those were the days...??

.....and so i heaved a huge sigh, not of relief, but a desperate attempt to calm myself down. My mind and body was tense, perhaps in a state of alert. I picked up my black bag...it felt much heavier than i had remembered. Slowly i made my way towards the old dilapidated basketball court. My heart was heavy. The sight that dawned upon me wasnt encouraging either.

There it was -- a basketball court filled with hundred odd people like myself. Carrying a black bag, dressed in casual clothes and wearing a look of anxiety and uncertainty. Some were just sitting down, stoned, thinking of what was about to come, maybe pysching themselves up for the challenges ahead; some were trying hard to liven up the atmosphere. making small talk, horsing around, joking, wrestling out their pent up stress. but somehow it would always end with an uneasy silence, a sigh of unwilling acceptance, or perhaps a wail of unfairness.

Me? i silently walked up to a group of friends and listened to what they have to say. Rumours mostly, of what happened during the event for the previous years, of what we were about to encounter, about whether we can pull through this ordeal with our heads held high. There was alot of uncertainty about whether we can survive, but there was definitely no doubt about the sufferings that we had to endure.

Time's up. It was time to gather and march towards doomsday. I wasnt sure whether it was marching or a reluctant dragging of bodies. The sounds of our feet dragging sounded like a desperate plea to release us from our shackles. We sang our song, loud, but neither with zest nor power. It was more like shouting, releasing of pent up stress and apprehension. Our instructors greeted us upon our entry. They waved, smiled, and smirked. I didnt like the looks of it. We didnt like what this was pointing to. And so we sang, or rather, screamed louder.

It felt quite good. That few minutes of shouting out did me well, for awhile at least. We were supposed to take a rest before things got going. No one really had the mood for it. So we sauntered around our block and took peeps at the preparations of the big event. It was big. People were moving around everywhere. Large trolleys of equipment was being ferried to various key locations. It was one of the few times i actually see our instructors working so hard for us. No one was really impressed by their effort, we knew what they were setting up wasnt some paradise hotel, but a hell's den made specially for us.

Finally an order. In a bid to calm our nerves we were introduced to some hollywood war movie. I forgot the title but it didnt matter. It managed to distract me for a few hours, although i zoned out most of the time. Next was the pizza party. Loads of pizza were bought, but we didnt really enjoyed it. It was mostly out of necessity rather than enjoyment that we managed to swallow down the pizza. Instructors were casually chatting up with us, serving us drinks and pizza, enjoying the music and being merry. Occasionally i caught a few sadistic smiles coming our direction. Like a predator sizing up its prey. I didnt like the looks of it. I ate faster. I wolved down everything given to me. A short brief was given and we were back to our rooms, waiting for the moment to come. Some tried to take a nap, some tried their to calm themselves, some juz sit and wait.

The sun went down, together with my courage. Fear and darkness accompanied me. It was night. The most important question in our heads were: When is it gonna start? Can i pull through this? Preparations were done and all everyone was waiting for was time. With our designated team, we shut ourselves in rooms, awaiting the moment of ignition.

It was a long, long wait. I didnt know how much time had past, but it was deep into the night. I tried to sleep, but to no avail, my mind and body were extremely tensed up. It was survival, it was war. I called to my comrates, they too were wide awake. Everyone was. Each and every single sound in our surroundings was responded to. Our senses were heightened, and our minds sharp and ready.

They made a mistake. We had given them too much respect. Despite their experience they could not hide their presence well. Their ambush cover was blown and the message of initiation was spreading within our camps like wildfire. I readied myself with my equipment. There was no more fear. It was purely on survival instinct. Silence. Pindrop silence. Everyone was waiting in anticipation. My blood was raging and my body on fire. My mind was in a hyper intense and focused state. Everyone stood by their doors, awaiting that final signal to engage.

A small unsuspecting can rolled by the corridor. Before we knew it, BOOM!!! Columns of smoke and bright flash erupted everywhere. Machine guns started firing, thunderous explosion was everywhere. We gathered ourselves, and with a war cry rivalling that of the explosions, we charged out of the rooms. The long awaited time has arrived. Hellweek has finally begun....