Jason
It’s a wet heat—like an armpit or your Aunt Bertha’s pussy. The HellCats training grounds are in the back of an old sugar factory in the most dilapidated part of Belmont. A fenced-in obstacle course sits behind the factory, which is where I'm currently running my ass off.
To say I’m sweating like a pig would be an understatement.
There are four other dudes here, all guys who fought their way into the HellCats, and they’re all massive.
I’m the youngest and thinnest. Not the shortest, which I’m smug about, but definitely the thinnest, which sucks.
Tobias and three of his top guys stand at the end of the course. My feet pound the dirt track, dodging piles of rubble and leaping over deep trenches. I can hear the dudes huffing and puffing behind me, and it’s making me chuckle.
They might be big, but I’m fast.
I approach a makeshift wall dotted with climbing holds.
There’s a ditch in front of it, and I accelerate before leaping over the ditch and grabbing one of the holds.
My first hand slips off, but the other finds a pocket before I can peel away from the wall.
Once I’ve got a solid grip again, I climb the rest of the way up.
The guys behind me are an absolute show.
One didn't see the ditch and fucking face-planted.
Two others tried to pull the same move I did and landed right on top of him.
The last guy just stopped, staring at the damn wall like he expected it to move.
I hit the dirt running, and there’s a chain-link fence blocking my path to the finish about fifty feet away.
I reach the fence and leap onto it, climbing up the thing as it rattles.
Barbed wire crowns the top, forcing me to thread myself carefully between the rusted barbs.
One catches my cheek, drawing a sharp sting, but I don't stop.
The last leg of the course requires army crawling beneath more barbed wire. I drop onto my stomach and maneuver through the dirt, elbows and knees digging into the ground.
My lungs burn, and I can barely see through the sweat streaming into my eyes, but I keep my blurry sight set on Tobias’s combat boots.
I finally reach the end of the barbed wire, scramble to my feet, and take off. It’s a clear path the rest of the way, and I’m so happy I could freaking scream.
But then I notice the ground is uneven, and the dirt is a bit higher in one spot along the track. I leap over it, just in case, and nearly keel over when I finally reach Tobias and his men.
“Not bad,” Tobias praises.
“Thank you,” I gasp, remembering not to say “sir.”
A shriek of pain rings out, and I turn to see one of the men stuck in the barbed wire. Another one is racing toward us, but he doesn’t notice the uneven ground as I did. His foot lands right on the mound of dirt, and he disappears into the trap beneath it.
One of Tobias’s men states, “This is a fucking mess.”
To which Tobias makes a sound of agreement before placing a hand on my shoulder. “At least this one isn’t a total disappointment.”
Thank god my face is already red from running…
Tobias turns to the man on his left and asks, “Will you help that one out of the hole, please?”
The remaining recruits eventually make it to the end, all of them cut and filthy.
Once we’re all at the finish line, bent over and gasping, Tobias speaks.
“This is just the first day. By Friday, I don’t expect some of you to still be with us.
If you can’t make it past the physical aspect of training, then I certainly don’t expect you to pass the mental part. ” He lets his words hang in the air.
“Follow me,” he orders and leads us into the abandoned sugar factory.
Miles of pipes hang overhead while enormous rusted vats and silos cover the floor.
There's still the faintest hint of burnt sugar beneath the rust and mildew, and I catch a family of rats running along the catwalks surrounding us.
The recruits line up, and Tobias walks past each one, informing us of the mission.
“There are four objects hidden in this factory: a thimble, a pocket watch, a piece of red construction paper, and a white scarf. Your mission, as an individual, is to find as many items as possible in the next seven minutes.”
One of Tobias’s men clicks a stopwatch.
Tobias raises a brow. “Go.”
The three other guys sprint in different directions.
I don’t. My eyes scan the area, looking for irregularities. The place is massive, and the metal is worn and falling apart.
When I was young, I had to be on high alert around Doug. The way he slammed his car door alone would clue me in on the night in store for me, and I’d instantly start seeking out places to hide.
My eyes land on several exits. Each one is rusted shut…
Except one.
I can tell one door has been opened recently because the rust is flaking and the door seam is visible.
This is a competition, so I nonchalantly walk toward it, pretending I’m scanning the ground for clues.
When I reach the door, I twist the knob.
It makes a shrieking noise as I open it, and the red construction paper falls.
