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đ N1ghtMar3
Chapter 1 â Drafted
You didn't join the army for honor.
You did it to escape.
Your family wanted to force you into a marriage â with a girl you barely knew, someone from a powerful background who liked you too much.
So you ran.
And the military was the best excuse you could come up with.
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At first, you thought the worst was over.
Then⊠reality hit you.
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The first day, you walked into the barracks. Brand-new gear. Bag packed.
By nightfall, some of it was gone.
Gone.
"What the hellâŠ"
You looked at the other new recruits sharing the room.
They avoided your eyes. Looked away. Stayed silent.
You walked straight to the commanding officer's room.
"Someone stole my gear."
He looked up. Chuckled.
"You think this place isn't a battlefield?"
"Out there, you fight with guns. In here, you fight to survive."
You stared.
"So what now?"
"What am I supposed to wear?"
The officer stood up.
Looked at you like he'd seen a hundred kids just like you.
"Take someone else's."
"Now get out, rookie."
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That night, you did the dumbest thing yet.
You stole a uniform. From someone older. Someone tougher.
It was ragged, smelled bad, and hung off your body like a sack.
"What the hell am I even doingâŠ"
Footsteps. Getting closer.
Panic.
You ducked into the nearest room. Darkness. A foul, rotting smell.
Something was in here.
You didn't want to know what.
The footsteps passed. You slipped out.
Looked back at the room you'd just hidden in.
Swore you'd never go near it again.
But no time.
The whistle blew.
Time to line up.
You joined the others on the field, drowning in the oversized uniform.
The officer spotted you and gave a mocking grin.
You didn't smile back.
"This is a damn joke," you thought.
But the worst part?
It wasn't.
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