“Thank you, Jake.”

“Yeah, no problem,” I muttered.

The officer got up, her notepad held close to her.

“Hey,” I spoke out, stopping her just as she was about to leave.

“Hmm?”

“Was this really necessary? Why did you need to ask for my life’s story?”

She paused, her expression pondering if she should say anything.

“Jake, this world is barely functioning; many are looking to get off easy. Most figure that enlisting would make life easier for them.”

She adjusted her glasses and continued.

“Life inside the walls isn't a paradise; resources are slim, and people are losing hope. We can’t have some bums join our ranks. We are looking for driven people, the kind that knows what it is like to lose and have nothing to lose.”

“So what? I’m one of them? That’s all it took? You only needed to hear a sob story, and you’re immediately convinced?!”

She chuckled. I knew she wasn’t taking me seriously.

“You’re amusing, Jake. My advice? Try to be more polite when you are talking to your employers. You don’t want to bite the hand that feeds you.”

There was a long pause after that. I still had a lot to ask her, but she was already leaving, and it didn’t look like she was going to entertain my questions anymore.

“Hey, wait, did I get in?” I shouted.

“Good luck, Jake; you’re going to need it.”

She left, leaving the door ajar. The warmth of the outside world slowly creeps into the room.

I remained in the room for a while.

For 7 whole years, I hated Ark for what they did. For 7 whole years, I felt nothing but disgust, and now I’m on their doorstep, practically begging to be let in.

I ran my hand through my dense, prickly hair. There is no going back once I start. Am I ready?

There was no use just standing here. If not for me, then for Will.

The sun beamed down on me, and my eyes struggled to adjust. My eyes squinted for a bit as I waited for my eyes to unblur.

The heat on my skin felt pleasant after being in that stupidly cold room.

It didn’t take long for the other recruits to finish and soon a crowd formed. They looked to be the same age as me. Some were older, and some looked younger than Will.

Before long, I could hear them talking loudly and mumbling to each other.

I didn’t see Will anywhere.

I walked around a bit to see if I could find Will, only to be interrupted by a loud blaring over the speakers.

A scrawny blonde man walked into the center. His eyes looked as if they were constantly squinting, which is only made funnier by the magnification of his oversized glasses. He wore Victorian-era clothing; they were too clean. You don’t see much of that nowadays.

‘That’s folks from walled cities, I guess.’ I thought to myself.

The other recruits, like me, circled around the blonde man, looked incredibly dirty in comparison.

He didn’t have much of a presence, if it weren’t for the microphone he held in his hands. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have noticed him.

"Attention, new recruits! My name is Ethan Walker. I am going to be your examinee, who will be overseeing your lot.”

I’ll have to give it to him; looks can be deceiving; he really knew how to get our attention. Every crook and drifter like me was listening to his every word.

“Anyone of you, who wishes for an easy life behind the walls can leave right away. You won’t survive very long with that train of thought.”

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

Some of them snickered in response to his words.

“In a few minutes, some of you will walk away a member of Verdant Canis while the rest will crawl back to wherever they came from.”

He paused for a minute and then continued.

“We only want the best of the best, freeloa-”

“What about you then?”

“Yeah! You look like you can barely walk, much less run.”

“Who are you to say that?!”

The crowd was outraged. They shouted over one another with their arms raised in the air.

‘And here I thought the dude was somewhat impressive.’ I thought to myself.

‘He should know better than to look down on a bunch of insecure morons’

The crowd was now building up to a small riot. The blonde man now wore an uneasy nervous expression. I’m guessing that his attitude before was just an act. To appear larger than he was.

Amid the commotion, everyone all of a sudden went dead silent. Like many others, I felt this crushing pressure. The air was so thick with indescribable tension that it made me feel suffocated. This paralyzing fear, this overwhelming intensity, was comparable to a mutant's.

The very ground beneath me quaked slightly as heavy boots pounded the earth.

“Attention!” barked a voice so terrifyingly loud that the air itself vibrated. All the recruits were as silent as the dead of night, and their anger snuffed out like a candle in a storm. Instantly, everyone was as obedient as a child.

I suddenly became aware of a hulking figure amongst the crowd. A person of that size to conceal its presence felt insane to me.

“Holy crap, it’s Markus Lee,” someone blurted out.

The man was dressed in a battle-worn green uniform that told of countless skirmishes and hard-won victories. The wolf emblem on his chest was rusted with what I assume was mutants’ blood. He had a stern expression that solidified that he had seen things on the battlefield.

Markus Lee walked to the center and stood next to Ethan.

“Sorry, Mark, I guess I wasn’t ready to lead…” Ethan rubbed the back of his neck.

Markus didn’t reply; he simply nodded and took the microphone from him.

"For your insolence! This exam will now be unbearable, and you will wish you were dead! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!”

“Yes, sir,” everyone shouted in unison.

“All of you are going to run around like headless chickens, and none of you are going to stop until I say so. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!”

“Yes, sir!”

***

Everyone gathered on a track field. Not one person dared to utter a single word. The air was tense, and I felt my heartbeat in my throat.

I nearly jumped out of my skin when I felt someone grab my jacket.

My instincts took over me, and I violently jerked my body to deliver a punch, only to see Will with his arms raised over his head.

“Will?” I blurted out as I kept my fist just inches from his face. “Don’t freaking do that.”

He still had his hands raised and his eyes squinted severely.

"Will, c'mon man, look, I am sorry. Okay? I’m a bit on edge. You can relax now.”

Will slowly lowered his hands, and I felt a lifetime's worth of guilt.

“Where have you been?”

“Trying to find you.” He muttered without looking up.

“Well, you found me.”

Will was still a quiet, nervous kid. He never quite grew out of his shell, despite everything we’ve been through. Kids his age were already entering their rebellious phase, but not Will.

I kneeled to his eye level and flicked his forehead.

“Look, Will, you can't be this soft if we’re going to do this. You understand?”

He nodded.

“Atta boy.”

The recruits had already formed groups of their own. The older recruits gathered around other older recruits. The same can be said with the younger ones.

“ATTENTION!” Markus shouted through the microphone.

“All of you are going to be given numbers randomly. The unlucky ones are going to have to start a little bit later than the lucky ones.”

The recruits quietly murmured amongst themselves about how unfair the situation was.

“Silence!” Markus shouted again.

“The mutants don't give a crap whether things are fair for you or not. In a real combat scenario, some of you are absolutely going to be injured. And it goes without saying, the numbering system is made to mimic that.”

“I don't want to hear any of you complain, Understand!?”

“Mutants aren't fair. Remember this!”

I knew that, of course I knew that. I experienced the cruelty of mutants first hand.

My stomach burned with anger.

Excitement replacing nervousness.

I could hardly wait.

I'm going to ace this exam and I'm going to rid the world of mutants.

“You're ready right?”

“Yeah.” Will replied, clutching his shirt.

The recruits were handed button pins, each inscribed a number.

Mine had the number 71.

Will flashed his and it read 73.

“Now that all of you have received your numbers. We will begin very shortly.”

We all took our positions, my heat beating with excitement.

“3”

My muscles were tense.

“2”

My breathing labored as I waited for the final count.

I felt somewhat stupid, this isn't a race there was no winning.

This was a battle of attrition and endurance.

I inhaled deeply; this was the first step towards liberation.

“1”