Wow, already six chapters! I'm surprised to have made it this far. Huge revelations in this chapter, I hope you're prepared!
Thank you to joeymae36012 for favoriting, Filipina04, Karla Sprague, gabri14 for following, and Guest Reviewer for reviewing, it helps me a lot. thank you!
Thanks to owlthewriter for also reviewing on my POV Collection of stories! I'm glad you enjoyed the Eric POV :3
I'm incredibly surprised by how much I wrote in this chapter; 3.7k words, what do you guys think? This is uploaded a bit early because I won't have time to upload this weekend, sorry!
Please enjoy this chapter and let me know how you feel, thank you!
Chapter 6 - Leadership & Battle
Tobias POV
I feel the pounding in my heart as I pull Tris to her feet. As soon as I got the emergency call from Tori, we all knew what was happening.
The Erudite have retaliated.
"Stay safe." I mumble to her. "This is your own battle, but you are who they want the most. I don't know what would happen if I lost you."
My fingers tremble as I touch her cheek gently. The electricity and energy goes through us, strengthens us, and makes us strong. She nods.
"Please stay safe too." she whispers. "I can't lose you."
I nod and we touch our foreheads. We jump as we hear another scream and more gunshots echoing through the air.
"When we survive this, meet me at the Chasm, our spot." I say, and I slip out the door, trembling and releasing a breath. We both knew either of us aren't just going to stay in our rooms and hide; for one, the Erudite would easily corner us. For two, we can't just sit still while our friends are fighting.
I hear more gunshots echoing throughout the compound, and then it goes silent. Suddenly three figures, with blue armbands, come into sight, one of them wearing a smirk on their face. I recognize one of them. Tay, a guy from my initiation class. He ranked fifth overall, smack dab in the middle. But now, it seems he has rose in the ranks, at least in Erudite, as he is the one with the blue armband and a red thread embroidered into it.
"We took out my initiation instructor," I hear him say as he approaches near me. I hold my breath. "Believe me, when I realized he was still alive, I was damn shocked. Good thing we took him out just as quickly though." His laugh echoes through the Pit, and his fellow friends join him. I recognize the other two now: Laya, a nasty girl who was in Lauren's class; and Maint, who worked with Gus in the control room, though I don't really remember him.
I silently pull out my gun.
"Nice one bro." Maint says, laughing.
Laya nods. "How many are still surviving, you think?"
"From our group?" Tay smiles. It reminds me of Eric. Of course even when Eric is dead, he still haunts me. "Definitely more than them. They only had ten."
Laya twirls her blue hair nervously. "I bet the rest of them are hiding in the shadows. They have the advantage, after all, because they know where to hide without us knowing where they are."
Tay laughs. "Nah, we're better than them."
"Think again," I say, emerging quickly before aiming and firing at Laya and Maint. It hits exactly where I intended; straight through their head, a painless and quick death. Tay's eyes widen, and he quickly withdraws his gun, but I shoot his hand, and then his legs. He screams, and stumbles back, before collapsing onto the ground, and crumples. I always knew he wasn't very emotionally strong.
I walk over to him. "Think again, Tay." I say. I stand over him and point my gun at his head.
"Four?" he whispers. I can see the pieces click in his head, but it's too late for him now.
"It's me." I say, and I click my bullet into the chamber.
He grits his teeth, and with his other hand he grabs my leg and tries to fling me to the ground. I twist out of his grip and barely avoid getting my head smashed onto the ground. I quickly recover, and with his shot leg, he can't get away anyway.
"You forgot who ranked first in initiation, didn't you?" I add, and I aim, recovering from my earlier struggle.
"You're not going to win." he says, his green eyes darker.
"Think again." I say, and I fire.
I turn around before I can see his body collapse to the ground, like I remember Eric's did. He and Eric are so similar, don't even have a mind for themselves, puppets for Jeanine. I shake my head in disgust.
I turn the corner and my jaw drops.
There are guns and fighting everywhere. I see Tori struggling with another man, a knife in each of their hands. Behind them, is Kyra and Tamsyn, fighting off everyone who tries to shoot at Tori. They put bullets through their heads easily. Or Kyra does. Tamsyn doesn't seem to be using her gun very well.
