Children's Draft

Chapter 7 (Part Two)

(Landon's PoV)

Just a couple more hours, I told myself, Just a couple more hours and I'll be done with this test and basic training completely.

    But not even that could cheer me up. The weapons test wasn't nearly as hard as the physical test, but it was equally as awkward. Sgt. Blake actually took the time to line us up alphabetically, so we would be tested in order. I couldn't get much conversation in between Matteo and Connor's bickering.

    "Quit being a freak," Connor commented on Matteo's constant fidgeting.

    "I'm not a freak," he retorted.

    Connor seemed to make a point. Normally Matteo used wild hand gestures, but they were more choppy and twitchy than usual, and it even continued when he wasn't speaking.

    "Are you all right?" I asked him privately.

    "I'm fine," he said quickly, glancing at the sky several times.

    Lt. Jason brought up the idea of teaching us how to use bayonets. Sgt. Blake disapproved of this idea. He said, "no one used them anymore" and he "sure as hell didn't trust any of us with a two in one weapon."

    We also had a time limit. We had to finish the test before nightfall, so we would have time to pack. Since we were in the shortened course, we didn't have a graduation, meaning we were flying to China the next day. It was also a good idea to finish earlier because it looked like it was going to storm soon.

    I did considerably better on the test today. The only part I had trouble with was grenades. I knew how to get the pin out, but I couldn't throw for shit. It didn't matter though cuz I was being scored by Lt. Jason, and he wasn't really paying attention, but some of the other guys noticed.

    "Wow," Connor observed. "You must've really tried to keep it that close. It's gotta take skill to do worse than Matteo."

    I gave a nervous laugh. I somewhat expected Matteo to throw punches again, but he didn't. He hadn't reacted at all, almost as if he didn't even hear Connor.

    The last test we took was with our M-16s. We just had to be able to hit a target ten times. The act of shooting had a lot to do with math and physics. It incorporated angles, velocity, and distance. I wasn't about to sit there and work out equations, but I understood how it worked. I managed to do pretty well even with Sgt. Blake scoring this time. There were only eight guys after me, and then we were finally done.

    Clayton sighed in relief. "We're free!"

    Sgt. Blake sighed in annoyance. "You do realize that was the easy part. War is more work and there's a sense of danger."

    Logan frowned. "That's not fun."

    "Being a soldier isn't supposed to be fun," Sgt. Blake corrected him. "It's a job."

    "I couldn't even get hired at Pizza Hut," Trevor said. "They don't trust me with an oven, but they trust me with an M-16?"

    "Now go to the barracks, finish packing, and make sure that place is spotless," he ordered. "Our flight leaves tomorrow afternoon. We'll drive to the airport after the final inspection."

    "Wait, what do you mean our flight?" I questioned. "Don't you and Lt. Jason stay here? Aren't you guys just drill instructors?"

    "There was a change in rules," Sgt. Blake explained. Based on his facial expression, he was unhappy with these changes. "Because there was a shortage of drill instructors, military officials have to train the platoon they're going to be sent out with."