Gen Z Boxed Set

by Baileigh Higgins

  It was strange having her with them again. Her betrayal had broken the group apart, and nobody felt ready to forgive her yet, even though she’d apologized several more times. Chas missed her friendship and intelligence, her bright, sunny nature. They all did. But it was a question of trust, and Chas no longer believed they could trust her. Maybe one day.

  Once they arrived at the warehouse, Julia greeted them with a broad smile. “Hi, guys. Today, your training begins, but before we start, I want to lay down a few ground rules. Number one, you do whatever I tell you to do without complaint. Number two, if you feel you can’t do it anymore, you’re free to leave, but don’t come back. Number three, and this is the most important one, you have to work together as a group, no matter how you feel about each other.”

  Chas exchanged pointed looks with Vanessa and Dean as they all looked at Emily. “We have to work with her?”

  “Exactly. Even if you’re mad at her. From today, she’s a part of your squad, a team member, and we don’t leave anyone behind. Got that?”

  “Okay,” Chas mumbled with the rest.

  “Good. Then you can begin by climbing that wall. First one to the top wins a protein bar,” Julia said, indicating a wall that had been fitted with rough handholds. A cushioned mat lay at the bottom, but that was it.

  Chas tackled the wall, climbing as fast as she could, the prospect of a protein bar too much to resist. Halfway up, she had to give up, her quivering muscles unable to hold her weight any longer. She dropped to the ground where Emily already waited. Seconds later, Vanessa fell too, followed shortly by Dean.

  Julia pursed her lips in disappointment. “No winners today, I see. Moving on.”

  Next, they were paired up and taught to fight with their hands. With slow precision, Julia showed them where to place a hit, and how to defend against it. One would punch, while the other defended. Chas was just happy to be paired with Vanessa and not Emily, or she might have been tempted to sneak in a real blow.

  After the self-defense class, Julia allowed them to sit and drink water while she showed them tactics on the blackboard. It was a complicated affair, and soon, Chas’ attention wandered. The exes and arrows began to look like squiggly lines to her tired eyes, and she zoned out.

  “Chas! What did I just say?” Julia snapped.

  “Huh?” Chas said, jerking upright. “I don’t know.”

  “Drop down and give me ten push-ups,” Julia said.

  “What?” Chas cried.

  “You heard me. Drop and give me ten.” Julia’s expression was stern, completely unlike her usual friendly self.

  “I’m sorry, I won’t do it again. I’ll pay attention from now on,” Chas said.

  Julia frowned. “I told you to give me ten. You didn’t. Now all of you drop and give me ten. Now!”

  Amidst a chorus of grumbles, the teens each did ten push-ups, and Chas was very aware that it was her fault. For the rest of the lesson, she made sure to pay attention, and nothing further happened.

  The day’s training ended off with Julia showing them how to hold and handle a gun while laying down the basic rules for firearms. “You won’t be handling any guns yourselves until I’m sure you can be trusted not to hurt either yourself or someone else.”

  It was after five in the afternoon before they were done, and Julia said, “That’s it for today. I’ll see you all at the same time tomorrow, and remember, keep this to yourselves. If Major Brown finds out, we’re all in trouble.”

  After saying goodbye, Chas dragged her tired limbs home at the pace of a painful shuffle, collecting her schoolbag along the way. Vanessa, Dean, and Emily were in a similar state, their shoulders drooping with exhaustion.

  That night, as Chas lay in bed, she realized something, however. As sore and tired as she was, it was different from before. This time, it was her own choice, and she was learning useful skills along the way. This time around, it meant something.

  The next day passed much like the first, and soon a week had passed under Julia’s tutelage. Chas learned a few valuable lessons early on, lessons that changed her life inside the safe zone for the better. As long as she and her friends laid low, did their schoolwork and chores, and reported back promptly after their training, they were granted more freedom. Eventually, the eagle eyes that had followed them everywhere eased up, and they could breathe again.

