Chapter 19
It took us what I believe was a few hours before Tobias was able to regain his composure. Even then, his hands still trembled in a way I had never seen before. You could definitely say I worried about him more than one probably should, but his current welfare nearly had me tearing my hair out. It is totally my own fault that I was kidnapped in the first place, evidently making him set out on his own rescue mission that landed us here in this tiny compartment. Seeing the pain wrack his body again and again, struggling to catch his breath and not even want to move away from the corner of the room makes me feel sick to my stomach. I have to do something, no matter how drastic.
Shauna had begun pacing, only managing to walk four steps before she swivels dramatically on her heal and walks in the opposite direction. This isn't helping me feel any less nauseous.
I don't think anybody quite believed that Uriah had changed as much as was let on to them. Every so often, Christina would shake her head in disbelief. Muttering words such as "Just can't believe he would…" and "What did we do to deserve this…"
We all knew that should Uriah had been acting his usual self, he would never have done this to anyone. The proof is that even though Christina wasn't as close to Uriah as both Shauna and I were, she still cannot believe he would do this to us.
I always thought that being part of Dauntless was to be the bravest of them all, but in some ways, to be able to encourage bravery in everyday life, there has to be an aspect of support. I know I have only been a part of Dauntless for a short period of my life and during initiation we were pitted against each other, but when that was all over I've never seen anything from my peers but loyalty.
"This is going to drive me insane." Christina whispers under her breath, drawing me back into the present.
Tobias glances quickly in her direction and by the faint ticking in his jaw, I don't think he was too impressed with her comment.
"What are we going to do, even if we get out?" I ask.
Once again, nobody seems to have an answer for my question. I look at their blank, muted faces awaiting a response. Any plan would do, no matter how stupid. We have to do something to get Tobias out of this room.
As if we had the same mind, Shauna's gaze falls upon the door at the same moment mine does. How sturdy can the deadbolt really be? I nod for Shauna to make the first move – her boots are much sturdier than mine – and stand back as much as I physically can.
Crash. Crash. Crash.
The door hasn't moved an inch, although there is a decent size indent in the shape of a footprint in the timber.
I hear a grunt from behind and look down to see Tobias still sitting in the corner, although is head is now lolling as if detached from his body. I move swiftly to his side and raise his head in my hands so I can see into his eyes. I keep my distance as much as possible. His breathing is still worryingly erratic.
"We're going to get you out of here, don't – " He cuts me off sharply and points in the direction of his feet. I don't understand what he's trying to tell me.
"Shoe – Tris – Knife!" He stutters through breaths, in a voice unlike his own. I pull off his shoe immediately and find the knife. Not like the ones we usually throw during initiation or for entertainment, but one my mother would use to prepare food in the kitchen.
"The doors got a deadbolt, unlocking the door handle won't get us out of here."
"It will make it easier to kick down, though." Obviously taking his mind away from the figurative enclosing four walls, his breathing has returned to normal.
"Sorry to be the person who keeps creating problems, but I wouldn't know how to unlock a door with one of these." I wave the knife in my hand. "You aren't in a fit state to try, either." I add sternly, as he attempts to pick himself up off the ground.
"I've had plenty of practice, I'll explain how to do it." Deciding not to ponder too much on how he has gained practice of unlocking doors with knives, I get straight to work with him standing over me, reeling out instructions. It only takes us ten minutes to have the door handle unlocked and to everybody's relief, it feels looser on its hinges.
"Shauna, keep trying." Christina says.
Shauna walks over to the door, assessing it once more.
"Tris, I'm going to kick the weakest spot, I think it's closer to the bottom. So when I get a gap big enough – take the knife and climb through. Do what needs to be done."
"No." Tobias protests from behind me. I turn to tell him that it's okay, I can do this on my own, when there is a sudden crash and Tobias falls into heap on the floor. I rush to his side, with Christina on the other.
"He's passed out, lack of oxygen I imagine." Christina utters after she checked his pulse.
Bang.
"Tris, the doors sorted. C'mon, quickly. Get to where you need to be."
I plant a swift kiss on Tobias' forehead and try to etch his beautiful face into my memory, just in case this is the last time I ever see him.
I begin to realise that there is an unlikely chance anybody would have heard the door crashing down. What I hadn't realised, is how far down we had been led. The only thing pushing each foot forward is adrenaline alone. I've had to stop a couple of times already, clutching the stone walls, attempting to catch my breath. Heaving oxygen into my lugs.
Finally, there is a light at the end of this long tunnel.
Just as I am about to emerge from the clearing, I hear movement. I shift my body against the wall and wait. A figure walks past the entrance, clutching a gun. I try to edge my way closer without being seen. I have to wait at least a few minutes before the figure has turned with their back to me, looking from side to side. By their build alone, I can see that they're male. Please don't be somebody I know, please don't be somebody I know. Please. Please. Please.
I count down in my head and launch, gripping the knife around their neck with one hand, holding the end of their gun firmly with the other. To my surprise, they have gone perfectly still. Not even a breath releases from their lips.
"Give me the gun and I won't kill you." I manage to muster in the most menacing voice I have.
The weapon drops into my hands and using the swing attached, I slide it onto my shoulder.
I have only two options at the clearing of the tunnel, left or right. Both are two long, dark corridors. Why must everything in the Dauntless compound be so dark and dreary? All I long for in this moment is a simple ray of sunshine.
"Do not follow me – I will know." I whisper. I don't recognise the man stood before me, and for that I am grateful. I don't know how well I could do this if I was up against a friend.
I choose left, at random. I don't remember which way we will have turned when we were brought here. I start to run at full speed, or as fast as my legs will take me. The corridor appears to be widening the longer I run.
