Episode 4
678 Words
Lucas froze.
“Me?” he stuttered, his body trembling.
Sergeant Miles marched forward and dragged him from the line.
“This student violated the sacred rule of silence,” Captain Dogo announced. “He collaborated with an external mail carrier.”
Lucas struggled, terror etched into his face.
“He will be punished severely,” Captain Dogo said coldly. “Let this serve as a warning.”
He raised his voice.
“Whatever happens in this Academy remains here and dies with us!”
The students repeated the words, fear choking their voices.
“What is our motto?” Captain Dogo demanded.
“A real soldier does not discuss his weakness,” they shouted. “He eliminates it!”
Captain Dogo nodded, satisfied.
As he dismissed them, Jabari noticed Bell stepping forward to lead her unit. Her beauty was striking, but it did nothing to calm the unease tightening his chest.
Something is very wrong, he thought.
Eyes That Should Not Wander
The training ground buzzed with activity. Students crawled beneath tires, climbed ropes, and ran drills under Jack’s supervision.
“Keep going,” Jack encouraged. “Pain won’t kill you. It only reshapes you.”
Jabari pushed himself beyond his limits, yet his attention drifted.
Bell.
She stood at the far end of the ground, commanding her unit with confidence. Her posture was flawless. Her voice was firm.
Jabari barely noticed he had fallen behind.
Jack appeared beside him.
“If Captain Dogo sees you staring at her, you’ll be punished,” Jack warned quietly.
Embarrassed, Jabari apologized.
“Her name is Bell,” Jack added. “She’s not from here either.”
Jabari glanced toward Captain Dogo, who stood beside the Zonal Coordinator observing the drills.
“That man,” Jack said, following his gaze, “is the Zonal Coordinator. He rarely visits unless something serious is happening.”
Jabari’s unease deepened.
– Lessons in Fire
The students knelt at the shooting range, rifles steady, ears shielded.
Bell moved between them, correcting grips and posture.
“A soldier must never be distracted,” she said sharply, stopping before Jabari. His rifle was angled wrong.
She lifted his chin gently.
“Look your enemy in the eye,” she whispered. “That’s how you defeat fear.”
Her touch startled him.
“Ready,” she commanded. “Aim. Fire!”
Gunshots exploded through the air.
Jabari hit his target.
Levi struggled, then fired—missing entirely.
“I hit it!” Levi shouted proudly.
Bell covered her face briefly in disbelief.
“All soldiers—defensive!” she ordered.
The students dropped instantly, rolling into position.
Jabari realized something then.
Bell wasn’t just strong.
She was trained for survival.
Blood in the Dark
The detention room was silent.
Lucas sat bound to a chair, his mouth taped shut. His eyes darted wildly as shadows shifted along the wall.
Then someone entered.
The figure wore a long dark coat. The face remained hidden.
Lucas screamed—but no sound escaped.
The blade flashed.
Moments later, the room was still.
Lucas was dead.
A Mission of Lies
Captain Dogo stormed his office, fury overtaking restraint.
“This cannot happen,” he growled. “Not under my watch.”
Sergeant Miles stood rigid.
“Lucas was only meant to stay two days,” Captain Dogo snapped. “Now he’s dead.”
“I was the last to see him,” Sergeant Miles admitted. “But I didn’t kill him.”
Silence filled the room.
“Gather the students,” Captain Dogo said finally. “No one speaks of this.”
Later, the students filled the classroom as Captain Dogo announced the murder.
“I assure you,” he said, “neither Sergeant Miles nor I had a hand in this.”
He offered a reward for information.
Teams were formed.
When Jabari’s team—Jack, Jamal, Bell, and himself—was assigned to investigate the missing teachers, his heart sank.
They said those teachers resigned, he thought.
The lie was undeniable now.
And whatever truth waited ahead was dangerous.
- Writer
