TRIS
I've lost the group. I was so deep in thought that I wasn't paying attention to anything around me. Now I'm on an empty street unsure of where I am. There isn't a soul in sight. The silence gives me a creepy feeling but thankfully it's daytime rather than night. I could go back the way I came, but even from there I'm still lost. "Geez way to go Tris," I tell myself. Four is going to have a field day when he realizes I'm missing and Eric will most likely go berserk. Can this day get any worse? Up in the distance, I see a few people who look like their Factionless. Usually, I'm not afraid to approach them, but it's three men who surprisingly look as ruthless as Eric. Though some are not usually a problem, the same can't be said for all and I rather avoid a confrontation. Of all the factions, the Factionless like Dauntless the least and despite once being Abnegation I might now be a threat. I head back the way I came, looking around for anything that seems familiar. I run through a small alleyway hoping it leads to the main road. There's a feeling deep in my gut that I'm being followed. Even though I don't see any suspicious activity, I know better than to ignore my gut. Swiftly I break into a sprint halfway through the alley and turn the corner headed east. Since I don't know the route Four took, I'll have to go back the direction I came. A street up ahead looks familiar, but before I can run through the intersection, an object hits the back of my head throwing me off balance.
"Dauntless Assholes," I hear a voice scream.
My head is pounding, but fortunately, there's no blood. The three men I saw earlier are headed towards me with crowbars in hand. Their eyes are murderous and as I scramble to my feet more objects are thrown at me. My mind and body are terrified. The men are now also in a sprint and chasing me down the street. They throw more rocks while yelling profanities at me and this moment I wish I had a few throwing knives to shut them up. I finally notice the street that leads back to Dauntless about a few hundred feet ahead. In the far distance, I see a figure that resembles Eric...It is Eric.
"Eric," I yell out.
Suddenly a body crashes into me, and we collide with the pavement. I hear my name being called out and feel many kicks all around my body. They then walloped me with their crowbars causing me to scream out in pain. Everything hurts but my only concern is protecting my head. My eyes are snapped shut, and I curl my body into a tight ball. The firm scent of blood hits my nostrils, and I feel something flowing down my ear. Am I going to die? Immediately thoughts of Uncle Nate fill my mind. I wonder what was going on in his head as he laid hurt with a knife close to his heart. Did he think of me? Was he scared? I'm scared...
A hard kick goes to my head, and my vision goes blurry. The last thing I hear are gunshots.
ERIC
Two of the men end up dead while one is merely injured. Tris is lying on the ground still but alive. Her body is badly bruised, and in some places, she's bleeding. The Factionless that is still alive is screaming in pain from his leg wound. Angrily I leave Tris's side and approach him. He drags himself forward trying to get away, but his attempts are futile. His leg is badly hurt, and he's losing a lot of blood. I press down hard on his wound, and he screams, even more, hitting my shoe and kicking with his other leg.
"You'll probably need this amputated," I tell him coldly.
It takes five minutes for backup and an ambulance to arrive. Max is among them as is Peter but I don't leave my position or remove my foot from the culprit's leg wound. Max heads towards me as Peter watches the infirmary team put Tris on a stretcher and lead her into the truck. My blood boils within me, and since my gun is still in my hands, I have a strong urge to shoot this guy once more, only this time in the head.
"Eric, back away," says Max. He's cautious with his movements since he knows how I can be when I am pissed. His eyes go from my face to the gun as he keeps talking to me. But my gaze is only on Tris. Why was she alone? Where the hell was Four and the group? And why the hell was the Factionless in this territory? "Eric," calls Max a little louder.
I direct my eyes towards him, and he now has his gun on me. "Back away Eric, now," he commands. The man under me is still screaming and pleading for his life as tears stream down his face. It's a pathetic sight, and even though I want to put a bullet in his head, I know it'll be more trouble for me than it's worth. I'd much rather prefer to let him live so I can torture him later.
When I move away and holster my gun, Max drops his and goes over to inspect the man's injuries. The truck with Tris has already driven off, and Peter has stayed behind to check the other two culprits. Although I believed the other two were dead, one still has a pulse but is in critical condition. I'll make sure to be around when Max decides to question him as well. There are no other Factionless around, but I am sure these guys are a part of Evelyn Eaton's group. This makes the third attack on Dauntless, and with each one, they are moving in closer to our territory without being detected. We still haven't found the Dauntless spy, and I have my doubts that it is one of the transfers. At first, I had my suspicions about Peter, but Tris keeps defending him and assuring me that if Peter were dangerous, she would let me know. Her faith in him and their friendship is something I never expected, and it makes me slightly regret partnering them. Once Tris puts her trust in someone, she believes they can do no harm, and that's dangerous. It's that very trait that has made me go on higher alert as far as she is concerned. Trusting people too much is how things get overlooked, and people get hurt.
