I walked around the corner to where the designated bus stop was located. The bare minimum, in my bag that i had, flopped over my shoulder. It wasn’t very heavy, since I’m not rich being II come from a farm family in the country.
After a fifteen minute walk from the drafting building, I found myself at one of the private bus stations that was inbound for the base that was further out, towards the bigger city. It was about a six hour drive from my home town to Gongaga, but I guess in the end it will be worth it.
I sat down on the bench with a few other men I knew from high school.
One of them looked up at me and smiled, “hey terra, haven’t seen you in a long time.”
I smiled back at the man, “yea, hey dude, how’ve you been?” I replied as we did a fist bump.
“Im great, enlisted in the military and got in…well obviously…or I wouldn’t be here..” I laughed along with him before relaxing back into the bench.
It was hot outside, guess it didnt help that the sun was beating down on us and the bus stop didnt have a roof. I looked up, sweat on the back of my neck and on my forehead. I looked down to my dirty shoes. I was getting wrestles. I closed my eyes and just sat there on the bench, with other guys. I was like that for what seemed like hours.
Then I opened my eyes slowly and I saw what looked like a bus coming towards us.
I gathered up my stuff and tied my shoes again, wiping the sweat off onto my t-shirt, and dusting off my shorts, as i did, pockets of dusts flew up into the air. “Man I’m dirty,” i said with a grin, being a country boy, i always am covered in dirt. I laughed.
When I was done the bus pulled up to the stop and the doors opened. I slowly approached the door, and turned around to take one last look at the town I wouldn’t see for a long time. I let out a sigh, that was long and a bit sad. I turned back around and boarded the bus.
As I got on, there was a loud mouth in the back with flaming red hair. I walked down the bus and smiled, “Axel!” I said as I saw who the flaming hair belonged to, “nice to see ya!” I sat next to the redhead.
“Hey dude!!” Axel replied back to me, a big smile spreading across his face. As I sat down I was engulfed in a hug by my old childhood friend, “Man its great to see you!!!”
I laughed, “you too!” I said as I got out of the hug. I placed my bag at my feet, under the chair. “So you got roped in too, huh?” I said as I looked around the bus, old time high school friends, mayor’s son, small sprots team players… almost every face on that bus I could recognize. It was nice to see so many people I knew commit to something like this.
“Yeaa” Axel said as he placed his hands behind his head and leaned back, “dont regret it tho..” I smiled to him, “thats cool…same here” I replied.
Axel leaned up and picked his jacket up off the floor, he reached into the right breast pocket and pulled out a pack of camel. “Care for a smoke?” he asked me.
“im good…kinda sick, dont want to make it worse..” I said, yup…still the same, hasnt changed.
“Care if I smoke?” He asked pulling out on cig and putting it in his mouth.
“No…not at all.” I said, just watching him put back the pack into the pocket then dropping his coat back onto the floor.
“Cool” he said, and started patting himself down, searching his pockets, “Do you have a light?” He asked. I nodded and pulled out a Zippo from my pocket and gave it to him. He lit his cigrette and gave back the lighter.
I leaned back once more after replacing the lighter, and shut my eyes. “hey dude…” I asked.
He looked at me and breathed in some smoke, “yea?” He replied.
“Wake me up when we get to gongaga…. haven’t slept well at all these past few days.”
Axel nodded silently, “no prob,” he said as he took another breathe from his cigarette.
I woke up with Axel laughing, I opened my eyes slightly. “Whats going on?” I asked him as I slowly sat up in my seat.
“Ahh…nothing dude….just that there were some words being thrown by some junkies at the last stop and people cant get over it….” He said flicking another butt out the window.
Everyone on the bus seemed to be wired up now…I opened my eyes completely. and stretched out.
“How long was I out?” I asked Axel.
“Umm for about four in a half to five hours…We are almost to the base.” He said rolling his shoulder, stretching his arms and yawning.
All of the sudden when I looked up, everyone was out of their seats pitching fits about things and going insane, all order gone, into chaos.
Axel stood up and walked half way down the hall and shouted, “EVERYONE LISTEN UP! I WILL ONLY SAY THIS ONCE!!!!” Every one quieted down so they could here Axel. “We will be at the base soon, Stay in your seats and KEEP QUIET!” He slowly walked back to me and sat down.
As Axel asked…all was quiet… I just looked at him. “What the hell was that?”
