Honestly, I tried to upload a new chapter as soon as the second part was up. But you know how it is. Life got in the way. Again and again and again. Finally, I got the chance to write this. Don't yell at me xD
Enjoy this chapter :) After this, a bit more canon. And then boom.
No canon at all ;)
They keep on running. Like it is the last thing they will do. Everyone except from Tris thinks of it that way. Four and Caleb sprint past the dome, never looking back. But Tris does. Because there is a place for her on both sides. Whether it is with Eric or Four, she knows she can pick either. But it is not an easy choice.
She watches the tattoo sway around Four's neck as he heads for the forest. And all she can think about is how much of a traitor she is. Does he know? Does he know that she loves Eric? Can he tell? If he can, why doesn't he do anything about it? He can let her go. He can take Caleb somewhere safe, where she is sure it will be as long as he is there. She doesn't want to follow him, but at the same time, she can never leave him. She is incapable.
The new sensation of wind rushing past her ears causes her to run slower. She was used to having hair to cover most of her skin from these harsh breezes. But now everything is different. And she doesn't want to move on. She wants to go back.
"Keep moving!" Four yells as they pass the dome. Dauntless soldiers shoot up to their feet inside, aiming their guns at them. A tall figure jumps in front of them, yelling incoherently. And then he slumps to the ground. One of the soldiers knocked him out. Figures.
And then the glass around the dome shatters. They have opened fire.
Caleb ducks dramatically behind the pair of Dauntless, covering his head as if the thin tissue of his hands would protect his skull. The screaming of herded Amity gives him a slight kick and he speeds ahead of Tris.
Is Eric going to order the soldiers to stop shooting? He must do it. He knows Tris is amongst the "Amity" runaways. He has to protect her somehow.
But the further they run towards the forest, the further her heart sinks. Everyone is still shooting. And no new orders were given. And Eric probably won't stop the gunfire.
It's his job, Tris repeats in her head. It is not his fault.
"Come on," Four shouts, "Keep moving!" Tris notices how he keeps glancing at her over his shoulder. He doesn't trust her. He thinks she will run away.
Her legs become heavier and her harsh panting burns her throat. It brings tears to her eyes. But she carries on.
There is that roar of the engines again. She dares to glance behind her. The trucks which broke the Amity fence have spluttered back to life, and two of them are already hot at their heels. They won't get them. They can't manoeuvre vehicles like that through a forest.
Tris looks ahead at the thickness of the green leaves above the trunks of a variety of trees. Her mind goes off on a tangent, desperate to concentrate on something other than war. And the fact that her boyfriend is trying to kill her. Well… pretending to try and kill her.
She focuses on the way some dead leaves fall to the ground, colouring the green grass yellow. Oh, and look. A hedgehog. He shuffles through the bushes, his tiny nose sniffing ripe plums that dropped only days ago. Oh, but wait. The Dauntless trucks are closing in on him. There is no way to notice that small creature from the metallic giants. He will get under the wheels. And his life will be over. Killed by a war he wasn't a part of.
Tris shakes her head in exasperation. She is going insane.
"I have to talk to him-"
"Move it!" Four yells, cutting her off. Sweat covers his forehead as he looks at her. There is a glare in his eyes.
"He won't hurt me, Tobias!"
"Beatrice, stop it!" Caleb almost cries. That shuts her up.
They enter the thick forest seconds later. And the trucks park at its entrance. As expected. Tris looks over her shoulder again, watching about a dozen Dauntless traitors jump off the vehicles and run after them. They are just as determined as the trio is. Of course, for different purposes. The Dauntless are trying to kill. The runaways are trying to survive.
She sees his face again. Eric.
He leads the pack of traitors. He has a gun in his hand. Holy shit, is he going to shoot her?
"Come on!" Four yells as Tris starts falling behind. Immediately, she catches up, her mind flickering back to concentrating on what's right.
The atmosphere thickens in the forest. The humid air brings sweat to Tris' skin as she whimpers through her rapid breathing.
"Listen!" Four yells.
She thinks that he is telling her to listen. To listen to his orders. She is about to yell at him when a loud horn sounds through the forest. It's a horn. It's a train horn.
"What?!"Caleb asks.
"Train!" Tris clarifies, looking ahead again. There is a massive field at the end of the forest. And they have nearly reached it. Just a little bit more and they will have to stop. Finally.
Small branches scrape her face, one of them scratching her eye. She hisses, looking down, watching as her feet run through blurred vision. Great. Another problem.
She puts a hand to her face, feeling tears stream out of her eye socket. She nearly drops her gun in the process. Four gives her a strange look that she does not notice. Then he places a hand on her back and pushes her on, running behind her.
"Go, go, go!" he yells once their heavy Amity boots slam against the moist glass on the field. It instantly becomes brighter. But Tris doesn't even notice. Her right eye is still shut.
The loud gunfire behind them makes her shriek. She wasn't expecting it. She forces her injured eye to open, not caring about the damage that action did to it. She sees bullets sending flying mud over their legs. She starts running faster, conscious that in a second… perhaps… she might lose her leg.
The bullets hit the ground near them, missing every time. They are only aiming for the legs. What's that all about?
She looks over her shoulder again, seeing how far they are from the forest now. Black figures hide behind the trees, only their armed hands visible. She thinks she sees Eric among them. But she can't be sure. She feels blind.
Suddenly, she realizes something. The bullets miss Caleb's and Tobias' legs. They always skim the air close to them. But never close to her. It's like they are not aiming at her. Their only targets are the two men on either side. They are not aiming at her.
The train appears out of nowhere ahead of them. Tris feels her heart thud against her ribcage as they get closer.
"Go! Keep moving!" Four yells as he stops running. Tris sees what his intentions are. He starts shooting at the trees, hitting his targets every time. She panics for a moment, contemplating on turning back to stop him. What if he kills Eric?
"Caleb!" she pushes him in front of her, both of them crossing the train tracks. It's a relief. A weight falls off her shoulders. It's like the railway split up the good and the bad. The victims and the killers. The safe haven and the dangerous grounds.
"Ammo!" Four yells, pushing his gun away. Tris watches as it reaches the grass with a thud.
She raises her gun reluctantly as Four runs towards her. The train starts getting closer, never slowing down. In fact, it might be getting faster. It certainly feels like it.
The gun feels heavy in her hands as she starts to aim for the targets. But who is the target, exactly? Eric? His friends? She knows that she will somehow cross his path again. She knows that she will see him again afterwards. She has to, right? And then what will happen? What would she say? I'm sorry I killed your co-workers? Besides, she promised herself earlier: No more killing.
Slowly, she lowers her gun, receiving a dumbfounded look from Caleb. He lays down on the glass, trying to make himself smaller.
Four reaches her in seconds, dodging a blow from the front of the train just in time. He grabs her gun, tossing it onto the ground for her. He then grabs her shoulders and shakes her slightly. He shakes her until she looks at him.
"Are you insane?!"
Tris looks away, watching the train speed past. It is Caleb who makes the first move. He starts running after it. And Tris and Tobias follow. They run until one of them opens the door. And they pile in, panting and wheezing and groaning.
Then the shouting starts. Another lecture. Bingo.
Review and tell me what you thought :)