Recruits (New Haven Book 1), page 11
Theo laughed. “Well, Angela, we’ll all be covered in mud soon.” He rubbed his hands together. “Who’s going to go first?”
“You,” Thunder Thighs said. “Since you seem so excited about it.”
Theo dove toward the ground and army crawled under the wire. Thunder Thighs went after him, followed by Tina, Simon, and then Luke.
Eric motioned for me to go. “I’ll be right behind you.”
I got down on my knees before I flattened my body out and slowly scooted my body under the wire. There wasn’t too much room to wiggle through, so my gun kept getting caught on the top wire. I ended up moving it to the side so I could move faster. Mud splashed up onto my face a few times, but I couldn’t wipe it off, so it stayed there.
After about thirty yards, the wire finally stopped. Luke helped pull me out. I looked down at my mud-covered body and sighed.
“Let’s start toward the next wall,” Luke said to Tina.
I looked past them and saw another wall, a little bit taller than the first one. A rope hung down from the top. I sighed again. The challenge would never end.
The others took off as I waited for Eric and Skinny. It took Skinny almost fifteen minutes to make it through. Eric and I had to keep shouting words of encouragement to her, so she’d stop whining and keep moving.
When she was almost through, Eric and I bent down, took hold of her vest and pulled her out. She stood and stomped her feet repeatedly. “I hate this, I hate this, I hate this!”
Eric looked at me. “Do you want to tell her about the wall or should I?”
“What wall?” Skinny asked. When she looked past us and saw it, she started crying. “I hate this.”
I slapped her on the arm a couple of times, sending mud flying. “There, there, champ. We’ll get through this.”
Rolling her eyes at me, she stomped away toward the wall. I smiled at Eric before we followed her.
Everyone else was already over the wall when we got to it. Eric shouted as loud as he could. “Luke, Angela’s going to need some help over the wall.”
A moment later, Luke appeared at the top of the wall. He straddled it as he looked down at Skinny. “Grab the rope and pull yourself up as much as you can.”
She whined, but still took the rope and tried to climb up. She only got a few feet before she slid back down. Eric clasped his hands together. “Hop on.”
Skinny stepped onto Eric's hands and he lifted her up. She reached her hand toward Luke. He caught hold of her and pulled her up until she was on top of the wall. Before she could whine about the way down, Luke just pushed her off. He looked at me. “Let’s go.”
Taking hold of the rope, I climbed. Eric stood back up and watched me climb. I held on as tightly as I could but having mud on my hands made it difficult. Luke reached his arm down to me when I got closer. I reached up, just barely out of reach. Suddenly two hands were on my butt, pushing me up. Luke grabbed my hand and pulled me up, so I was on top of the wall. I glared down at Eric, but he just winked at me.
Shaking my head, I jumped down onto the other side. Skinny lay on the ground, faking an injury. At least, it seemed like she was faking. She kept complaining that she'd broken her leg, but she moved it around just fine.
Shots rang out, making everyone pull their guns out and look around. Men had come out behind some trees and fired at us. We fired back as we ran toward the tower. Since Skinny ran right beside me, her leg couldn't have been broken.
Once we arrived under the tower, the shooting stopped. Dante stood in the corner, his arms folded, his face holding no expression. When I looked closer, I corrected myself. Amusement definitely danced in his eyes.
RL Steven stood nearby with a bored expression on his face. “Congratulations. You’re halfway done.”
S kinny immediately fell to the floor, somehow shrieking, crying, yelling, whining, and whimpering all at the same time. It was quite impressive.
RL Steven ignored her. “For the rest of the challenge, one of you will have sustained an injury and won’t be able to continue on their own. The rest of you will have to help carry that person around.”
All eyes fell on Skinny and she stopped her tantrum. She sat up, her face excited. “Me?”
Thunder Thighs grunted. “If it will get you to shut up, then yes.”
“Plus, she’s the lightest,” Luke said. Tina nodded in agreement.
