Walk

Disclaimer: I’m ad-libbing from memory on one-shot stories that happened almost two years ago. If there’s errors, let me know and I’ll ammend them.

Disclaimer 2: This chronicle is for mature audiences only.

written by user boedennarwin

It was a special day running an excercise, that was suppose to simulate accomplishing a mission behind enemy lines, and then getting back accross the border. Troy was in charge of this operation. All was going smooth, they had accomplished their objective, and were on the way back, when they fell under ‘fire’. His friend Rick was ‘hit’ and ‘killed’. Luiz Gonzalez, the strongest of them, was ‘hit’ on the leg, as indicated by the blinking light pad on his thigh. Troy was torn between accomplishing the mission, which they were on a record pace to do, and getting Rick out of the woods. The Rangers motto is ‘never leave a man behind’, but Troy knew if he had to carry out Rick, they would never make it to the base in the time allotted. Rick must have read this in his face, because knowing he couldn’t speak, he winked. “Let’s go”, Troy said “we have to finish our mission.”

As he turned to leave, Gonzalez said, “Wait, what are you doing, we have to bring out Adams”.

“We can’t, if we want to complete our mission on time.” “Our mission takes precedent, I’ll come back for him.” When Gonzalez began to protest, Troy cut him off “I gave you an order, cadet, and I expect it to be followed, now let’s move.”

“The Sarge is going to hear about this”, said Gonzalez.

“Yeah, from me, now shut up and move soldier”, said Troy.

When they got back, the Sarge was at the rendezvous point. “Where is Adams”?

“He was killed, master sargent”.

“So, where is Adams”?

“I..”Troy began.

“He left him there, master sargent”, Gonzalez interrupted. “He left him in there, to rot, like a dog”.

“As commander of this mission, I made a decision, to complete the mission.” “I’ll go and get Adams, myself”.

“It’s too late now, you would be writing a letter to his parents, explaning why we don’t have his body for them to bury.”

“The truth is Sarge, McCallister panicked out there. All he cared about was beating the record time.”

“Yeah, and now all I care about is beating your lying ass into the f’in ground.” The two began sparring, Gonzalez was stronger, but Troy was faster, he landed two quick jabs before the Sarge put him in a half-nelson choker hold.

“Stand down, cadet!” the Sarge yelled into his ear. Troy tried to pull his arms free, but the Sarge’s grip was too strong. He knew he could break it, if he elbowed the Sarge in the face or flipped him, but as pissed off as he was, there was a voice of reason in the back of his mind that told him, that would be it. That not even his father, would be able to get him out of that. Troy kept struggling, “I said stand down cadet!”, Sarge said again, “You are only making this worse on yourself”.

“Let me go”, Troy almost growled through the choking.

“Not until you learn to obey orders, cadet”.

“Let…me…go…”.

The sarge was now straining with the effort to make Troy lose conscienceness, “Stop you stubborn son of a bitch, or I will make you regret it”. Troy kept struggling, his pride would not let him stop, until everything started to fade to black. The last thing he heard before fading away was the Sarge’s voice saying “Put him in the box”.

Troy woke up with a headache that was worse than ten hangovers, he was in darkness, except for a small ray of sunlight shining through a small square hole. The room was suffocatingly hot, and had a stench of must, sweat, and urine. Troy stood up slowly, trying to gather himself, he knew where he was. The box was basically a six foot by four foot oversized port-a-potty, that was painted army green, which helped it to bake in the sun.

Troy cooked in his private oven all day, about an hour after sunset he heard footsteps coming towards him, he could barely make out Luiz Gonzalez strolling up with two of his a**hole buddies, it would be a New Moon in two days. “McCallister, do you like your new accomodations?”, Gonzalez said laughing. “The Sarge wants to know if you are going to behave now, or do you need another day, to get it through that thick head of yours?”

“Why don’t you three, take your circle jerk somewhere else, that shit gives me the willies, and while you’re at it, you tell the Sarge, I kind of like it in here.” “It’s peaceful, and I don’t have to see Jackasses like you.”

“Why you little…”

“Easy, easy Barnes”, said Gonzalez, stopping Barnes from opening the door. “One more day in here, in that sun, and he will be crying for his Daddy to save him again”.

“The Sarge aint gonna save YOU again, when I get out of here.”

“You threatening me McCallister?”

“Absolutely, Gonzalez”.

The next morning Troy was startled awake by a banging on the box’s door. “Attennnhut cadet”, despite himself, Troy snapped to attention inside the box. “Have you learned your lesson, McCallister?”

“What lesson Master Seargent?”.

“Boy you just don’t get it, I own your ass”.

“I got the job done”

“You got it done wrong boy, you do it the Rangers way or you don’t do it at all, you got that?” “I think you need another day in the box, no water or food this time, we’ll see how much of an attitude you have tomorrow.”

The day was even hotter than the day before, approaching the hundred degree mark. It felt like a hundred and fifty inside the box, and it may very well have been. By late afternoon Troy was so hot and thirsty, he was beginning to hallucinate, he could swear he kept hearing footsteps every now and again outside. Once, while looking out the little window, he could swear he saw a big dog, or possibly a wolf, but he doubted it.

“That bastard is trying to kill me, I swear it”, panted Troy. He knew he couldn’t do anything about it either, not with his record. The Sarge had done alot of things to punish Troy for his mistakes: running, KP duty, push-ups, sit-ups, etc., but this, this was personal, Troy was sure of it. “He’s not gonna break me, what he’s gonna do is pay for this, some how or another, he’s gonna pay.”

Mercifully night came, it was dark outside, very dark, new moon. Troy was still fuming about being in The Box, when it happened. Rage filled him, then pain wracked his body, he felt like his body was expanding. He swore he could hear the sound of bones cracking, the the sound of footsteps approaching. The smell of the box was magnified one hundred fold, his vision started to become acute, he had on overwhelming sensation of being trapped, he HAD to get out of The Box. He stood up, and somehow his head hit the top of the box, he suddenly felt completely rejuvenated. There was no handle on the inside of the box, no matter, he would rip it off! Just then, the door suddenly opened, he instinctively launched himself out into the night air, looking around for who opened it. There, standing fifteen feet away, was a dark grey wolf, he KNEW it was a wolf. They just looked at each other for a moment, then the smell of his enemy filled his nostrils, a vision of a face filled his minds eye. He loped off at amazing speed, covering large chunks of ground in a single stride.

He easily evaded the patrolling guards, after all, he could see, hear,and smell them. He was nearly invisible in the darkness, with his fur being as black as the night. He knew his prey was in the building, he could smell him even stronger now. He knew the shiny handle would open the door, steathly he glided in. His prey was unaware of his presence, of him moving up to his vurlnerable back. He was not going to kill his enemy, at least not quickly, he would toy with him first.

The attack was lightning quick, his large powerful paw shaped hands seized his victim, lifting him out of his chair, and throwing him accross the room. Almost as quickly as the Sarge crashed into the wall, and before he slid to the ground, Troy was on him again, tossing him half-hazzardly to the other side of the room. A couple of more tosses, and the Sarge was crying and begging for his life. Troy finally seized the Sarge by his throat and lifted him off the ground, so that he could stare him in the eye. He growled at his victim showing him his fangs, a sign of dominance, over the weaker being. The odor of urine and the sound of liquid hitting the floor, swept the feeling of elation and triumph through him. The Sarge’s eyes grew wide with what looked like recognition and disbelief, as he stared into the beasts eyes.