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highway to hell by ac/dc

04. Berg Ride to the Scorch

As soon as the Lieutenant dismissed them, all 6 teens ran off to their rooms to get their mission bags. They were small but hefty backpacks that carried a decent amount of supplies. Every member was designated to carry certain supply groups. That way they always had enough because there was no telling how long these missions would go.

Seph was in the middle of making sure her bag was fully packed when a knock sounded.

"It's open!" She didn't bother to turn around as the door creaked, and tiny footsteps shuffled toward her. "What's the matter, kid? Nervous?"

"A little," Eddie admitted, looking at his hands. There was a moment of silence before he continued, "Okay, a lot, actually. Seph what if I'm not ready?"

"You're ready. I wouldn't let you go on this mission if you weren't.

"They're right, y'know," Seph recalled the earlier training session, "you did well." Seph stopped packing her bag and turned to look at the younger teen.

Eddie shrugged lamely.

Seph let out a small laugh. "Don't agree? It's okay. Training is hard on everyone. That's the point."

"But I don't get it, Seph. The others talk about how easy it is, but it feels like it's just getting harder for me to catch up."

"Well, everyone has been here years. It's only been a few months, have patience. And if you ever need anything, you can come to me."

"Anytime?" Eddie asked with wide eyes.

Seph looked at him, faltering for a moment. His actions never failed to remind Seph that even though they were all teenagers, Eddie was the youngest. His childlike innocence remained, even if he didn't realize. They had hope for him. Maybe, he'd survive this with his sanity.

"Anytime. Just say the word. Now, go finish packing. We leave soon."

Eddie nodded and ran to the door, leaving Seph in silence.

Seph's lips twitched up into a slight smile. He would be okay.

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Within the next hour the team was on a Berg headed straight for the Scorch.

Julia sat across from Seph, not so subtly glancing at them every thirty seconds.

"I won't know what's wrong, if you don't speak, Jules."

Georgie glanced up at Julia, giving her a pointed look. 'Don't push it,' he mouthed at her.

Seph paused in the middle of wrapping her hand and looked up at Julia.

"If something is wrong it's better to say it now. We won't have time to talk once we get on the ground."

Julia flicked her eyes quickly to Georgie and then back at Seph.

"I'm just worried about Eddie that's all. Since it's his first mission, I figured he could use some encouragement. Plus, he looks up to you, so he'd really appreciate hearing it from our fearless leader."

Seph looked at Eddie with a raised eyebrow. The kid had fallen asleep almost as soon as they'd boarded. He was leaning against Osamu, who looked like he was three sentences away from getting on Joan's nerves.

"Well, he's asleep, so just leave him alone for now."

"Okay."

It was silent for the rest of the ride. Mostly, anyway.

"Samu go to sleep or something. You literally have not slept since yesterday. If your exhaustion causes a mess up, you can train until I say stop when we get back."

Now, it was silent for the rest of the ride.

After an hour the six teens were woken up by the Lieutenant's voice coming over the radio.

"You should be nearing the Scorch about now. We've pinged the trackers imbedded in the subjects' necks and are dropping you nearby their last location. When you land, there will be no way to communicate with home base. Seph has a beacon to send your location when you have attained the runaways. I wish you luck."

The transmission cut and Seph looked around at the people that had become her family. Knowing what she knew, she had a feeling about how this mission was gonna end. For a minute, Seph studied all of them.

"Remember, we move as one. We don't split up unless it's safe. And, don't do anything unless I give the go ahead. These missions are not to be taken lightly. The disease has stripped its victims of their humanity. Most of us have seen it first-hand. I am ordering you to not engage with them, should we encounter them at any point. Stay on your guard, we don't know how long this will take. Completing the mission is our utmost priority."

Seph looked everyone in the eye as she spoke to make sure there was complete and total understanding. Once she were sure the team was on the same page, she banged on the door to give the pilot the go ahead.

"Kid, you're with Georgie. First timers jump in a pair."

Eddie headed over to Georgie, who helped him get strapped into his harness.

"Why are we doing this again?" Eddie asked.

"Because it's too dangerous to land. Even though the population in the dunes is pretty sparse, there's still the risk of running into cranks. It's for the protection of the pilot and the equipment. Besides, not everyone has the training that we do. The higher-ups send us for a reason."

Eddie nodded along to Georgie's explanation. He looked back up at Georgie for a moment before making a confession:

"Georgie, I'm scared."

Georgie's eyes softened for a moment.

"Good. Hold onto it. Believe it or not, fear is what's keeping us all alive."

"Even Seph?"

The two of them watched their leader swan dive from the hatch towards the ground.

"Especially Seph."

Eddie nodded, not having a moment to register before Georgie jumped from the berg.

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QOTC question of the chapter :

Would you ever jump out of a plane?