Killing The Cliche
Rated T/M (violence and lanaguge)
Chapter 13 (Tris' POV)
-oo0oo-
I secure the camouflaged ear piece tightly, and cover it with my hair for extra measure.
We've been planning this day for a week now, and I thought that I was prepared. But now I'm not so sure, now that the nerves have started to kick in. But I have to go through with it, I have to finish this. Once and for all. I'm confident in the officers and the agents that have orchestrated this plan, and I just have to keep reminding myself of that.
Tobias and I have been through much more dangerous situations on the lead up to this, and we turned out okay. But that's one of the things that has my stomach churning - the fact that Tobias won't be with me during this. It's always been the both of us, looking out for one another. And now I have to go it alone, which just doesn't feel right.
I bend down to retie my shoelace, and I notice that my fingers are shaking a little. Standing up straight again, my eyes fall upon Tobias who is leaning against my doorframe, his face worn and tired; he hasn't slept much either.
"You all set then?" He asks.
"Not really, but I don't think I ever will be," I chuckle, humourlessly. "Are you ready?"
"Ready as I'll ever be, I suppose."
"We'd better get going, they'll be waiting for us." I say, running a hand through my hair, anxiously.
We shuffle out of the cell-styled room and walk along the narrow hallway together, our fingers brushing as we do so. I badly want to stretch out my fingers and lace them with his, but I know that wouldn't be wise - I have to try and distance myself from him sooner rather than later, or I'll be driving myself crazy and this plan will not work.
Out in the main, well-lit hallway, Captain Anderson waits for us with a couple of the others involved with the plan, who will be behind the scenes watching from the cameras, alongside Tobias.
"We have a car waiting outside - a disguised one, of course - to escort you a block away from the location you will be meeting the targets, you will then walk the rest of the way. We will have officers disguised as ordinary citizens, to keep an eye on you as you walk," the Captain tells me as we all continue down the hallway towards what I presume to be a back exit. "The meeting place is bugged with a dozen cameras, and we will be watching you at all times. Armed officers will be waiting at all exits and entrances, and just one signal and they will be in there instantly, is that understood?"
"Crystal clear."
"We will communicate with you through your ear piece, and if you want out, your trigger word is going to be peaches. Okay? If you need anything, or you want to leave that situation, just say peaches and we'll send officers in," he informs me. "Remember, you will not be there for long, we just need you to get some information out of them, them admitting their crime. Then we'll have evidence against them, as we'll be recording the whole interaction."
He pushes open a pair of metal double doors at the end of the hall and for the first time in a week, sunlight fills my vision. A black BMW is parked a few feet away, with a casually-dressed officer stood beside it, waiting.
"I've got it." I say, nodding.
"Good luck, Tris. You'll be okay, don't worry." Captain Anderson says, patting my shoulder with an easy and confident smile. He steps back and lingers around the doorway, giving Tobias and I space to say goodbye, I presume.
He cups my cheek with his hand, anchoring a finger behind my ear. He's so close that his warm breath tickles my forehead, and I can't help but lean into his touch.
"I'll see you soon, okay?" I whisper. "I promise."
"Tris.. if you don't make it back, you need to know-"
"No," I snap, catching his eyes with mine. "I'll be back. Remember what I said? Don't say goodbye, Tobias. Please..."
"I love you." He murmurs into my ear, so quietly that I'm not even sure he even said it. But I know by the pounding of his heart that he really did just say that.
"I love you too." I reply, honestly. And I do. I love the way he makes me feel, and the way I can talk to him about anything. But I can't think about much else because his lips have enveloped mine, and his hands are on my sides, pulling me closer to him.
I've been promising him that I'll come back, that I'll return, but I don't know if that's even true. So if things do end badly, at least I'll have the memory of this as a goodbye.
But I have to pull away eventually, and when I do I turn away and open up the car door, because I know that I only have so much will power left. If I had stayed there a second longer.. I might have ended up backing down.
I close the door shut behind me and buckle up, nibbling on my thumbnail. The officer escorting me gets in the driver seat, and I force myself to look away from the blacked-out window next to my head as we drive away. I can't look back. I have to do this.
I have to finish this.
It feels like only seconds until the car is stopping and I'm being told to get out. My heart is pounding furiously against my rib cage, and I'm struggling to get my breathing under control.
"So you know where you're headed, yes?" She asks me, spinning around in her seat to look at me. I simply nod in response. "Okay, well there's already three of us out on the streets ready, and they will be shadowing you discreetly to ensure you reach the location safely. Good luck Tris."
