The 11th Generation

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

We headed back to meet up with Nicholas and get all the supply needed for our mission in Russia.

"We're going with you," Ramona says holding her gun in both hands and close to her chest. I look behind her at a group of all our friends, I smile a little knowing they're here to support us. I look up at Salix who is nodding his head.

"Gather weapons, food and water. The plane will board in twenty minutes," Salix says shifting passed the crowd to gather supplies of his own. I follow him into Sector Headquarters to gather for myself, he keeps his concentration on ammunition clips which he stuffs in his pockets. I watch him as he checks out the best guns aiming them at the wall to get a good feel and putting them back when they don't. I watch as he puts a small gun and straps it to his leg. He moves passed me not even looking at me.

"You're not still mad at me are you?" I ask him shyly.

"No," he says simply, his voice deep. "I'm focusing on the mission."

I turn away from him and pick ammunition for myself and a gun. I head out of the headquarters half of the group is already boarded the plane the other half is still in the armory gathering supply. Before I board the plan Salix grabs my wrist and pulls me close to him. "We're okay," he says. I nod my head. "We will be okay."

Aboard the plane there are twelve of us total, Nicholas, Ramona, Felix, Jennifer, Jackson, Salix, Tucker as our prisoner, three other men, one other woman, and me. The flight feels long like always. I'm getting use to flying, but I still can't shake the traumatic memories and feelings I have of being on them. These flying mobiles killed my brother. I've lost my trust in air travel, I may feel use to flying but I will never feel safe. After we're done with this mission and we make our back to the Nation, I am never going on another airplane ever again.

I sit next to Salix toward the front of the plane. I try to focus on the window and what's below us, but everyone on the plane is talking and laughing and to begin to feel distracted in their conversations.

"What if-" I begin to say but Salix cuts me off.

"We can't think negative," he grabs my hand. "We have about ten hours on this plane together. We don't need to think of the possibility of anything. We have each other."

"I'm scared," I admit to him. When I say it I can't look him in the eyes. I know he's looking me though, I can see him staring at me from my peripheral view.

"Avery..." he sighs and then his voice trails off. He starts reaching in his back pocket squirming above his seat. He pulls out a folded piece of paper, when he unfolds it I soon realize it's not paper but a picture. It's the photo Jackson gave us when we visited him in Peace Sector. I take the photo in my hands and smile, a baby photo of Salix and I laughing with each other, and having fun. "I love this photo," he smiles.

"Me too," I look up at him. I'm sitting on the side of him that was badly burned, I reach my hand up to touch it, but I soon lower it when I realize that maybe it's still hurting him. "How does it feel?" I ask him.

"The skin around it feels tight," he touches it himself lightly. "It doesn't hurt much anymore but, in certain places it's still scabbed over," he chuckles to himself. "It definitely hurts to sleep on this side though."

"I'm sorry," I say sympathetically.

"For what?" He grabs my chin.