Everywhere, I see the traitors, and my friends fighting them. Some are probably in the hallways. There are gunshots, and firing, and shouts and cries and terror echoing through, and it's a never-ending mess. It's like a battle you would picture, yet so much worse, because as my eyes adjust to the darkness, I realize that there is blood stained on the gray cement floor. Dead people are everywhere. I turn away when I spot Ricki, Hana's older sister's body on the ground.
I try to stay as close to the shadows as possible as I turn down another hallway, trying to find another person to help.
Zeke is fighting a man in one hallway, and the man swings at him, and Zeke dodges, narrowly missing.
"Light travels faster than sound." Zeke says, grinning. I catch on and approach behind him. "That's why, some people appear smarter than they are until they open their mouths." I add, and I shoot his arm without hesitation. The man coils back, gritting his teeth.
Zeke drops, breathing heavily. "Watch out Zeke!" I shout, before the man groans and throws another heavy punch at Zeke with his other hand. I shoot his other hand and put a bullet through his kneecap. He collapses to the ground, wincing, his eyes dark with anger.
"Thanks man," Zeke says, breathing heavily as I join him and press my gun against the man's head.
"No problem. Get this guy down to the cells." I say, glaring darkly at him. Something about him is familiar...I can't figure out what, but his eyes latch onto mine and he glares.
"Here's a gun." I say, and hand him one. "Keep one on him at all times. If he tries to escape, shoot his head. I'm not that desperate for information."
Zeke grins, a childish joy in him despite the moment. "Oooh, a gun!" he squeals, winking at me. "Come on buddy, let's go!"
I nod at him and turn down another path, and join the others down at the Pit. I worry where Tris is, but I try to push my worry away. She can take care of herself, and she knows better than to be reckless.
I think.
Down there I know better than to make myself known. Most of them are armed, and I am not going to rely on the fact that they have a bad aim. Because they probably have a good one, considering they're Dauntless.
I see George hiding behind a pillar and I nod at him. He nods back, catching my eye and turns around before firing at a Dauntless traitor who was getting a little bit too close for comfort.
The traitor immediately collapses, a clean death, but it attracts the attention of others, who start cautiously approaching and firing.
I crouch down, willing for them to not hit me. Behind them, I can hear people from our side opening fire on them from behind. Me and George quickly dart around and fire into the midst of bullets. I can hear fire, and gunshots, and the loud echoing through the Pit, followed by several screams, and cries. My mind darts to Tris as I hide behind the pillar again. Is she alright? Is she okay? Especially with her bullet injured shoulder. Oh God, I shouldn't have left her. I try to remind myself that she will be okay, she has a aptitude for Erudite. She's smart enough to survive. If she wanted to.
Lost in my thoughts, I don't hear someone approaching me until it's too late and she have already fired. I wince at the pain that enters through my shoulder, and fire back at her. She collapses and her head hits the cold cement ground, and she is knocked out, immediately unconscious.
I quickly inspect my shoulder. My left shoulder, which is my non dominant hand, and it entered clean. It should be a fast recovery. "Damnit." I mutter under my breath. I shouldn't have gotten distracted in the midst of a battle. Because of it, I got shot and I lost track of George.
I wince and try to forget about my injury for now, and I dart over to a different pillar before turning around and firing back into the midst of the chaos and terror. I hear cries of pain and other than that, it is silent, besides yelling and gunfire. When I screamed in terror, but Marcus wouldn't let me out...no matter how hard I screamed, no matter how hard I tried, I could not get out and I was trapped.
I shove the image out from my head, trying to forget about the memory of being locked in a closet, with cries of terror. And this terror was the same, yet different.
I don't know how long I get lost in the battle. And all I remember is a bed, and then I remember chants of victory, but then I hear nothing. I am numb and I don't know.
"He's awake. You can come see him."
"Blood loss-"
"Too many dead."
"Far more than imagined-"
"-won at heavy costs."
"may have - secret."
White blinds me. And I don't want to face the blinding worry and whiteness, but I was taught to withstand things I don't like.
I force my eyes open, and I allow my eyes to adjust. I am inside of a room inside of the Dauntless hospital. The white is infuriating, considering I am inside of Dauntless, the color of black.
Am I still in Dauntless?
Where am I?
Where is Tris?
Where is everyone?
What happened?
Did we win?
A thunder of questions pounds through my head and I wince, and rub my forehead. At the bedside, I finally see a woman in black. Thank God. I was going to go insane from seeing all this white in a few seconds.
