Hey readers, I'm back with the next chapter! I hope you all reading enjoy it. Thank you to everyone who continues to read, comment, and support me with this story. Thank you so much to the guest reviewer who told me that if this wasn't a fanfiction you could see this being published, those words meant a great deal to me! As always, I don't own Divergent and all military-related mistakes are mine. The only thing I own is the plot. I did take a few liberties with this chapter when writing it. Also, anyone who commented on the separate Darkness Before The New Light story, I copied and pasted your comments over to this story before deleting that other story completely, not wanting to lose the comments. Happy Reading!
Chapter 12: All Too Well
The familiarity of this place is striking; this office. Images and voices flash through my mind of Tobias getting screamed at for being unshaven and his messy, untrimmed hair. My eyes scan the chaotic room, it looks like a bomb has gone off. Glancing around the room, I try to make sense of the disarray, papers are scattered everywhere, all over the place. Pulling drawer after drawer open, I look for a hidden map, but come up empty. My eyes fall on a large, tall, gray, filing cabinet in the corner. Quickly, I skate over to it, flinging open the middle drawer, my eyes land on a drawer full of confidential military records. Tobias's records sit out front, out of alphabetical order. My fingertips glide over the top, the urge to open the thick, red envelope grows as I finger the edge. I want to read it. It would be an easy way to learn how he earned each of his other medals without having to ask him, without having to look him in the eye while I ask him the question I hate having to ask. I know he doesn't want to answer my question for fear of tainting my view of him, but my view of him could never change even after I learned the truth. A ding from the end of the hallway brings me back to the present task at hand. I desperately need the damn map! Slamming the drawer shut before the temptation to look threatens to overtake me, my eyes roam the room. Chris is waiting for me! Eyeing the messy desk, I whisper, "How does anyone deal with this?"
I sigh, leaning against the office chair, it moves back and forth, hitting against a heap of papers, balancing on the edge, they fall to the floor with a thud, revealing underneath, a map, highlighting proposed drill area. My eyes automatically scan the map. I think, I know, where that area is located. Tobias and I have run along those roads once, when we first came to the base, then suddenly we stopped running that area for some reason. When I questioned what those creepy abandoned buildings were used for, Tobias simply shrugged his shoulders, and never answered me.
Closing the office door quietly behind me, my mind struggles as I attempt to devise a plan. Maybe I shouldn't try to find Tobias. What if I get him into trouble? What if I get him demoted, or worse thrown out of the military? He would hate me forever, and I could never live with that. I can't go through with this stupid plan. I need to find Christina, and we need to go home. My heart beats rapidly in my chest when I see an unfamiliar military policeman walking down the hallway towards me, flashlight in hand. He opens his mouth, and I know at that moment, I'm in trouble. "Hey!" He screams, "Stop, what you are doing, and walk towards me, slowly!" His hands dart to his waist, reaching for his gun, sobering me of whatever alcohol is left in my system. I take off running down the staircase to find Christina, not waiting for the elevator.
Running out the front door with the man running, close behind me, I spot Chris, staring longingly at the front door. I yell, "Run, Chris!" She runs in the opposite direction from me. The cop follows me instead of Chris, I weave through the streets of the base, dodging behind trees and bushes attempting to lose him while he continues to shout, "Stop!" Glancing over my shoulder to see how close the man is to me while I round the corner of a street, I notice he is gone. Did I lose him, did he give up, or worse, did he go to find backup? Where is Chris, where did she go? Is she doing something crazy? I need to find her before she gets into trouble! We need to come up with a plan, this game is getting out of hand, and we need to go home before either of us ends up arrested!
