Chapter 8: Blood, Sweat, and Glory
Ngh! Prompto groaned as he rolled over on the hard mattress.
The day's training left Prompto stiff as a board. As he tried to stretch his aching muscles, his knees cracked though provided absolutely no relief. He wished so badly to shift positions until he found that ideal sweet spot so that slumber's sweet embrace could finally lull him to the land of dreams however, each movement sent incessant tingles, like being poked by needles, throughout his entire body. Biting his tongue so he wouldn't moan loudly, he risked trying to flip to his stomach until his arm gave out and he flopped hard onto the mattress. The support beams of the bunk bed swayed violently. Prompto held his breath, waiting to see if he roused his bunkmate. With sleep at times being a rare luxury and usually limited to a few short precious hours, any disruption was cause for an ass kicking. Once the loud snore confirmed his upstairs neighbor was still fast asleep, Prompto released a soft, shaky sigh of relief.
After a few minutes of laying still on his side, heavy eyelids began shutting out the world. As he began feeling the sensation of flying off to a far away land, Prompto was jolted back to reality when a large object covered his mouth and half of his nose. His mind raced, fearing the worst. Did he shake the bed again? Did his groans and whimpers wake another neighbor?
Soft lips brushed the side of his ear. Hot breath tickled his cheek as an older boy whispered, "shhhh."
Prompto turned slowly until he saw the silhouette of who he assumed was Aurium. The tall yet slender figure fit his profile. The dim lighting from the security lights that managed to leak through the barrack's windows provided barely enough light to make out Aurium's facial features. Lifting his index finger, Aurium pressed it to his lips, insisting on silence. Prompto nodded his understanding. Aurium then used his finger to beacon Prompto out of bed and to follow him.
Cursing mentally, Prompto silently crept out of bed while every muscle refused to move. He wasn't even sure if he could turn his head fully to the left side; his range of motion was severely compromised. Prompto guided his feet off the edge of the bed and waited until they touched the floor before carefully pushing the rest of his body out of bed, cautiously taking care not to bump his head against the top bunk. When he was finally standing fully erect, Aurium impatiently motioned with his hand to "hurry up."
Doing the best I can, Prompto mentally snapped back.
He slowly tip-toed, wincing whenever the floor boards creaked. Each sound forced him to check his surroundings. All the occupants miraculously continued to sleep like the dead. Prompto silently prayed his gratitude to the Six.
When he finally reached the door, Prompto crouched down in the shadows next to Aurium and waited for instructions. After a few moments of peering through the windows and listening through the walls, Aurium cracked the door open and swiftly bee-lined for a stack of crates and kneeled behind them. Checking to make sure the coast was clear, Prompto followed Aurium's example until he too was hiding behind the crates. Only then did Prompto release his breath that he had not realized he was holding. His heart thumped, feeling as though it might explode. The full magnitude of their actions hit him when Aurium cupped his hand over Prompto's mouth to ensure silence as a guard passed by. They were breaking a rule! Okay, maybe Aurium routinely broke the rules. After all, his stealth and caution, knowing what to look for, all suggested experience. Prompto however was never derelict of his duties. If they were caught, insubordination was punishable by death. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he imagined every worst case scenario possible. Then Aurium clamped his hand onto Prompto's wrist, yanked the smaller boy to his feet, and made a mad dash for the side of a long building – another set of barracks full of sleeping boys. As they passed between an open gap, Prompto noticed the security lights moving away from them.
He knows the timing of the search lights.
Finding refuge behind the next set of barracks and the wall surrounding the base, Aurium motioned for Prompto to crouch down and stay clear of the windows. Tears pooled in the corner of his eyes as a raging fire burned his calves and quads. All he wanted to do was crawl back into bed, but he had no idea if his legs could carry him back. The only reason he didn't fall behind as Aurium meandered in and out of the shadows was because the older boy was practically dragging him. Finally at the edge of the last building, Aurium stopped Prompto and motioned with his hands to look at the fence that encompassed the entire complex. Prompto peered around Aurium and saw a gap in the fence – a dip in the ground just big enough for a thin boy to crawl under. Peering up at a guard tower, Aurium waited until the coast was clear then without warning raced for the gap and slid under the fence. Prompto's eyes widened as his mouth gaped; his head shot between Aurium to the empty spot where he once stood.
What the hell just happened?!
Left alone to fend for himself, Prompto listened for the heavy footsteps of patrolling soldiers from atop the wall. One was walking towards him. His heart raced so fast he thought he might collapse on the spot. Only shadows and a truck stood between him and being discovered. Sweat beads turned to rivers trailing down the back of his neck, soaking the collar of his t-shirt. Panicked eyes locked on Aurium's calm face. He motioned Prompto to wait as he shifted his gaze to the patrolling officer. As soon as Prompto heard the soldier make an about face and the footsteps retreated, Aurium motioned with his hands for Prompto to come to him. Releasing a resistant exhale, Prompto raced to the fence, dove, but instead of sliding himself under it, Prompto suddenly felt himself being dragged from under it and into the safety of the surrounding forest. Following Aurium's lead, the two traversed the wooded landscape, careful not to break any twigs. Once Aurium dictated they were at a safe distance from the base, his tense posture relaxed into a more casual stroll while maintaining an urgency to reach his destination though Prompto was at a loss of where the end point was. Then the trees finally thinned out as the rich soil began converting to the rocky shoreline of a riverbed.
"This is good enough," Aurium stated.
