Dawn’s POV
The morning started like a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from. Three soldiers barged through my dorm room door without so much as a knock, their boots thundering against the floor as they announced I was being relocated imdiately. No explanation. No warning. Just pack your things and go.
My hands trembled as I shoved my few belongings into a duffel bag, my mind racing with questions nobody seed willing to answer. What had I done wrong this ti? Was this Fletcher’ doing? The timing felt too convenient, too calculated.
Part of felt relief at the thought of escaping this place. Away from Fletcher and his cruel gas, away from the constant reminders that I was nothing more than the orphan girl who grew up on base. Everyone here knew my story, knew I had nowhere else to go. Maybe a fresh start was exactly what I needed.
But leaving ant abandoning my friends, Liam and Sophie. The thought of disappearing without saying goodbye made my chest ache.
I searched the corridors desperately as the guards escorted out, hoping to catch a glimpse of either of them. The base felt eerily quiet, as if everyone had vanished into thin air. No Liam. No Sophie. Just empty hallways that echoed with my footsteps.
The guards flanked like I was so kind of prisoner, their faces stone cold and professional. One grabbed my bag without asking, and I bit back the urge to protest. Clearly, I had no say in any of this.
Outside, a military jeep waited with its engine running. As I climbed into the back seat, movent caught my eye from one of the upper windows. Fletcher stood there watching, that familiar twisted smile playing at his lips. The sight of his satisfaction made my blood boil.
He looked pleased with himself, like he’d finally gotten exactly what he wanted. But sothing about his expression confused . I’d expected him to want here, close enough to continue his psychological torture. Why would he want gone?
The jeep pulled away from the only ho I’d ever known, and I pressed my face against the window, morizing every detail as it disappeared behind us. I’d find a way to contact Liam and Sophie once I settled in. They had to understand I didn’t choose this.
The lengthy drive stretched endlessly through unfamiliar terrain. My escorts remained silent, their eyes focused straight ahead. The radio crackled occasionally with military chatter, but nothing that gave any clue about my destination.
When we finally arrived, my jaw dropped. This wasn’t just a different base – it was a completely different world. Soldiers moved with precision across every inch of the compound. So ran the periter in perfect formation, others tackled obstacle courses with military precision, and groups practiced synchronized movents on the parade grounds.
The shooting range echoed with constant gunfire, and everywhere I looked, people were training, drilling, or maintaining equipnt. Not a single person stood idle. The contrast with my previous base was shocking. There, we’d trained when we felt like it, maintained our own schedules, lived with a certain casual freedom.
This place operated like a well-oiled war machine.
A soldier approached the jeep before we’d even co to a complete stop. He was tall, broad-shouldered, with the kind of posture that scread career military. His uniform was pristine, his expression serious but not unkind.
"Private Sullivan," he introduced himself, reaching for my bag. "I’ll be your liaison here. Where I go, you go. What I do, you do. No exceptions."
His voice carried the crisp authority of soone used to being obeyed without question. I nodded, not trusting my voice as anxiety twisted in my stomach.
As my escorts drove away without a backward glance, I felt truly alone for the first ti. Private Sullivan – Corbin, he told when we were out of earshot – led through the compound with efficient strides.
The bunk house hit like a slap in the face. Rows of identical beds filled a large room, each with a small footlocker at its base. No personal items anywhere. No privacy. No individual space to call my own.
"This is your bed," Corbin said, dropping my bag onto a thin mattress. "Keep your area clean and organized. Inspections happen without warning."
I stared at the sterile environnt, missing my small dorm room with its single window and the few personal touches I’d been allowed. Here, I’d be sleeping surrounded by strangers, with no refuge from prying eyes or whispered conversations.
"Do you have a first na, or should I stick with Private Sullivan?" I managed to ask.
"Corbin," he replied, his deanor softening slightly now that we were alone. "But keep it formal around the others until you understand the hierarchy here."
The warning in his voice made my pulse quicken. What kind of place was this?
"Ti to et the Captain," Corbin announced, checking his watch. "And word of advice – show respect, keep your answers short, and don’t ask questions unless directly prompted."
As we walked toward the administrative building, Corbin pointed out various structures and their purposes. His instructions ca rapid-fire, with the clear expectation that I’d rember everything imdiately.
"Pay attention because I won’t repeat myself," he warned. "Getting lost here isn’t an option."
The more I saw of this place, the more my unease grew. This felt less like a Hunter base and more like a military installation preparing for war.
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