I lay sprawled across my bed, staring at the ceiling above me.
My muscles ached from yesterday's torture uh, I mean training.
Sergeant Thomas last training had pushed us to the brink, and it wasn't just the physical exhaustion that had me drained.
It was the monotony, the relentless cycle of running, climbing, and crawling through mud while Thomas yelled at us like we were cockroaches trying to survive a boot onslaught.
Yesterday had officially taken the title of "Worst Day of My Life."
After training, I dragged myself to the cafeteria, wolfed down a meal, trained Ori, and collapsed back here, too tired to do anything but sleep.
Now, lying on my bed again, I stared at the clock, timing my escape.
The plan was simple.
Wake up the moment the alarm rang and be the first at the training grounds.
I was going to prove Sergeant Thomas wrong, show him I wasn't just a slacker dragging my feet through his precious drills.
The idea was solid.
Too bad my body had other plans.
My eyelids started to droop, and the warmth of the bed tugged me closer to unconsciousness.
Just five more minutes, I thought.
BANG!
I shot upright, my heart hammering in my chest.
"What the-"
The alarm didn't go on, because it wasn't time yet.
That damn sergeant, he didn't even wait.
That deafening bang, marking the second day of what I was now calling my personal hell.
I dragged myself out of bed with a heavy sigh.
I reached the training grounds where the other soldiers were already assembling.
We all looked the same, drained, battered, and silently questioning our life choices.
The day passed in a blur of grueling drills, our bodies pushed to their limits once again.
When it was finally over, and I thought I could collapse into a pile of regret and sweat, Sergeant Thomas called us together.
His sharp voice cut through the air like a blade.
"Listen up!" he barked.
We shuffled into a line, trying not to groan too loudly.
"Today, I've got an announcement," he began, his tone unusually formal. That caught my attention. Thomas wasn't exactly the type for speeches unless they involved insults.
He called out five names: "Patrick, Beth, Andre, Mathis, Will. Step forward."
Five soldiers stepped out of the line, each holding sleek, high-tech guns that looked both familiar and intimidating.
The sight of them stirred something in my memory.
These were the type of gun Sergeant Thomas took back from me, and three of the soldiers here, where also there when we fought the infected and were given the gun the same time I was also given.
He didn't take it from them.
But he took it from me. Why?.
"These," Thomas said, gesturing to the weapons, "are the latest in our arsenal. They are energy-based firearms, capable of destruction on a level you've never seen. These guns aren't rare for the Awakened or high-ranking soldiers, but we're testing a program to make them available to all. For now, only these five have been selected to carry them."
He paced in front of us, his boots crunching on the gravel.
"These guns are no ordinary weapons. They are powered by ability cores, which contain unique abilities. The guns can channel and amplify these abilities, making them deadly against any enemy you'll face. They can also negate abilities when used strategically."
Someone raised their hand, a wiry soldier with a skeptical expression.
"Sergeant, does this mean the guns could work against very powerful monsters?"
Thomas gave a curt nod.
"Correct. These weapons are designed to give us an edge in combat, for example fighting against Infected with abilities that make them difficult to kill."
Another private piped up, "What about the energy usage? How long do the cores last before needing replacement?"
"Good question," Thomas said, though his tone didn't sound particularly impressed. "It depends on the ability contained in the core. Some burn out faster than others. That's why these weapons require precise handling and training. Not something you lot are ready for yet."
I bit back a grimace at the jab but stayed quiet.
"To give you a demonstration," Thomas continued, "Private Beth will show you what these guns are capable of."
Beth stepped forward, her movements fluid and confident.
She was a tall, brown-skinned young woman with a commanding presence, clearly the strongest among us.
She was one of the standout characters in The World Is Doomed.
Watching her now, I could see why.
She lifted her revolver-like gun and pointed it at a dummy positioned several yards away.
With a click and a hum, the gun began to gather energy.
The air around it seemed to ripple, and a faint blue glow pulsed from the barrel.
Beth pressed the trigger.
BOOM!
The sound was deafening, and when the light cleared, the dummy was gone.
Not shattered or broken.
Just gone.
Like it had been erased from existence.
A murmur rippled through the group, a mix of awe and unease.
I swallowed hard.
That kind of power is insane.
Thomas smirked, clearly enjoying our reactions.
"Any questions?"
No one said a word.
"Good," he said. "Remember what you've seen today. Dismissed."
As we dispersed, I felt a bit curious.
The power of those guns are incredible, but...
The military was arming soldiers with weapons like that, do they know what we would face in the future or not?
Lost in thought, I didn't notice the figure leaning against the wall until I was almost past him.
The figure said.
"You're Sky... right?"