Chapter 2: "Old memories"

I didn't bother to look at the person who was shaking me vigorously. But when I finally had enough of the incessant shaking, I threw off the blanket that was wrapped tightly around my frame and sat up straight, ready to dish out murder onto every breathing entity within a 10-mile radius.

"Tyler! Do you not know that we have a day off, or are you just trying to mess with me?" I asked furiously. I chucked my pillow in his face in annoyance.

He swatted the projectile off course easily. "Really!" he exclaimed, answering my question with another question. Excitement was written all over his face. "In that case, can we go for a walk in the forest? Just you, Jake and I?" He asked while jumping like a little kid.

"Fine," I replied. I almost expected him to squeal too.

~~~

The cold and refreshing breeze was lightly hitting my face. I had my hands inside my pockets. The three of us were walking in the forest after we had finished eating. I remembered everyone's' faces once I had announced that we were going to have a day off. Only excitement.

"Can you guys tell me what the battalion was like before I joined?" Jake asked suddenly.

Tyler looked down at him and said, "Why? How come you want to know that out of the blue?"

"Just curious, nothing else."

Tyler looked at me the moment I looked at him. "Embarrassing," we said in unison before bursting out laughing. Although he didn't understand anything, Jake soon joined us.

"It's fine. Just tell me," he encouraged us.

"We were both tiny. Just like you when you first joined. In fact, I think we were even smaller than you. The battalion didn't have many soldiers. Can you actually believe there were only less than, like, 100 personnel? Right, Jack?" Tyler stopped talking and looked at me. I nodded instantly.

I smirked. "Tyler, why don't you tell him about our play? That's the highlight."

Tyler glared at me and continued as if I didn't exist. "Colonel Richards, the current colonel, wasn't here when we first enlisted. Colonel Kyle, the former colonel, was the best. While he was here, the base felt like home. He treated us like his own kids, unlike Colonel Richards, the uptight stink wad. Richards is a good person, really. But he just doesn't trust us. Or let me put it this way – he doubted us. He wants everyone to be afraid of him to exercise his control, not to lead by earning his personnel's' respect."

"Can you tell me about the play Captain Jackson was talking about?" Jake asked out of curiosity.

"Fine. Six months after we joined the battalion, Colonel Kyle had us participate in a stage retelling of Romeo and Juliet. He definitely knew it was going to be hard as we would fight over who was taking Romeo's part—and who'd be stuck with Juliet's role. He told us the purpose was to test our patience after the play was over. Here goes the embarrassing part." He paused and his cheeks flushed. "Jack got Romeo's lines, lucky him, and I-I took Juliet's part. We didn't mind it since we were kids. But now that I think about it, it's quite embarrassing." Tyler finished his mini-speech, his cheeks quite thoroughly tinted.

"WOW!" Jake exclaimed. "I really wish I was here when Colonel Kyle was in charge. What happened to him anyways?" he asked. I stopped in my tracks.

"He passed away," I said, trying my best to control the tears that were threatening to fall. My heart swelled with pride. Jake, who noticed my tears, hugged me tight. Eventually, I hugged him back. After a minute or two, I broke the hug. That's when I realized Tyler wasn't with us anymore. "Tyler!" I cried out. No answer. Jake called him. Silence.

I started to panic. I knew Tyler's and Colonel Kyle's bond had been unbreakable. As much as I knew that, I knew Tyler would never do anything stupid. "Let him be alone for some time. He is just overwhelmed. He'll be back once he is okay," I said, turning away to hide my worried face.

"Are you sure?" he asked, uncertainty written all over his face.

"Uh-huh" I replied. "By the way, do you want me to continue our stories?" I asked. He smiled.

"Sure, Colonel Kyle's story too, please".

"Colonel Kyle served in the US military for 25 years. He was going to get promoted to the rank of general, which is the highest rank, as you probably know. He died during the last war we fought with Vietnam. One thing I still remember is that I killed the soldier who shot the Colonel. The saddest part is, he died in my arms. I remember how I had cried. I have never cried like that, Jake, not even when my twin brother died.

"I enlisted in the army five years ago. Colonel Kyle was the one who gave me and Tyler the promotion to captain. I have more memories with him than I do with my dad." I took a moment to compose myself and cleared my throat. "I think we should head back to the barracks," I said, and began heading their way.

I heard Jake's footsteps trailing behind me for a while. Next thing I knew, the sound of his steady footfalls was joined by multiple other footsteps, prompting me to turn around and check. I saw Tyler and Jake, along with Peter and his friend, talking and giggling behind me. I stopped. Jake bumped right into my back and he finally looked up, as did the others.

"Where did you all come from?" I asked.

"I'm not too sure about them, but I can assure you that I fell from heaven," Tyler said.

I sighed, relieved knowing he was back safely. "You are so funny, Captain Tyler," I said, with my voice laced with sarcasm.

"We were walking normally and you asked. What type of answer did you expect?" he replied in between his laughter. Was I thinking too much?

~~~

We spent the rest of the day playing basketball after consuming a disastrous lunch. The food in the battalion was terrible. I couldn't figure what their problem was. We were soldiers, meaning we worked hard all day. Considering that, they should've given us food which actually edible, or which would have at least made us sturdy. Unfortunately, they didn't.

I was on my bed, unable to sleep. The coming month would be extremely critical for me. It was like a game. If I won, I'd survive, if I lost, I'd die. Luckily, losing was not in my dictionary. I always won. I wouldn't afford to see my dad hanging his head low in shame because of me. He had served his country for seventeen years. He was a Lieutenant Colonel. He had always told me to make him proud. And I was sure I would make him proud. I didn't want to let anyone down. Not those who were supporting me at least.

I felt my eyelids becoming heavy. Before I knew it, I had fallen into a deep slumber.