TRIS
A strange noise rouses me from my sleep. No longer am I on the hard concrete but instead, back in the solitude of my new home. Everyone in the infirmary is already asleep including the night nurse who is sitting at a desk with her head down. My neck feels stiff, and my body still aches from where those men kicked me. What happened when Eric got to us? I remember hearing gun shots. Did he kill them? The thought makes me uneasy. Perhaps it's my Divergence showing, but I don't believe in killing when there are other alternatives. That's probably the one thing that will set me apart from everyone else in a noticeable way. If it's one thing Dauntless must be willing to do it's kill on command. "Kill when you're told and don't ask questions," that's what Eric once said. If he knew I was worried about whether he killed those men, he'd look at me as if I were crazy and no doubt be pissed. He would probably say, "why the hell should you care if I shot them. They were beating you to a bloody pulp trying to kill you." Still, I wouldn't feel right if I knew he killed them. One thing I don't ever want to have thoughts about is Eric shooting someone. It's a subject that I'm not ashamed to say, frightens me.
As minutes go by I am unable to fall asleep. I hate the infirmary, and the beds are less comfortable than the cots we have in the dorms. The large calendar near the bed tells me it's the 16th, meaning I've been here for two days which explains why I feel so stiff. I rise and lift myself from the bed. No one stirs as I walk across the room and the nurse doesn't wake once I move past her and exit the doors. The hallway is still lit as I walk down the corridor. It's quiet, and the only sound I hear other than my beating heart is my feet sliding on the concrete. I haven't felt this bad since Four beat and choked me that time in the training room. Fortunately, I'm able to reach the initiate dorms without stumbling to the ground. Everyone seems to be fast asleep, and since it isn't pitch black, I'm able to find where my bed is. Once my head hits the pillow, my body relaxes, and once again I attempt to fall back asleep.
"Uhhhh," a painful voice then cries out followed by another sound.
I shoot up in bed despite my pain and inspect the room. What was that? There's another strange feeling in my gut that something is not right. I know the sound wasn't imaginary. Slowly and quietly I get up and grab the box containing my flashlight from underneath my bed. My heart is pounding from anxiety, and I suddenly recall my attackers from early. "It's not them," I whisper to myself repeatedly. It can't be them. They are possibly dead since I heard gun shots earlier and Dauntless is heavily secured. There's no way the Factionless could enter undetected.
Once I feel my flashlight in my grasp, I shine the light towards Cristina. She and Will both seem fine and are sound asleep. I check on Peter next. He too is simply knocked out. I look around inspecting all the other initiates, and everything seems normal. However, as I do a double take something seems off. Doesn't someone sleep in the bed behind Peter? Johnny, I believe, a Candor transfer. I lift myself higher and shine the light around his bed. Fear hits my body again as I see him on the ground motionless. I drop the flashlight, and its hits the floor with a loud crack.
Ignoring the pain my body, I quickly grab it and rush over to where Johnny is. His eyes are wide open and red while white stuff is oozing out of his mouth. I'm afraid to touch him, but I know I must feel for a pulse.
"What are you doing," a voice says making me spin around nervously. I shine the light up, and Peter covers his eyes and yawns.
"Geez, are you trying to give me a heart attack," I tell him.
"I'm trying to use the bathroom," he replied. "Aren't you supposed to be in the infirmary?"
I ignore him as I turn the light away from him and back on Johnny. "Forget about me. Something's happened to Johnny. We have to get help," I press my fingers into Johnny's neck but feel nothing. Peter doesn't respond. "He's not breathing," I call out. I shine the light back at Peter, and he's standing in the same spot as before as if paralyzed. His eyes are cast down staring at Johnny. "Peter, snap of it and get help," I yell. Johnny's sister Lyra stirs from her sleep at the sound of my voice and when I shine the light back on Johnny her eyes open wide, and she screams. Everyone suddenly rises and soon the lights are flicked on.
"Someone get help," I scream out as everyone looks over at me. Lyra has tears in her eyes and Cristina immediately comes over to move her away.
"What happened?" she questions.
"I don't know," I answer. Some leave the room while the other initiates move away and murmur among themselves. Will rushes over and suggests we move Johnny onto the bed but Lyra is screaming for us not to touch him and trying to get out of Cristina's grasp.
