Heaven in Hell

ANYTHING BUT THE BOX, CHIEF

WEEK 3

FRIDAY

AGENT PRESCOTT

I have dreaded this day and the damn box the whole previous week. I know awareness training is going to include self-awareness as much as it involves situational awareness.

Last week, Chief Darhk had declared the pairs for the training and ruined Kyra. Roshesh was paired with Arjun and for 2 days, we saw their upper bodies screaming in agony. Officer Siddharth was joined with Ashwin and I'm sure 2 days of constant running had them galloping in their sleep. Kyra and I were paired and thrown cardio and weight candies. While each pair was taken to the extreme ends, the others had a normal day of training. As normal as Chief Darhk's training gets.

However, Chief Darhk never stopped showering his extra love on Kyra and Roshesh. Every night, even when they were left with no energy to crawl up the stairs to their beds, Chief Darhk had them out on the tracks for an extra hour with timed runs to and fro from the tracks. Roshesh has barely kept up while Kyra has passed out from dehydration and exhaustion thrice since the day we started training.

The cherry on the cake had been him sharing the barracks with us. If it weren't for the exhaustion, none of us could have slept knowing that he laid within feet's from us fully capable of ruining our sleep and our bodies any time he feels like. We faced quite tough mornings since his arrival. There was no reporting time for the mornings. He decided how and when we woke up. Naturally, blaring horns, punches, kicks and cold ice water were few of his top choices. The jump start to our hearts every morning filled up the need for adrenaline though.

This week, he made the rest of the team cough up their irrational fears and face them head on. Arjun, Ashwin, Officer Siddharth, Kyra and Roshesh have all passed the test of keeping calm, albeit after a lot of curses, crying, screaming and running. I had been well aware of Officer Siddharth, Kyra and Roshesh's fear and their reactions to them.

While Ashwin's fear of heights made for a fun day, Arjun's fear has my skin crawling at the thought of what was waiting for me today. Chief Darhk had tauntingly kept the box right in front of my sight during the day and under my bed all night of this week knowing that its presence only unsettles me.

Except Kyra and Roshesh, the other members have no idea what has me jumpy and on edge the whole week. Chief Darhk had used the fact that I wish to avoid the box as long as I can to his advantage for the whole week. I can only pray that he continues screwing me over and just keep the damn box aside. But if his smile is anything to go by, my guardian angels have run away again.

While the rest of the team makes a box of cardboards of my height, Chief Darhk asks, standing over me watching me do push-ups, "So, what shall we keep the timer to be?"

Pushing, I reply in a broken voice, "A minute, Chief Darhk"

Laughing, he says, "Prescott, you are not getting out of that box unless you have overcome that fear. A minute is getting you nowhere. To let you save some face, I'll let the heart monitor come later. I need the time from you. How much time before you can truly settle there?"

I keep the push-ups going, unable to give him a reply.

Kicking me hard, he says, "Prescott, stop being a pussy about it and get in. You have 30 minutes before I attach the monitor and start"

Knowing I have no other choice, I shudder and try to control the building panic at having to sleep in a box filled with rats. I know that my fear is irrational. Their bites and scratches are nothing compared to the injuries I get but somehow the fear of being in an enclosed space with rats has me panicking to the point of loss of rational control.