I climb out of the car and stand on the sidewalk, smoothing down my jacket and quickly making sure that my ear is covered by my hair, just incase they manage to spot my ear piece. The car drives away from the sidewalk and makes a U turn, speeding back the way we came, presumably back to the station.
I begin to walk pretty quickly, because we're already a little off schedule, and I don't want to risk being late and missing an opportunity.
I was given a cellphone by the police, which I used to contact my 'parents'. We arranged a meeting place and a time, and they seem to have bought it. I told them that Tobias ran off and left me, and I don't know anything regarding his whereabouts. I just hope that they're naive and desperate enough to believe me, and to fall right into our trap. I just have to be convincing.
We've arranged to meet at some abandoned warehouse near a loading dock on the other side of town. Piper and some of her older friends used to go down there a lot during the summer of sophomore year to smoke and do who knows what. But after all of her older friends got arrested and shoved into a juvenile detention centre, she stopped going there. I know it pretty well too, as I used to go sit out on the docks to clear my head most of the time. But with finals approaching, my time there became less and less, and I realise now that I haven't been there at all for a couple months now.
I weave my way in and out of some old wooden boats and my feet snag on chains a few times. Despite the sun being out, it's become pretty chilly, and I'm not sure the shaking in my hands is down to that, or if it's simply nerves.
I pause outside of the large opening to the warehouse and take a deep, shaky breath. I can do this, I remind myself.
I use both hands to drag open the large metal door that makes a resounding screeching noise as it scrapes against the concrete beneath my feet. I step inside and pull it shut behind me.
The warehouse itself is grimy and has a profound fish smell, making me grimace a little. Thankfully it's not completely dark, as there are a few working lights that hang above me, as well as the windows - well, the ones that aren't boarded up.
Suddenly, the ear piece crackles and the voice of Captain Anderson fills my ear, "Call out to them. Our guys saw them go in. You aren't alone in there, Tris."
"Hello," I call out, as instructed. "I'm here. That's what you wanted, right? So come out, you cowards."
On cue, there's a shuffling sound on my left and I spin to face it, just in time to watch them both emerge from the shadows. There once soft, loving faces have changed and morphed into ones that I don't even recognise. It's enough to make me want to throw up.
"I honestly didn't think you'd be stupid enough to show up." My 'mother' cackles.
"Yeah, well, it's not like I have anything else left to lose, is it?" I spit back.
"Ah yes, not since your precious boyfriend got up and left you," she teases, smirking at me, viciously. "Such a shame. And a handsome boy too, you should have kept him on a tighter leash, sweetheart."
"Why did you do it?" I ask, scowling. "Why did you kill my real family but keep me? It doesn't make any sense."
"Aren't you supposed to be a clever girl, Tris?" He counters, raising an eyebrow. "We didn't want to kill you because you could've proved useful for us. How were we to know that you would've grown up to be such a.. flower. You wouldn't hurt anybody, but we had hoped you would've grown out of that nice girl phase. But then you found that website.."
"What, so you wanted me to join you in your hobbie? You wanted me to kill people, just like you do? That's sick."
"It would've been perfect if you hadn't gone and messed everything up," she cuts in, angrily. "We would've still been living together as a family, a happy, loving family. But then you decide to screw it all up and then play hide and seek with that stupid boy next door! Pathetic! Did you honestly think you could run from us forever?"
"Did you honestly think that I'd just stick around and let you stab me to death? I don't think so." I laugh harshly.
"But that's exactly what you're doing now, is it not? Did you think coming here would mean resolving a conflict? Sharing a hug and letting go of it all?" She counters. "But the most humorous part about this whole thing, is the fact that you think you are smart enough to trick us, you and your friends at the police station. Are they still talking to you through that earpiece? And I bet they're happily watching us on those cameras they set up in here. Looks like your little plan didn't work after all, sweetheart."
In shock, I watch as my so-called father pulls a gun out from his jeans and points it up in all four corners of the large warehouse, shooting and hitting something - the cameras. It's now that I wish I hadn't gone through with this plan, after all.
This is bad.
This is really bad.
-oo0oo-
Authors Note:
Hey guys! Another chapter, yay! I wanted to do a quicker update to make up for my lack of uploads recently, and I really hope you enjoyed. I know this another short chapter, but the next one will probably be my longest as all the drama really starts to unfold!
Thank you for over 100+ reviews! I honestly didn't even expect to get 1, so the fact that I've reached 100 is seriously amazing, and I'm grateful for everyone who had supported this story so far :)
Drop a review and let me know what you think!
- GuiltyMind