Prompto examined the environment. The tall trees nearly blocked out the lights from the base except for a small glow just reaching over the canopy. The rushing waters provided a serene ambience where one would never guess a facility training child soldiers were just meters way. Though in all honesty, Prompto was not sure how far away the base was; he lost track of that a long time ago.
Looking up, Prompto spotted more stars than he ever had seen from the base and could only guess how many more would appear if the soft glow had not polluted the night sky. A soft freeze blew fresh, cool air against Prompto's cheeks. With a smile and a soft sigh, Prompto plopped himself to the ground, giving himself a moment of reprieve from their arduous journey. The reprieve was short lived as Aurium grabbed the back of Prompto's shirt and hoisted him back to his feet.
"Oh come on!" he protested as his legs screamed for mercy. "My legs are killing me. That drill today with carrying all the gear up and down that hill really took them out. My back too. Then all that crouching and sneaking around…please, can't I just have a breather?"
"No," Aurium said flatly. "You never complain like this in the field training."
"Duh! None of us can complain even if we wanted to. We open our mouths and we either get yelled out, humiliated in front of the unit, or get killed."
"Well in that case…" Aurium pulled a handgun out from the back of his waistband and pointed it at Prompto, locking the bullet into the chamber.
Blood drained from Prompto's face as he froze except for his hands rising up in surrender. "A-Aurium?"
"Get up," he commanded.
Reluctantly, Prompto pushed himself up onto shaky, burning legs. Tears welled up; oh how much he wanted to cry or piss himself at that moment.
Aurium quickly closed the gap between them, lifted his leg, and with one quick thrust to his chest, knocked Prompto onto his back. The impact forced all of the air out of his lungs.
"Get up," Aurium ordered again.
"Duuuude!" Prompto complained once he was no longer gasping for air. "You told me to stand, and then pushed me down, and now you want me to stand again. Make up your mind."
Bang!
Prompto curled into a balled. Oh that time he knew he pissed himself for sure. The unmistakable sensation of warm and wet filled the crotch of his pants.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" he shrieked. He wanted to give Aurium a piece of his mind but was cut off before he could utter another word.
"In all of that time you spent complaining, you should have been dead. Good thing I'm a bad aim."
Prompto searched the deadpan face for any hint that he was joking and wasn't really aiming for his head yet his demeanor showed nothing but intent. Pushing himself up to sitting position, Prompto tried to scoot away from Aurium only to get shot at again. Dust kicked up in the air just in front of his feet.
"Why are you trying to kill me?! The hell did I do to you?!"
"You don't you get it, do you? Why don't you try to defend yourself?"
Prompto's eyes widened in a "are you kidding me" look. Defenseless and incredulous Prompto was ready resign himself to the inevitability of death.
"You're the one pointing the gun at me. What can I do? If I rush you, I get shot. If I moved a centimeter and you shot at me anyway! Either way I'm dead."
"That's your problem, Argentum. You resign yourself to defeat so easily. That's why everyone walks all over you. You bitch about being in pain rather than pushing yourself to overcome your limitations. You are so quick to accept death rather than preserving your life. All of these things gets a soldier killed in battle. That's what our training is for. It's not just about being physically able but mentally as well. Now get up."
Watching Aurium discarding the gun to the ground, Prompto concluded that his safety was secured. He stood up and waited for his next set of instructions. Faster than he could think, a foot slammed hard against the side of his head, whipping his body around before belly-flopping onto the ground.
"Get up!"
Prompto managed to position himself on all fours before a sharp kick to the ribs flipped him onto his back.
"You need to move faster, Argentum."
From the corner of his eye, Prompto spied Aurium raise his leg. As it stomped down, Prompto rolled out of his reach. A small smirk tugged at Aurium's lips while a proud sparkle twinkled in his eye. The next hour progressed in a dance of Prompto trying to stay on his feet while being continuously forced to the ground. Sometimes his feet were swept out from under him while other times he was grappled. The bruise-inducing waltz ended with Prompto drenched head to toe from being thrown into the river.
"That's enough for the night," Aurium announced while extending his hand.
Prompto clasped onto Aurium with a slippery grip. Thankfully Aurium's strength was enough to maintain his hold so Prompto wouldn't fall back onto his already soaked butt. The once refreshing breeze now chilled him to the bone.
"W-w-we can't go back like t-t-this," his teeth chattered.
Aurium shot him a quirked eyebrow. A knowing smile flashed as he withdrew a duffle bag from behind a bush. Prompto mouth gaped - both surprised and impressed by the preplanning.
"This isn't your first time sneaking out is it?"
Aurium's smile faded, replaced by a frown and a break in eye contact. Prompto bit his lip as his heart sunk. Was his question so wrong?
"I-I…I'm sorry…"
"Don't worry about it," Aurium cut in. "It's not that important…but you're right. I'm not a novice in this field. Hurry up. We need to you back to bed."
Without hesitation, Prompto stripped as the fabric wrestled to cling to his skin. Welts already swelled up; the red deeply contrasted with his fair skin. He winced as he thought about the deep purple bruises that will litter his body in a few hours. Were they so naïve that they will get away with this? Someone will notice!
A fresh, dry shirt flung at his face snapped him out of his thoughts. Prompto looked up in to find Aurium staring emotionlessly at him. The boy definitely had a good poker face.
"Don't dwell on it," Aurium suggested. "The more you over think it, the worse it'll be. Just leave everything to me. Okay?"
A simple nod was all Prompto gave as a reply; nothing more was needed. As they began their trek back to base, Prompto's entire body screamed as each step aggravated every single nerve. If this was the price to pay to be a stronger soldier, then his flesh was a small price to pay for the glory of Niflheim.
