After filling their stomachs with food, the boys gathered in the game room to hang out. Harold and Bien were playing racing cars with the controller while the other three were seated on one sofa behind the two who were busy playing.

Andrei was on his laptop while on the other side, Terrence was sitting while typing something on his phone. John on the other hand, hugged a pillow tightly to his chest as he watched the television in front displaying the game his two friends were playing.

He felt like the atmosphere was somewhat strange and awkward. He knows all too well that the cause of this chilling aura is because of this two people beside him. When John couldn't handle the tension, he stood up, throw the pillow on the ground and grabbed his phone on the coffee table to leave.

"I'm going home." Quickly, Andrei stood up from the sofa and went after him.

"I'll drive you home."

"No. I'll just take a cab." John insisted as he speed walk out of the Castro residence.

Andrei reluctuntly followed him but ended his pace at the front porch. His gaze never leaving the very back of John as he got in inside the cab.

--

It was a day for male university students to be under military training. Everyone piled under the scorching heat of the sun in the campus' wide ground.

"Attention!" An officer yelled throughout the group of boys who seemed like a lost puppy on the crowd.

"Line yourselves according to your height. I'll check up on you later. Got it?!"

"Sir yes sir!"

Everyone started to scramble around as they try to find their perfect standing in the group. The shorter ones were lined up in front, then the middle ones and then the taller ones on the back.

When the officer came back, he checked the crowd first before giving a nod and presenting a batch of fake rifles for them to be use.

"One by one, get your rifles. Pick those that suits you. Not those that would make you look like wearing crutches!"

One by one, the boys started to go in front to pick a rifle suitable for their height. John stood on the middle of the crowd. From his vision, the group standing opposite to their group were Andrei's and his stupid cousin whom he still didn't quiet get his name.

They were standing at the last line of the group since they were both tall. He saw that both of them were looking at him, so without any thought, he stick his tongue out but held no emotion on his face. 😛

"We'll practice the drill now! Ready!"

The officer yelled which made John divert his eyes away from the group opposite to them. The officer made them to marched around the wide feild for minutes. The heat was now getting to them, and their feet were beginning to tire out.

As the officer yelled to put their rifles down, all of them put it together in the same time which made the officer nod in satisfaction then leaved for awhile to talk to another officer.

"Don't move." Were the officers' words before he left.

They stood like a humans froze in antarctica but thankfully, they were under a nice shade and not from the scorching heat of the sun.

"Something smells bad." The guy beside John croaked out with disgust. His face was so scrunch up from what he thought was smelling bad. John gave out a confused look.

"What smells?" He asked. The guy beside him glance a lil bit with a face that even mother earth couldn't explain.

"I don't know what smell it is, but it is horrible."

The officer came back again yelling some orders about practicing how to handle their rifles, where to put it, and how to do salute with it. They all performed together and that's when John smelled the horrible stench whenever he would lift the rifle to his chest. He can even hear the grunt of the people standing beside him from the smell. When it is time to touch the butt of the rifle, John felt something soft and squishy stick to his hands and the smell grew strong.

"Teacher! Someone fainted!?" One male student yelled from the back. It was two guys at the taller row who fainted, not from the heat of the sun since they were under a shade of a tree, but from the horrible smell. John realized something and snapped his head. There, smeared on his hands was a dog's poo.

"Oh dear." The guy beside John who was complaining pinch his nose together to wind up the smell.

John almost throw out what he ate when the realization dawned upon him. He thought of something to make him pull out of the group so that he can wash his hands but nothing came.

'Whoever that dog that shit on this ground, I will hunt it alive and gut him!' John gritted his teeth in anger.

He never thought that his rifle would land on the ground with shit, then when he lifted it up for the drill, the bottom of the rifle where the poo was plastered would end up being smeared on his hands!

"Teacher! Another one fainted!" One of the student who stood in John's row shouted and was immediately pulled out of the group. Then, like a bulb, John had an idea.

"Oi! What are you?! Some pair of pussies?" Everyone snickered then suddenly, John fainted from the middle of the group.

He was immediately pulled out from the group and brought by two guys to the clinic. Two pair of eyes watched him intently as he was being carried by some aiders.

--

Andrei and Terrence's group stood opposite from the group of John. Andrei held his stare at John while Terrence was all smiles. Since they have the same course, they have to be in the same group. And since they do have the same built and height, they get to stand by each other in the same group.

The opposite group started to do some drill and so as they. But in the middle of the drill, their officer and the opposite groups teacher was called out so they were left to stand under the scorching hot of the sun while the other group were under a nice shade of the tree. Then after a minute, a commotion can be heard from the other group. One by one, students started fainting and when the wind became strong, they could smell a quick wiff of a horrible stench.

"Ugghh, the smell of death is upon us." Andrei's classmate who stood next to him mummbled.

Then suddenly, they both saw John fainted and was immediately pulled out from the group to be examined. Andrei became worried but his face held a cold expression. To his side, Terrence just stared at the people who carried John to the clinic.