Camp Red Lake

Chapter 5. Cleaning pt.1

A few days after my conversation with the girls, Croy and I were out on the field with the rest of the cadets. We had just finished our exercise drills and were about to part ways, when...

"Ramos! Galico!" We turned to see Scaggot marching towards us. He held two mops in one hand and two buckets with stuff in the other.

"It's Gallego." I corrected when he stopped in front of us.

"Whatever." He shrugged before putting the stuff on the floor and glancing at his clipboard.

"You're on cleaning duty today." He muttered before taking the pen from behind his ear and scribbling something on the clipboard.

"What!? That's bull! Jason and I just cleaned the showers last week!" Croy protested.

"You're not cleaning showers. Today you're cleaning toilets." Scaggot announced before tossing a couple of rubber gloves and a pair of dust masks at him.

"Why can't someone else do it!? I already completed my cleaning duties for the month!"

"But your pupil hasn't. As her mentor it's your job to teach her how to properly scrub a toilet. Have fun." He sneered before lowering his clipboard and walking away. A loud and exasperated sigh escaped Croy's lips as he stared at the overcast sky.

"What a jerk!" I fumed. "Sorry, this is my fault for punching him the other day." I muttered guiltily.

"It's fine." Croy groaned before picking up the mops and buckets.
"This is definitely your fault, but there's no helping it. He also deserved that clip to the face." I blinked as he held out a mop and bucket for me to take. "Now let's hurry up and get this over with."

When we made it to the concrete restrooms, Croy tossed me a pair of gloves and a mask. "Those are your chemicals." I glanced down as he gestured to the bottles in my bucket. "You take care of the Ladies room and I'll clean the Men's room." I nodded as he walked into the building then came back out with a large sign that read "Closed for Cleaning." I watched as he placed it in between the two doors.

"So, we're just cleaning toilets, right?" I asked a bit uncertain.

"No, we have to clean everything. That includes the floor, the walls and the sinks." My jaw nearly dropped to the floor. "Fun right?" He asked before putting on his mask and making his way back inside.

Two hours in, I had almost finished the floor. "Come on!" I growled as I laid on my stomach and scrubbed the white tile. "Agh!" I flinched and dropped the brush. I glanced wearily at my tired palms. Blisters covered my irritated skin. "This sucks." I huffed as I took off my mask and made my way towards the sink. I placed my hands under the running water, it gave me some relief.

After a few minutes, I turned off the faucet and stared at my reflection. "You can do this. Can't let some simple cleaning get the best of you right?" I asked my disheveled counter-part. "Right!" I answered, determination on my face as I marched back into the stall. I failed to notice that I'd forgotten my mask. "Okay stain, you're going down!" I said as I picked up the spray bottle and doused the floor in chemicals. I was so focused on my task, that I paid no mind to the door closing behind me.

I scrubbed for nearly ten minutes. "Almost..." I grumbled as I put all my strength into it. "Yes!" I cheered when I moved the brush and saw the stain was gone. "W-woah." I stammered as a wave of dizziness hit me. My nostrils burned from the amount of chemicals I was inhaling. "Crap." I muttered as I struggled to open the door. The clasp had fallen in place when it shut itself. My vision blurred and my lungs began to ache. In my haste, I slipped on the wet tile and crumbled to the floor. "Not good." I wheezed as my eyes watered. "H-help..." I managed to croak out just before everything went black.

(A/N: Tsk, Tsk. Always getting into trouble Hazel! Don't forget to vote if you guys are enjoying the story, and thank you for sticking it out till chapter 5! I love you all <3)