My eyes stay locked forward on the pavement below my feet. I continue walking, trying to find my way home in the dimly lit streets, pulling my cellphone from my pocket for a flashlight, I quickly text Chris. Let's give up this idea, and let's go paintballing instead of finding the boys to make them jealous they missed out on all the fun. My phone vibrates with her response: Sounds like fun, see you a few hours at the house! ;) Blowing my hair from my eyes, I continue texting Christina and walking, and before I realize it, I am walking into the abandoned portion of the base. Crap! I should turn around, but what way is the way to the road home? Suddenly, the few street lights disappear, my eyes readjust to the darkness once again, the buildings are destroyed. It looks like the middle of a war zone, I half expect Peter's ghost to appear while listening to the silent air pass by my ears. The hairs on my arms stand on end at the thought of Peter's ghost haunting me again this night. My eyes scan the street for movement, there is none.
My foot cracks against the pavement, my heart races in my chest with each step I take while I pace around frantically attempting to find my way out of this maze of a place. Headlights bounce off the broken glass of a building. Oh God, I'm going to get Tobias into so much trouble! I never intended to find him! Narrowly, I avoid the headlights, darting behind a corner of a building, my heart beats rapidly. "I hope I don't pick the building Tobias is in," I mutter, glancing at the three buildings while the headlight quickly approaches the area I'm standing. Which one would Tobias be in? I need to avoid it at all costs!
Picking the second building, I pray the lowest ranking men and women are closest to the center in this weird universe I have found myself in with the more senior ranking men and women on the outskirts. The closer I move to the buildings, the more uneasy I feel. The building is made of cracked cement, no windows, and one small, narrow wooden door hanging off the hinges. Maybe, I should make a run for it, and hope, I can outrun the truck and the men who will be certain to follow me once they spot me. Oh God, I hope Tobias isn't in the building I pick! If he is, I hope I don't get him into trouble! Male voices, engine noise, and truck lights bounce off the outermost building next to me. Taking a deep breath, I pull open the squeaky door, the smell of unwashed men hit my nose instantly. I hold my breath, letting the door swing shut with a light thud behind me. I hope I don't wake anyone up. The hardwood bunks are sparse in the room, I attempt to make out Tobias's sleeping form from all these men. They all look the same.
Blinking, my eyes adjust further to the dimness inside the room. My eyes land on a man, laying in the farthest corner with no one atop his upper bunk. Oh God! My stomach drops, I picked wrong! Tobias is here! I inch my way closer to the sleeping man, hoping to prove myself wrong, hoping to not find Tobias. Looking down at the unconscious man, he looks like Tobias, his brow wrinkles in concentration. My stomach turns like the sea. My eyes dart to his right chest, I can barely make out the E.N.T. One hand holds onto a dog tag, a metal band peeking out from between his fingertips. On his collar, two bars signifying him as a deep breath, to cleanse my lungs, I fight with myself with my hand hanging in the air over his sleeping body. Should I wake him, or should I slip away unnoticed? While I'm standing there debating with myself, his eyelashes dance, squeezing together, then part, revealing sleepy, red eyes, "Tris?" He asks groggily, "I've missed you so much," he grabs ahold of my hand kissing the back of it, then his hands are around my waist hoisting me atop of him before I can utter a word. My fingertips run along his cheekbones, I whisper, "I've missed you too, Tobias," not knowing what else to say. He is alright. He is alive. "Why are they making you train longer? It isn't fair!"
Lightly he laughs, "Nothing about the military is fair. We didn't get all of our training accomplished so our training period was lengthened," his eyebrows begin to furrow like he is thinking, I ask, confusion lacing my voice, "What are you thinking about?" My fingers touching his hair slightly.
He smiles, "Nothing much, I am confused. Why did you choose tonight to appear in my dreams? I should be awake on fire watch, not sleeping. You are going to get me into trouble for this," he whispers, rubbing his eyes. My cheeks heat, running my fingers up his cloth-covered chest, whispering, "Then you are having a good dream, right, if I am in it?" He grumbles, "It is always a very good dream when you are involved, princess," his breath skates over my lips. His hands pull me closer to his body, his lips touch mine, once, twice, three times, before finally connecting with mine. His calloused fingertips slide under my shirt along my sides, sending shivers up my spine, overwhelming me with sensations, I tug my lips away from his with a low gasp. His lips move to my pulse point, whispering against my jaw, astonishment lacing his voice, "You feel so real." His fingertips dance along my lower back while his lips return to mine. My lips tug at his bottom one, butterflies sail throughout my body at the feeling of his skilled fingers moving against my body. Against his lips, I whisper, "That's because I am real," grabbing one of his hands, intertwining my fingers with his.