“How are we supposed to carry her?” Simon asked, scratching his frizzy head. There were chunks of mud sitting in his hair.
Theo picked Skinny up and threw her over his shoulder, despite her protests. He smiled at RL Steven. “Which way do we go?”
“East,” RL Steven said. “You’ll see a long log sitting out in the open. Once you reach it, turn north into the forest.”
Everyone stood there, waiting for more instructions. Given the look on RL Steven’s face, apparently, he had no more to give.
“And then?” Thunder Thighs asked.
“You’ll go through the forest,” RL Steven said.
She rolled her eyes. “What about when we get out of the forest?”
“If you get out,” RL Steven said, “head west. You’ll go through an open field until you hit a set of stairs. They’ll lead you to a room where you can get cleaned up before we leave.” He looked at Dante. “Follow them but keep your distance.”
Dante answered with a nod.
Luke clapped his hands together. “Keep your eyes and ears open. I’m sure there will be plenty of camouflaged men waiting for us in the forest.” He pulled his gun in front of him and held it close. “Let’s move out.” He moved east, with all of us trailing behind him.
It was eerily quiet as we walked. The group before us must have made it through the forest already. If they made it through. That if loomed over me as we crept toward the trees.
We came across the log five minutes later. I looked to the north only to see an endless amount of tall sycamore and pine trees. Besides random chirps from some birds, silence sat in the air. The day had started nice, but thick gray clouds rolled in overhead.
Pausing in front of the log, we all stared out, none of us taking the first step. Thunder ripped through the silence making me jump in surprise. Eric laughed next to me, easing the unwanted tension.
“What do you think is out there?” Skinny asked, her head pressed up against Theo’s back. Her hands were holding on tight to the back of his vest. From the smile on Theo’s face, plus the way he stood tall, he didn’t mind holding her.
Theo looked eagerly at Luke. “Should we go in?”
Luke and Tina exchanged a look before Luke spoke. “Let’s line up in two groups, just like we did when we first entered this challenge. No talking. Keep close together and watch for any signals from me or Tina.”
I jumped over the log and went and stood behind Luke and Eric. Simon stood behind me, shaking slightly. I wasn’t sure if he was cold, nervous, or both.
A fat raindrop landed on my cheek. I wiped it away, only to smear mud all over my face. I’d forgotten to clean off my face after crawling under the barbed wire. Plus, my hands were muddy, too. I would have wiped them off on my clothes, but they also were covered in mud.
More rain fell as we entered the forest. The trees slowed down the rain, but it made the drops much bigger. I kept close to Eric as I looked around for anything out of place. With the enemy in camouflage, it would make it hard to spot them.
A rustle to the east made me pause. I pointed my gun in that direction, looking for any sign of a person. My eyes passed over a bush but then swept back. Two eyes stared back at me, unblinking. Without hesitating, I pulled down on the trigger, hitting my target in the face a few times.
“Nice shot,” Eric whispered.
We continued walking, keeping our pace slow and steady. It would have been much smoother if Simon wasn’t clomping along, kicking up leaves, sticks and anything his foot could connect with. I motioned for him to be quiet, but he just gaped at me.
“How am I supposed to be quiet?” His high-pitched voice carried through the forest, making some birds sing out.
“SHHH!” Thunder Thighs’ declaration was louder.
Moments later, we were ambushed. Everyone fell to the ground, except for Simon who stood there shaking. I crawled over to him and yanked him down.
Theo set Skinny behind a tree and out of the line of sight of the enemy. He came back around, low to the ground, ready to fight. Even though we were under attack, he was still smiling.
I pulled Simon over to a tree. “Just stay behind here until I come and get you.”
He nodded and closed his eyes. I went back over to where Eric and Luke were, getting down on my stomach behind a fallen tree. Perching my gun on the log, I looked out toward the oncoming fire and started shooting. There were easily thirty to forty men out there that I could see. They blended in so well with the scenery, there could have been a lot more I couldn’t find.
