Chapter 22

                In the morning, I tackled my hair with a brush; the dirt still wasn’t completely out. During breakfast, Aiden had his arms around me again. It was kind of comforting to be held as we talked but it also made me worry. The thing about war is that you don’t get too attached to things, or people. Afterward, my group headed over to the front of the camp where we saw several targets lined up. I weighed an AK-47 in my hands. Our commander stepped up to us and instructed us to get into lines. As usual, it was me then Aiden, Evie, and Harriett in the first line. I steadied the gun against my shoulder, closed one eye, and made sure the center of the target was in my sight. We had shot guns in the drills so it wasn’t as hard to get a bullet to hit the center. Adien also hit the red center but Evie and Harriett seemed to still be having trouble. On the second run, there was an accident that could have led to a casualty. A man tripped which caused his finger to press the trigger. The bullet ricocheted off of a metal wall and hit a woman’s thigh. A terrible, shrill scream broke out and ceased all gunshots in every line. The woman was immediately sent to the infirmary with the man helping alongside her. That was the last we ever saw either of them. Never before had I seen so much blood and pain playing out directly in front of me. After that, our commander was strict and possibly in danger of losing his job if something like that happened again. I felt his tense figure breathing down my neck every time I had a gun and aimed it from then on. I never messed up but he had no way of knowing if I would.

                The rest of the day went smoothly, though. After lunch, we got a chance to shoot moving targets. Then, we had dinner and worked it off in the weight room. To my disappointment, it seemed like everyone was taller than me or bulkier. Aiden left with a group of guys so I went with Evie and Harriett. The weight machines were taken by the guys so, we went on the treadmills. We started at a jog that gradually turned into a full out sprint. Our feet stomped heavily onto the belts, our arms swayed vigorously back and forth while being held close to our chests, and our sweaty hair was matted against our skulls. We ran a total of nine and a quarter of a mile before we slowed the machines to a stop. I was drinking from my water bottle when I felt familiar, sly, strong hands wrap around my waist to bring me closer from behind. Aiden smiled at me when I looked up. It was as if the windy weather changed everything. He released me so that we could walk to the room together.

                When we got there, we noticed that the woman who had been shot no longer had her stuff resting next to her cleaned bed. Did the girl want to leave? Did she fight? Will she try to join again? Is she dead or going to die? That night, I didn’t dream but, close to one in the morning, I woke up. I looked at Aiden’s sleeping figure to my left and Evie’s to my right. The room felt hot but there wasn’t a fire. When I saw my hands, I saw that my palms were sweaty and I was frantic. Why? My legs begged for air as did my entire body. I laid on top of my sheets but found very little relief. My hands shook, my head throbbed, my chest heaved, and my mouth was dry. Someone to my left woke up and I could feel the person looking down on my struggling figure.

Author's Note

Enjoy!