Hoplites, Thralls & Prizes Ch. 06

Hell Weeks

To Dana, her nightmare began the moment she closed her eyes that first night with other new Hoplites and it culminated by her nervous breakdown, two-weeks later.

- - - -

Almost as soon as she closed her eyes, she was jarred awake by dropping to the floor, the lights in the room coming to full illumination and someone with a thick Irish accent screaming to, "Wake the fuck up. NOW!"

Her and the others in her bunkroom wondered what the hell was happening. As she tried to clear the sleep from her eyes, the mad Irishman screamed, "You've got 15-minutes. Wake the fuck up, shower and get your asses out to the tarmac. Now, move!"

Dana, Beth and the other stumbled into the shower. When she hit the control to begin the sonic shower, she wasn't awake enough to see the sonic waves were not red in hue, but blue. As she stepped into to sonic stream, she jumped out as quickly, jarred awake by the sensation of freezing to death. Jorge exclaimed, "What the fuck! Damn that's cold."

Dana peered at the display, which read, "55-degrees Fahrenheit." She tried to scale the temperature warmer but it was stuck. She gritted her teeth and stepped back into the frigid sonic waves and briefly rubbed herself down and stepped back out shivering. One thing was sure, she was now wide awake.

When her and the others stepped outside into the central courtyard they noticed it was still night. They also saw the Irishman was standing there with arms crossed, waiting for them. He wore a harness that crossed his chest and was attached to a belt at his waist. The arrivals lined-up in no order. Dana got inline between Dennis Foster and Pat Adams. Finally everyone had filed out and got in line.

The Irishman said in a chipper voice, "Good morning. I hope you all enjoyed your nap. Rule #1. When I tell you to do something, I expect you to obey. I told you pussy willows to be out here in 15-minutes. It took you 20. That's going to cost you."

"I suppose you're wondering who I am. I'm your worst fucking nightmare. That's who I am. I'm the Grim Reaper and I'm here to train you so you don't get fuckin' eatin', the first time you set foot on the grid."

All ten of the new arrivals were taken a little aback at all of this. Those with military and law enforcement experience were used to being yelled at when going through a 'boot camp' environment, but even there it seemed there was some checks and balances in place for the process of tearing new recruits down and reshaping their bodies and psyches for the future. None of those seemed to exist here. The Irishman would get into people's face and yell at the top of his lungs. Beth was asked a question and the Grim Reaper screamed back at her, for her incredulity in answering the rhetorical question. She was left on the verge of tears and her face splattered with flecks of saliva, from the dressing-down she received.

Dana was wondering what she had gotten herself into, when Dennis raised his hand requested to speak. The Irishman walked over to him and said, "Who the fuck are you," with a look of pure disgust, as if he was examining his shoe before scrapping-off some filth he had just stepped in.

"You can't talk to us like this," Dennis said looking straight ahead and at full attention.

For the barest of moments, the Grim Reaper looked as if what Foster had said had touched his heart. "Oh really," he said, "I truly apologize for offending the sensibilities of an officer and a gentleman."

He leaned in toward Dennis and whispered loud enough that everyone could here, "Just so you know, this ain't the fuckin' Army. Oh, and just to let you know, I fuckin' HATE officers."

With that the Grim Reaper brought a knee up in one smooth movement that crashed into the new arrival's groin, which doubled him over in pain.

"Does anyone have any more questions," the Irishman asked.

Dana sheepishly raised a hand to get his attention. He walked over to her and sized her up and down. "What do you want, sugar tits," he asked.

Dana was REALLY nervous and said, "It's... ah, Dana. Dana Erickson. Hi! Um, the shower doesn't work."

Pam standing next to her whispered under her breath, "Stupid bitch."

The Grim Reaper glanced at Pam and then looked back at Dana. "I'm sorry to hear that," appearing to sound concerned. The switch then flipped again and he said at the top of his lungs, "If you win your first match on the grid, I'll let you take as hot a WATER shower and as long of a shower as you want. I'll even get on my knees and kiss your ass! Until then," he said getting right into her face, "Get used to cold sonics, pussy willow!"

With that the Reaper said to the group, "Okay boys and girls, let get those cute new bodies of yours into shape, with a little 26-mile run, to get the blood pumping."