"My name is Helena." she says pleasantly. She reminds me of Hana. The same calmness and kindness. Who is Hana?
She is Zeke and Uriah's mother. Remember, remember, remember.
"You suffered a concussion and a bullet injury in your shoulder." she adds, glancing at the clipboard in her head. "However, both injuries were not too severe, so we will not be keeping you overnight."
My mouth is dry like parchment, and I have to clear my throat several times to speak. "Tris." I whisper.
She nods at me kindly. "Someone just sent for her. Also, I know you're wondering, as a leader. We won the battle; 73 casualties on our side, 49 on theirs. The rest are captured and awaiting trial. Tori and Harrison will be down shortly to discuss some things with you."
I nod. "Thank you." I say, closing my eyes. I need to appear brave, and strong, for Tris, but I am tired, and I am exhausted.
I think she nods and exits the room, and I hear someone else taking her spot and I feel their hands on mine. And I feel the warmth radiating from her skin, and the electricity, and the energy, and I know it is Tris, from her touch.
"You're alive." I say, and I force my eyes open, wanting to be strong for Tris. She smiles, and there are tears in her eyes.
"I am alive." she says, and her blue eyes are beautiful.
"Are you okay?" I ask her, and she laughs. Her laugh is a beautiful and melodic sound that echoes through the room, and I'm realizing now, my injury that put me in the hospital is helping me value her so much more, more than I thought possible.
She shrugs, smiling. "I don't have a bullet in my shoulder, nor do I have a concussion. To be honest, I am probably one of the only ones who didn't get injured. Unlike you."
She touches my face gently with her other hand, and I wince. There is a deep gash on my face, running from the right side of my forehead. I didn't notice it. It can easily be covered up by my hair, if it scars. It probably will scar.
Another mark left by the battle we fought today.
I reach up gently to her hand that is on my face and pull it away, taking both of her hands in mine. "What happened for you?"
She shrugs. "I left the apartment after you did, but I went in a different direction. I met up with Lynn and Ava and Lauren, and we fought against some of the other traitors. Lauren had a bullet that brushed her arm but it's not too severe. Christina, Uriah, and Bud had found each other and fought some traitors that got in through the Chasm. Harrison and Eris both have wounds from rocks that were thrown at them, the worst will leave a scar on their stomach, but they're okay. Tamsyn and Kyra both made it out alive, with nothing more than several cuts on their arms and legs. Tori is alive and she doesn't have any injuries. She's with George, who got shot in his back, but unlike Shauna, the nurses are hopeful for his full recovery." Her face turns blank, and dreamy, and I think she is thinking of Shauna's paralysis.
"Who else?" I prod her. Her expression returns and she bites her lip.
"Who did I miss?" she asks, avoiding my eyes.
I squeeze her hand. "You're cut out for Candor, because you are a absolute awful liar."
She breathes a shaky breath out, seeming to argue with herself but releases her breath and turns to me. Now I realize something happened. Who?
I run my mind through the list of names of all our friends. Leaders, friends, family...
"Amar and Zeke and Hana." I breathe. I look at her in the eye, willing for me to be wrong. But then I remember Tay's taunting from when I killed him earlier. We took out my initiation instructor...when I realized he was still alive...
"No." I say, and she shakes her head softly.
"Amar is in a coma. Attacked brutally and shot in one of his legs. Hana is okay, but her sister, Ricki is dead. Zeke is with her right now, and Uriah." Tris whispers.
I feel my throat closing up, but I try to take deep breaths, trying to stay above the water, trying to not drown, trying to stay focused.
"No." I repeat, losing myself again. I try to stay focused. "No. Amar will survive. He's a fighter." Hysteria bubbles up inside of me, closing my throat again, and I try to push it away.
"I'm sorry, Tobias." she whispers. No, it's not her fault. It is Tay and Laya and Maint's fault, those awful people. At least they are dead now.
We sit in silence for a long time, and then she shifts and moves onto the bed and crawls beneath the covers with me.
"It will be okay, I promise." she whispers. I feel our heartbeats, and our breathing, and her hand on my chest, and I want to believe her.
But I can't.
Because 73 lives are lost now, and so much has changed. Yet she is stronger, and I am stronger, and we are stronger from our wounds and internal hurting. Tris has risen up from Will's death, and I have worked towards becoming stronger.