“You’re too high, Emmie,” Luke said. He was on the other side of Eric, who lay right next to me. I lowered my gun just a little and continued shooting. “Perfect.”
Smiling on the inside, I swept my eyes around, trying to conserve my ammo and only shooting where there was a person. Eric and Luke seemed to be doing the same thing. Tina, Thunder Thighs, and Theo were to the left of us, hidden behind a couple of trees.
I glanced over at Tina to see how she was doing and saw a bush moving toward her. Shaking my head, I looked closer to make sure it was actually moving. I could see a few pairs of eyes in the bush. “Tina! Behind you!”
She spun around, spotted the approaching bush and fired. When the bush finally stopped moving, she turned toward me. “Thank you.”
I nodded at her and turned back. Another group of men were approaching us from the east. I pointed at them. “Luke, over there. More men.”
“We won’t get to them from this angle,” Eric said.
“Let’s move east and find cover behind some trees,” Luke said, standing up halfway.
We kept our bodies low as we went east. We didn’t get very far before they started shooting at us.
Running the rest of the way, Luke took cover behind a sequoia while Eric and I took cover behind a large pine tree. We kept our backs pressed together as he shot around the west side of the tree and I shot around the east.
Tina and the others joined us, helping us shoot down the enemies. Soon, there was no one left firing at us. We all came together near a sad-looking pine tree. Its branches were almost bare, and it drooped to the right.
“Nicely done everyone,” Luke said.
“We need to continue north,” Tina said. “Let’s keep close together and remember to keep your eyes peeled.”
Theo was still smiling. “I need to go back and get Angela.”
“And I need to get Simon,” I said.
Luke looked at the group as if noticing for the first time that they weren’t with us. “That’s probably a good idea. Let’s head back west before we go north.”
I found Simon right where I left him. We'd just started back toward the group when a creak came from my left. Simon had jerked to a stop next to me.
“My shoe's stuck under a root,” Simon said, pulling at his leg.
As I turned to see what had caused the noise, a giant tree fell in our direction.
I only had a moment to react. Falling on my knees, I pulled Simon's foot out of his shoe and pushed him with all my might, making sure he was out of harm's way.
When I looked back at the plummeting tree all I could see was a blur of wood and bark headed straight for me. At the last second, my body was propelled away, rolling a few times until I came to a stop on the ground.
Dante lay on top of me, his eyes wide with panic. “Are you okay?”
My gaze shot back to the tree, flat on the ground, the earth smashed underneath it. That would have been me.
I t took a minute to work moisture back in my mouth. Dante still hovered on top of me, looking me over for any serious injuries.
“I'm fine,” I managed to get out.
Dante stood, held out his hand and helped me up. “That was scary.” He went back over to the tree and examined it. “Must have been a pretty old tree …” His voice trailed off. He bent down, looking closely at the stump.
I joined him, squinting to make sure I was seeing it correctly. It had been cut. My eyes found their way to his and he looked back at me. He noticed it, too.
A rustle in the trees caught our attention. I barely caught a blur of someone running away.
Dante grabbed my arm. “Take Simon and get back to the others. I'll go check this out.” He took off without another word.
“Where's my shoe?” Simon asked. Well, more whined.
I went over to get it, but the fallen tree covered the area where his shoe should have been.
“What's going on?” Eric walked up, with the rest of the team behind him.
“Simon's shoe is trapped under this tree.” I pointed to it. “Help me roll it away.”
Tina came up to me. “Did that fall? Just now? I thought that bang was just thunder.”
I nodded. “Yes. I had to pull his foot out so we could get out of the way, but now his shoe is under there.”
Eric looked me and Simon over. “Are you injured?” He eyes held concern.
“That's so scary,” Tina said under her breath.
“We're wasting time!” Thunder Thighs yelled out.
Luke kicked at the tree. “Even if we all pitched in, there's no way we could roll it in this wet, slippery weather. Sorry, Simon, but you'll have to go shoeless.”
Theo nodded in agreement. He had Skinny over his shoulder again.
“Do you want me to take a turn holding her?” Eric asked him.
