Day 2: Pain is Your Teacher

  05:30 Hours

  The recruits were deep in sleep when the camp erupted into chaos.

  A siren wailed, echoing across the camp like a nuclear alarm. The barracks filled with yelling, scrambling, and the sound of boots hitting the floor.

  Lyra shot up, heart hammering in her chest. Lara practically fell out of her bunk.

  “What the fuck—”

  Bilal was already up, groggy but moving. David looked like he was still processing reality.

  Then the door burst open.

  "MOVE, YOU SACKS OF SHIT!"

  Lieutenant Tim stormed in, his face twisted in pure sadistic joy.

  "WELCOME TO HELL, DAY TWO!"

  The moment his voice hit their ears, every recruit knew—today was going to be bad.

  The Gauntlet Begins

  The recruits ran like hell toward Lot 50, where a fresh horror show awaited them.

  A 25km training course spread out ahead—a maze of obstacles, mud pits, climbing walls, razor wire, and trenches filled with freezing water. A torture zone designed to break even the toughest recruits.

  And waiting at the starting line?

  Warlord Salami.

  The entire squad froze at the sight of him—a walking storm in human form.

  "Good morning, maggots," he said, his voice calm, which somehow made it ten times scarier.

  No one spoke. No one moved.

  Salami’s gaze scanned the line, his presence suffocating. Then he turned to Tim. "You told me they were recruits."

  Tim grinned. "They are recruits, sir."

  Salami tilted his head. "Funny. Because I see a bunch of weak, spineless, useless sacks of meat."

  Lyra clenched her jaw.

  Bilal whispered, "Why does he hate us so much?"

  Salami turned sharply, and somehow still heard him.

  "Because I was once you, recruit. And I know exactly how fucking worthless you are right now."

  Bilal shut the hell up.

  Salami took a step forward, voice low and slow. "The world outside does not care how tired you are. It does not care if you are hungry, broken, or afraid. The mutants won’t wait for you to be ready. The Renegades won’t hold back just because you’re rookies. And if you fail here?"

  He let the silence stretch.

  "Then you were never meant to survive in the first place."

  The air was so thick with tension it could choke you.

  Then—

  "RUN!"

  And the hell began.

  Obstacle 1: The Razor Crawl

  The recruits sprinted toward the first challenge—a field of low-hanging razor wire, just barely above the muddy, ice-cold ground.

  "DOWN!" Tim bellowed.

  Lyra dropped instantly, the freezing sludge swallowing her elbows and chest. She began crawling, every movement scraping against the rough, jagged stones hidden beneath the mud.

  "FASTER!"

  She could hear grunts, curses, and yelps as other recruits dragged themselves through the filth.

  Ahead, Bilal struggled, his broad shoulders barely fitting under the wire.

  "Fucking—hell—this—sucks—" he wheezed, practically swimming in the mud.

  "MOVE, OR I WILL DRAG YOU!" Tim screamed at him.

  Bilal moved.

  Lara was beside Lyra, panting but pushing forward. "This—fucking—sucks—"

  "Yeah—noticed—" Lyra gritted out.

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  When they finally reached the other side, their uniforms were ruined, their skin caked in freezing mud, but there was no time to breathe.

  Because Salami was already shouting the next command.

  Obstacle 2: The Ice Pit

  The recruits stumbled forward—only to find themselves facing a giant trench of ice-cold water.

  Lyra’s stomach dropped.

  "IN!"

  No hesitation—just fucking suffering.

  Lyra jumped, the water slamming into her like a thousand knives.

  Lara surfaced next to her, gasping. "I—can’t—feel—my—body—"

  "GOOD!" Tim barked. "NOW SWIM TO THE END OR FREEZE TO DEATH!"

  Lyra paddled through, her muscles screaming, lungs burning.

  From behind, Bilal was swearing nonstop. "—FUCKFUCKFUCK—THIS IS HELL—"

  David? David was dead silent, just swimming like a ghost, face locked in pure determination.

  By the time they reached the edge, every recruit was shaking.

  And then—before they could even think—

  "GO!"

  Obstacle 3: The Wall of Despair

  A 5-meter wall stood before them, no ropes, no ladders. Just pure willpower.

  Lyra’s arms felt like jelly, but she didn’t stop.

  "Work as a team, you dumbasses!" Tim shouted.

  Lyra crouched, cupping her hands. "Lara—go!"

  Lara stepped into Lyra’s grip, pushing off, grabbing the top. She swung a leg over, reaching down.

  "Bilal, get up here!"

  Bilal looked at the wall, then at his own exhausted body.

  "Nah. I live here now."

  Lara rolled her eyes. "David, help me grab this dumbass."

  David and Lara pulled Bilal up, dragging his heavy ass over the edge.

  Then David reached for Lyra.

  She jumped, gripping his wrist—

  But her hand slipped.

  "Shit!" she gasped, her fingers barely holding on.

  David tightened his grip.

  "I got you."

  And he did.

