Felix shivered in his bed and clutched the two light blankets. The mattress springs pressed up against his back. The loud siren blared through the room, interrupting his snoring. The ceiling light flashed red in the room. Felix jolted in his bed.
The sergeant's gruff shouts cut through the commotion.
"Out of rack! NOW!"
The sergeant stood by the entrance door. Felix scrambled out of his bed and flew down the short ladder. He gasped as his feet touched the ice-cold floor.
I wish there were heaters here, Felix thought.
"What's with damn siren?" Felix yawned and stretched his arms. "I don't want be woken up every day like this." Felix winked at Fox who stood by side him in his white t-shirt and pants for pyjamas.
The sergeant stormed up to Felix and Felix gulped. The sergeant screamed in Felix's face, "I'll wake you up whenever the fuck I want, Buck Private! You're training to be a soldier, not to be a pussy. Your bedtime schedule is not my priority!"
Felix's lips quivered, stunned by the sergeant's violent tirade.
Felix said, "I'm sorry, I just wanted to know why-"
"Call me 'sir' or Sgt. Seth."
"Y-yes, sir." Felix said in a small voice.
"Now, drop your ass to the ground. Give me fifty push ups. You're an oxygen thief!"
Felix dropped to the floor to do push-ups. Sgt. Seth stomped his black leather boot on Felix's back.
Sgt. Seth screamed, "Faster Buck Private! You're as slow as a slug!"
Sgt. Seth's black boot spikes crushed into Felix's back causing him to winced. Frustrated, Felix moved as fast as he could. To Felix's relief, Sgt. Seth removed his boot from his back.
Felix rose. He was out of breath. Sgt. Seth returned to the main door. "Shower time has been reduced from five minutes to two minutes. Get dressed and get your asses to the training centre."
Felix groaned. Two minutes in the shower? That's not enough time to wash his hair!
Everyone returned to their lockers and changed. They headed out to the training centre.
Sgt. Seth yelled, "Trainees, you're running on the track for a prize to win free military clothing, it's paid by me for running the fastest."
Felix's eyes widened.
Sgt. Seth's assigned Felix a lane by side Fox who winked at him. He bit his tongue; he knew that the clothes that were given weren't efficient enough for him.
Felix ran on the track and lost against Kip. Sgt. Seth smiled and said, "Fox you won at the race! Congratulations your time was the timed to be the fastest on the track!"
Fox's cheeks flushed with excitement, while Felix panted beside him—worn down like a pencil ground to the nub.