ZEKE
INSIDE THE CHURCH, there are more men, all unkempt and terrifying like the fellow who so graciously welcomed us in. Up against the side wall, half hidden in shadow, are a dozen or so people. The oldest look to be no more than twenty.
My guess is they're the city transfers we were sent to pick up.
Most of the older generation isn't as open to change as the youth, who still have hope invested in this world. They look scared, but not panicked. It seems as though many have been in situations like these before, and those that aren't are being comforted by the experienced.
The men all have guns, so it's not going to be easy to break out of here. My gun is slung across my back, as is Amar's, so I can only guess they'll be confiscating them soon. Four's gun is hidden in his waistband, but a simple pat down will relieve him of his weapon, too.
The only hope we have is Christina, who may pass as not having a weapon because she works in an office, but I know that she really hides her gun and knife in her boots.
I try to sneak a glance at her, but it's hard, with the cold barrel pressed against my temple. Finally I catch her eye and flick my eyes down at her boots, and she nods.
My guard grabs my arms and yanks them behind my back.
"Hey now," I say, "it took me a long time to build up these arms, don't go ripping them off."
The guard just snorts at me and pulls harder.
I grit my teeth, because although I am strong, this dude is much stronger and I don't want him to know the pain he is inflicting. Another bulky man comes over and takes the gun from my back, like I knew they would. He turns it over in his hands and smiles.
"Very nice," he says, with a weird sound to it, like his words would be deep and scary even if they didn't come from his mouth.
"Vy don't vee have some of zese?" he asks a henchman. His words are hard to understand, and I wonder if it is because he came from the fringe and lived much of his life on the streets.
Although I doubt all that hard malice and lack of mercy was bred on the streets of the fringe.
"Oh, vell now vee do." His smile is the worst of all. It curls over his face, revealing brown, broken teeth.
More soldiers take Amar and Tobias' guns, and search Christina.
They find nothing.
They throw her down with the rest of the captured, and she cries out. As the men take their eyes off her, though, she rapidly crawls towards one of the older boys, and whispers something in his ear. The man who took my gun turns toward her and she grasps her leg dramatically, visibly shaking with fear. I think she might even be crying a little.
Man, I wish I had that kind of talent.
He doesn't catch on to her charade, and begins talking to his men in whispers that I can't hear. For the first time, I notice an intricate skull tattooed on his left thigh.
How did they get here? Okay, they probably walked through the door. But why did they come? Was it for us, or for the city transfers? The poor minister at the door was held at gunpoint when we knocked, which means that they must have known we were coming.
Out of the corner of my eye, I can see a slight shift of movement among the crowd along the wall.
"Quiet!" skull-man yells, silencing their whispers.
But they soon start again, softer so he won't hear. Suddenly, a small child leaps from the wall and runs out of the room, down the hall.
"Hey!" somebody shouts, and two men chase after him. In the momentary confusion, another child jumps from her place and takes off down the aisle, ducking through a door behind the stage.
"Dammit, we've got a bunch of rebels on our hands," skull-man mutters. Another pair of guys rushes off in her direction.
I chuckle at the thought that one grown man isn't enough to contain a child, but immediately regret it when my guard gives me a sharp smack on the back of my head.
"Hey—" I begin, but I'm cut short when Christina springs on the nearest soldier, her knife in hand, and slices his arm. He clutches it, screaming, and she knees him in the gut. He doubles over, and she spins, landing a solid kick to her next opponent, the man who killed the minister.
I see my chance, and slam my head back into the jaw of the guy who holds my arms. He releases me and I aim my next punch at skull-man, who is still holding my gun. All around me, chaos erupts. Tobias is outfighting a soldier on my right. I see his gun on the floor next to me and prepare to toss it to him.
"Four!"
He glances at me and yells and "No, I'm done fighting with guns!"
Seriously?
But I don't have time to think what an idiotic time it is to become so vehement on the subject because skull-man has recovered, although his nose hasn't. He lunges at me and I shoot him in the leg. His body falls, landing with a solid thud on the wooden floor. I realize that I haven't seen Amar yet when I notice that he is leading the children across the room and out the front door. There are still three men left, but they're pre-occupied with Christina, Tobias and I to stop the escape attempt.
I aim my gun at the next soldier, who is sneaking up behind Four, when something hits the back of my knee hard. I cry out, and fall, dropping the gun.
It slides out of my reach.
I hear a loud bang and look up, praying that it wasn't a gunshot aimed at Tobias. But instead I see the man fall down, leaving Tobias untouched. I swing my head around to see who fired the shot.
Their hands are still curled around the weapon; feet spread just enough to maintain perfect balance. Their chin is titled slightly up, shoulders stiff and eyes narrowed. Everything about the stance is Dauntless-taught.
Because that is how they learned.
The boy standing in the doorway is Peter.