A hear a loud pop and stone ricochets off the wall. I lose my balance and somehow manage to trip over my own foot. Instinctively, I put my hands in front of me to soften the blow, which in turn leads me to lose half the skin on my palms and a gash through my knee. Which way did it come from? It can't be the man guarding the tunnel, I unarmed him.
Screw it – fire both ways. I let off a round of bullets. I still can't see anybody lurking in the shadows.
I fire until I hear a scream. I approach them with caution, gun still raised and breathe a sigh of relief when I see they aren't dead, just unconscious. I've shot him in the shin. I recognise this person though, a friend of Zeek's. I can't linger, even though I want to make sure they're okay, so I move hurriedly along the dank corridor.
I'm suddenly familiar with my location. Although, I've been down so many corridors today that they all look the same to me now. One more left turn, and I will be in the pit. I can't just walk in there armed, when I'm not even completely sure what I'll be walking into to, but do I dare to leave my weapons behind? I haven't got a cat in hell's chance if I don't have some form of protection, so I decide to leave my weapon hoisted over my shoulder, where it belongs.
When I approach the pit, seeing the light from above shining down against the thick stone walls I inhale a deep breath, preparing myself for what may be ahead. What I didn't expect was an empty pit. There wasn't a single soul in sight. I hear distantly the water crashing in the chasm, which you don't often hear if you are around the pit any other regular day. In my mind's eye, I see shadows of people talking enthusiastically with their friends, drinks in hands, people play fighting, pushing and shoving their way around jovially. Where is everybody? My heart sinks to the pit of my stomach, a deep feeling rooting itself there that something bad has happened here. It really shouldn't be this easy…
I climb the steps leading to the pire, blue light illuminating the path for me. I keep constant vigilance in case I have missed somebody lurking in the shadows. But even as I rise up and into the pire, I still see nobody. I know what I came to do, and to carry out the task in hand - this is exactly how I wanted it to go. Which to me, seems extremely suspicious.
I make my way to Darius' office without incident. I peer around the door and see the office is completely deserted, not that it looks very homely in the first place. The only signs that it is currently in use is the monitor that sits upon his bare desk and the one photograph that still rests to the side, which shows a picture of his wife Ava and daughter that died in the attack on Abnegation last year. Nothing seems out of place or suspicious.
I make an attempt on the door handle, it's open. This only adds to the feeling of unease, it should not be this simple.
I dash into the room and sweep over it once, I couldn't find any weapons, explosives or even cameras. Where could he be? Where is everybody else?
These thoughts pondering through my mind, I walk over to his desk. I searched through his belongings but never looked intently at the pieces of paper lying on the surface of his desk. The first, a beige coloured envelope, not sealed. In bold red letters on the front it reads:
Private and Confidential
I take one last glance around the room and delve in the envelope with quivering hands. My gut wrenches at what I might find inside. If anything, even if it is minimal, it will give me insight into what Darius is up to.
It instantly looks like an Erudite report. Just like the one they released about Marcus Eaton, and how he abused his son. I'm frightened to read it, for what I might see, but I have no choice. My inquisitiveness always gets the better of me. At the top, a small note in ink reads:
Darius, it is crucial you read this report before matters are taken further. Please let me know your thoughts at your earliest convenience. Imogen.
As previously reported by Erudite, Divergents are the biggest threat to our system. In our society, we have always believed in Faction before Blood, and dedication in the way we live our lives has always been our priority. The reason Divergent's are a threat is because they cannot be controlled, and they cannot adjust to a lifestyle with one faction, but instead have an aptitude for more than one. They will never be loyal to their faction.
We have been running tests for many years, deciphering what exactly makes the Divergent different to the rest of us and we have recently had a breakthrough in our research.
At the conference yesterday, Dr William Bailey, whose son transferred to Dauntless last year, spoke about his research and what the breakthrough means for everybody in our society.
"I have been managing this project for a number of years. Today, I am pleased to announce that after a long process of testing, we have finally come to a conclusion. There is no such thing as being Divergent. New serums have been created and distributed to the leaders of each faction. I hope now, moving forward, that our system can work in harmony without any implications from those previously known as Divergent."
Everybody who has been kept in Erudite custody is now to go through the newly refurbished Aptitude test, which is currently used on Choosing Day to decide which faction each member has an aptitude for. The ceremony will take place next week for them to make their final decision. Those Divergent who aren't in Erudite custody will be brought forward by each faction and put through the same process. Failure to bring any known Divergent forward will face extreme penalties. Let us rejoice as our society can once again run smoothly.
Erica Johnson
Chief Reporter - Erudite
I cannot believe what I am reading. There is no such thing as being Divergent? It doesn't make any sense.
"Good evening Tris." A voice startles me in the dim, silent room. I hadn't noticed Darius leaning against the doorframe at the entrance to his office. He has the usual sardonic smile plastered onto his face. I leap to my feat, my heart hammering against my chest, as if desperate to break out from my ribcage and flee.
"Darius." I say in a way of greeting, my voice small and weak.
"I've been waiting for your arrival. Have you enjoyed reading the new Erudite report?" He asks, moving towards the desk.
"I wouldn't say enjoyed. I am slightly confused, if I'm honest." My voice sounds quieter than a mouse's.
"You know I love it when you are honest. Please hand me your weapon, and I will explain everything." His eyes look so sincere, I almost hand over the weapon without thinking. Something inside me tells me he isn't lying. I still have the knife. My subconscious whispers. I know it isn't as appealing as the gun, but I am leered in by the thought of an explanation and at least I won't be completely empty handed.
I pass over my weapon half-heartedly.
"Take a seat, and as promised, I will explain everything."
I take the seat opposite Darius, and wait to hear my fate.