Chapter 3 : Departure

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by junktom

by junktom

Chloe stormed out the shelter and into the inventory. Suddenly she found herself lost. She has never been in a disaster situation, she wasn't sure what to pack. She went to the medical shelf and grabbed as many first aid packs her arms could carry.

"Chloe." Doctor Arroway came into the tent.

"I'm going!" Chloe insisted without turning around.

"It's going to be raining hell down there. If you get stuck, not even the National Guards can get you out."

"I don't want to hear it!"

"Yes you do. You weren't trained for emergency in hazardous environment."

"And they didn't either!"

"They may be picked up by another team."

"We don't know that!"

"And you're willing to risk your life for that possibility?"

"YES!!" Chloe turned, her eyes raging with tears.

Doctor Arroway stood in an authority posture, with chest out and hands at his back, his eyes weighing the options, of whether he should stop the young girl from going into nature's hell, or could.

"Very well." finally the young doctor nodded, revealing a backpack from behind. It was Chloe's backpack, inside was filled with supplies.

"These are rations. If you spend it carefully, it can sustain for two days." he took out the contents one by one.

"Emergency blanket and a lighter. First Aid kit. A knife in case you need to cut through things, the handle has an iron tip, smashes anything. And this..." Arroway held up a stick. "This is insulin. Use it only as last option. It will give you a power boost, but it will also make you sick."

"Doctor Arroway..." Chloe was speechless.

There was a flashlight and a flare, a whistle, with each item showed a deeper concern from the doctor. Chloe was touched to the heart.

"Emergency radio, it can be picked up by all channels. It may take a while to reach you, but at least we know where you are. And the GPS tracker. I've set in all the coordinates. Keep the electronics off unless you need them. Conserve power, you'll never know how long you may be out there."

Arroway packed everything back into the backpack and handed to Chloe. She couldn't hold her tears, hugging Arroway with both arms and kissed him, never felt so painful leaving some one.

"You find your way back, okay? With or without them!" Arroway held Chloe closely, brushing her hair like a little girl.