Chapter 14 : Bad skills
IAN
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The training room always smelled the same. Metal. Dust. Old sweat. The faint scent of gun oil that never seemed to leave the walls. It wasn’t exactly a pleasant smell. Most people would probably hate being here . But somehow… It felt familiar. This place had created soldiers. It had broken people. And somehow, it had also given people a chance to survive The training room felt strangely quiet. My eyes met hers. The training room became our battlefield. Not against infected. Not against enemies. But against everything Elena didn’t know yet. “First lesson,” I said.
She looked at me. “Forget everything you think you know about fighting.” She tried not to laugh. “I don’t know anything about fighting in the first place.” I looked at her.
Then smiled slightly. “Alright.” A pause.
“This isn't going hard then.” Her eyebrows lifted. “That sounds comforting?" “Trust me. That’s actually good news.” “How?”
“Because if you already knew something, I’d have to spend time fixing bad habits.”
She looked offended. “I don’t have bad habits.” I stared at her stance. She stared back. A few seconds passed. Then I pointed. “Your entire body is basically announcing that you’ve never fought before.” Her expression changed. “Excuse me?” I pointed at her feet. “Your feet are too close.” She looked down. Then back at me. “Are my feet supposed to be having a conversation with each other?” I froze.
Then laughed. I couldn’t help it. “That might be the strangest defense I’ve ever heard.” She crossed her arms. “I’m just saying.” “Your feet are what keep you balanced.” I stepped closer. “Fighting isn’t just about hitting someone. It’s about controlling yourself.” I demonstrated. “Balance first. Everything else comes after.” She nodded. This time seriously. I adjusted her stance. “Relax your shoulders.” She immediately became more stiff. “Not like that.” “I thought you said relax.” “I did.” “I am relaxed.” I looked at her. “You look like you’re preparing to fight a bear.” She paused. “…What if I am?” I stared. “Then I hope the bear has patience.” A small smile appeared. Good. The first thing people forgot about survival was fear. Fear froze people. Confidence made them move.
And sometimes… A little laughter helped people remember they were still human.
“Now.” I raised my hand. “Punch.” “That’s it?” “That’s it.” She nodded. Then punched.
I watched. And watched. And watched.
Her fist barely moved. Silence. Then I said, “Was that a punch or were you politely asking for the air to move?” Her eyes widened. “I tried!” “I believe you.” “That sounded insulting.” “It was supportive.”
“It absolutely was not.” I almost laughed.
“Again.” This time she tried harder. Better.
Still terrible. But better. “How bad was that?” I looked at her. “Do you want honesty?” “No.” “Unfortunately, I only have honesty available.” She rolled her eyes. I smiled. “Again.” Hours passed. Slowly.
Painfully slowly. But progress was progress. She learned how to move. How to defend. How to keep balance. How to react instead of panic. And surprisingly… She listened. A lot of people believed surviving was about being fearless. They were wrong. The strongest people I knew were terrified. They just kept moving anyway. Elena was like that. She was scared. But she kept showing up. That mattered. When we moved onto firearms training, her entire expression changed the second I placed the weapon in her hands.
Not fear. Something else. Responsibility.
“This isn’t just a weapon.” She looked down. “I know.” “No.” I shook my head.
“You don’t.” I pointed at it. “This doesn’t make you powerful.” A pause. “It forces you to make decisions.” Her expression became serious. “You hesitate?” “You die.”
She swallowed. “You don’t hesitate?” “You might hurt someone who didn’t deserve it.”
The room became quiet. “That’s why training matters.” I showed her how to hold it. “How to stay calm.” “How to control panic.” “The weapon doesn’t decide anything.” I looked at her. “You do.” Her first shot was… Not good. She fired. Missed completely. The silence was painful. “I missed.” “Yes.” “By a lot?” I looked at the target. Then at her. “I’m trying to find a polite way to answer.” She sighed. “Just say it.” “It looked like you were trying to shoot the wall behind it.” She covered her face. “Oh my God.” I laughed. “Relax.” “That was embarrassing.” “Everyone starts somewhere.” She looked at me.“Did you miss it ? When you were first doing this?"
I froze. She noticed. “Oh." A small smile appeared. “You did.” I looked away. “Next shot.” She laughed quietly. And somehow…
After that, training became easier. By afternoon, she was exhausted. Her movements were slower. Her breathing is heavier. But she was still standing. Most people would have quit. She didn’t.
“You know…” She looked at me. “You’re not what I expected.” I raised an eyebrow.
“What did you expect?” She thought.
“Honestly?” “Unfortunately, yes.” She smiled. “I thought you’d be scared.” I looked offended. “Scary?” “Yes.” “Why?”
“Because everyone talks about you like you’re some amazing soldier.” I shrugged.
“I’m normal.” She stared. “You literally fought that giant infected.” I went quiet.
“That was different.” “No.” Her voice softened. “You say that like it wasn’t terrifying.” I didn’t answer. Because it was. It was the most terrifying thing I had ever seen. But everyone had their own battles. Hers was finding her sister. Mine was making sure everyone came home. She looked at the equipment. Then back at me.
“Do you think I can actually become strong?” The question surprised me. Because it wasn’t really about fighting. It was about whether she believed she could survive. I looked at her. “Yes.” “Really?” “Yes.” A pause. “But strength isn’t becoming someone else." I picked up the training weapon. “It’s learning how to use what you already have.” She stayed quiet.
Then nodded. And for the first time since she entered the room… She looked like she believed me. The training session ended.
She was exhausted. I was tired. But she improved. A little. And little was how everyone started. As we walked out, she looked at me. “So…” “Yes?” “Tomorrow.”
I looked at her. “You’re going to make me do this again?” I smiled. “Yes.” She sighed dramatically. “I knew surviving the apocalypse would be difficult.” I started walking. “What did you expect?”
“I don’t know.” A pause. “Maybe less getting bullied by my trainer.” I looked at her. “Bullying?” “Yes.” “I’m teaching you how not to die.” She nodded. “Very aggressive teaching.” I laughed. And for a moment… It wasn’t about the infected.
It wasn’t about death. It wasn’t about the world ending. It was just two people trying to become strong enough to survive another day. And maybe… That was enough. Because I never thought I would say this after everything we had lost. But…
I was actually loo
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king forward to tomorrow’s training.
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and then Add to home screen.