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I woke up to the sound of dozens of motherfuckers screaming their heads off. I was no longer tied down so I sprang from the bed. I fell down and couldn't get back up. My legs felt like they were made of rubber or some shit. I slapped them while a hand landed on my shoulder from a nearby bed. I thought it was Raves but it was some other White fool I didn’t know.
“Help me...” he whispered.
“Sorry, man,” I said as I dragged myself across the floor. Fuck me. I dragged myself back to his bed and lifted myself up. He looked in a bad way. His eyes were sunk into his head and his skin was damned near gray. “What the hell's your name, man?” I asked.
“Hollister,” he said. “Peter David Hollister...”
I was about to shake this Hollister guys hand when I heard a siren going off. How the hell they know I got out of my bed so fast? I dropped to the floor and rolled back to my bed, slowly making my way underneath. I heard guards shouting and someone flew into the room panting. I knew that pant anywhere.
“Where the fuck are you?!” Raves shouted.
“I was hiding until your loud ass came in,” I said as I lifted myself up. I had most of the feeling back in my legs.
“We gotta get the hell out of here,” he said. “This place is eight kinds of fucked up.” “Eight?” I asked. “Yeah, eight,” Raves said between breaths. He looked like he had seen a ghost. Half of his hair
was shaved. “We can deal with eight kinds of fucked up,” I said. “If it were nine then...” Suddenly five armed
guards threw themselves into the room. Men began to shout in pain everywhere. I hadn't noticed how many were in here until now. There were dozens of them in all kinds of stages of mangled. Some had no arms, some, no legs. Some didn't even look fucking human anymore.
“Nine,” Raves said.
“Shit,” I muttered as I tensed up for a fight. The guards had those damned guns that looked strange. Now I saw what it was. They had the damned trigger where your pinky finger would go.
“Both of you on the ground now!” the one up front shouted. “Do it!” I looked at Raves and he smiled.
“You get on the ground,” he said as he leaned on the bed next to Hollister. This Hollister guy looked like deep fried shit. “We aren't doing anything. Just a friendly conversation between friends.” One of the guards charged forward and I leaped over Hollister's bed and nailed him with a right hook. He spun and landed hard on his face. I heard their guns clicking.
“All of you just stop,” Hollister mumbled as he tried to sit up unsuccessfully. “Just...stop.” “Jesus, You’re alive?” Raves asked. “Barely,” The Corps said as he entered the room. “Lower your guns,” he said as he moved past
the guards and stepped over the unconscious one. “Leave me with them.” All of the guards backed away without saluting. “Now, I would like to make a proposal to you two.”
“There's three of us,” Raves said including this Hollister zombie.
“Oh,” The Corps said. “Him.” He walked over to Hollister’s bed and slapped him hard across the face. “He'll be lucky to survive the night let alone the program.”
“Only project I care about has my furniture in it,” I said as I flopped back down onto my bed. Raves walked over and sat at the edge rubbing his half shaved scalp. “We're fucking hungry,” I said speaking for the three of us.“You'll eat soon enough,” The Corps said. “Now if you'll let me...” “I could kill for some Chinese,” Raves said while rubbing his stomach. “Let's hope not,” The Corps said while smirking. “So what the fuck you gonna do with us?” I asked. “And why aren't y'all trying to save my man
here?” I asked while motioning to Hollister. “He is a lost cause,” The Corps said. “Weak in mind, body, and spirit.” “Who the fuck are you to make that decision?” Raves said. He began to rub at his eye, annoyed. “I am in charge, that’s who,” The Corps said. “Now unless you want to be gassed once again I
will ask you to sit calmly and listen to what I have to propose.” “I'll sit and listen,” I said. “But I won't be calm.” “Very well,” The Corps said. “Ronald Ezekiel Jones. Born in Jackson, Mississippi to Shirley
Robertson. Ran away from home at the age of 12. Arrested for armed robbery. Sympathetic judge gave you only 6 months probation. Clean ever since. Except for that armed robbery last year.”