Bruce White chimed in, "Ah, that's a marathon."

The Irishman strolled over to him and asked, "You got a fuckin' problem with that pussy willow?"

"Oh, no," Bruce said sheepishly, "Just clarifying."

At this point the new arrivals saw that the gate at the end of the courtyard was open. The Irishman motioned in that direction with his hand and said, "Well. What the fuck are you waiting for. MOVE!"

They all set off at a run. Dana had never really been much of an athlete. As they ran, Beth joined her and observed, "Can you believe that guy. Who does he think he is?"

Dana said quietly, "I don't know, but this isn't anything like I thought it would be."

Pam jogged past them and said, "Shut the fuck up, you two. You want to get us all in trouble?"

With that Dana and Beth fell into silence as they ran. They ran through the quiet city and then out into the surrounding countryside. There were lush forests and wide open stretches of flat land. Fortunately, there were not many hills. They ran along a paved pathway that stretched out to the horizon. The air was cool and the sky was filled with stars of every color and size. It would be nice to look at, if they weren't busting their asses on this run.

Dana thought to herself about what she should do. Breathe in through her nose and out through her mouth. That's what her Taekwondo instructor had said. As the miles stretched by, even with her improved body, altered atmosphere and lighter gravity, the pace started affecting her. Her thighs and calves started to ache. Her and Beth started lagging behind everyone else and soon they found they were several hundred yards behind everyone else.

Suddenly, they heard the Irish brough of the Grim Reaper behind them, "You two pussy willows best pick up the pace or I'm going to fuck the ever-lovin' shit out of you right here. Got it!"

Dana was startled and Beth screamed an, "Eeek!" Both picked-up their pace and forced themselves forward. They strained and struggled, but they made their way back-up to the pack.

After four hours, all the new arrivals made it back to the cohort's compound. Each was covered with a sheen of sweat and all were struggling to breathe. Right behind them came the Irishman. He had barely broken a sweat and was breathing easily. "Ah, it's always good to start the morning off with a little jaunt," he said happily. "Alright you pussy willows, let's do some exercises."

For the next two-hours they did a series of calisthenics. Push-ups, sit-ups, mountain climbers and jumping jacks. When they finished the series, they started all over again. As dawn was beginning to break, they were just finishing the fourth circuit through the series. Everyone was struggling. As they took turns counting the series, the Irishman was walking among them, admonishing and harshly correcting their position, stance or ability to complete the move."

"Erickson, get that pretty little ass of yours down. I said a flat, fucking back!"

"Richards, you cunt. Don't let those tits touch the ground!"

"Hernandez, step it the fuck up!

"Goddammit, Matthews, Listen! One two, three and four!"

The Irishman was an equal opportunity oppressor. Everyone was the target of his wrath and ire.

After this, they took the briefest of breaks to consume a protein cube and a couple of mouthfuls of water. While they regained their strength, they saw the Irishman was setting up their next drill and it had to do with weights. Each of the new arrivals would have to hold a large weight in each hand, with their arms stretched out and parallel to the ground. He also had a data pad in his hand.

The Reaper ordered them all to stand in line and pick up one weight in each hand. To Dana it felt like 15-pounds. He then said, "You're going to hold these in this position until I say stop. These pretty new bodies of yours need to be strengthened. The person that drops theirs, will be doing push-ups 'til the cows come home. Now hold!"

Everyone lifted their weights and held them in position. Despite the pain in her arms, Dana was surprised she was doing as well as she was, until she saw the Irishman. As he was walking among them, he was making snide comments. After 15-minutes he said, "You all done very well with 15-pounds, let's see how well you do with 20."

He tapped the data pad and suddenly, the weights in their hands seemed like they gained mass and got heavier. Dana was caught off guard and had to grit her teeth and struggle to reposition her arms. She also repositioned her feet at shoulder width to help steady her balance. It felt like every muscle in her body was on fire. As she strained to not let her arms fall, Beth and Cynthia collapsed. Almost simultaneously their weighs thudded to the ground. Dana could hear Beth sobbing as she began completing an endless set of push-ups.

When the Reaper increased the weight to 30-lbs., Dana couldn't hold the weight anymore. Her arms dropped and the weights thudded to the ground. As her body shook under the strain of her overworked muscles she collapsed to the ground, unable to complete a single push-up.

