Everyone froze. At the very beginning of the military training, the drill instructors had told them all one thing: the moment the assembly bugle sounded, everyone was to immediately fall in on the athletic field.
At the time, no one had really taken it to heart. They had asked the upperclassmen, who said the assembly bugle had never once been used in previous years. They told them not to worry—it was just something the instructors said to sound tough.
But could someone please tell them what the hell was going on now?
They didn't have time to figure it out. All they could think about was how this year's chief drill instructor was unpredictable and their own instructors were sadistic. One wrong move and they'd be punished with ten or twenty laps. 'We'll be put through the wringer!'
With that thought, no one dared to delay. They threw on their clothes and sprinted toward the athletic field.