  Another thing she realized, was that while Julia was her friend outside of training, she was her teacher during that time and not to be trifled with or disobeyed. The same applied to Alvarez and any of the others who took Julia’s place at times.

  The third thing she learned, was that it was better to take a cold shower at night, easing the pain in her muscles and washing away the grime, than taking a hot bath in the early mornings. Plus, volunteering to do chores in the infirmary had unexpected benefits. Perks such as painkillers and band-aids for the various aches and scrapes they accumulated. She’d quickly concluded that she’d rather empty a bedpan and have a pain free evening, than peel potatoes with a sprained wrist.

  The last lesson was, in a way, the most frustrating one. The wall couldn’t be beaten, and the protein bar remained out of reach, taunting the teens from its lofty heights.

  The situation in the camp had changed too. Now that Dr. Nathan Jones was out of the picture, the CDC had sent another two scientists in his place, but this time they played it safe, going only to zones where the infected’s numbers were manageable. This meant that Major Brown spent a lot of time with his guests and could be avoided most of the time.

  At the same time, attacks on the fence line became more frequent, and the alarms situated along the border went off at regular intervals, at least every two days. These skirmishes weren’t too serious, but there was growing concern about the amount of ammunition that was used each time. Speculations ran rife over how long it would take before a breach occurred.

  Thus it happened that during their second week of training, Chas was shocked to find both Vivienne and Lala waiting for them inside the warehouse.

  “Mom? Lala? What are you doing here?” Chas asked.

  Alvarez stepped forward, their teacher for the day as Julia was out on an expedition with the CDC. “They’ve asked to be trained as well, now that a breach by the zombies seems imminent.”

  “Oh, okay,” Chas replied, wondering if they would be expected to climb the wall and run the obstacle course as well.

  It soon turned out they weren’t. Vivienne and Lala sat in on the gun and tactics lessons and took part in the self-defense classes. That was deemed to be enough for them. It wasn’t long before they were joined by the Barnetts and June, as well. The only one who never showed up was Sarah. Her health simply didn’t allow for it, and she remained weak and listless, a fact that worried Vanessa a great deal.

  All of these things meant that Chas’ life took a turn for the better, but it was during the third week that the biggest change occurred. During their self-defense lesson, Chas was partnered up with Emily for the first time. She knew better than to complain to Julia, though. That would earn her ten push-ups.

  Instead, she faced Emily with her eyes narrowed and her fists raised. “Ready?”

  Emily nodded, a flash of nervousness crossing her features. “I’m ready.”

  Chas started out with a jab which Emily failed to evade, and the hit landed on Emily’s chin. It wasn’t a hard blow, and Emily responded with a roundhouse that grazed Chas’ shoulder.

  Chas sidestepped, her waist rolling as she let loose another quick punch but was caught by surprise when Emily predicted her move and lashed out with her own blow that landed squarely on Chas’ chest, hitting hard enough to cause her to stagger backward.

  Anger boiled inside Chas, and she followed up her jab with a flurry of punches that broke through Emily’s defenses. One landed on her shoulder, and the other connected with a solid thud to the nose.

  Emily cried out in pain, grabbing her face as blood spurted out from between her fingers. “Ow!”
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  Chas froze in place, her eyes fixed on the sight of her erstwhile friend’s blood staining her shirt. Remorse filled her, and she reached out. “I’m sorry, Emily. I didn’t mean it. Are you okay?”

  “No, I’m not okay. You broke my nose!”

  Julia quickly stepped in and got the nosebleed under control. After a quick examination, she said, “It’s not broken, but it was close. It will be swollen for a while, and you might have two blue eyes tomorrow.”

  “Great,” Emily mumbled, her cheeks still stained with tears and dried blood. “Just great.”

  “I’m really sorry, Em,” Chas tried again, reaching out.

  Emily raised a hand. “Just leave me alone, okay. You should be happy now. You finally got me back, didn’t you?” Without another word, Emily stormed off, leaving a dejected Chas to stare after her.

  Julia shook her head. “Chas, I know she told on you, but don’t you think it’s time you worked things out between you? She’s your friend, after all, and that isn’t something you throw away lightly.”

