- You did well, for the first day of training.
Celine said, sitting down next to Lee as she watched him drink some water.
He was panting and sweat dripped from his chin, this training was no joke. Several men and women were lying on the ground, all in the same situation as him.
Lee finished his drink and poured some of the remaining water over his head, feeling his tired body aching from all the hard work he had done that day.
- Do you want to create Captain America with this training? Jesus.
Lee said, leaning on his arm and watching as people began to disperse and walk to their respective rooms.
- We need strong people, so if by some chance a Captain America is born here, great.
Celine said, smiling amused as she looked at Gunner, who had his face bandaged over some of his injuries, some bruises and a purple eye.
- You've beaten Gunner to the punch.
She said, smiling a little wider as the man rolled his eyes when he saw that she was staring at him.
- I don't look much different.
Lee said, looking down at his bare, sweaty torso.
He arched an eyebrow as he looked at his scars, wondering where he had gotten some of them from, he couldn't remember being injured to have so many new marks.
Well, he had suffered so many attacks on the road, he couldn't remember them all anymore. Same thing with the scars, although he remembered some of them pretty well.
- Now I think I know why you were able to kill those search party members. Jesus, were you a soldier once?
she said, looking at his scars curiously.
Lee looked at her and smiled amused, shaking his head slightly.
- I was a teacher... can you believe it?
He said, laughing slightly at her incredulous expression.
- Wow...
she said softly.
- You see, I didn't want to kill that search party, I only did it because they put a gun to my head and forced me into that shitty van. Why?
Lee asked, that question had been pounding in his head for some time. He had thought of asking Lilly, but since he saw the opportunity, he decided to ask Celine.
- Because if you don't join us, you might as well join the other community, and we would gain one more enemy. After what I saw yesterday, and today, we would certainly suffer some casualties with you on the other side.
She replied, resting one of her arms on her knee and looking at the makeshift training camp.
"That doesn't make sense, if I wouldn't join you, why would I join another community? Besides, kidnapping people, is not a good way to convince them to help" Lee thought, but kept quiet, there was no point in getting more involved than necessary.
- People who don't join us deserve to die.
The woman said, and Lee's eyes widened for a moment, surprised.
- Why is that?
He asked, disguising his incredulity and looking at her neutrally.
- What we offer here is a new chance, a new life, where we can start over. Those who reject this, are rejecting a future for humanity. Rejecting the hope of a better world for our children.
She said with a distant look, oblivious to the cold look Lee had on his face.
He himself had said he didn't want to kill anyone there, but now, he wasn't so sure anymore. The more he found out about the place, the more twisted he became, and the more he changed that thought.
If they all thought that way, then they should all pay.
- Yeah, that makes sense. Like you said yourself, this is a great place to stay. Well, I'm going to take a shower, I think I've bothered you enough for one day.
Lee said, smiling slightly at the woman and stood up, walking with calm steps towards the building where his room was located.
In the time he had spent there, he had discovered some very useful things.
The people who were not very happy about being forced to stay there, ate in a different cafeteria.
And the people who were willing to protect that place, ate in an old restaurant, a little further away.
A social difference in which it might come in handy.
Lee walked down the busy street in the community, ignoring the occasional stares he received from some people.
Perhaps he was being stared at because of his scars, which made him want to laugh.
He entered one of the nearby buildings and walked calmly down the hallway, unlocking the door to his room as soon as he arrived, arching a confused eyebrow when he saw that the door was already open.
He was on the second floor, which was great, because there were three exits nearby, not to mention his bedroom window, which overlooked the back of the building.
James was in the next room, he was also going through the physical training, but unlike Lee, it wasn't so heavy.
It was not so "military style".
He had talked little with the boy, and hoped to have this opportunity soon, he didn't want to stay too long in that place.
Although he would miss the fresh, healthy food and hot baths once he got out of there.
Ah, well, whatever.
He went into his room and closed the door soon after, looking surprised at Lilly, who was wearing only a black tank top and panties, lying on her bed quietly reading a book.
- Lilly? How did you get in here? I was sure I locked this door.
Lee said in a light tone, smiling gently at the woman.
- We have extra keys for all the rooms.
She said, closing the book and resting her head on her hand as she watched Lee walk to the bathroom, her eyes fixed on his scars.
- Did you come all the way here like this?
She asked with a raised eyebrow, and Lee looked at her amused.
- I've never sweated so much in my life, there's no way I'm wearing this shirt again.
He said, walking into the bathroom and putting his shirt in the sink, removing the rest of his clothes shortly after.
- Would you like to join me?
He asked already inside the bathroom, and Lilly smiled slightly, getting up from the bed and throwing her panties to some random corner.
(...)
- How's the training going?
Lee asked, sitting down next to James at a table far away from the cafeteria, looking around calmly as he put his plate on the table.
-I'm forced to do that. What about yours? I hardly see you at the training camp.
James answered/asked, eating some of his food with a certain disgust.
- Yeah, let's just say that beating my examiner to a pulp has given me more intense training. I've been trying to find a moment to talk to you all these days.
He replied, also eating a little and acting normal, making sure that there was no one at the surrounding tables.
- This place is horrible, they fool people with this food, with the electricity. We learned about the prisoners they keep hidden, and the torture they do. I thought that some of the people who came with us would not accept the things that happen, but I was wrong.
James said, looking around with a certain amount of scorn.
Lee could see the boy's anger and eagerness to get out of that place, and his discomfort was obvious.
- Yeah, I know. As if killing the survivors, or forcing people to fight for them wasn't bad enough. That's why I've been trying to talk to you, we need to come up with a plan to get out of here.
Lee said, eating slowly on purpose just to keep the conversation going for more, and looking into James's attentive eyes.
- There are dozens of guards at the back gates, and at the main gates. The walls are too high to jump over, and getting past the guards is almost impossible.
James said, bowing his head slightly as he saw some people walking by.
- We need a distraction, something to make at least most of the guards leave their posts. On both sides.
Lee said, looking disguisedly to the side.
- And how would we do that?
James asked.
- We've been here for some time, I've been doing a lot of analysis of this place, listening to conversations I shouldn't be listening to. The north armory, near the entrance gates. There are some propane tanks near there. In two days, someone else will be in charge of the armory. At night, right after training. In this exchange, I sneak behind the armory and blow the place up.
Lee explained quietly, eating some more, acting natural, as one of the examiners looked in his direction.
- Every day, search teams leave and enter the community with new people. In other words, the two gates will be open for some time. As soon as the explosion happens, most of the guards will run towards the site, or be too distracted. At this point, you leave through the back gate, and I through the main gate. We will meet in the forest, if possible.
Lee explained, it was a simple plan, but, all it needed was a distraction, nothing more.
- People will be confused, and the chaos will take attention away from us for a while, it is possible. But, the chances of being seen are almost one hundred percent, which means that we will have to run, and lose them in the forest.
James said, finishing eating and putting his plate aside, looking attentively at Lee.
- Most of the guards will suffer from food poisoning, so get some food to your room before the day comes, I already have something in mind.
Lee said, finishing eating and picking up his plate, getting up shortly afterwards.
- Do you remember when we passed that lake with the abandoned cabin when we were brought here?
Lee asked, looking around once more, making sure that no one was listening to the conversation.
James stared at him and shook his head, confirming.
- Let's meet there, if you get there first, wait for me for a day at most, if I don't show up, leave. I'll do the same for you. And don't forget to get food.
Lee said, and James nodded again, getting up and taking his plate.
They both left the cafeteria, and went their separate ways.
Lee sighed slightly, he still had some time before his training began again.
In other words, he had a short time to get his hand on the poison.
