Boot Camp

Boot Camp [ 2 ]

Ryan Brooks

They took everything. My passport, my bags, the chain necklace I was wearing: everything. They threw it all into some vault. They even took the clothes I was wearing. "This is what you'll be wearing from now on," The same guy who threw me to the floor chucked a pair of denim shorts and a black tee at me.

"Am I going barefoot?" I mutter to myself as I slip the shirt on over my head after donning the shorts. Then a pair of boots hit my ankles. Some socks rolled in the dirt, landing next to them. "Great."

"Breakfast is at six-thirty in the morning. Work starts at seven, ends at twelve. Lunch is from twelve to twelve-thirty. School, twelve-thirty until one-thirty. Camp is two until four. Four to five is dinner. Five to nine, free time. Nine to ten is the bonfire." He explains as I lace up my boots. "Don't forget any of it."

"I'll try not to." I say, sarcasm dripped from my voice. I wanted to forget it, just to see what would happen. I don't want to be here.

"You won't." And this time, he pinned me up against the wall of the small shack we were in. Terrific. Guys, I already met my best friend: this guy's fist.

"Isn't this illegal?" I ask, pushing him off me.

"Here on No-Man's-Land Island," He smirked as me as he backed away. "nothing's illegal."

I stumbled out of the shack only to knock into some kid who was trying to walk inside. "Fresh meat, sweet." He smirked, and then it fell from his face and he pushed my shoulders back. "Watch it." And he pushed me again.

I pushed him back, harder than he pushed me. "You watch it," I spit.

"Oh," He laughed. "Temper, temper. That's gunna get you in trouble around here, Newbie." He smirked again and walked around me. I heard the shack door smack shut and I let out the breath I wasn't aware I was holding in.

"Don't mind him. Four fourths of his dick is in his personality." A hand clasps my shoulder, giving it a squeeze. I look to my right to find a kid, no older than me giving me a smile. "The name's Kris."

"Ryan."

"Well, Ryan, nice to meet you." Which was totally ironic. I never wanted to even be here and he's saying how nice it was to have each other's company in a place like this. "I'm your go to guy around here, my friend," Kris says, throwing his arm around my shoulder as he begins to lead me away from the shack. "Unlucky for you, you came around break time inbetween school and camp. So, I hope you're ready from some camp." He laughed, but I'm pretty sure we won't be laughing after camp...

"What's with all the different colored shirts?" I ask as we make our way to where our 'camp leader' waits for our group. Apparently I'm with Kris's group.

"You start with black. You do good, you go up a color, which is blue. You do better, you go up to green. Then it's orange, and then white. After white, you go home." I looked down at Kris's orange shirt.

"You're almost there."

"Took me long enough. I've been here two years already." He shrugged.

"What happens if you never improve? You never move up a shirt?"

"Goodwin can't keep you once you turn twenty. If you're still here, then you have to go through some court thing. Jail or the loonie-bin are your options after that, I guess." He shrugged again.

"You all have ten seconds before you should be here! If you're even a second late you'll all be missing dinner!" When I looked up to the familiar voice, I was greeted with the face of the guy who held me by the neck with his boot. Terrific.