We are brave. We are strong. But it will not be okay, because 73 innocents are dead.
"We need to figure out what to do now." Tori says, and lines are creased into her forehead. I think at this rate, they will be permanently marked into her forehead.
We are inside Harrison's apartment, discussing what to do next. What is our next move. His apartment is clean. There are basic necessities, but other than that, I don't see anything. It is bare of knickknacks and other things.
"We need to move up the secret mission." Harrison says tiredly. "Even though Erudite has lost this time, no telling when they are going to retaliate next. We need to act now."
For once, I agree with Harrison, and Tori does too. But she glances worriedly at me.
"Are you sure you will be up to it, Four?" she asks. I understand her concern, but I really don't need it.
"I was shot in my non dominant arm, and I'm considered with non severe injuries. I can take on this mission, I promise." I say.
Tori and Harrison nod. "If you're confident in your abilities, we won't doubt you." Harrison says.
I bite my lip. Now that he puts it that way, I am starting to doubt myself, but I try to push it away.
"We need to address another problem." Tori interrupts my thought process. "What are we going to do with all the prisoners? We won't be able to give them a proper trial without getting truth serum from Candor."
"Then ask them for it." I say, shrugging. Tori and Harrison both gape at me. "What?" I say, half smiling a little. "Candor really doesn't hold any grudges against us. The only reason they sided with Erudite was because Erudite would have attacked them next. Now that we hold the advantage because we have most of the traitors held prisoner here, meaning that Candor is no longer a target for Erudite. While they are annoyingly honest, they aren't dumb either. They know it would be better for their faction to stay neutral like Amity and just give us the serum."
Harrison raises his eyebrows. "Are you sure you don't have a aptitude for Erudite?" he says, smiling a little. "That is a impressively smart plan."
I don't reply. Although I had gotten textbook Abnegation on my aptitude test, no one needs to know that I took it again, by myself, just to test what aptitudes I would have gotten if I had not been trained for the aptitude test since birth. My look turns cold and hard.
"We should contact Erudite right away then," Tori says, trying to deter the conversation. "I can send a message to them. I'd also like to point out, because you will be gone, we will need a odd number of leaders. I propose the idea of electing two more leaders to join our ranks? Does anyone have objection? This way we will be able to spread out more thinly and will be able to be more connected."
Me and Harrison exchange looks. To be fair, her plan is reasonable. I open my mouth to say Tris, but then I remembered her hesitation and look when nominated to be a leader at Candor. The look on her face, and then she immediately refused her nomination. There must be a reason why she wouldn't want to, and I don't want to give her more danger if she doesn't want it. Instead, I say, "Zeke."
Tori nods. "Zeke is reasonable, and he is a great idea for a leader. I nominate Tris. Any objections?"
I shake my head. "No. Not Tris." I simply say. They both gape at me for a second, but quickly recover. I guess they think that I am a better judgement of Tris.
"How about Ava?" Harrison suggests.
We both nod our heads. Ava is Lauren's best friend and also worked briefly in the control room before she moved out; for what reason, I don't know why. She is three years older than me and is similar to being the female version of Zeke, and is incredibly Dauntless too, and reliable. I also recall that she is Tori's best friend's daughter. I wonder if she survived the Erudite attack.
"We should pass the message to them, then." Tori says. "If one of them refuses their nominations, who would we have replace them?"
"Lauren?" I offer. "She's also reasonable, and she was a instructor, so she is good at being a leader."
Tori nod in agreement. "Lauren's a good choice. She's just not as outgoing as Ava, which is why she should be the backup choice."
Tori claps her hands in agreement. "That is settled. We resolved three issues today. Harrison can send out the leadership invites later, okay? And we will contact Tobias's mission group immediately and they will depart tomorrow afternoon. The final group is Cara, Christina, Zeke, Lauren, and Bud. I will send out a request for truth serums as soon as possible."
I have discovered Bud was ranked first in his initiate class and is incredibly good with the knife. Good enough that I want to challenge him to a knife duel to try and see who is better, because I bet it would be Bud.
"Okay." I say with some sort of finality. "Thank you for meeting, guys. I'll contact my mission group immediately."
Tori nods at me. "Thank you Four, for staying strong."
I smirk. "I've been through everything; a bullet wound can't stop me now."
And I leave the apartment, not looking back.
