Matoi held her hand over her chest, her racing heartbeat pulsing against her fingertips. She stood up, trying her hardest to keep her balance as the bus advanced past district borders. She stumbled down the cluttered isle towards the front. Bending over as she reached into a cooler, Matoi sighed as she stared at her reflection in the ice before pulling out a bottle of water.
The bus continued down the dirt pavement. Tall, jagged cliffs lined either side of the vehicle. Small pebbles occasionally rained down onto the windshield with an accompanying cloud of dust as the Omegas drove into the next district. The sky was gray, dulled from the clouds overhead. The road stretched for several miles ahead with sharp, blind turns and quick changes in elevation.
"All this work to get to a beach?" An Omega went on. "Why would anyone want to live here?"
"This isn't the main road, dumbass," Makina pointed out, leaning against the side of a booth. "Hetsu closed the highway last night during evacuation. This entire area is isolated."
Akino was staring down at his palm once again, his face blank with thought as he waited with anticipation for them to reach their destination. Matoi sat in the empty space beside him as she unscrewed the cap to the water bottle. She lifted it over her, squeezing the water into her mouth before offering Akino some. He waved it away, knocking himself out of his train of thought.
The bus was stacked full of Omegas with nearly every seat occupied. Matoi and Akino sat near the back, watching the scenery pass by them. Makina wasn't too far ahead, strutting through the isles impatiently. Hideyo sat in the front behind the bus driver, silent as she polished her swords.
"I wonder how the others are doing," Matoi mentioned, trying to strike a conversation.
"Not too good, probably." Akino responded, gawking out the window as cliffs passed him by. "Miki blames me, I know it... and Yukino."
"Oh," Matoi mumbled, "I was referring to Asuka and Kiku on the other team... but..."
"Sorry," Akino quickly spurted out. "I just have a lot on my mind right now."
"We all do," she confessed. "This is a big moment for us, for all of humanity. If this mission is successful... whatever that means, then we'll finally have an advantage over the Compactors. We won't just be cattle anymore."
"Is the advantage really worth it? We have no idea what's inside of that mountain. For something like that, the risk we're taking now is..."
"What happened to the Akino that spearheaded this entire ordeal? Don't be a wimp, now," Matoi joked, nudging him. The pair was silent for a while as Matoi thought deeper into things. She scooted away, giving him his space. "This is our chance, being scared of it isn't going to get us anywhere."
Hideyo wiped the rag over her sword one last time. As the cloth was pulled away, Hideyo noticed Makina's reflection in the blade. She looked up, meeting the Omega eye to eye. Hideyo slid the sword back into its sheath attached to her back, leaning in for conversation. "What is it, Makina?"
"I wanted to ask you something," Makina prefaced. "What do you expect when we get there- the mountain?"
"I'm hoping... that there's nothing," Hideyo admitted, smiling sheepishly as Makina's eyes widened. "I'm probably the only one here that's not excited. If there is something there, that could change our entire game plan. If there is anything, I hope that one of the other teams gets it... my back hurts."
Makina's eyes rolled to the back of her head. "Something in my gut tells me that there's something waiting for us." She turned her head, staring out the front windshield. "It's only a matter of what... what exactly is out there."
YOU ARE READING
Division-A
Action"Humanity is a figment of imagination." 100 years ago, humanity flocked to a makeshift island due to an event that threatened to massacre everything in its path. Now, in present day, Akino has nightmares about an event that nearly killed him and his...
