Chapter 3

"Got it, sir."

The corner of his lips turn up, that arrogant smile returning to his face.

"Better" he says almost sarcastically. "Follow me."

He immediately turns and begins to walk down the long dark corridor. The corridor has a few doors on each side and one door at the very bottom. It looks like that's where we're headed. He knocks the door but doesn't wait for an answer before barging in.

"This is the dorm."

He steps inside and I follow him in. It is an open, square room with off-white walls. The walls are lined with metal-framed bunk beds spaced evenly apart. At the bottom of each bed is a small storage chest. The beds are dressed each with a pillow and a sheet. On top of each bed is a set of camos and boots. The room is illuminated with overhead fluorescent lights which are just begging to give me a headache.

"This is where you sleep, if I ever give you the luxury." The officers voice reclaims my attention. "Males on the bunks to the left, females to the right. Choose any bed which isn't already taken."

It is at this point my brain finally acknowledges the other people in the room. There are 6 sets of bunks on each side. I look to the female bunks on the right. Out of the 12 beds, 5 are already occupied. The question is, where do I want to sleep? The first bed is closest to the window. The girl sitting on the bottom bunk looks like a nervous wreck, much like myself I imagine. We might share an understanding. But on the top bunk I would be directly in line with the window. The early morning sunlight might make it challenging to get the best sleep. I move my vision to the second bunk. The girl on the top looks calm and composed. Her dark hair is scraped back into a ponytail. Her legs are swinging over the bunk and she is resting on her toned arms. I make eye contact with her and she glares back at me with a look that says "do not pick this bed". Moving on to bunk 3 –

"This isn't a hotel Holton and I don't have all day. Pick a bed. Now." Officer Styles voice breaks my train of thought. In a panic I blurt out a number without even giving myself the chance to look.

"I'll take bunk 4."

Officer Styles lets out a quiet laugh. "Great, good luck with that."

I turn my head to look at my new bed. The girl on the top bunk has her back against the wall and knees pulled into her chest. She is crying quietly. How did I not notice her before? Just then, there's a knock at the door. Without a word, Officer Styles turns and leaves the dorm. I make my way over to my bed and sit down.

Over the next hour, officer Styles brings in the remaining soldiers until finally every bed in the dorm is taken. 12 soldiers. 12 people who were living completely different lives 24 hours ago. This time when he brings in the 12th soldier, he doesn't leave.

"Now that you're all here, we can get started. Let's begin with the basics. This place runs on three things. Respect, discipline and trust. First things first, always address officers by their title, or as sir or mam" Officer Styles' eyes continuously scan the room as he speaks, but I can't help but notice his eyes stayed trained on me for that one a little longer.

"If an officer enters the room you are in, be it this dorm or anywhere else, be it me or anyone else, you stand to attention. You do not sit or relax until given permission. Keep your hands by your side and maintain eye contact. Your uniform must be clean and worn correctly at all times. It is not a fashion statement, and quite frankly nothing I have seen so far makes me think any of you could pull such a statement off." He gives a sarcastic smile and that word 'prick' comes to mind again.

"Boots must be polished daily. I want to see my face in them, it's a good face after all. Beds must be made neatly each morning. No food should be brought into the dorm and there has to be no talking after lights out. Sleep is important and my God you're going to need it." The panicky feeling in my stomach begins to rise again. I'm never going to last here.

"Right follow me. It's time for the grand tour." Officer Styles turns to head for the door, without even looking behind once to check if we're behind him. We scramble out of our beds and form a single file line, traipsing out into the corridor. He opens the first door on his left.

"Female bathroom." He announces. The small square room is lined with 6 toilet stalls along the back, 2 sinks on the left wall, and 6 showers along the right. The showers are attached to the wall with a small gap between each.

"There's no shower walls or curtains?" a voice says from behind me. I turn my head to see it came from the girl from the second bunk earlier.

Officer styles runs his tongue along his top teeth before turning to face us. His brows are furrowed and he looks annoyed. Actually, he looks pissed.

"I'm going to put that down to first day nerves impacting your ability to listen and follow instructions. But let me be clear. If that wasn't nerves and you're just a spoiled brat with an authority problem, then it is in your best interest to get that in check. Speak only when spoken to. Address your superiors with the correct titles. Those are rules, not suggestions private...?"

"Private Hawkins" she replies. Her voice is shaky and the confident look on her face has disappeared. Don't get me wrong, she doesn't look nervous. But Styles' words have had impact at least.

"And as for the matter of showers. The things you are going to see in a few weeks' time are not going to be pretty. Now your little brain might struggle to comprehend this but lucky for you I'm here to make it easy. Tell me private Hawkins, have you ever picked up your best mates' limbs from across the battlefield? Have you ever had to use the clothes off your own back to plug a hole in your colleagues' side? Because I have. And when you get back to your dorm after spending your day doing those things, another girl seeing your tits in the shower is not even going to take a minute of your thoughts. This is a barracks, not a Hilton."

I flick my eyes back to who I now know is Private Hawkins. Finally, her face shows at least a little nerve.

Officer styles continues the tour as if he hasn't just ripped that girl to shreds. The first door on our right, directly opposite the female bathroom, is the male's bathroom. The layout is exactly the same. At least they're separate I suppose. He shows us the laundry room as well as the kit and store room. Styles opens the second door on the right next to the male's bathroom.

"Okay this is the mess. This is where you eat. Food will be allocated for you in line with our rations. In case Private Hawkins was still under any illusions, this is not a Michelin star restaurant. But food is food. It keeps you alive and it helps you train. Eat it." Wow this man can hold a grudge.

My eyes flick around the room. It is a rectangular room with the same off-white colour pallet as the dorm. Rows of tables and benches fill the centre of the room. A serving counter is at the top end of the room with a small fridge, freezer and hot plate. Stainless steel trays are stacked up at the left-hand side. A dish-wash station is situated to the right and a water cooler is tucked away in the corner.

"Clean your dishes properly or be prepared to start sharing your meals with the rats". Styles raises his eyebrows and sports a grin as he talks. The sick fuck is actually getting joy out of watching us squirm.

We step out of the mess to stand outside the final door on the left-hand side of the corridor. Although unlike the others, officer Styles doesn't open this one.

"Right. Final stop of the tour, and maybe the most important. This is my dorm. When I'm not out kicking your arses on the training ground or in the gym, this is where I'll be. Heads up, I don't like to be disturbed. If one of you do happen to be so thick that you can't keep yourself alive for a few hours without me, for fucks sake make sure you knock." He rolls his eyes.

"Okay, tour over. We start training tomorrow 6AM sharp. Be ready and dressed for my arrival. I do not wait. For now, go back to the dorm. Dinner will be served in an hour. Lights out at 9. Dismissed."

"Yes Sir" we chorus and head back to the dorm.