  Chas sighed. “I know, and you’re right. I‘ll talk to her.”

  “Good, now get back to your training.”

  The rest of the day passed in a blur, and as hard as she tried, Chas never got a chance to talk to Emily alone. She was even more riddled with guilt the next day when Emily got up sporting two shiners. Neither of the Barnetts was impressed either, and Chas got the stink eye for the entire school day.

  That afternoon, the atmosphere was thick enough to cut with a knife, and Julia eyed the little group with impatience. “Well, isn’t this a merry little band? I’ll tell you what. Since none of you have so far been able to get to the top of the wall to win the prize, I’ll give you a hint. It takes more than one set of hands. Now go!”

  Chas frowned, wondering what on earth Julia meant, but by the look on Emily’s face, she knew exactly. Like a bullet shot from a rifle, Emily was off, crawling up the wall like a spider monkey.

  Chas was right behind her, determined to win that protein bar, no matter what. Using her hands and feet, she went up as far as she could until she ran out of handholds. Once again, she stared with frustrated anger at the too-large gap between her and the nearest hold.

  That’s when Emily appeared, to her left and slightly higher up. She too was faced with the gap, but this time, she looked at Chas. “We have to work together.”

  “Huh?”

  “Don’t you get it? It takes more than one pair of hands,” Emily said.

  A lightbulb went off in Chas’ brain, and her eyes grew wide. “Oh, I see.”

  “Put your hand beneath my foot and hoist me up,” Emily said. “Then Dean, and then Vanessa. It will take all of us for one to get to the top.”

  “What? So you can win the prize? I don’t think so,” Chas said with a snort.

  “I’ll share it with you. I promise.”

  Chas thought it over, exchanging looks with Vanessa and Dean. She stared at Emily who used to be her best friend and came to a decision. “All right. I’m trusting you. We all are.”

  With those words, Chas gave Emily the leverage she needed to get to the next handhold. Dean did the same when she reached the next obstacle, and Vanessa helped her over the last one. Together, the trio dropped to the ground while Emily made the final ascent, grabbing the little red flag at the top.

  She jumped down into Julia’s waiting arms who smiled and cheered. “You did it, Emily. Good job. Here’s your prize.”

  Emily stared at the chocolate covered protein bar in her hands, a treat of the kind they hadn’t had in months. She looked at Chas and extended the bar. “Thanks for giving me another chance and for trusting me.”

  Chas ignored the bar and pulled Emily into a hug. “I’m just sorry I didn’t do it sooner. I’ve missed you, Em.”

  “I’ve missed you too. All of you,” Emily said, starting to cry when Vanessa and Dean joined in as well.

  “I don’t care about the chocolate,” Vanessa said. “I’m just glad we’re together again.”

  Julia clapped her hands. “Guess what? You don’t have to share. There’s one for each of you. This was never an individual challenge, but a group one, and you all won.”

  That night, they sat on the grass outside the dorm after dinner, staring at the stars while eating their treats. It felt good to be together again, and once more, the pack was whole.

  Though their training grew tougher with time, it also became more fun with the addition of the obstacle and paintball course. Not only did it teach them how to overcome just about anything and how to clear a building of zombies, but it was also a ton of fun.

  They grew closer to Alvarez and his team as well. Each day, one of them played look-out, though Johnson was the most regular. As a sniper, he had excellent eyesight, and nothing got past him.

  Sanchez took a few days out of her routine to teach them how to throw a knife, a skill Chas excelled at thanks to her uncle. Davis taught them basic first aid which Vivienne later expanded on, and Williams showed them how to set booby traps and alarms. Even Smith did his share by passing on some of his knowledge about comms. All of these things were useful to know, and not a day passed that Chas didn’t learn something new.

  The best time, however, came when Major Brown left the base for the first time in months. Grabbing the opportunity with both hands, Alvarez taught them how to shoot with live rounds. For weeks, they’d been taught to reload, clean, maintain, and handle their guns, but not once had they been able to actually fire them.

