Broken, But Brave

Chapter 16: Deathbed Confessions

Before anyone even had a chance to pull a trigger, Annabelle tossed three knives at once to the generator, immediately sending the entire compound into darkness. Chaos ensued as bullets started spraying across the center of the room in Tobias and Anna's location. The siblings made quick work to divide and conquer as Annabelle handed off a knife to Tobias, instructing him to make it to the back gates control panel before sliding to the north side of the circle. It would need a manual override with the generator being down, but it would be no problem for Tobias given that he typically worked in IT at Dauntless on far more advanced technology. Tobias took out a couple of the insurgents at the ankles in order to clear a path to the control panel. 

Meanwhile, Annabelle took almost too much pleasure out of finally being able to kill some more of Evelyn's cronies. Annabelle slashed through her opponents before they even saw her coming, the light of the fire power creating a strobe effect between the two parties. Annabelle's eyes finally began to adjust just in time to see Evelyn being carted away to safety by a group of her bodyguards. Annabelle let her knives fly and land in her targets, quickly taking down Evelyn's men one by one. Evelyn was in her sights now, no longer having enough cover to keep her from Annabelle's aim. Annabelle raised her arm for the final throw when a sharp pain suddenly erupted in her side. The young woman looked down to find a knife of her own embedded in her side just between her ribs. Arabella couldn't move. She couldn't even speak. Any air that had previously inhabited her lungs was gone in an instant. She could do nothing more than watch helplessly as Evelyn made her way higher and higher into the compound before reaching safety behind a closed door. 

Annabelle still didn't react when large rays of sunlight suddenly infiltrated the compound, Tobias having gotten the gate open again. With the newfound light filling the space, Tobias was finally able to see what had happened to Annabelle. He yelled her name and worked to fight his way through Evelyn's insurgents in order to get to her but was only making slow progress due to the number of opponents. From behind her, Annabelle's attacker finally revealed himself, although it was no real surprise to the girl that Nelson had been the one to land the blow. Annabelle could feel his breath dance across the shell of her ear and the feeling made Annabelle want to throw up in disgust. 

"Guess you're not as good as you think you are, runt." 

Annabelle let out a low chuckle at the snide comment, grimacing in pain from the pressure pushed down on her ribcage by the action. Still, she did her best to appear helpless, like she would fall and die of her injuries at any moment. She slowly pulled the blade from her side, watching as more of her shirt became painted red with blood. Her hand was shaky both for show and in actuality. She could feel herself growing weaker by the second, but she refused to give her Evelyn and her band of misfits the satisfaction. 

"You're right. I'm not as good as I think I am." 

Nelson moved himself from behind Annabelle and to her side, his eyes locking with her own as if to make sure he heard her right. Annabelle looked him dead in the eye as he smiled down at her condescendingly. After Annabelle was certain that the man thought he had won, she gripped her knife tight in her hand and with all the strength she could muster, she lifted her arm up and back, effectively slicing the blade across Nelson's neck before he even had time to process what she had done. She leaned in close as the man uselessly tried to slow the bleeding from his neck, choking on his own blood as he did so. 

"I'm even better." 

Annabelle gave Nelson a small nudge to the side, sending the man to the ground to bleed out on his own. With nearly the rest of her own strength gone, Annabelle dropped to her knees and looked down at the wound in her side. Blood was covering the entire left side of her shirt. Not a good sign. She focused on relaxing her breathing in order to preserve oxygen when she finally felt Tobias' arm wrap around her waist and pull her back to her feet. Annabelle let out a pained groan as he did so, but Tobias couldn't let her give up now. He had to get her out of there one way or another. Annabelle looked to find that Tobias had acquired an automatic rifle, one which kept the remaining insurgents away from the siblings as they walked through the cleared path out of the compound. Before leaving its sight, Tobias shot out the control panel to the main gate, knowing that in doing so he would be buying himself and Annabelle some time before they could get the gate operational again.