had on the ascent. Inside, we found a cadet standing beside a sturdy crate, a sight that filled me with a sense of absolute dread. We paused, eyes fixed on him, too exhausted to voice any objections.
“In order to get the crate, someone will have to spar with me and win.”
“Is he serious right now?” I said, looking over at my squad, back at the cadet, blinking my eyes slowly.
“Are there any rules to this?” Beau asked him.
“No, I was just—” Before he finished, Callum, Beau, Asher, and Jeremy rushed the cadet and tackled him to the ground, pinning him within minutes, leaving him to tap.
“Four against one is hardly fair, but I guess I didn’t make that a rule.” He motioned to the crate for us to eat, turned around, and headed out of the cave.
Asher cracked open the crate and passed out bags. Mine held a foil pack of circle-cut spaghetti, an apple, and a hunk of crusty bread. Lighter than the meals before, nothing to stretch into tomorrow. We were already running on scraps.
Grumbles moved through the squad—low, tired, the same hunger biting all of us. We chewed what little we had, unrolled our mats, and sank down like the first two nights. One more night of this grind. One more night before real beds. The thought beat through me like a drum. One more night.
We got up early and moved along the trail. We weren't moving nearly as fast as the previous days. We were all tired. Many of us were groaning with every step, every crawl. Callum was leading, as he had been for the past three days. I was right behind him. The sun was high in the sky, telling me it was midday.
More land mines and arrow traps exploded today than any day before, exhaustion dulling our reflexes. The journey stretched endless ahead, but all I could think about was the stale bread tucked in my pack. My stomach clenched as I pulled it free, chewing slow, forcing each bite to taste like something more than it was.
I nearly walked straight into Callum. He stood frozen, eyes wide. A dozen sharp whizzes cut the air around us.
“Ahhhhh!” he screamed out.
I was in shock, unsure if I could produce a sound. Pain shot through my entire body. I sank to my knees, pressing my hand against the wall for support, praying I wouldn’t fall off the mountain. I was destined for more, and this wasn't my end. I had to fight. Callum had collapsed forward, tears streaming down his face. What the hell just happened? How did this occur?
“Are you two alright?” Ophelia cried out behind us.
“I… don’t… know,” I cried out to her. The pain was all around, and I was seeing stars.