  With one hard pull, Lyra was over the wall.

  "Good teamwork," Salami said, walking past them. "Too bad it won’t mean shit when you’re being hunted in the wild."

  The Final Push

  One hour.

  Two hours.

  It felt like an eternity.

  But by the time the recruits stumbled across the finish line, drenched, bleeding, and barely standing—

  Salami smiled for the first time.

  "Not bad, recruits."

  Bilal, laying face down in the dirt, whispered, "I think I saw the afterlife."

  Lara groaned, "If we live through this, I’m killing you, Lyra."

  David? David just sat there, staring at the sky, like he’d achieved inner peace.

  Tim grinned. "Sleep well, dumbasses. Tomorrow’s worse."

  And with that—Day Two ended.

  That night, exhaustion clung to every muscle like dead weight.

  The barracks were quiet, save for the occasional groan of a recruit trying—and failing—to roll over without every part of their body screaming in protest.

  Lyra was flat on her back, arms spread out, staring at the ceiling like it held the answers to life itself. Lara lay beside her, eyes barely open, murmuring, “I hope Salami dies in his sleep.”

  Bilal, however, was wide awake, lying sideways, staring at his P.D.D. screen with a look of pure, stupid determination.

  David, across from him, side-eyed him. “What the fuck are you doing?”

  Bilal turned the screen towards them.

  It was the camp directory—specifically, the female recruit list.

  Lyra and Lara burst out laughing.

  “Dude—” Lyra wheezed.

  “You’re serious?!” Lara smacked the bunk.

  Bilal ignored them, scrolling through names. “Listen, listen. We almost died today. And what do you do after surviving hell?”

  David sighed. “Rest.”

  Bilal grinned. “Wrong. You find love, my guy.”

  Lara shook her head. “Bilal, your priorities are fucking broken.”

  Bilal sat up dramatically, clutching his heart. “Lara, my dear, you don’t understand. We were born in a cold, metal bunker. Lived in a society that forced us into labor. And now? We’re being trained to murder mutants and warlords. So tell me—why the fuck should I die single?”

  David rubbed his face. “You are unbelievable.”

  “No, David,” Bilal pointed at him. “What’s unbelievable is that you haven’t even tried.”

  David gave him a deadpan look. “I’m not trying because we’re literally in a goddamn military death camp.”

  Bilal waved a hand. “See? That’s your problem. No vision.”

  Lara sat up, still chuckling. “Alright, Bilal, tell us—who’s the lucky girl?”

  Bilal scrolled dramatically. “Many options. But first… strategy.”

  Lyra groaned. “Oh god, there’s strategy?”

  “Of course! This is a battlefield. A delicate game of attraction warfare. One does not simply walk up and say, ‘Hey, wanna make out before we fight radioactive freaks?’ No, no, no.”

  David stared. “And you wonder why you’re single.”

  “Let me finish!” Bilal cleared his throat. “Step one: Find the right target.”

  He scrolled, tapping on a name.

  ‘Recruit: Ava Renner.’

  Lara raised an eyebrow. “Ohh, Renner. She’s cute.”

  Bilal beamed. “See? Great taste. Next—Step Two: Establish dominance.”

  Lyra laughed. “You’re not taming a wild animal.”

  “No, but confidence is key. You have to be the alpha in the situation. So tomorrow, during training, I’m gonna casually outperform everyone in front of her.”

  David looked at him blankly. “You almost died three times today.”

  Which makes it more impressive when I dominate tomorrow,” Bilal said proudly.

  Lara shook her head. “This is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”

  “No, no, no. Step Three: Casual conversation. I drop a joke. She laughs. Instant connection.”

  David sighed. “And if she doesn’t laugh?”

  Bilal grinned. “Then I try again.”

  Lyra buried her face in her hands. “I hate that this is entertaining.”

  Lara snorted. “Honestly, I kinda wanna see him crash and burn.”

  David smirked for the first time that day. “Same.”

  Bilal rolled his eyes. “I love the support, guys. Real team spirit here.”

  Lyra wiped a tear from laughing too hard. “Alright, alright. You do your dumbass plan tomorrow. But if it fails?”

  “…Yes?”

  Lara smirked. “You owe us all a week of latrine duty.”

  Bilal froze.

  David grinned. “Oh, now he’s nervous.”

  “…Fine,” Bilal muttered. “But when I succeed? I get all of your dessert rations.”

  Lyra shrugged. “Deal.”

  “Deal,” Lara agreed.

  David hesitated. “I don’t share my food.”

  Bilal squinted. “Alright, you’re exempt. But the ladies? Mine.”

  Lara leaned back, hands behind her head. “Looking forward to watching you fail.”

  Bilal grinned. “Then prepare to be amazed.”

  As the lights dimmed in the barracks, the four of them lay back, finally relaxed for the first time all day.

  Tomorrow? More hell.

  But tonight?

  They were just four idiots stuck in the same nightmare together.

  And for now, that was enough.