Thank You, God, for everything.
DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Divergent or The Host.
We pile out of the car. Tobias has an idea. I don't know if it's a wise one. There's a few more pairs of sunglasses from the car. Looking straight ahead, he passes them to random people we pass on our way into the Erudite building. He wants us to look like them. Regular Souls.
The place is cleaned up. The tile is not scratched at all. It's almost suspicious. Tobias, I'm shocked to see, walks straight up to the receptionist. The rest of our group stops in shock.
"Hey, excuse me," Tobias says.
The woman at the computer looks up. She has silver eyes and a bright smile. "Oh, hello. Can I help you with anything?"
"Oh, I was looking for some people. I think the human that used to be here was friends with them," Tobias says, wearing an easy smile, as if he is actually just trying to find his Host's former friends. In a way, part of that is true.
The receptionist smiles. "Of course." She types rapidly on her computer and says, "What are their names? Did they keep their names or are they using their Host names?"
"Host names, I believe," Tobias says. He leans against the counter. His whole body is comfortable and relaxed.
My heart pounds against my chest as he lists off some names. Some of the people I know and people I have never heard of. The woman prints off a paper and smiling, hands it to him. He smiles back at her and then walks back to us.
"Found them," he says, and we wait until we're outside before Zeke is right in front of Tobias, saying, "What the hell was that?"
"I was securing names," Tobias says.
"Just walk up to her?" Zeke says.
I wonder if Tobias has a bit of Erudite in him. He had a point. Act like them. Walk in front of them blindly but in plain sight. He had a plan. It's a good one, actually.
He smiles. Holds up the list. "Got the names."
Zeke attacks the list like he's going to eat it. He looks back to Tobias and says angrily, "Shauna's name isn't on here."
"Yes," Tobias says. He sounds a bit more serious. He points to a list of human names and a list of what is supposed to be names but sounds strange, like He Who Runs and Across the Winds and Bluster. "The alien corresponded the aliens' names with their Hosts' names. Shauna's not on there." He looks to Zeke. "Shauna hasn't been inserted."
I rush over and look at the list. My eyes scan the paper and latch onto choice names that make my heart pound and my lungs crumple. Caleb Prior. Tori Wu. Marcus Eaton. Evelyn Eaton.
Caleb.
My brother has been taken over by a soul.
My brother is dead.
I want to fall. I want to fall onto my knees and crumple onto the ground. My whole world is gone. My parents are dead. My brother is gone.
A hand falls on my shoulder. It squeezes gently, just laying on enough pressure to let me know he's there. Tobias.
He's my family now.
He guides me. His hand stays on my shoulder as we begin to carefully spill down the alleys, our hands at the guns at all times. My gun feels numb in my hand. My whole body feels numb. It's like I'm in a fearscape that I can't control. Or escape.
We need to find Shauna. Zeke is excited and sure that we can find Hector as well. We can only hope.
Christina's face looks sullen and ashen. Her family's been taken over. Uriah's as happy as Zeke, running through the alleys. They have to be hiding out somewhere, or risk being discovered.
There's a sudden rustling noise at the end of an alley. Near the trash cans, underneath a window. Tobias and I instantly turn to the noise. He has his gun pointed, his feet in a shooting stance. He steps forward, taking me with him, even though I feel like my feet are rooted to the ground. I'm so light, though, that my grip on the ground is barely noticed.
I see feet. Young legs. Maybe of a child. I tilt my head, and I see him. Relief washes me as I hurry out of Tobias's grip and hurry to him.
"Tris!" Tobias says loudly, but I ignore him. It's Hector, and he has normal eyes.
I crouch a bit away from him, saying, "Hector? It's Tris. Marlene's friend."
He doesn't say a word. His eyes are human, but shine like a cat's in the dark. He's trying to stay away from me.
I sigh. "I'm the Divergent one."
"Divergent," he whispers.
"And Soul-free," I say.
"Tris." He sounds relieved.
I smile. "Hector, where's Shauna?"
In answer he stands up and starts back up the alley, pushing past Tobias. I hurry after him. Tobias's footsteps sound behind me.
We enter a building and head into a closet where Hector has Shauna in her wheelchair. She looks more bedraggled than ever; she looks scared as she says, warningly, almost trying to get out of the wheelchair, "Hector!"
"No, we're fine. We're human," Tobias says. He widens his eyes almost comically.
Shauna sits back, relieved. "Where were you?" she breathes.
"We went past the fence," I say. Tobias takes the handles of her wheelchair. Hector opens the door and leads us out.
We head to take them to the car, and Tobias just has Shauna's wheelchair folded up in the back when Christina says, "Tris."
I turn to her and she says, tilting her head away from us, "You and Tobias might want to see this."
