005 was marched to a room by the guard. The doors opened to five individuals, all different, yet sharing the same dark, vacant, gloomy expression. The guard, positioned behind him, shoved him into the dorm, slamming a stiff bag into his arms, and banging the door shut behind him. He opened his bag, sifting through the cheap material. He dug deep, pulling out a set of spare clothes and an armband branded with his identity: 005. Time passed his spares were tucked under his bed, the armband strapped around his arm. He was officially branded. The alarms chimed, sharp and mechanical. The lights switched off automatically. His dorm mates went straight to bed no conversation, nothing happening during their short time before the alarm just pure silence, cold and mechanical. Dawn broke almost in a flash, the alarms blared again, a violent sound that jolted everyone awake. A scratchy, amplified voice called out to the cadets to all meet at the hangar, he moved, cleaning up, then headed up to the hangar. He was grouped along with others, per the hundreds. They were each loaded into pitch darkness, the chopper's interior a black coffin. The flight was long, loud, and rattling, but they reached their destination nevertheless. The doors slammed open. The frozen breeze welcomed them, a chaotic gale of ice. "Where are we?" Five thought, shivering, following the others as they stumbled out of the chopper. A huge man appeared before them. He opened his mouth; his breath formed small mist clouds, instantly shredded as the chopper's rotor roared away from the crowd. "Listen up, you maggots," he sneered, his voice a gravelly shout. "Pain is the best teacher, and here when I'm done with you sorry bunch you'll become its master. This forest will become your grave for these years. Secure a tent, then meet me here when the bird chirps. Understood?" he declared. "DISMISSED!" he finally roared, dismissing the crowd with a brutal wave. Five located a tent, staking his claim. Inside, a wooden box contained various berries. His stomach growled he hadn't eaten since the night before, factoring in the ride here. He looked at the berries, all tempting. His hunger was overwhelming. He leaned in closer, reaching for a juicy-looking grape. He stopped midway. Though his stomach screamed, his body rejected his advances. His gut instinct, honed by paranoia, flagged the berries as dangerous. He closed the lid, huddling in a corner, trying to reserve his body's heat. He stayed for a while, waiting for the bird's chirp. The wait turned from minutes to hours, stretching into a silence that felt unnatural and heavy. Uncomfortable just waiting, he emerged from his tent, taking a stroll, observing his desolate environment before returning to the campgrounds. He opened up his tent, one foot inside, when the ground suddenly shook, violently. Others poked their heads out of their tents to assess the cause. A distant scream rang across the field, followed by herds of reindeer running in a blind, terrified panic. "Seems like they're running from something," Five thought, squinting his eyes in the direction the herds were fleeing from. Nothing came into view. Shrugging it off, the loud cries of the birds followed, signaling the cadets to meet up with the commander. The cadets gathered around, heading for the meeting point. But the bird's cry and the rumbling just kept on growing wilder, closer. Then the birds came into view. "They're just some gulls seeking attention," Five mumbled, but then it hit him. They weren't close to an ocean. A body of water coming into sight would be a miracle here. Then his eyes caught a glimpse of yellow, flustered cheeks a flash of movement beyond the stampeding reindeer. His very instincts seized up. Before he could consciously react, his legs just took off at full speed. Gaining back control, his mind raced, looking for the highest tree to climb. The trees in his surroundings were all stumps, cut off. From his recent scout, he knew it was like this for a couple miles. He began calculating, thinking of many ways to survive. The others watched him run, confused by his sudden, panicked action. They only followed suit moments later when a loud, bone-shaking crash shook the whole area, with an avalanche of ice and debris following, gaining up on them gradually, devouring the tents behind them their only source of protection. Five kept running, but the lack of food in his system kept him in a weakened state. Not losing hope, he kept on running forward toward what appeared to be an open field not ideal for the situation ahead. Those who followed diverted, all choosing different paths to follow, apart from one who shadowed him. The avalanche was closer, a roaring, frozen monster haunting them down like a predator on prey. The frozen lake came into view. "Finally," his mind screamed. His legs were tired, almost giving up. Taking advantage of the low slope, he slid down. A huge ravine separated him from the lake. Without hesitation, he leaped into the ravine, a desperate plunge, leaving the follower shocked. She found herself a cave to shelter in. The avalanche came crashing down for what felt like an eternity, then dead silence followed. A flare lighted the sky, dyeing it a bright, desperate red. That was the signal. Five climbed up, moving toward where the flare was shot, dragging his tired, aching body. Night fell as he reached his destination. A fire was set, and warm food was set on a table. Five observed his surroundings he was the only cadet around. The scent of food snapped him out of his survival trance. He was instructed to eat, having his fill, then led to a wooden building to rest. Day one had come to an end. Now he wondered: how will the rest of these years destroy him?
