Ghost Legion by Andreas Christensen

Author:Andreas Christensen [Christensen, Andreas]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-08-15T06:00:00+00:00

28.

"Ready, set, go!"

Ethan started walking quickly, checking while moving to see that everything fit as it should; that his pack sat tightly on his back with the weight neatly distributed, that his boots were comfortable, that his rifle hung comfortably in its straps across his chest, that his water bottles were secured and a million other things. Some of the other recruits were already far ahead, but Ethan didn´t care. First things first, and one of them was making sure no small detail was allowed to grow into an insurmountable obstacle. Like a small kink in his boot that might grow into a blister that slowed him down. Everything seemed fine though, and he´d keep monitoring it throughout the day. Another thing he chose to focus on was conserving his strength, and making sure he found a good pace that he could keep up for hours. He expected to catch up with some of the recruits who had rushed ahead, when they would collapse.

Julian and Ariel stuck right next to him. All three had decided they´d stick together, regardless of what the optio had said. That way, they´d be able to help each other out. And none of them were going home today.

"Technical break in five," Julian said.

"Boots?" Ariel replied.

"Yeah. The right lacing seems too loose. Have to fix it."

"Alright guys, five then," Ethan said. They remained quiet after that.

After the break, they kept moving at a quick walk.

"So, what´s the plan?" Julian asked.

"I ran some alternatives on the pad," Ethan said, indicating his wristpad, "and we need to pick up speed sooner or later. If we wait until 13:00 hours, as I expect some will do, we´ll have to increase speed just a bit more than if we start picking up just half an hour earlier. That difference might be crucial, so I suggest we increase speed at 12:30, keep it up for six hours with as few breaks as possible to avoid lactic acid buildup. Once we pass 18:30, we´ll just push through the home stretch at whatever speed we have to in order to make the time."

Nobody protested. Ethan hadn´t expected them to either. He knew his plan made sense. The early runners would collapse, perhaps with one or two exceptions. Those who paced themselves too carefully in the early stages though would struggle as time went by when they had to increase speed. And while he expected to meet up with recruits who decided to quit during the day, just as many might not make the time because they were too careful. Risk nothing, gain nothing.

They kept a brisk walking pace until the time came to pick up speed.

"Anybody need a quick breather?" Ethan asked. Ariel and Julian both shook their heads.

"Let´s keep moving then. It´s easier than stopping first," Julian replied. Ariel didn´t say anything, but she grimaced slightly. Ethan frowned.

"Hey, Ariel, what´s going on? Talk to me," he said sternly. Ariel looked over at him and shook her head.

"Just... minor blisters on my left heel.

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