She felt the Irishman nudge her butt with his foot and say, "I don't know if I should I call you Granny or Pussy Willow? Get the fuck up and get to work," and finishing with a screaming, "NOW!"

Dana ached all over, but fighting back tears, she too then struggled to comply with the push-up order.

By 40-lbs., half the group was down and by 50, only two remained - Jorge and Vince. Both men were struggling and every muscle stood out and was accented by a sheen of sweat. This lasted for five minutes and then Vince could no longer hold either weight and they slipped from his grasp and collapsed to the ground.

The Reaper said, "Not bad. We'll work on this. Okay I'm going to give you pussy willows a break and let you walk to our next fun activity. Come on. Get the fuck off the ground," to the collective moans of everyone.

All the new arrivals except Jorge, struggled to their feet and limped after the Irishman. They left the cohort compound and walking about three miles to the edge of the city and came to an obstacle course. Everyone whispered a curse of one type or another. Dana remembered that on the nights she was home, her and Jase would watch shows like Survivor and American Ninja Warrior on the television. Her son even drug her along one Saturday to a Spartan race, but she never had the inclination or the confidence to ever run one. As her head dropped in exhaustion, she felt Jorge put a strong arm around her shoulder and whisper to her, "Hold it together, Chica. You can do this."

She stretched her aching back and said quietly, "Gracias. Home boy," remembering that he had mentioned living in Anaheim, CA, where she had also. She gave him a quick hug and said, "Thanks for the strength."

The course was horrifyingly-long and contained a complex combination of walls, balance beams, rope climbs and swings, as well as obstacles that had to be crawled over and under. Several were separated by trenches of murky, muddy water that you could attempt to jump over or had to crossed, by going through. They spent the rest of the day and into the night running the course. As each new arrival struggled to complete the course, the Grim Reaper was there to provide insults and mock their ability to complete it.

Try as she might, in her exhausted state, Dana couldn't get past the fourth obstacle, a seven-foot wall. After several attempts, she collapsed and started crying. The Irishman stood over her, berating her mercilessly and cursing at her. All she could do was crawl back to the group, while he kicked dirt into face. To her credit, Bethany made it through twice and when she was finished each time, she came and sat by Dana to encourage her. Others including Jorge and Dennis did the same.

When the torture was finished for the day, the Grim Reaper made them run back to the city at a sprint and when they returned to the cohort's compound, they were helping each other limp inside. Most headed into the showers to rinse off and found the water was a slightly warmer 75-degrees Fahrenheit. After showering they went to their bunks rooms and saw the beds were still missing. They were all too tired, so they just laid on the floor in two's and trios. Dana and Beth gratefully accepted Jorge's invitation to share warmth.

While the big man hugged them close, the ladies snuggled into his chest. Dana curled tightly into fetal position and silently cried herself to sleep, wishing she would awaken from this nightmare world.

The days melted into each other and they became difficult to tell apart. The routine that first week was the same - Get up, get your ass busted by the Irishman; run a marathon while getting your ass busted by the Irishman; do calisthenics until you drop and get your ass busted by the Irishman; run the gauntlet of the obstacle course and your guessed it, get your ass busted by the Irishman.

All this activity was having a positive effect. The bodies of the new hoplites were beginning to be sculpted by hard muscles. Washboard abs were beginning to appear, arms and legs were thickening and Dana noticed that her breasts - an ample C-cup for her 5' 5" frame were firming and lifting, as the underlying pecs tightened. "Fat lot of good all of this did, if you felt like shit," she thought. Although the physical exercise was hard, the verbal and emotional abuse was becoming mind-numbingly so. The Grim Reaper's verbal jabs were harsh towards all of them, but seemed particularly misogynistic and were becoming increasingly focused on her. She wondered why he couldn't see she was trying her best.

A new set of drill started after the morning marathons during the second week - weapons training. They practiced with a variety of swords, knives, spears and other weapons. Those from military and law enforcement backgrounds were more experienced, so the Irishman focused his wrath on Cynthia, Bruce, Bethany and especially Dana.