The other initiates have fear in their eyes and are murmuring about someone trying to attack the transfers and get us knocked off the chart like how Edward was. Overall Johnny was number five in the chart but still the number one initiate in our group followed by Peter, myself, Molly, and some others. Now that he was dead that put Peter at number one. Since many people are convinced that Peter was the one to attack Edward before, there is likely to be more accusations that he now killed Johnny.
As my eyes glide through the room to find Peter, I notice Molly staring at Johnny with a slight smirk on her face. She's whispering to Drew whose expression is emotionless and then her eyes look my way. Something about her gaze is off. She doesn't seem surprised at all about the situation but instead looks, proud.
"What the hell happened?" Four yells when he arrives.
"Johnny's dead. I think someone poisoned him," I explain.
"Yea I can see that Stiff. Who did it," he said looking around the room. No one spoke. "Really! No one has anything to say,"
"We were all asleep," said one person.
"Yea, except Tris and Peter apparently," said Drew.
"Maybe she did it," said Molly.
"I just woke up after being attacked by three Factionless," I yell spitefully. Four glares at her and she turns her back to us annoyed. My eyes connect with Peter who has moved over to the door.
"You're supposed to be in the infirmary," Four says, bringing my eyes back to him.
"I was and then I left," I tell him. He watches me suspiciously and then looks back at Peter. I know what he's thinking. Peter is still looking at Johnny, and I am sure he realizes what is to come. He looks around at everyone else, and they are staring at him with hateful eyes. Quickly he turns and leaves. I get up to follow him, but Four grabs my arm to stop me. I wince at the pain and pull my arm away from him, but he doesn't let go.
"Let him go,"
"I know what you're thinking but Peter didn't do it," I say.
"I didn't say anything,"
"I saw the look you gave him. It's Edward all over again. You think he did it because he wants to get ahead,"
"Well, he has a motive. Now that Edward is gone, and Johnny is dead that makes him the number one transfer,"
"That doesn't mean anything,"
"Doesn't it? Something like this has never happened before and now it's happening with this group. Obviously, the culprit is one of the transfers, and I would say that the one who has the most to gain from two top initiates being knocked off is Peter," Four explains.
"Well, I'm telling you he didn't do it. I'm his partner, so I think that means I know a thing or two about him,"
"Yes, you two have become quite good friends. But your problem is that you like to see the good in everyone, and it clouds your judgment. If you think there isn't anything a guy like Peter wouldn't do to get ahead, then you're wrong. He's callous, manipulative and partner or not, he doesn't give a damn about you. You're the only one defending him, and it doesn't make you look brave, it makes you look stupid,"
Angrily I pull my arm from his grasp. Everyone is staring at me as they take in Four's words and I immediately rush out the room. Four is wrong. Peter didn't do this. He may be selfish, sneaky, and cocky but he's not a killer. Even if Peter was responsible for stabbing Edward in the eye, I know he didn't poison Johnny. He's not that malevolent that he would kill to be number 1. Despite my faith in his innocence, a part of me wonders, is Peter a killer and if so, how far is he willing to go.
PETER
Dammit, not again. I already went through hell with all the stupid initiates petitioning to get me out and now this. Who the hell is doing this to me? I know I have some haters, but I never expected anyone to go as far as framing me for murder. I may not be officially accused yet, but I know it's soon to come. The look Four and the others were giving me confirms it. They all think I did it, just like the Edward incident. Ever since Edward left the whispers and glares haven't stopped. Now Johnny's dead. So, who's next? Tris? Fortunately for her, Eric watches her every move so she should be okay. Perhaps the attacker will decide to face off with me finally. Knowing the transfers, there isn't anyone that is remotely suspicious, so if someone from the group is the one framing me then, it's someone who is least likely to be a suspect. The only one who comes to mind is Al. He's utterly pathetic, and the only way he could hurt someone is by catching them when they're sleeping. He has the right motive too. He hasn't been rising in the charts at all. By getting rid of all the top transfers it makes his transition up a lot easier and framing me is the icing on the cake. It's genius. Al is Erudite, after all, so obviously, he's not stupid. So I wonder what's next in his diabolical plot. No doubt the substance that was used to kill Johnny will be found bearing my DNA. They'll arrest me, and I'll face trail. If I'm lucky, they won't execute me. I'm 60% sure Al is the one responsible for all this, so I'll have to keep an eye out. I need to find where he stashed the drug he used and make sure it can't be linked to me. I'll also need to watch Al, and if worse comes to worse, I'll have no choice but to eliminate him.