"Wow," Diablo muttered to himself, "seems like this idiotic Void might need a lucky rock too. I've been coming here and no one ever showed up… Now, suddenly, he's with me and boom—here comes the Commander. Now it looks like my rock's no longer working."
As he grumbled silently, the Commander's voice rang out again.
"Now, don't make me repeat myself."
Diablo immediately stood up and turned. "Sorry for not answering, Mr. Commander James. I thought it was one of the soldiers," he said, holding a rock in his hand, while Void clutched another.
The Commander eyed them. "What are you two doing here?"
"Commander James—I am simply teaching Mr. Void how to crack a rock to emit fire," Diablo replied smoothly. "As I had informed him, some nights we usually roast marshmallows and fish. He said he'd like to learn, as it wasn't part of his previous training. So I'm quietly teaching him during one of our break periods—as you instructed me to take my duties seriously so as not to be punished," he spoke calmly.
Void was silent. How the hell did he come up with such a lie? This was what they called a quick emergency lie.
The Commander was silent, his eyes scanning the area—the wood, the dry branches and leaves, and the grass spread around, all gathered like firewood was about to be prepared.
"This place is too secluded," he said finally. "Be careful."
"Yes, Commander," Diablo replied, nodding, keeping his expression blank, though his thoughts were racing. And if it's too secluded, what are YOU doing here, Mr. Bald? Goodness, this man never minds his business. Always poking around. What a pokenoser. Honestly, seems like you need to get a wife.
The Commander turned and walked off.
Diablo glanced at Void, who still looked shocked, eyes wide.
Void finally spoke, his voice quiet and curious. "Man… you have to tell me your story as well. How are you still at the lowest ranking? And when the hell did you arrange all of this?" he asked, staring at the gathered supplies he himself hadn't noticed earlier.
Diablo just shrugged casually. He turned back toward the bushes. "Ellie, Jimmy—don't start a fight. You two cooperate."
He stepped aside and heard a low growl. Ellie had definitely heard him from inside the bushes.
"Let's go," Diablo said quietly, "before someone else sees us."
Void shook his head, muttering with a tired sigh, "Seems like I'll be needing a lucky rock as well."
Diablo shook his head as he spoke. "Seems like that little wolf of yours has finally lent you some sense."
Void grinned. "I'll take this as us getting along—as friends."
Diablo scoffed. "I don't do friends. I have no friends. I'm my only friend. Take 'friend' as a sweeter word for 'betrayer.'"
Void shook his head, a faint grin still lingering on his lips. "You talk like someone who's been through it."
Diablo replied, "You don't need to go through it to learn. You can learn from someone else's experience."
Void yawned, stretching slightly. "Oh please, save the motivational speech for when you get to a higher rank."
Diablo turned to him, a half-smirk on his face. "Nice one, man. Real nice," he said sarcastically, continuing to walk toward the tent area.
Unbeknownst to them, a particular soldier stood at the far end of the bushes, hidden in shadow. He watched as the two figures emerged from a section of the field rarely visited.
A slow smile crept onto his lips.
"What are you two up to?" he muttered to himself.
*
*
*
Night had come.
Sssrrchh… Sssrrchh…
The soft crackling of fire echoed in the middle of the tents, casting warm, flickering light into the thick darkness of the night.
Many soldiers stood around. Some were already preparing, while others were still resting in their tents. Lunch would be in twenty minutes. In straight order, the outside fire was lit so the lads could see.
Behind the tenth tent, Diablo was deep into push-ups while Void sat lazily, his back pressed against the tent wall, counting sluggishly.
"Five… six… seven…" Void droned, stretching the words out slowly.
Diablo kept pushing through his reps, jaw clenched as sweat dripped steadily.
Void glanced at him again. "Bro, when are we eating?"
Diablo didn't stop. "Count the f*cking numbers, dude. Now," he said as he continued his push-ups.
Void burst out laughing, his voice low and lazy. Diablo kept going, arms burning, sweat dripping from his forehead.
"You're commanding me to count, bro. You're even forcing me," Void said, smirking. "I'm doing this under my own will—now I feel offended. If you want me to continue, beg me."
Diablo's arms trembled as he struggled through each rep. "Please… bro… please. I need to finish the push-ups—" he panted, "just…count, ohh—"
"Go on," Void urged, grinning.
"Fucking damn it, bro—please!"
Void finally nodded, chuckling deeply. "You're insane, man."
Then came the beep. A sharp, loud beep.
Diablo collapsed onto the grass with a mutter, "Bro, f*ck your ancestors…"
Void laughed harder.
Diablo gritted his teeth. "You're a pain in the ass, man."
Void finally shook his head and asked, "By the way, why are you working out at night, man?"
What annoyed Diablo was that after all the begging, Void still didn't count the damn numbers.
Diablo didn't pause. "My morning sleep is very important to me. And night's the only time I can work out. Besides," he said as he moved outside the tent, "I can't work out after eating. I need to rest."
One thing Diablo took seriously after food was sleep.
Just then, the beep sound rang again—sharp and clear. The commander's signal.
Whatever you were doing, you had to stop the moment it sounded. Diablo didn't know if this commander had it out for him personally. It always felt like it beeped just when Diablo was finally doing something productive in his life. It was like the commander was born to make his life miserable.
"What's the beep sound for?" Void asked quietly.
"It's an emergency signal," Diablo muttered. "Once you hear it, no matter what you're doing, you stop. The commander's summoned us."
Void nodded. "Seems the commander's got some pride in him."
Diablo walked, brushing off his pants and removing some grassy dirt. "For once, you've said something reasonable," he muttered, earning an eye roll from Void.
They both began walking toward the center of the tents. The campsite was divided into two sides—left and right—with the firewood and lights stationed in the middle.
They joined the gathering soldiers as everyone assembled under the glow of the firelight. Void and Diablo stood at the back.
Then the commander stepped forward, his voice low but cutting through the air. "We're heading to the riverbank."
What? But what about dinner?
Faces looked confused, some irritated—but they all masked it to expressionless immediately.
"Something happened at the cafeteria," he continued. "There's not much food prepared today."
Widened eyes followed, though most kept their emotions in check.
"Yes, Commander," the group chorused.
"Guns out," he barked next.
Diablo tensed.
"If your weapons aren't with you, go back to your tents and grab your pistols. After now."
They nodded.
Then the commander delivered the blow: "We're going to kill fishes. The amount of fish you kill determines if you will eat or not. You have to earn what you want."
Diablo's eyes widened. What? Kill fishes? Were they really about to hunt for food like savages?
The commander added, "The more fish you kill, the more food you'll be served. If you don't kill at all, then you starve for the night."
"This is stupid," Diablo muttered under his breath.
The entire place fell dead silent.
"Who said that?" the commander's voice rang like a gunshot.