Survivor // Ben Parish

//4//

It was the first day of training. I wasn't excited or nervous I didn't feel any type of way.

"Cmon soldiers!" One of the soldiers yelled. I tucked in my shirt and fixed the wrinkle on my pants.

"Hurry up nugget" Zombie says and hands him his other boot.

We lined up next to each other, standing tall and firm, legs apart, no slouching, and hands behind our backs. How did I go from, being a sister, taking care of my baby brother, cuddling with him as we watched E.T, to not having any family left, killing, and now In a military base. Life's weird. Not just life but also the outcome of our decisions, after I killed my sister I expected something good to happen. I don't know maybe stopping this pain I feel inside of me, but nothing ever good happens in life.

The line began to march down a long corridor. The only sound was our boots steeping on the concrete floor. The soldier lead us to a huge yard, and there was a lot of the cars the soldiers used to pick us up. I looked to the left and there was a lot of walls set up, it looks like it's for paint balling! I use to love going paint balling. I would go with my boyfriend and a bunch of friends, I would always hit everyone first.

I miss them. I miss my boyfriend and my friends, even the ones that I talked about behind their backs, or the friends that talked about me. I miss my boyfriend, everything about him. The way he looked at me like I was the only girl in the world, the way he smiled causing his deep dimples to show, the way he kissed me so passionately like it was our last kiss ever. The last time I saw him we've gotten into an argument.

"I can't leave!" We were driving down the freeway when he told me he wanted to run away and leave our families behind.

"The others are here and who knows what they plan to do with us, we should spend our time with each other" he argued.

"I'm not going to leave my family behind, you're selfish." I said.

"Me? No, you're the selfish one" I rolled my eyes and stayed quite.

"Put your seat belt on" I said.

He didn't listen and kept driving at a high speed.

"Slow down!" I yelled.

"There's no cars" he argued.

"Brandon! Slow down!" I yelled one last time before the 1st wave hit.

The car just stopped, the air bags flew open and I felt a warm liquid oozing down my face. I was too dizzy and my memory was fuzzy. I looked next to me to see Brandon halfway through the windshield.

"B-Brandon?" I knew he was dead I just didn't want to admit it to myself. I didn't want him to be dead I didn't want us to be over. That was the 1st death, then after that it all went down hill... My parents, sister, brother..

"Private killer!" I snapped out of it and looked at Reznik standing In front of me. "When I'm talking you, you listen!" I didn't even realize she was in front of me.

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!" I shouted.

"Now guess what?" She asked in a mocking voice. "100 knuckle push-ups, for you and your squad!"

Wait she called it my squad, am I leader?

I heard a few groans and whining.

I didn't realize how much this hurt until now.

-

"Cmon nugget! I don't care if you're five years old! You have to give me 100 knuckle push-ups!" He was the only one doing them at this point. Everyone else finished.

"Cmon nugget" I whispered to myself.

"I-I can't" nugget cried out, his poor little knuckles trembling.

"Keep going!" Reznik yelled in his ear.

I clenched my fists and looked at zombie, he looked at nugget with pity. No one would want to be in his place. Poor kid couldn't even do one perfect push-up. Killer don't do it... Don't do it..

"He can't do anymore, let him stop" I said barley loud enough so Reznik could hear.

Her head snapped to look at us. She walked over to me.

"What did you just say?" She asked.

Most people would stop talking and apologize and just get the punishment over with... But being the idiot I was at the moment I said it again.

"Who do you think you are? Giving orders now huh?" She asked. I stayed quite and looked at her.

"It is my job to turn you kids into kickass soldiers! what makes you think that tiny maggot right there is going to help us kill the others when he can not even do one perfect push-up?" I was about to say something but she beat me to it. "And you will not hold him back! You will not baby him! You will not get him killed!"

"I wasn't trying to get him killed" my blood was boiling hot. I felt like I've been injected with hate.

"What was your brother's name?" I tensed up, she better watch what she says next. "Cobe? No no no. Cody? No. Toby! He was killed by the virus, right?" I didn't answer. "I know what you did.. He didn't die because of the virus, he died because of y-"

I took a step forward ready to strangle her "shut your mou-"

She kneed be in the stomach and then punched me in the face. I fell on the floor clutching my stomach and spitting out blood. From one corner of my eye I saw nugget scared and questioning weather to come towards me or stay where he is, from the other corner I saw zombie looking at me with a worried look on his face.

"That's the best you can do?" I smiled. If she wanted to beat me she can go right ahead. I could feel more and more blood flood in my mouth.

I felt a shard pain on my left rib cage, Reznik kicked me with her heavy army boot. I fell on my stomach, my eyes swelling up with tears. I stumbled back to my feet while holding my left side.

"Again" I said.

She kicked me and I stumbled backwards, hitting the wall behind me. She walked up to me and started punching my stomach and my left rib cage multiple times. I groaned out in pain and I could hear nugget crying. I fell to the ground clutching my left side, Reznik stopped and looked at me squirming in pain. I spit out blood and looked up at her.

"Just kill me already" I said weakly.