Snippets of Madam Sirr (S1)

Chapter 19

"Sir...." KS began, her voice whimpering.

"KS, I asked for a reason" she shouted.

"Sir, we wanted to do a prank" she said finally composing herself.

The head officers eyes narrowed towards her, his expression burning her alive.

"You have only one more month of training yet you thought it would be better to ruin your chances of earning a police post by doing a silly prank?" he shouted.

They closed their eyes struggling to compose themselves. None of them had thought of the gravity of what they did. They lowered their heads, bowing down in shame and regret.

"They should be suspended" another senior officer roared.

"Batch 11 plank now!" the head officer yelled.

They scrambled down to the ground to get into position, their lead arms buckling under the pressure. They heard the sound of boots thumping on the ground as the other cadets were dispersed. Batch 11 awaited their future, their hearts thudding in fear.

"Batch 11 stand!" the order came and they struggled to their feet as they stood at attention, feeling the piercing gaze of their instructors.

"Babita Ji would oversee your punishment" the head officer said, his voice calm yet imposing. "Remember, if this happens again, you all will be suspended" he said as he walked away.

The cadets stood with their heads bowed in the intimidating presence of their mentor.

"Whose idea was this?" her voice barked.

Limping, KS stepped forward. "Madam, it was my idea."

Everyone stared at her in horror. Aryan also stepped forward. "No madam, it was everyone's idea."

The group agreed as KS gave her signature death stare at them. Babita Ji smiled despite the situation seeing the camaraderie of her batch.

"So as your punishment" she began. "You will all report to the grounds at 4 tomorrow morning. You will also have extra theory classes for two hours every day starting from tomorrow morning and you will have to clean the senior hostel."

"Ji madam" they chorused in unison. Their voices were resigned to accept their fate.

"And KS" she began again. "You will receive an additional two hours of training every day."

"Ji madam" she said her head bowed.

As Babita madam left, the cadets lifted their heads one by one. They didn't utter a word yet kept glancing at one another. Despite the punishment, they felt an excited thrill that they successfully concluded their prank.

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They trudged through the ground whimpering internally as their eye rested on the obstacle course that had been set in the ground. In the distance, they saw their flag waving with the wind, a reminder of the promise that they all upheld. They looked through the ground saw the course; metal bars stood high on the ground with tires stacked around them. Tight ropes hung at intervals from sliding walls. The cadets knew that the day would be grueling as they stood to attention, their faces gleaming with determination despite the horror that awaited them.

"Cadets, your task is to complete this obstacle circuit thrice. The clock starts now. Failure to do so within the allotted time will result in additional laps. Understood?"

The cadets gulped, their voices stolen by the fear that now stalked their hearts. Another whistle clap aroused them as they yelled in unison.

They stood at the starting line, each cadet looking at one another. They nodded subtly, encouraging and acknowledging everyone. They needed the team support to pass this test and everyone was ready to tackle this barrier. As the whistle broke through, the cadets ran and engaged with the first obstacle which was monkey bars. KS and Aryan easily pushed through the bars arriving first. They landed on the ground with a satisfied thud as they shared a celebratory glance. Their victory was short lived as they recalled their mentor's words. This was going to be a team effort.