Bingo.
I think back to the things Tobias wants us to find, feeling like there has to be a reason for each one.
The pocket watch…
It’s probably ticking, and that's part of the challenge—using every sense we have to notice even the slightest irregularity in a space.
I lower myself to the floor and listen. My eyes trail over the massive vats and land on the stained ring next to one of them.
It was moved.
I speed toward it, search the base, and find a tiny bit of white cloth.
Fuck yeah!
I pull the scarf wedged beneath the vat and shove it in my front pocket.
Two down.
The other guys are frantic. Time is flying, and I can tell not a single one of them has found a thing. The more frenzied they get, the more they knock shit over, creating nothing but godawful noise.
“Shut the fuck up,” I finally scream. My voice echoes throughout the old factory.
For a blessed moment, there’s silence.
I hear nothing. Shit—maybe I’m wrong…
Then I hear it. Yes!
I move, and the other guys watch me, realizing I’m onto something. I reach the far corner of the factory, where the chutes are, and hear the ticking.
I leap and grip the sides of the chute, then throw my weight to wedge myself in the chute and shimmy up the thing, following the ticking sound. When I reach the top, I find the pocket watch hanging on a rusty nail.
I maneuver my way back down, and one of the dudes asks, “Did you find anything?”
“No,” I reply.
Now, for the thimble.
This one is going to be hard.
“Time!”
Fuck!
The recruits and I make our way to Tobias, who stands there with a scowl. “None of you found anything?” he asks.
I look around and see the other recruits with downcast eyes, looking ashamed.
So, I clear my throat and reveal the three things I did find.
Tobias looks at my hands before meeting my eyes and smiling widely. “Most people celebrate when they find something,” he says.
“Most people are stupid,” I reply.
He huffs a laugh and nods. “Unfortunately, nobody has ever found all four items, but—”
I should be listening to Tobias, but I notice one of his men flexing his fist. I’ve kept my eyes on them throughout the day, studying their body language.
I do that on instinct, always on the lookout for an attack—like a surprise slap to the face. This guy has been like stone the entire time, but now his fist is flexing.
I point to him and say, “He has it. It’s in his hand.”
He looks at me, stunned, and Tobias rushes over. “What did you say?” he asks.
“Your man—he’s holding something. My money’s on the thimble.”
Tobias and his men look at each other, then, slowly, the man opens his hand to reveal the thimble.
“That’s not fair,” one of the idiots next to me whines. “You said the shit was in the factory.”
Tobias strides toward him and yells, “Is he not in the factory, you pathetic fucking worm?”
The man’s breath hitches and his body shakes ever so slightly. “Get the fuck out of my face. I’d rather fuck myself with broken glass than let a piece of shit like you join my gang.”
A cold chill trickles down my back, knowing that’s the price you pay for disobedience.
As the recruit exits, Tobias turns to his man and nods. He leaves immediately to follow the exiled recruit.
There’s a gunshot a few seconds later.
Tobias’s voice shakes me out of my shock. “The moment you accepted training, you became a liability. The only way out is through.”
We all just stand there, collectively shitting our pants.
Tobias’s face snaps into a look of detached amusement, and he says, “Training’s done today. Report back tomorrow at 7 AM.”
Tobias’s men open the doors to reveal the killed recruit's body being dragged to a nearby ditch.
“Jason,” Tobias calls out. “Stay for a moment.
The other recruits leave, but I stand where I am, trying desperately not to look terrified as Tobias approaches.
“You’re pretty observant. Who taught you that?” Tobias asks me.
I think for a moment and realize there’s only one answer. “My dad.”
“Hmm…you said he was military?” Tobias asks.
I’m honestly shocked he remembered that detail from our first meeting. “Yes.”
“He shared some of his training?” Tobias asks.
I take a breath. I don’t want to lie, but I don’t want to spew some woe-is-me bullshit, either. “No. He was…I never knew what to expect with him. I had to be on high alert or…”
My voice trails off, but Tobias finishes, “Or you’d get hurt.”
“Yes.”
Tobias draws closer. “You learned how to read a room and everyone in it because you weren't looking for exits. You were looking for escapes.”
Something twists in my gut hearing it put so bluntly, but it’s the truth.
So, I nod.
“I understand that,” is all he says back to me. “See you tomorrow, Jason. Great work today.”
I’m good at this. I’m actually good at this.