Settling me at the terrace from where I can see Mercy Lawn, Killer and Nick left me next to Ren with a warning 'If she falls, you'll follow soon.' Killer has got to chill down a bit.

Within a few seconds of their leave, Flynn was on duty. That man is a keeper.

"Final year out in thirty!" I heard Nick's booming voice.

"Freshers and Second on the balcony. In twenty." This was Killer.

Man I worry about the state of these boys right now. They must be thinking of having a peaceful sleep in a few minutes. Lights just went out that means it's their official sleeping time. Now they'll have to run out in whatever state they are in. I pity the ones taking a shower or a piss.

As ordered, the balcony was full and there were boys outside the hostel.

I looked around worried for my boy. But there stood Ethan - leading the whole batch - like the real Squad Commander.

"Count!" Nick ordered and the cadets started counting from one end to the other with Ethan being the last saying 56.

"SC!" Killer asked loudly for everyone to hear.

"Where are the rest four?" He asked shaking the ground.

Man I already feel bad for the four guys.

Before he could answer on their behalf, three boys came running down and fourth soon followed.

Nick called the four of them to him with a snap of his finger. The next moment all four of them were pushing at Nick's feet.

"What is this place, SC?" Killer pointed towards the garden they were standing at the boundary of.

"The Mercy Lawn, sir." "I hope you know exactly what kind of Mercy you get here."

"Yes sir." "Well then you must also be knowing what your duty as the senior most batch is?" This time it was Nick and you could see Eth trembling.

"Yes sir." "What?" Killer and Nick shouted the one word question in the same time and the last boy standing shook.

"To ensure that there's no grass in the Mercy Lawn by seasoning the juniors over that land." Ethan was trying to keep his voice intact but the occasional breaking implied that he's going back to his own seasoning days.

"When was the last time you made a junior roll in there, SC?" Nick asked getting dangerously close to him.

Both junior batches stood at the balcony and saw their seniors getting fried alive. There was no batch senior to Ethan's but these two men would work just fine. Even the juniors were terrified.

"Two - two months, sir." "Two?" Nick said in disbelief.

"Wills! They haven't stepped in here for two months! You remember staying away from this holy land for more than a week, ever?" "Even a week is a long time. We were out here every other night, rolling and plucking the grass." Killer said and I would regard it as a show off of their own bad screwing during cadet days. But then if it's true, they have all the right to brag about it.

"Two months, SC? What were you waiting for? For roses to blossom?" I held back a snicker. Nick is cruel!

"Negative, sir." "Then why did you not drag their asses here and clear the garden? Its been more than ten days since all of you joined back from leave. Ten days, Cadet! Ten sessions of deforestation and you could have saved yourself from tonight's misery! Why did you not?!" Nick's voice was going uphill now and so was my heart rate. Training as officer is different. Nick and Killer ragging them as seniors is scarier than I had thought!

"On our arrival, we were told by instructor Kelly that Colonel wants to see this garden lush green. That's why we didn't..." Ethan's voice broke by the end and he left the statement incomplete for obvious understanding.

No one, absolutely no one, goes against Colonel's wish. And poor boys did nothing different. Now what will my friends do? They won't go against uncle's wish as well. Or will they?

"You stupid morons!" Killer started swearing a string "He just fucked with your mind, the instructor! Which academy did your Commander pass out from?" "Kravendale Military Academy!"

"Which batch?" "KMA-124!"

These two answers were chanted by all 180 boys in one note. Nobody dared to not answer that question. It was about their Commander afterall.

"And passing out from this academy, you think he doesn't know why this garden is called THE MERCY LAWN? He has been here, rolling, removing grass. He has stood here making his juniors do it. Even after so many years of his commissioning, he must stand outside his room to check if the tradition is still being followed or not. And you think that one day he'll grow a heart to make this place green? Don't you guys have fucking brains?"

Everybody stood silent except that there were a hundred expressions on each of their faces. They realised what they screwed up and how foolishly they fell in the trap.

Killer went close to Eth and asked him in a low dangerous tone. "Did you come to me even once and ask me whether or not you're supposed to take instructor Kelly's message seriously?" "Negative sir."

"That's because you forgot the concept of Super Seniors. The two of us went easy on you guys just like you went easy on your boys. Our fault. We'll pay for it too. But had we given you regular doses, you'd remember that there's always someone to put you in place. There's always someone over your head. And for that someone, you need to keep the traditions going no matter what. " Nick circled the whole batch while saying this and I'm not lying, I got goosebumps over my body listening to him. There's always someone.

"Clearing this much grass over night is a heroic task for two batches together. Post leave night sessions have been hardest for all batches because they want to clean the Lawn at the earliest before any 'someone' would notice. Now it might seem like a next to impossible task for you sixty. But your luck, that's exactly why we are here!" Nick won't stop giving me jolts.

"Three teams of twenty each. Let's get the job done before it's passed on to two people instead of sixty. Move your asses!!" Killer ordered and the assortment started.

The three groups were clearing the grass off the lawn in different ways. One was crawling, one was front rolling and one was duck-walking.

Nick and Killer kept changing their mode of 'deforestation' but not even once did they pluck the grass with their hands in the normal way.

When I noticed carefully, I realised that they were pulling the grass off in whatever way they could while performing their rolls and crawls and whatever they were made to do. It was plain gruelling and destroying the ground so much that whatever is growing, gets uprooted.

Meanwhile, they would take vivas of the boys standing in the balcony.

"Length of the lawn?" "Total area?" "Number of front rolls to cover from this point to that?" "Number of side rolls to complete one diagonal?"

Looked like a maths lecture to me.

And the juniors replied instantly without fail. As if everything has been etched in their brains already and this was just a revision.

Leaving Killer at the lawn, Nick came to check on us. He looked at my drunk sleepy state and chuckled.

"Sleepy much?" He asked.

"A lot." I answered against my wish.

"Would you take her to her room, Ren? You girls can go rest. It's 0340." Ren nodded and picked me up.

I wondered how she was much more balanced than me? She definitely had more alcohol than me.

"I'll drop them both." Flynn said responsibly.

"And can you please arrange some refreshments for the boys because I think all of them will need a pre breakfast nutrition for the toil." Nick said laughing.

"I knew that was coming. You both need to realise that old man needs sleep too." Flynn said sportingly.

"Nah you don't. You're a tough man. Now go. I'll join you in three hours tops." Nick said and left.

0340. Three hours. 0640. Poor boys. Tuesday night sorted. And I don't expect them to get a break tomorrow. Because afterall, they were sleeping all night in their rooms.

As promised, Flynn dropped me at my room and Ren at hers and went to mess to arrange food. That man really works overtime. The trainers get a break when they come for meals or for sleep. But this man doesn't get that break too. He is either cooking or serving. And then he stays with us during late night parties like this. And not even once did Nick hesitate to give him extra job.

That's the kind of respect he has here. Everybody knows he can pull off an all nighter and still do extra work, regardless of his age.

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The road is about to go downhill so buckle up. 😉 (Please don't ask me what and why 😁)