Theo shook his head, his teeth exposed as he smiled. “Nope. She’s light as a feather.”
Eric nodded. “Let me know if you change your mind.”
Simon stood next to me, his shoulders slumped in defeat. Even though he was covered in mud, I could still see a mass amount of paint.
“Let’s get going,” Luke said, his eyes on Simon. “We’re almost through this.”
“Head out,” Tina said.
We kept in our two lines, walking a bit faster this time around. Everyone seemed more alert and ready for another attack.
We reached the edge of a hill a little while later. A small stream ran through the forest at the bottom of the hill. The slope downward was free of any trees, which would leave us all exposed. But we had to go down and across the stream to get to the other side of the forest.
“Here’s the plan,” Tina said. Even with a helmet, goggles, and some mud smeared on her face, she still looked overwhelmingly beautiful. “We’re going to go down as fast as we can. Luke and I will keep our eyes trained north. Rachel, you have the west. Eric, you have the east. Theo, Emmie, and Simon keep your eyes on the south.”
“What about me?” Skinny rested her elbows against Theo’s back while propping her chin on her hands.
“Injured people can’t talk,” Thunder Thighs said.
Skinny frowned. “Yes, they can.”
Thunder Thighs grunted and muttered a swear word under her breath. “Not in this challenge. So, shut up.”
Skinny opened her mouth to protest, but Tina held up her hand. “There’s no time for arguing right now. You two can argue about this later tonight.”
“Alone in your dorm room,” I put in. Everyone else nodded in agreement.
“Let’s go,” Luke said. A slight smile rested on his lips. The whole challenge relaxed him and helped him open.
We filed down the hill as fast as we could. Going down backward was not easy for me or Simon. I held onto his arm the whole way down so he wouldn’t fall. A scream to the right of me caught my attention, making me let go of Simon.
“Ah!” Simon yelled out as he fell.
I was too busy looking over at Theo and Skinny to pay him any mind, though. At first, I thought that Theo had slipped at the bottom of the hill, dropping Skinny into the stream. But her screams were from relief. She had jumped off Theo and into the stream herself.
“Finally, I can get this mud off!” Skinny exclaimed, rolling around in the water.
Thunder Thighs approached her, pulling her up by the vest. “This isn’t the time for a bath.”
All our commotion brought out another set of attackers. We had been so distracted by Skinny that no one had been looking.
“Run for cover!” Tina yelled out.
Theo snatched Skinny out of Thunder Thighs’ grasp and we all ran to the nearest trees. I'd been hit a few times in the arms, legs, and torso. If this had been real, I’d be dead. All because Skinny wanted a bath.
As soon as I was behind a tree, I checked my ammunition. Low. I turned to Eric, who stood next to me. “I’m almost out.”
“Me, too,” he said.
“We’re all almost out,” Luke said.
Simon pulled some mud out of his hair. “I’ve been out for a while.” He smiled sheepishly at Luke.
“I’m out, too,” Theo said.
“Great.” Thunder Thighs huffed. “What do we do now?”
“Make a run for it.” Tina looked down at her legs. “Thanks to Angela’s outburst, we’ve all been hit. We’re dead anyway. Let’s run.”
Luke nodded. “Sounds good. Run!”
We took off after him, running as fast as we could through the rest of the forest. I stumbled a few times on some exposed roots, but Eric held onto my vest as we ran, easily keeping me upright. By the time we reached the end of the forest, no one was following us anymore.
To the west lay an open field that ended at a set of stairs. The stairs led up to a building in the northwest corner of the field. Rain still fell, smearing the paint and mud all over our bodies.
“I don’t like the fact that it’s an open field,” Thunder Thighs said. “It's a trap.”
Our group walked to the edge of the field and stopped. Throughout the field were protruding pieces of grass. As I pointed to them, Eric, Luke, and Tina all nodded. They’d seen them, too. Luke looked around, spotted a rock on the ground, picked it up and hurled it out onto the field near one of the protrusions.
