Render - a Shadowboxer file chapter eight
RENDER – CHAPTER EIGHT
He showered first.
It was at the end of the hall in his dormitory building. He
tried every door on the way to the end and all were locked.
The water was hot and he stayed under it longer than normal.
Jungle showers were under canvas buckets hung from a tree limb, lukewarm water
drizzled just enough to wash off a layer of sweat. Vanlife showers were close
to the same, or cold spray from public heads nailed to four by four’s cemented
in the sand.
This felt like a little bit of heaven.
He soaped up his hair and let the suds drip down his tired
body.
Then he rinsed and did it again.
By the time he grabbed the bar of small soap and ripped the
paper off, the room was full of steam.
That was okay by him.
It felt like the jungle and he was surprised to consider, it
felt like home.
He let his mind run through random thoughts, not trying to
connect dots or to decide anything, just let them flow in and out.
They wanted him to work for them.
As a mercenary? They had trained soldier’s like Bulldog, men
who could follow orders and do black ops.
Why would they bother picking him up on a South African
beach just to put him in a squad?
He had a skillset, yes, and certain flexibilities in moral
areas, but most soldiers did.
Or at least they did in battle.
He had no doubt that Sherman would roll right over him if
given the chance.
Which is why he couldn’t fight the man.
Sherman would knock him down and stop. He might deliver a
punishing blow or three, but that was it.
Brill wouldn’t stop until the man was dead.
It was just the way he felt about threats.
Simon had tried to reason with him about it, that there was
gray area in his all or nothing philosophy.
Not for Brill. Gray area yes, when it came to certain
things, but for threats and how to approach them, it was simple math.
He wanted to spend zero time looking over his shoulder, zero
time worrying about some beaten enemy looking for payback.
The PT didn’t worry him.
He wondered what they had in store for the next round.
There were four thick towels on a simple stand next to the
sink.
Brill dried off with one and wrapped it around his waist.
He stepped into the hallway and stopped.
Zelda stood at the front door and watched him.
The floorboard creaked behind him and he lunged to the
right. A baton pressed against him and shocked him rigid.
He collapsed to the floor, muscles locked as pain coursed
through his nervous system.
Sherman giggled.
“We’re training you to be aware,” he said as he leaned over
Brill’s prone body. “You can’t relax for even a minute here.”
Brill made a pained noise.
“What’s that monkey?” Sherman leaned a little closer. “You
want to tell me how much you suck?”
Brill launched a weak punch into the man’s chin.
Sherman caught it, and slammed the two metal prongs of a
cattle prod into his underarm.
He pressed it again and this time, he didn’t stop until
Brill passed out.
SHADOWBOXER
SERIES
ASSET – a Brill
Winger Thriller
OPERATIVE – a Brill
Winger Thriller
SIDEWAYS – a Brill
Winger Thriller
CHOKEPOINT – a Brill
Winger Thriller
DECREED - a Brill
Winger Thriller
IN THE DARK – a Brill
Winger Thriller
TRUE
NATURE
DEEP
STATE
DISAVOWED
CREDIBLE
THREAT
Webb of Lies – An action
thriller
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