Six

I sprint back along the corridor, head throbbing and heart pounding. Skidding to a stop, I kick open the door to the right of me and run down three flights of stairs, towards the shouting and yelling.

'Tris!'

I whip round, pulling out the gun from the waistband of my jeans someone must have dressed me in at the hospital. Zeke stands behind me, his chest heaving, his tracksuits ripped and blood splattered.

'What happened? What's happening?' I ask.

'Attack from Candor – and some Dauntless,'

Dauntless traitors? For Candor?

'Are you hurt?' I ask, anxiously. He shakes his head, and I raise my eyebrows, pulling up the torn denim from his knee. The head of a tiny silver bullet is nestled amongst a mass of scarlet blood, and I cringe slightly.

'It's nothing,' he mutters, pulling away, 'just some stupid traitors with a bad aim,' he grins what looks like a painful grin.

'Why did they attack?'

'I don't know. The Erudite innocents have some prisoners, and they're going to interrogate them. I overheard some of the Candor talking about a planned attack on Amity…'

I open my mouth in horror.

'What have the Amity done?'

'Nothing, that's just it. They have no reason to attack – not us, either, and they'll be attacking Abnegation soon too.'

'Sounds like some sort of terrorism…' I muse, frowning. A loud bang echoes behind us and I turn to face the noise. The door I am now facing has been blown open and shards of glass fly through the air, and I throw my arms over my head to protect myself. There is a sharp pain in my arm and I withdraw them from my face. A large piece of glass is sticking out of the skin, and I yank it out, gasping in pain.

'I need to go,' I say desperately, edging closer to the empty doorway, 'I have a feeling the attack has something to do with us – the Erudite don't deserve to die,'

'Except maybe Marcus,' says Zeke, a ruthless smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

'He doesn't count,' I reply, and turn on my heel, sprinting off towards the fighting.

'Wait, Tris?!' Zeke calls after me, but I don't turn round, just pause in the middle of the corridor.

'Yeah?' I say

'I'm coming with you,' he says, limping over to the doorway. I almost laugh as I shake my head.

'No way, you'll be no help. You can barely move, let alone fight. You'll just get yourself killed,' I hate myself saying those words, when I have experienced the position in which Zeke is now. I am reminded of Tobias and I chew the inside of my cheek. He loves me. And I love him. Don't I?

'I didn't choose Dauntless for nothing,' he says, 'if I die, I want to die fighting,'

I roll my eyes.

'Then go to the gardens – I'll meet you there. You can look after all the kids who've gone there, before one of the Candor or Dauntless traitors get there first,'

Zeke pauses, considering, and I push him gently round.

'You'll be of no help, and you could injure one of us,' I say, hesitantly, and he nods slowly.

'Which door?'

'First left,' I say, pointing. He nods, and limps over to the door, turning round as he puts his hand on the chipped wooden handle, and salutes. I salute back and he grins.

'It was nice knowing you,' he says, and I give him an exasperated look.

'How encouraging,' I say sarcastically, before I sprint off into battle.

The scene on the ground floor is terrible. Fire is still raging on, snatching up ornaments and tables, licking the sides of the staircase. I scan the scene and my eyes rest on a small boy with a chocolate brown complexion and thick, curly black hair. He looks terrified, visually shaking, barely able to move. A gun is pointed at his head, the barrel twisting into his skin, and his mouth is clenched tight shut – in pain? In fear? I run over, catching the Dauntless traitor by surprise, and punch him in the jaw. His gun clatters to the floor and I pick it up, pointing it at him. It feels cold in my hand, like it doesn't belong there. The handle is rigid, the side cutting into my palm. It doesn't feel…right. I pull the young Erudite boy behind me and he clutches onto my waist, his small fingers trembling. A loud sob issues out of his mouth, quickly stifled as though he is embarrassed.

'Did he hurt you?' I ask, gesturing to the traitor I am holding at gunpoint.

'No,' the boy whispers.

'Okay,' I mutter, and whack the barrel of the gun into the back of the man's head. His eyes roll back and he falls to the floor, unconscious. I crouch down so I am eye level with the boy, and look him in the eye. Tears are tumbling down his cheeks, thick and fast and I wipe them away with my sleeves. He gives me a watery smile.

'You need to get out of here, and fast. Do you know where the garden is – the one with the big fountain?'

He nods.

'You need to go there,' I tell him, 'my friend will be waiting, and other children have gone there too. When all of the children are there, you'll be taken to the Dauntless compound – don't worry, it's not what it sounds like.' I smile, and he nods, wrinkling his brow in concentration.

'Got it,' he whispers, and I squeeze his hand. He lets go and runs back, through the corridor I came through, and out of sight. Once I'm sure he hasn't been recaptured I swivel around. The fire is getting closer, and I am dripping with sweat, my top clinging to my back. My shoulder throbs and I feel as though a million tiny hammers are hitting at my skull. There is suddenly a sharp pain on the back of my head and I raise my hand to it, feeling hot, sticky blood. I sway, and two large hands grasp my shoulders, steering me forcefully to the right. I struggle against the grasp, but the person's grip is like iron. I twist my head round to look at my captor, and my eyes widen. No way has he come back to haunt me – he is dead. I watched Tobias kill him with my own eyes.

Eric.