“SPEAK LOUDER!”
The shout cracked across the metal roofs. Beside me, Private Reyes flinched.
Cole didn’t.
“No, Staff Sergeant.”
Same volume.
Same steady posture.
Kessler’s cheeks flushed red.
“Pick up the bag,” he said. “Hold it out. Straight. Shoulder level.”
Seventy pounds.
She lifted it anyway.
Within seconds, her arms started shaking.
Kessler circled her slowly.
“You’re weak. You’re a liability. You’re why this military’s going soft.”
Then he leaned toward her ear.
“You’re going to break, Cole. I’ll have you crying in my office by Friday.”
Her breathing turned ragged. The duffel sagged.
“RAISE IT!”
Dust kicked over her boots as she forced the bag higher again.
Every one of us watched.
Nobody stepped forward.
Interfering with Kessler could end a career, but the guilt of standing there felt sickening.
“Drop the bag,” he sneered.
Cole held on.
“I said DROP THE DAMN BAG!”
She still didn’t release it.
Something in Kessler snapped.
Instead of repeating the order, he slammed both hands down onto the duffel with his full weight.
Cole pitched forward.
Her boots slid.
She crashed into the dirt.
