“We aren't actually related though. So it's not impossible," Taylor grunted, seeming a bit pissed at my reaction.
I glanced at him but I wasn't sure what to say to that. Laurie looked between the two of us as though trying to decipher our response and snorted a laugh before she shrugged it off.
“Well, I've come to make sure you're ready for combat training, so suit up," she said. Her eyes lingered on Taylor's bare chest a moment longer than was really necessary before she turned away to wake up Evander in the other closed bed.
We put on our camouflage gear and followed her out of the dorm. She took us down a long corridor past the other dorms, which were considerably bigger than ours, to a huge training room. Evander followed us without a word. I still hadn't heard him speak and it didn't look like I was about to anytime soon.
The training room was split into three main sections. The first area had treadmills, exercise bikes and other cardio and fitness equipment. It was very similar to the gym we used in the Health and Well-being buildings back in the city.
The next section was ringed off and empty save for the floor, which was covered in crash mats. Then there was an area with target dummies in a line along the far wall and a huge rack filled with different brightly coloured guns and knives.
“As there are just three of you, I've been put in charge of your training," Laurie announced eagerly.
I glanced at Taylor nervously and he raised his eyebrows marginally in response, Laurie could only be a year or so older than us and this basically meant we were putting our safety in her hands.
Laurie tutted irritably as she sensed our scepticism. "I know I'm still fairly low level but don't look so worried. I'm more than qualified to teach you this stuff." She led the way over to the ca
rdio equipment without waiting for us to respond and we hurried after her. “I need to push you a bit harder than usual today so that we can get fitness assessments on each of you. I know you all workout in the city so it should be easy enough." She moved to a side table and picked up three little boxes with electrodes attached to them. “I'll just hook you up to these and then if you could use a treadmill to each run ten miles as fast as you can that would be great." She smiled sweetly as she attached my electrodes then hopped onto a nearby table and crossed her legs while we got onto the treadmills.
“Go." She waved a hand at us and we started running. Laurie pulled out a book and began reading with an annoying smirk on her face. Not that I was jealous.
I’d spent two hours in the gym five times a week in the city since I was fourteen which was a little more than the standard requirements and I enjoyed it. So Laurie was right in saying it shouldn't be too much of a challenge. However, knowing we were being judged on everything we did made me push as hard as I could.
I glanced over at the other prisoners who were starting their training too. Dolly, the woman with the scar, acted like nothing I’d ever seen before. I watched as she sparred with a time server. The man approached with his fists raised and Dolly didn't react. He got close, almost close enough to reach out and grab her but she stood still, watching him through narrowed eyes.
He lunged forward but she’d already ducked aside. She used his momentum to fling him to the ground and started screaming in excitement as he fell. Dolly leapt onto his back and clawed at the man's face like she was possessed. He thrashed and tried to throw her off but he couldn't and she clearly had no intention of backing off.
Wardens started shouting warnings at her but she ignored them. After the third warning, they stepped forward and fired their tasers. She shrieked and collapsed as the man crawled aside, clutching his bleeding face.
There was a bitter taste in my mouth as I looked away and concentrated on my feet instead of the other convicts.
Laurie alternated between playing on her tablet, filing her nails, reading her book, checking our readings and getting us water as we ran. I could feel the sweat pouring off of me, but it felt good, like an outlet for the frustration I’d been feeling ever since this whole thing began.
Taylor finished first, I was fifteen minutes behind him. Evander was struggling.
Laurie gave us a ten minute break which I spent huffing in a collapsed heap on the floor, before moving us to work on the punching bags. It was actually really satisfying to smack things, but Laurie kept correcting my technique and was constantly shaking her head at me as I did it all wrong.
“Keep your thumb out of your fist or you'll break it," she called.
I adjusted my hand and swung at the bag again.
"Lead with the knuckle of you're forefinger, it's stronger and you can protect the little ones."
I altered my swing again and the bag thunked at the impact. Laurie crossed the floor and stood behind me, she nudged the backs of my knees so that they crumpled a bit.
“Keep your knees bent so that you can keep the movement going, and stay fluid in your motions. If you're too rigid you'll hurt yourself."
She kept offering pointers and I kept adjusting my method in accordance until she had no more to say.
Evander took another hour on the running machine and seemed to be having quite a bit of trouble with it. Laurie didn't comment, but I knew that Taylor and I had done well.
Once we’d had the longest workout of my life and I was sure I wouldn't be able to walk, run or move in any way at all by the following day, Laurie announced we were ready to begin.
I groaned audibly and she shot me a wicked look from beneath her lashes.
We moved onto the crash mats and I dragged my feet the whole way. Evander looked like he was going to collapse as Laurie showed us some basic grappling techniques. She explained ways to use an enemy's weight against them and how to dislodge a hold.
"I know you shouldn't see any combat officially, but we give you the same training as the others so you'll have a decent chance of defending yourselves in an emergency," Laurie told us. And that wasn’t terrifying at all.