Dana had taken some weapons training during her time in taekwondo and did have to practice some forms for her belt promotions, but she was completely unfamiliar with weapons such as these. They also practiced with pugel sticks, long poles with heavy padding on the ends. They practiced girl on girl, boy on boy and then girl on boy, in various combinations. Although their endurance had been built with the hard, physical exercising from the week before, their bodies were soon aching and covered with a sheen of sweat.

In her match with Pat Adams, Dana thought her height would give her an advantage over the shorter, former police officer, but she was pummeled. Adams began berating her skill and ability, just like the Irishman, who stood back with his arms crossed at the chest and a leering smile plastered on his face. At the end of the math, Pat swung her stick as if she was hitting a home run with Dana's head. They blow knocked Dana off her feet and it took her awhile to pick herself up off the ground, gritting her teeth to fight back the tears that were welling-up inside of her. Jorge, Dennis and Beth came to her side, while everyone else congratulated Pat on her victory, including the Irishman who gave her a playful swat on the ass, as she walked by.

After the day's exertions were completed and they got back to the compound from the obstacle course. Dennis asked her how she was doing. Limping across the compound, she said, "Every muscle that I know of and a few that I didn't know I had ache."

Dennis nodded his head and said, "Yeah, I do to. But how do you REALLY feel? When I was in the Army I made it a point to check-in with all my people. I got out of the habit when we came here, but I saw that you're having a pretty tough time and I wanted to see how you're doing."

Night had fallen by this time. Dana looked around and there was a section that was dark, by a corner of a couple of the buildings. Dana took Dennis's hand and led him in that direction. When they entered the shadows, Dana let the dam of her emotions burst. She sunk to the ground and wept uncontrollably. Dennis knelt beside her and put his arm around her waist and gave her his shoulder to cry on. She cried for nearly 15-minutes, while Dennis held her and patted her back.

After she was done, Dennis asked, "Does it feel better?"

Dana felt embarrassed, but said it did. She sat down on the ground and Dennis sat beside her. After a couple seconds of silence Dana said, "I'm the oldest person here. I'm trying my as hard as I can. I'm busting my ass and I'm getting shit on!" Realizing she was getting angry, her head dropped and she apologized.

"Don't apologize," Dennis said, "I think I would be pissed-off, too."

"I can see the amount of improvement your making," he said as he put an arm around her shoulder. "Don't let the Reaper give you any shit," the former Army officer said. "Stand-up to him and show him what you're made of. You and Beth may not come from physical backgrounds like the rest of us, but you two have shown me that you're fuckin' tough chicks."

As he said the last part, he reached out with a hand to lift her head and turn it toward his, so that Dana's tear-filled eyes locked with his. "You just have to believe that right here," as he pointed between her breasts and tapped her chest.

With that she dropped her head to his firm shoulder and embraced him. They sat like that for a while. As she broke the embrace, she kissed him and let her tongue slip into his mouth. He was taken a little aback, but then embraced her as well and lingered in the kiss for several minutes. Their lips parted with a sweet smacking sound.

"Thanks," said Dana, "I needed that." Smiling she continued, "The talking to and the kiss."

Dennis flashed a handsome smile and said, "Just doing my job as an officer and a gentleman," as he stood and helped her up. They then walked arm in arm to the barracks. When they went into the dimmed bunk room, they saw that everyone was asleep already. Beth Jorge and Beth were wrapped arm in arm.

Dana said softly pointing in their direction and asked, "My bunk is taken. Do you want to sleep together?"

Dennis nodded his head. He smiled and whispered, "I'd like that a lot."

They went to one of the free corners in the room. They sat and kissed deeply again. Dennis then allowed Dana to put her head on his chest and he wrapped his arm around her. She quickly fell asleep and as she relaxed, her hand began to slip from Dennis's chest and down his abdomen, to below his navel.

- - - -

As she awoke, she saw the lights were still very low. Dennis must have been awake, because he was stroking her arm softly. She noticed she was holding something. When she was fully awake, she saw that she was holding Dennis's erect penis. She started and almost screamed with fright as Dennis said it was okay and calmed her.

Dennis whispered in her ear, "You woke me up about an hour ago, when you moved your hand. You mumbled something in your sleep and started stroking it."

Dana quietly laughed and whispered an apology.

"Don't apologize," Dennis smiled, "It felt pretty good."