Chapter 7
Most of Sam's fellow recruits were eager and grateful for his help, but a couple didn't like being told by him what to do. Sam could tell they were bullies and ignored their rude behavior and snide remarks. He wouldn't let them bully any of the other recruits to do their work for them.
It was midmorning and Sam was returning to the barracks and found the two bullies tearing up his area and laughing about it.
"What the hell?" Sam yelled in anger as he pushed between them to look at the mess they had made.
"What's wrong Sammy? Can't take a little joke?" one named Wilson sneered at him as he got into his personal space.
"Yeah, you think you're so high and mighty because you were appointed team leader. That should have been my job. I can whip these losers into shape," the other, named Jeter jeered pushing Sam backwards against his locker.
None of them knew that the drill sergeant was in the shadows watching the scene play out and waiting to see if he needed to intervene. He had been watching the Winchester kid and saw leadership material in him. None of the recruits knew there were hidden cameras placed strategically around the barracks to record incidents like this.
"Get out of here," Sam ordered the two bullies as he squared his shoulders and stood his full height. He had been trained in hand-to-hand fighting by his big brother and knew moves that would easily take an opponent down.
"Ohhh, I'm so scared," Jeter mimicked waving his hands in front of his face.
"You just want to make brownie points with the DSs. You don't care about these losers," Wilson snipped pushing Sam so hard he fell onto his cot.
Sam drew in slow breath as he stood up, balled his hands into fists, and glared at the two bullies.
"I said leave now, or I'll make you," Sam growled, his voice filled with anger.
"You and who's army?" Jeter spouted as he threw a punch.
The DS started to step in to break up the fight before Winchester got hurt but faltered as he watched him take both guys down without really hurting them. They lay on the floor by Sam's cot moaning and curling into balls.
"Everything alright in here?" the DS asked as he walked down the aisle between the cots. He looked at the two recruits lying on the floor who supported each other to get up.
"They accidentally fell," Sam innocently shrugged as he pushed the two bullies away and toward the door. "Isn't that right guys?" he asked grabbing their shoulders and squeezing hard.
"Yes DS," the two mumbled before disappearing from the room.
"You okay Winchester? Anything you need to tell me?" DS asked skeptically looking at the mess around him.
"No DS, I was just going to clean up," Sam replied as he moved to remake his bed and straighten up the other things. He smiled to himself when he heard the DS tell him to carry on and not make a big deal out of the confrontation.
Word spread quickly that week that the two bullies got toilet duty for the next week, and everyone speculated as to why. Sam never said a word but didn't look away from the evil glares of the two bullies as they carried buckets and rags toward the bathroom.
A lot was thrown at them as they spent half their days in a classroom setting and the other half in field training. Sam excelled in the classroom and devoured everything given to them and wanted more. He went above any homework given to them and even worked with the slow learners to be sure they stayed up with everything and wouldn't get washed back.
It was on a Saturday afternoon, and the team was out in the woods doing maneuvers. The drill sergeant divided the recruits into two teams and pitted them against each other. Whoever captured the other team's flag won.
Sam broke off from the others to sneak around behind the other team while his team kept them busy. He was going to strike at their weakest point and try to steal their flag.
The two bullies, Jeter and Wilson saw Sam run into the trees and quickly followed him. They wanted to get him alone and deliver their own justice for snitching on them.
"You sorry piece of shit!" one screamed at him as he swung a branch he had picked up. "Because of you we're cleaning the crappers with toothbrushes!"
Sam was dazed at first and tried to protect himself from the blows. He kicked out catching Wilson in the knee and making him scream in pain. He tried to get up but fell back when the branch caught him in the temple splitting the skin. Blood poured from the gash as he swung out blindly trying to make contact with his assailants.
"DS! DS! They're killing him!" one of the recruits screamed as he ran toward the jeep where DS Hardin and Lewis were watching the game play out. "Hurry!"
The drill sergeants jumped from the jeep and followed the recruit deeper into the woods. They found Winchester on the ground and Wilson laying nearby clutching his knee, crying like a baby. Jeter was swinging back to land a fatal blow when one of the DSs jerked the branch from his hand and tossed him backwards toward his partner. He looked at the blood flowing down Winchester's face as he lay back sucking in some deep breaths.
"Are you okay Winchester?" DS Hardin asked him as knelt by him to check the wound. "We need to get you to the infirmary and patched up."
"DS, do you have a first aid kit?" Sam asked as he wiped his eye with the sleeve of his shirt.
"Davidson, in back of the jeep," DS Lewis ordered the recruit who was gawking at the scene.
"Yes, DS." Davidson ran back to the jeep, telling everyone along the way what had happened.
"You take these two back to base," DS Hardin told his partner. "We'll deal with them later."
"Got it," DS Lewis sneered grabbing each recruit by the back of the shirt and dragging them from the woods to the jeep. He tossed them in back and ordered the driver to head back to base.
"What are you doing?" DS Hardin asked Sam as he accepted the first aid kit.
Sam opened the kit and pulled out alcohol to wash his hands before checking if the kit had what he needed. He rinsed the gash out first, grunting softly from the sting, and patted it dry.
"I need someone to hold this so I can see," Sam explained holding a silver case up so he could see.
"I will," Davidson offered taking the case and letting Sam show him where to hold it.
Once the skin was pinched together, Sam took a suture and quickly put three stitches to hold the gash closed. After applying antibiotic cream and a small pad on the gash, he repacked the kit and straightened, not realizing he had an audience watching him.
"Thanks DS, I'm good now," Sam told him as he rolled his shoulders and checked for any other injuries. His head hurt, but he would ignore it and push onward.
"Winchester, who taught you how to do that?" DS asked with interest.
"My Dad. He was a Marine and trained my brother and me."
"I gotta say, he did a good job. Alright everyone, if Winchester is okay, we'll continue the game," DS Hardin told the other recruits who had crowded around to see. "We'll start back at the beginning and the team who had Jeter and Wilson can have one player from the other side."
"Winchester," the team leader quickly said.
"Nope, he's the team leader for the other side. Pick someone else."
Sam blushed as he watched his fellow roommates give him thumbs up and smiled widely at him.
Once everyone was in place the exercise started again. The recruits disappeared into the forest and began to stalk each other, trying to capture their flag. The exercise lasted about an hour until Sam's team won. They marched back to base and were dismissed to shower and get ready for dinner.
Sam walked into the barracks to a round of applauding from the others. They slapped him on the back and congratulated him as he made his way to his cot. He smiled shyly and nodded his head, hoping the incident would be quickly forgotten. He didn't like being the center of attention.
A/N: Sam is holding his own and has earned the respect of his fellow recruits. It is tough, but he's determined to make it. I do like reviews/comments. NC