“Shit,” I said. “Asshole!” Raves said. “We were going to do that together!” “Hey, chill the fuck out,” I said ashamed of leaving my main man out of the action. “It was a
dangerous trip and I didn't want you getting fucked up.” “Did you use the money you got to pay for that damned ring?” Raves asked. “No,” I replied. “I used it to pay rent. I used your money for the ring.” “Oh,” Raves said. Then he punched me in the leg. When I bent forward he slapped me in the
nose. “Who the fuck slaps someone in the nose?” I shouted as I covered my face. “I should leave you here with this zombie,” Raves said, looking at Hollister. “Like two children,” Hollister said. “Allow me to explain what's happening.” “This should be funny,” The Corps said as he pulled up a chair. “What you’re going to be asked to do,” Hollister said between gasps, “is something that only
God should ask of you. Give your soul.” As Hollister spoke The Corps said nothing. He just nodded or shook his head depending on what
Hollister said. Raves and I would exchange glances every once in a while and speak without speaking. We had been around each other for so long that we had a bond stronger than blood. You had no choice who you were related to. God chose that shit for you. But a friend, man, you did that shit. If you had a shitty friend then you were either too stupid to bounce or you were equally shitty. Raves was one of those niggas that had your back even when he knew he'd get his ass kicked. Listening to Hollister made us want him to be one of our brothers. If he lived. There was just something special about this guy.
“So let me get this straight,” I said. “Go ahead,” The Corps said. “Free room and board. Free trips around the world. Free training. More money than I'll ever
need...” I said. “Yes,” The Corps replied. “So what's the catch?” Raves asked. “I mean, why aren't there hundreds of guys lined up to the
fences if this is such a good deal?” “Because we only choose the best of the very best,” The Corps said while standing. “But you got my Black ass after knocking out a recruiter on the Strip,” I said. “So far we have only been allowed to infiltrate a dozen or so academies in the U.S,” he said.
“Soon we will expand worldwide. Africa, Australia, Asia, Europe, and Canada will be chomping at the bit to join. I have been traveling the country tailing recruiters. In Las Vegas alone we had over 200 potentials. You, Mr. Jones, were the only one to get into a physical altercation and win.”
“I know how to throw some weight,” I said proudly.
“That explains your last girlfriend,” Raves said. “Jealous ass,” I muttered. “There is a great deal of potential in the two of you,” The Corps said. “If you would learn to take
something serious in your lives.” “Hey,” Raves protested. “We take plenty of things seriously!” “Like pussy,” I said as Hollister laughed lightly in his bed. “You still with us, Vincent Price?” “Yes...” Hollister whispered. “Hey, let's make a deal,” I said to The Corps. “What kind of deal?” The Corps asked nervously. He didn't look like the kind of guy that made
deals. And even if he did he looked more like the kind of guy that would find lawyers and loopholes out of those deals.
“Let my half-dead friend here join and you got yourself a deal,” I said. Raves nodded in agreement. My man.
“He won't survive the night,” The Corps laughed. “Stop being so negative,” Raves said. “Do we have a deal or not?”
“Fine,” The Corps sighed. “One week. If his condition doesn't improve he will be left in the desert for the buzzards.”
“You hear that, ‘Holly’?” I asked him as I stood and took his hand. “You got one wee
k to get better or this fool gon’ feed you to the birds.”
“No pressure,” Raves said. “Can you do it?”
“Of course I can,” Hollister said as a weak smile fell across his face. “Anything is possible when you believe in the Lord.”
“Oh, testify!” I shouted. And with that one of the craziest weeks of my life began.
That night Raves and I sat together trying to figure out what the fuck we had gotten ourselves into. As we listened to Hollister fight for each breath I started to regret making his progress throughout the week depend on whether or not he lived or not. I do believe I am fucking myself.
“He looks like shit,” Raves said. “What are we going to do?”
“Be specific, nigga,” I said. “What are we gonna do about this project, Hollister here, or trying to escape?”
“You want to escape?” said Raves more to himself than me. I could see a bit of doubt in his eyes. “I don't really want to. I mean, what do we have out there?” he asked pointing to the wall but meaning the world. “We don't have family really. We don't have kids. We don't have steady girlfriends.”
“Fuck you, I just got married,” I said with a smile on my face.
“Seriously, man,” Raves said while looking me in the eyes. “What have we got to lose by doing this shit?”
“'Holly' says we'll lose our souls,” I replied with my finger in the air as if I just made some great discovery. “But I get what you saying. You really wanna go through with this shit?”
“I think so, yeah,” Raves said. He looked as surprised at his statement as I felt. “But we just have to make sure our new brother makes it.”
“About him,” I said. “Do you feel something special about this guy?” “Yeah,” Raves said. “I can't explain it either. There's just something about him.” “Like a fucking magnet, this guy,” I said. “Let's get some sleep. We don't know what the fuck is
planned for us.”
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Veterans Day Page 15