There was immediate silence. Ree glanced around the campsite, spotting Em biting her lip and Scout looking down; as if he knew he wasn't coming. Ree waited for a response. She got none, so she continued.
"I choose this campsite because it is close a desalination center. A big one. If I bring all of you, we could get separated and most likely captured. Children are a rare sight, especially ones without adults. So this mission is covert; we steal the water, and get out. No killing, no destruction. Do you understand?"
Everyone nodded, except Flame.
"I need Em as a warning signal and Chas just in case anything goes wrong. Flame and Scout, stay here and DON'T follow me. Di, try if you can heal thirst,"
"But that's-" she started.
"Just try. Itex made you to heal diseases and wounds that could have never been healed before. If you can heal broken bones or cancer, I'm sure you can handle a little thirst," Ree said.
"But why can't I come? I can be a lookout," Scout looked at Ree with his sparkling blue eyes. Ree was brought back to when he could hardly walk, and how he would give her the same look when he wanted something. Ree almost melted.
Almost.
"Em is my lookout. I would bring you, but three people are already a handicap. Watch after Di and Flame for me. They need to be looked after," she smiled and rubbed his messy black hair. When she looked up from Scout's bright blue eyes, she found Flame crossing his arms.
"Gazzy wouldn't have left us," he said darkly.
Ree felt a pain in her heart at the sound of their ex-leader's name. A memory of him teaching her how to make time bombs flashed in her mind. That was memory she would never let go, for something like that would never happen again. She bit her lip, trying not to show emotion.
"Gazzy is dead," she said simply.
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She didn't want to talk with Flame anymore. She was ready. She turned to Em and Chas.
"Grab your things. We leave now,"
It was a rare sight to see forest. Ree guessed it was the last bit in the United States, but even this little bit of it was dying. Half the trees were eaten by acid rain and the soil below them stank of fallen smog. The sun was shining dimly in a gray sky, illuminating what was left of the leaves on the trees.
America is a disgrace, Ree thought bitterly as she stepped over a rotting log. She was just behind Chas, who was always running ahead. Em paced slowly behind, her footsteps not making a sound.
As she walked, thoughts kept piling on top of one another, until mountains and mountains of thoughts ran across her mind.
Would we reach it in time? Would we get caught? Probably. And near the desalination center would be other thieves, but would these people turn on us, or help us? And if they did help us, they would want something in return...
An hour of trekking through the woods and troubling thoughts finally came to an end when Ree bumped into Em, who was standing awestruck next to her brother.
She blinked twice and was about to ask Em what was going on, when she saw it.
Ree, Em and Chas had reached the end of a steep cliff, in which rocks and trash tumbled down below. Wind blew the trio's hair back, which brought a sudden coolness that contrasted the sweat that stuck to their bodies.
Ree felt new again, and for a minute forgot what the whole point of coming there was.
That is, until she saw was what was awaiting them down below.
Thousands and thousands of people surrounding a huge white dome, which surely held water. The dome had to be the biggest building she's ever seen, not even the Camp came close. Compared to the dome, the men were the ants, and the dome was a loaf of bread. Just the pure enormity of amazed Ree.
But the second thing that amazed her was the amount of people. Ree couldn't believe there could be so many; she thought Itex limited the population. Not a single space was left unguarded, wherever there was an empty space, someone immediately filled it in.
"We are fucked," Chas breathed