They'd been preparing me my entire life for this moment. The anxiety and fear had finally settled in as I waited behind those big iron gates. I closed my eyes hearing the gears shift and turn as the gate raised high above my head. The outside world was something I never experienced before now, I've had coworkers and brothers in arms tell me of their battles with the turned. It always seemed cool and extraordinary, something I'd wished to do. But now that it was here, something about those stories felt just a little more real than before.
"Are you ready?" My master said, placing his left hand onto my right shoulder. He knew something was up, I was completely out of it, lost within the depths of my own mind.
"Yes, master," I replied swallowing the frog in throat. As I looked forward past the gate it was grey and dull, the morning mist still lingered among the surface of the muddy dirt, only adding a textual layer to the fears I already had.
Breathing suddenly became harder to deal with, as my heart pumped faster and faster.
"Calm yourself Drake, remember your training. After all this is what you were made for." Master said.
Hearing his words I tried to reflect, I closed my eyes and took deep breaths in and deep breaths out. I could feel my body calm down as my mind settled. Opening my eyes I turned to my master and shook his hand swearing to him, I would return soon. He smiled and held his hand outward pointing toward the open space of which was no longer protected by a large iron gate.
And so, I took my first steps towards the free world. Out here I was my own man, free to do as I pleased. I could abandon the order, and desert my mission entirely. Which was a common occurrence in my life of work, but I wasn't that kind of guy. I was literally built for this job, tracking the Turned. Hunting them and bringing about peace into our fallen world.
As I passed through the gate I heard the gears shift yet again, releasing the iron gate from its cascaded state. I turned to look back to look at the camp, but it was gone. The cloaking technology they'd developed sure was a thing of wonder.