39. Carter

Year 2226

Six years had passed in my hell. Always the same routine. Wake up, eat, settle down and spend the whole day training until nightfall.

My body had changed completely, I was no longer the obese boy they called potato-faced. I had grown quite a bit despite my age, so much so that I was almost the height of an average adult.

All the fat that was on my stomach had gone to my arms and legs.

The horror of the workouts was unbearable at first. I had to run for about two hours, then workout until I was taught to fight my teammates. Any sign of tiredness or undisciplined act was punished with several excruciating whippings. At the end of the day, we had to keep running until we were allowed to rest.

At some point my body stopped feeling pain, maybe because I promised myself I would survive, maybe because I was too stubborn or maybe it was just that my body adapted to the suffering.