  During the three days the Major and his nephew was absent, they all acquired reasonable proficiency with a firearm, and on the last day, Alvarez handed them each their own gun. These were to be hidden inside the dorms, of course, but in the event of a breach, they’d be armed and able to defend themselves.

  Chas, Vanessa, Dean, and Emily each got a 9mm Parabellum, fully loaded. Lala got her old shotgun back, while Vivienne, June, Richard, and Amelia were all gifted with a Glock 19. It was with a new sense of self-confidence that they faced the next attack on the fences now that they were no longer completely reliant on the soldiers for their safety.

  “Thank you, Alvarez,” Vivienne said, admiring her new gun, her stern demeanor softening for once.

  “Thank your daughter, ma’am. She’s the reason I did this,” he replied, startling both Vivienne and Chas.

  “How so?”

  Alvarez looked at Chas with a crooked smile. “Let’s just say that she reminded me that it’s not only soldiers who get to be heroes. More often than not, it’s the ordinary people who step up when it’s most needed.”

  Vivienne smiled, pulling Chas into a deep hug. “Thank you as well, Alvarez.”

  “For what, ma’am?”

  “For reminding me how proud I am of my daughter and what a rare treasure she is.”

  Chas blinked back sudden tears as she was enveloped in her mother’s familiar scent. For the first time in a long time, everything felt right again.

  Chapter 15

  Chas stared out of the window at the blue sky while Mr. Barnett droned on about the Roman Empire and its various emperors. The history lesson held little interest for her, even though she knew they would be quizzed on it later.

  Instead, her thoughts lay with Julia and her training. After five solid weeks of non-stop work, Chas felt like a different person. She was more confident and knew how to defend herself, both with her body and with a knife. She could handle just about any gun, fire it with reasonable accuracy, clean it, and maintain it. Her muscles had strengthened, and she possessed both stamina and agility. Her mind had opened up too. She was now more aware of her environment and what it contained, the possibility of defending an area, and how to use what was around you to survive. She was becoming a soldier, and nothing could make her prouder.

  The difference was evident in her friends too. They’d all changed, morphing into better, stronger versions of themselves. As tough as the training had been, Chas was glad they’d stuck with i
t, and she looked forward to taking it even further and bettering herself. It gave her a purpose, a reason to get up in the mornings.

  Another fifteen minutes passed before Mr. Barnett called it a day, and she was out of there in a flash. The required hour of exercise was no longer a harrowing experience, either. Instead, it passed by with ease, her new abilities making it seem like a breeze.

  Afterward, they trooped toward the warehouse, and Chas challenged the others. “Let’s make a game of this. The winner gets my desert on Sunday.”

  “Yeah, by doing what?” Vanessa asked.

  “First one to the warehouse wins, but you can’t let Johnson spot you, or you’re out,” Chas said.

  “You’re on,” Dean cried, dashing off immediately followed by the rest.

  Emily disappeared into a bunch of bushes, Dean behind a building, Vanessa at a sprint into the distance, and the challenge was on. Knowing the terrain and Johnson’s eagle eyes by now, Chas thought her best option would be to circle around the warehouse and come up behind it.

  Running in a loop, she used every available bit of cover she could find along the way, pausing briefly to rub some dirt into her exposed skin. After a few minutes, she’d reached her target, and waited for a few minutes to look for her friends. None of them could be seen, and she decided she’d better move before they beat her to it.

  In a low crouch, she edged around the warehouse from the back, making her way to the front entrance. She’d almost made it when Johnson’s slow drawl froze her in her tracks. “I know you’re there. You might as well show yourself.”

  Stamping her foot, Chas stepped into the open. Johnson was facing her way with a crooked smile on his lips, and she was just in time to see Emily slip through the entrance right behind his back.

  Her mouth fell open, and a thought occurred to her. “How did you know I was here? Did you see me?”

  Johnson shook his head. Actually, no. I heard something over by you and investigated.”

  “Heard something? Like what?”