I think that's the first time she's said Tobias's real name. Probably picked it up from me. She knew that Four couldn't possibly be his real name.
Uriah and Zeke, having come back, reunite with Shauna and Hector. Tobias and I hurry after Christina, our hands on the guns at our hips. Hidden away from sight in our hands, of course. No need to instigate a fight if they think we're violent. Still, I find the smooth coldness a relief to have. A way to escape from these aliens.
Christina nods her head toward an open doorway to the building we used to go to have Abnegation meetings. She doesn't say a word but Tobias goes through the door. I follow him.
In the vast room filled with benches, I see a few Souls. Some sweeping away the dust. Some getting at the cobwebs in the corners. Others wiping down the benches. Some are chatting happily. They sound human. They still have their voices. Their speech is light, though. Polite. Like they took a second and thought about what they were going to say before it came out of their mouths.
In the corner is a dark-haired teenager. I take a step forward. I almost falter.
He turns his head.
Caleb.
My brother. With silver eyes.
They stare at me for a split second before he turns to another Soul, a bright smile on his face. Not the calm, reassuring smile he used to give others when he was helping them. He's helping them now, but as an alien. Not an Abnegation member.
I take a step back. My breath shakes. It's not even him anymore. That's not his smile. That's not Caleb. It's merely Caleb's body.
I look to Tobias, and follow his staring gaze over to two people. They're taking things out of a box and wiping them down. They're having easy conversation, looking at each other happily. The smiles look strange on both of their faces.
Evelyn and Marcus.
They look so different, despite no physical change. Except for their eyes. Marcus's face still is greyish, but has a warmth to it. How can an alien give warmth to the face of a cruel human is beyond me, but it's still there.
Evelyn's tanner skin nearly glows. She looks beautiful.
They look fine together. Happy, almost. And it's that fact that I know is hurting Tobias, sending pain and anguish and anger through him. His face is placid, his eyes never leaving them. He can't go to them even if he wants to.
I look away from them and he says, turning to me, "Let's go, Tris."
I nod. There's no need to stay here anymore. They're gone. And we were angry with all three of them. But now they're gone. Are either Tobias or I even now pained by their deaths? More like numbed.
It sounds horrible. To feel numbness at my brother's death. I cried for my parents, but I have no tears for my brother.
I wonder if the tears will come later.
Tobias and I take to the car. Hector sits between Zeke and Shauna in the back backseat. Uriah wants to drive. Tobias shows him how and swears that if he crashes, he's getting it. Uriah just grins. He's much happy now that we have Shauna and Hector. Not Marlene or Lynn, but still. At least they're alive and not aliens.
Christina sits up front, and Tobias draws the door to a sharp close. He takes a seat next to me. Uriah starts up the car.
I look out the window as he drives slowly through the streets, trying not to arouse too much suspicion by going too fast. Everyone here is slow.
I see aliens still cleaning up the place, smiling at strangers and former enemies, and I see her. Tori. Black-grey-streaked hair, the tattoos. Her leg looks fine now. I wonder if they healed it. She has silver eyes as well.
When we're almost at the city limits, I see someone. Someone I don't like but can easily recognize. He runs past us, nearly in front of the car. Uriah instantly puts on the brakes and we bounce.
The flash of blonde hair told me enough. I look out my window. He's stopped, and he stares back at me with plain human eyes.
Peter.
He's human.
But I don't want to save him.
"Who the hell was that?" Uriah says.
"Peter," I mutter.
"An alien?" Christina asks.
I shake my head. Peter must see it, and his eyes harden and he turns and runs away. Not wanting to join us. Thinking he can't. He's right. He's a traitor, having worked with Jeanine. Even if we had him with us, none of us would want him.
"He's gone," I say.
No one says a word as Uriah starts the car moving again.
We drive. I don't know for how long. We just drive out into the darkness. Uriah keeps to the roads until other cars show up. He takes a side-road and we keep to the empty roads.
At some time we open cans. I barely eat. I have no appetite. Tobias must notice as he puts down the can in his hand and says not a word as he wraps his right arm around my shoulders and holds me to him. His other hands splays on my lap. I hold it and lean against him.
"Did you see Caleb?" he asks me.
I nod.
He sighs. "Oh, Tris."
I feel a shudder flood my body. My entire body shakes. I can't stop. The thoughts of being alone fills me, and I wish them away, but they don't leave. Tobias's hand tightens around mine, almost as if he's sending a warning to my shuddering to go away.
I know he won't say it'll be okay. Tobias doesn't sugarcoat anything. He's brutally honest, and so I won't hear fake words from him.
After a moment, Christina says, "Are we the last humans on Earth?"
I have no idea. We probably are.
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