My eyes close, absorbing our moment together, my confession, listening to his breathing accelerate against my ear as my words sink in. His eyes shoot open, dread fills his voice, "Tris, you can't be here! It is dangerous!" His voice changes in an instant from a dream-like state to one filled with fear. Grabbing his face, I force his eyes to look at me, I whisper, "Tobias, no one will know I am here nor will they find out," rolling my eyes at him, " We are safe." He grips me by the shoulders, urgently saying, "No, we aren't Tris! You need to leave before it is too late! They do things to us at night to prepare for being overseas. Things, I don't want you exposed to, ever. Please leave, forget this place, don't ever come back here. I promise I will text you tomorrow at some point when I can sneak away. God, how could you have been so reckless? If you had gotten caught, you could have gotten into so much trouble, gotten me an extra duty, an extra tour somewhere, or even demoted for this stunt! Not to mention what would happen to the men in this room with me. . ." He stops speaking abruptly, a look of frustration then hurt fills his eyes, he continues, "Why couldn't you wait for me at home?" I mutter dejectedly, "I missed you. I didn't mean to find you. I got lost in this stupid place."
He sighs, "I missed you too, but this is unacceptable. I'm here for training, to learn things that could potentially save my life or the life of others in my squadron. You should never have even been in this area, our house is on the other side of the base" I whisper sadly, his words hitting me in the gut, "Okay, I'll go. I'm sorry." Tobias doesn't respond, his eyes narrow at something across the room.
Suddenly, he places his hand over my mouth, his eyes imploring me to stay silent. That's when my eyes begin to burn, my throat tightens, and I can't breathe. An acidic smell burns my nose, I begin to cough violently. Gunshots sound outside the building. The building shakes like an earthquake I once experienced as a child. Panicking, I ask, "Tobias, what's happening?" Tobias's appearance is white like a ghost. He glances at me, stumbling toward the exit, trying to grab ahold of my hand, dragging me with him. I sink to the floor, coughing, on all fours. The acidic smell is less down here. Tobias and the ten other men drop to the floor, gagging, coughing, gasping for air. I crawl over to him, whispering hesitantly, "Tobias." He doesn't move, laying on the ground completely still. My fingers reach automatically for his pulse in his neck. It is strong and steady. He must have passed out from the smoke and gas. I shake him, whispering, "Tobias," for what feels like a million years. His eyes snap open, meeting mine. He smiles slightly, grabbing ahold of my hand, kissing the back of it, then drags me out the door to the fresh air. Fresh air fills my lungs, I cough and expel stomach contents.
Outside, the noise is worse, my ears hurt, I cover them with my hands, attempting to locate the awful sound. It reminds me of Peter's gun when he fired it at me through the bedroom door. Tobias notices my uneasiness, he pulls me close to his chest, I jump at another gunshot. He whispers into the crown of my hair, "Easy love, it is only the planes backfiring." I give him a quizzical look, he explains, "That is what is used to make the noise. I'm surprised you haven't heard them the last couple nights." I begin to respond when my eyes land on Colonel Asshat. Shit! "Captain Eaton! Mrs. Eaton! I hear congratulations are in order! What a pleasant surprise. Captain nice timing on the exit," Asshat smirks, crossing his arms, narrowing his eyes, "I was hoping you would do something stupid I could rip into you about, do you mind telling me why your wife is in a secret location that no one is supposed to know about?"
I know, I am leaving everyone in another cliffhanger, sort of. What do you think is going to happen to Tris and Tobias now that our favorite person, Colonel Asshat, is involved especially since he doesn't get along with Tobias? Thoughts and opinions on the chapter, I can't wait to hear them! The next chapter will be updated on the weekend of June 20, until then everyone stays safe and healthy in this chaotic world we find ourselves in.