AN: THE END IS NEAR!
They look onto mine and we exchange so much sorrow, guilt and desperation in that one glance that I can't look away, all I want to do is look at her, not the boxes or anything else, just her. I can't. Not even when the tension in my shoulders is released and I hear I snap of metal. Not even when Tris widen the opening by pushing it to the side. Not even when my head burns and tingles at the same time and my lungs burn. And not even when the dots try to disturb me from seeing properly and not when she crawl towards me.
If this is my last thought, I want it to be about Tris.
Tris' POV
I notice he's removed his hand away from his face. Does he have no common sense? He's acting strange.
"Pinch your nose, you idiot!" I say wildly.
Startled, he does what I say and clamps both hands over his mouth. I try not to focus on the fact the room is spinning, spiralling out of control or how the mini heartbeat in my ears skips a bit every few seconds and instead, I concentrate on Tobias panicky face and his stern but hopeless eyes and the feel of the strap of the gas mask in my hand. Quickly, I slip the band over his head and make sure the gas mask is fully in place. Now we both have gas masks on, he can now speak back to me.
"You okay? The gas not affect you too bad?" I say guiltily, trying to clear my conscience, even though I know I'm not going to believe whatever he tells me.
He pull me closer into a desperate attempt of a hug and I cry into his shoulder. The tightness in my chest is nothing compared to the tightness of his grip, I feel suffocated but in this moment I don't care.
"Let's get out of here." I can't see his mouth but I'm sure he smiles because his eyes light up. I bet he's been dying to say those words.
He avoided my question and he leads the way to the door. While we crawl through the small opening, I realise I have to tell him everything.
"So these things really stop the gas from coming through?"
"Yes."
The gas slowly follows us out of the doors and covers the floor.
"All of it?"
"Apparently."
Why does he want to know every tiny detail? It's not like I have many minutes left. Well, actually I don't know, nobody really knows when they are going to die. It sort of just happens when it happens but what I do know is that another wave of pain is coming, worse than any other before it.
"Who made them?"
"The Erudite."
"When did –"
"Is this really all you're thinking about?" I snap, a bit offended to be honest.
"Of course not, Tris, but I'm too much of a coward to ask them. I'm too scared to know the answer." He eyes meet mine when he finishes.
Tobias' POV
This is not what I expected to happen when I got rescued, none of my friends are here, everyone's vanished and Tris…
I don't want to know what's wrong with her because I know it's bad, really bad but she hasn't seen shot or stabbed. I can see the blisters that the gas cause on her arms and I stop analysing her.
"You've been gassed." I state the obvious, "Recently, it seems."
"I need to tell you things but I haven't got much time." She stumbles anxiously, "So you can't go into a simulation."
I step closer and hold cold hands. "Tell me, Tris.