Chapter 10
The final test before field exercises began at 0300 hours with the twenty-mile forced march through the dense, rolling hills of the Fort Benning reservation. The rucksacks were packed to regulation weight—seventy pounds of sandbags, extra ammunition, rations, and water bladders that felt heavier with every passing mile.
The moon was completely obscured by thick, rolling fog that clung to the damp earth, swallowing the beam of every flashlight and turning the world into a monochromatic gray void. The only sound was the rhythmic crunch of boots on gravel and the steady, collective breathing of the squad moving in a tight column through the dark.
Miller felt the straps of his rucksack biting deep into his shoulders, cutting right through his uniform fabric to press against the raw skin underneath. Every step sent a jolt of dull pain shooting up his spine, but he locked his jaw and kept his eyes fixed on the reflective patch of the soldier moving directly in front of him.
After ten miles of grueling uphill climbs and slippery descents, the pace began to take its toll. Davies, who had been struggling since the halfway point, stumbled hard over an exposed root, sprawling flat onto the muddy ground with a heavy thud. His rucksack flipped over him, pinning him like a turtle on its shell.
"Keep moving! Do not break the column!" Vance shouted from the rear, his voice cutting through the fog.
The recruits behind Davies hesitated, slowing their pace as they tried to maneuver around him. A bottleneck threatened to fracture the entire formation.
Without a second thought, Miller dropped to one knee, slipped his arms out of his own rucksack straps, and lunged toward Davies. He grabbed the fallen recruit by the tactical vest and hauled him upright in one fluid motion, while Elena quickly stepped in to hoist Davies's heavy rucksack back onto his back.
"I can't... I can't finish," Davies gasped, tears of exhaustion mixing with the sweat and dirt streaking his face. "Go on without me. Just leave me here."
"Shut up, Davies," Miller panted, throwing his own rucksack back over his bruised shoulders with a sharp grunt of pain. "We don't leave people behind. You heard Vance."
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Elena grabbed Davies's other arm, wedging her shoulder beneath his to bear part of his weight. "We move together, or we don't move at all," she said, her voice iron-clad.
Together, Miller and Elena practically carried the struggling recruit through the next three miles of steep incline, the rest of the squad closing ranks tightly around them to shield their pace from the sergeant's watchful eye.