Axel shifted his eyes and looked away quickly, “I guess I’m intimidating?” he laughed a little, a bit nervous tho. Huh….that strange…he made everyone shut up…
A bit after the silence was brought down, we pulled up to this iron gate.
After the security personnel posted at the door checked the bus drivers papers, we pulled through into the compound.
I looked out the window in awe. Everything was clean, for a facility, and orderly.
We pulled up in front of what looked like an office, came to a stop. Everyone gathered their belongings and we started to file out of the bus.
Axel and I were the last ones off and as I stepped off onto the dirt, there were two men in uniforms saluting and said in unison, “General Axel Sir!”
I was confused and I looked back to Axel to see him saluting them too, “Ad-ease.” he said stepping off the last step and going over to the two in uniform.
He came slowly back to me and clasped me on the shoulder, “I’ll catch you later, okay? I have some business I need to attend to.” He turned around and walked off in another direction, different then my own. I watched after him as the two uniforms just stared at me, til one of them hit the other and they ran off after Axel.
“That was strange…” I said to myself.
I ended up making my way into the recruiting briefing office to get some more info on where we were headed.
I walked in and sat down on one of the many seats lined up against the back wall. We were waiting for our names to be called. The man at the front desk called mine and I walked into this small four walled room with two chairs and a small desk.
There was a man behind the desk staking papers and motioned for me to sit down.
“Terra I presume?” He said looking through the files.
“yes sir” I replied.
“Good.” he said pulling out the file I guess he was looking for, “You will be stationed in Barracks 8. Block 8 and House 8..” He gave me the papers that were in the file. “Guess your lucky number is 8 son. Dinner is in thirty. Check your bag with the sergeant on the way out and then head to dining hall for dinner. After that is when you can put your bag in your house, and then Orientation, then sparring with fellow soldiers. Be punctual, precise, and formal. One thing out of line I will personally kick your ass, do you understand me?”
I was surprised by this welcoming, wasn’t expecting this, but I also didnt think it was gonna be cake and pats on the back… “Yes sir.”
“I don’t like you, so I’m going to be watching your every move.” He said getting up and he shook my hand. his grip being extremely tight. “Don’t fuck up.” He said sending me out of his office.
I sighed… and said to myself, very low, “what did I do to that guy?”
“Don’t worry that’s just him.” This black guy next to me said. I looked over, he wasn’t too close to me, but we were both heading to the bag check.
The man reached his hand over, “I’m Sergeant Charles Lee.” we shook hands, his grip wasn’t as tight as the other guy, but it was firm, showing authority.
“I’m Terra…guess I’m just a private…” Charles smiled and pointed over his back, “that dick you met was Sergeant Cox. He is one mean son of a bitch. Don’t cross paths with him kid, you wouldn’t stand a chance now.” the man laughed. “anyway, lets check your bag.”
I laid the thing up on the table and Charles went through it just checking to see what I brought. Within six minutes he was done. “There ya go son, that was relatively painless. But yea have a good one and forget about Cox.” He smiled and said good bye.
I made it out of the office with everything intact and started to head over to the dining hall.
Terra walked across the compound to a long building that stretched at least the length of a football field.
I walked through the open doors into a giant room, filled with noise, plates clattering, voices chattering, and sometimes an occasional dish shattering. I ended up going to the right were there was a long line of what looked like a high school cafeteria serving tables, but instead of cafeteria ladies serving food it was big bulky men in tight green t-shirts and khaki pants.
I went over and grabbed a tray and walked down an ‘assembly line’ where food was plopped onto the tray. What ever food it was..it smelled fantastic but looked like shit. I muttered to myself, “they weren’t kidding when they said shit on a shingle…..bet their biscuits are hard as a rock too.”
I walked to the furthest, isolated table where I could eat without becoming a Target by someone who was bigger and looking for a fight.
I sat there eating my food when someone slammed their tray next to mine. “You know..” said a voice, “eating alone wont solve anything…were you trying to hide from me??” I looked up
“Zack!!!!” I got up and hugged my older brother.
“hows it going lil’ bro?” He smiled and sat next to me and started to eat, I told him about the drafting and the bus ride then Axel…
“Oh yea, guess you didn’t know, Axel got promoted straight up, he is all our superiors. he is the general. He gets great honor.”
I just ate my food and watched as all these big guys kept sitting down by my brother and I, and talking like we already knew each other.
Zack would introduce me to all of them and we would shake hands, tell stories, share what barrack we would be in, and occasionally, what we thought of the food.
twinsfiction 