A Whole New World

Chapter 2: Camp Hulen

William's POV

The scenes outside the bus zoomed by while my noggin vibrating against the window. Right now, I and the fellow people aboard this bus were closing in on Palacios where Camp Hulen our boot camp was.

I had mixed emotions like what was I to expect, would boot camp be too much for me or would I pass and became a soldier. Taking a deep breathe I steeled my emotions and began preparing myself for the long weeks that would follow of boot camp.

"Hey you, you feeling nervous?" a voice behind me spoke, turning around I spotted a man with light brown skin and dark green eyes and black hair cut into a buzzcut. "Um... yeah" I answered honestly causing him to snicker, "Yeah me too, names Lakota, Teton Sioux Tribe South Dakota" reaching my hand back for a handshake he shook my hand gratefully, "William, Kansas... you know it's probably rude to say but I've never met an Indian before" I said happily but it shut down when I saw Lakota face darken, "Its Native American, not Indian" he said his face now smiling, feeling disappointed in myself and embarrassed I apologized which he laughed and assured it okay.

Then the bus suddenly screeched to a halt and facing our attention to the windows, we were here at Camp Hulen taking a few deep breathes I awaited the moment the bus would screech to a halt, and we would walk off. The bus pulled up beside a building and then the bus came to a sudden halt jolting everyone forward, the bus doors opened and in walked a military officer.

"Welcome to Camp Hulen, if you don't know why you're here I assume you're an idiot but if you do know, we will train you to become soldiers of United States and since were in a new world that isn't ours you will stand ready in case a threat from the outside world threatens us... now get off this bus and report to that building there" the officer announced and pointed to the building we were parked next to.

As me and Lakota stood up from our seats we grabbed our knapsacks that everyone brought along and swung them over our shoulders, we along with everyone else walked off the bus into the soothing warm Texas heat, additional officers formed us into a line as we walked into the building. The interior of the building was wooden walls and wooden floorboards, ahead was a desk with a soldier flipping through papers, and beside the desk was a hallway that led somewhere.

"What's happening?" Lakota asked behind me, "I pretty sure the guy up front tells you the barrack you'll be staying at and after that they give you your uniform and report to your barrack" I stated to him, and he hummed in acknowledgment. For a few minutes we waited until it was my turn to go up front eventually the line died down and I was next.

I walked to the desk and the soldier continued to look at the papers, "Name please?" he asked, "Uh, William Montana" the soldier scanned through the papers and placed a finger under a name, "Okay William you are reporting to Barrack 3, walk down there and they give you your uniform after that go straight to your barrack" he said, and I nodded walking down the hallway. In the hallway there was door leading to a single room peaking my head in I saw people getting their clothes and changing.

Walking inside I was asked my shoe size, pant size, and shirt size after that they gave me my green boots, green pants, green t-shirt, and green field jacket which they ordered me to put right now. Stripping out of my regular clothes and stuffing them in my knapsack I put on my uniform and felt pride and power upon wearing the uniform. Putting my knapsack over my should once again I made my way outside the building and into the camp itself, groups of trainees were jogging together, others were doing obstacle courses and exercises, and others were practicing with their guns. Other than people some trucks and jeeps were driving around.

Asking around for the barracks specifically Barrack 3 I was led to about a half a mile away from the building I was at originally to the barracks, I stood outside the barrack that had its door open and the guys inside being rowdy. Placing a smile on my face I walked inside and saw the people inside talking, placing cards, reading magazines, and getting settled inside.

The barrack was a long hut like structure, 5 windows on each side of the hut, wooden floorboards, single beds lining the walls, between the beds was a shelf with helmets and underneath the shelf were coat racks that had field jackets hung up on. Walking in I was sort of lost like I didn't know what to do now.

"You okay, you look lost" a guy next to me fixing his pants said, "Um yeah I kind of am" I admitted to which he laughed, "You can bunk there, its not taken" he pointed to a bed next to his. "Andrew Millon" he said saluting to me, "William Montana nice to meet you".

"That's Klaus and Dalton" Andrew pointed to two guys, Klaus had white skin, blue eyes, and blonde hair. Dalton was also white but had a slight tan, amber eyes with a noticeable scar across his left eye, and auburn hair. They looked up at me and waved with a smile to which I waved back.

"Over there that's Hernandez and Jay" the two of them were reading magazines while smoking, Hernandez was light brown with a subtle mustache, brown eyes covered with glasses, and a shiny bald head. Jay had dark skin, hazel eyes, and like Hernandez also had a shiny bald head. Hernandez waved to me without looking and Jay glared at me for some reason, "What's your name?" Jay asked me suddenly, "Uh, William Montana" Jay nodded his lightly. "Where you from?" he asked again, "Kansas" I said simply and with that Jay looked back down to his magazine and took a deep inhale of his cigarette.

"And last but least that handsome fella next to you is Aesir he's from a refugee from Norway" Aseir had light skin, blue eyes, and black wavy hair and based on how much he took up the bed I'd have to say he was 6'4 at best. He was laying bed staring up into the ceiling and when we were talking about him, he turned his head and gave a warm smile to me, "hva heter du" he said and I stuttered for a moment not understanding then he and Andrew laughed, "I'm kidding, what's your name?" he asked and I chuckled back in response, "William Montana" he extended a handout, and we shook hands.

Looking around the barracks I saw there were more people in the barracks than I was introduced to, "What about the rest?" I asked Andrew, which he shrugged, "I don't know them, I just know the people I told you" he said and I nodded.

Then from the barrack door in came a man wearing an enlistment uniform walked into the barracks, "Attention!" he yelled causing everyone to scramble to the foot of their beds and stand straight and firm. Another man walked inside the barracks wearing a drill sergeant uniform, the barracks were dead silent the only sound was his shoes stepping across the wood. He scanned the room looking at each and everyone of us, once he made his way to the other side of the barracks he spun around and walked back.

However, he stopped in front of Aseir and looked the man up and down, "Your quite tall son, are you Norwegian?" he asked Aseir, "Yes sergeant" Aseir responded. "What's your name?" he asked, "Aseir Gothen sergeant". The sergeant nodded and walked away from Aseir who I noticed breathed a huge silent sigh of relief.

"I am Sergeant Hellen you will refer to me as Sergeant or Sarge nothing else, understood!"

"Yes Sergeant!"

"Beautiful, everyone outside now!"

Everyone scrambled out of the barracks outside where Hellen had us jog to our first training for the day was tying a bowline knot for situations when were high up needless to say I was terrible at tying and got a mouthful from Hellen after that we did basic exercises, pushups tons of pushups, pullups, and many different types of exercises. For two hours we did exercises exhausted, extremely hot, and bodies aching we started training when the sun was already falling from its peak so when sunset was right around the corner, we trudged all the way to the cafeteria to have dinner then after that sleep.

"What do ya'll think resides out there?" Hernandez asked while we ate, "Can't be sure but there are people out there, soldiers guarding the border reported seeing people watching them" I said, "Oh did you guys hear that a group of hunters up in Michigan apparently shot down some winged creature the size of a car" Andrew said, and everyone had skepticism on their faces.

"Sounds crazy"

"You would think that a shot down dragon would be national headlines"

"The people will know as soon as that expedition ventures out to sea"