The band room remains completely empty. The sound of a door slamming causes me to nearly jump out of my own skin and I whip around to see no one other than Edward himself.
"Tris you need to listen to me," he says running up to me.
"Don't," I fling my gun up pointing it directly at his chest, "move any closer Edward."
"Tris I can explain everything," Edward says cautiously as a single drop of sweat races down his forehead.
"Does Myra know?" I ask barely above a whisper. His hands fall and his eyes fill with regret and sadness.
"I..." he starts in raspy broken voice, "I got her into it." I lower my gun, rage igniting in me at the thought that Edward would get Myra into something so dangerous, something so wrong.
"Edward?" I ask my voice cracking halfway through, "how could you? I... we... we can get you help, Amar can force Evelyn to cut any connections to you."
"Tris," he sighs interrupting me with a hard look, "I'm in to deep, but Myra isn't, and that's not why I'm here," his voice barely above a whisper.
"If you trust me, if you've ever trusted me you'll put down the gun and follow me, your life is in danger more than it ever has been," his voice rings with honestly and even fear hidden underneath.
Slowly lowering my gun and putting it on safety I fling it across my shoulder and stalk towards him until I'm barely a foot away.
"What is happening?" my raspy voice pleads for the truth.
"Jeanine, or Mrs. Matthews, the Advanced Neurology teacher," an image of Jeanine flashes in my mind as he speaks quieter, "She found something... different in your brain. Something that set you apart from everyone else, and she needs you for it."
"So what? What does this have to do with my life being in danger..." I yell and he quickly covers my mouth causing my reflexes to kick in and the gun was once again pointed directly at his chest again.
"Tris, what she needs you for, the tests she'd do to you, they would kill you she would keep going and she wouldn't stop until you're dead. I don't know what she's looking for but I know Evelyn does not what her to find out," he sighs with a pained look in his eyes, "that's... that's why she wants you... needs you... dead." I feel my world sway and the scene before my eyes darken, two firm hands wrap themselves around my biceps, calling me out of my daze.
"Tris," his voice echoes, "that's not it, Jeanine knows Four will stop at nothing to save you, so she ordered her followers to kill him." I feel bile rise in my throat at the sudden shock of it all and soon I'm hunched over a desk vomiting everything in me.
"So Jeanine needs me and wants Four dead, but Evelyn needs Four and wants me dead?" I ask hesitantly and all Edward offers me is a small nod.
"And you?" I look up at him with a pointed look, "Where do you stand in all of this?" I feel my throat burn.
"I stand in whatever position you need me to, you or Four," he nods as if clarifying it not to me but to himself. I stand there soaking in all of the information, thinking, processing like some sort of high tech machine.
"If you mean what you say, then you have to listen to me very carefully," I say in a hushed tone towards Edward who is now leaning in closer.
"You need to deliver this information to Amar, no matter what it takes, he'll know what to do," I hesitate and chose my next words carefully, "he'll know who to kill." Edward's eyes darken and I feel a strange weight in the air, as if death is now our inevitable ending.
+ + +
Barging through the rest of the West Wing wasn't easy, and I regret to say I shot three Factionless. The halls are almost completely bare except for the few students I busted out and the occasional Factionless guard.
A feeling of anxiousness settles onto my chest, what now? Amar told us to bust our friends out and he would figure the rest out, well I've covered my entire area and haven't found one of our friends and am stuck waiting.
The ground shakes.
The rumbling fills my ears.
My heart pounds.
I recognize those sounds.
I didn't think they would come.
I didn't think he would call them.
But they're here.
They've come.
Amar, George, and Owen. Ex navy seals. They know a few people. They've saved a few people. Those few people may owe them a few favors. Those people may also run half the military, and I think half the military is here.
I feel the pounding of my feet before my mind realizes it's moving my body. I don't think about where I go, my instincts kick in as I head for the closest exit and what I see makes my jaw go agape as I stare at what seems to be a tank, navy green covers my vision as helicopters fill the sky, men wearing black, resembling SWAT come pointing their guns at anyone who may seem to be the slightest threat.
Relief floods my body as I shove open the school doors and stumble outside into the daylight. The bright sun burns down on me and I think I shout because soon men are coming my way with their guns pointed at the ground instead of at me. One of them grabs my arm and pulls me away from the school, I ignore the pain he causes in my arm as I know it's his job to get me out, and he's here to help me, not to kill me unlike half the people in that building.
Soon I'm thrown back into the crowd and realize the fatal mistake I just made, I left them behind. I left them all behind in the building for the others to find, soon it will be open fire in there.
Edward.
The name echoes in my head and I find myself screaming his name. They're going to kill him, they're going to shoot him just like they shot all the others. I push and I shove with everything in me against the crowd but they only push back, my screaming is drowned out by their cheering, my crying by their laughing, my fear for their hope.
"PLEASE YOU HAVE TO LET ME THROUGH!" soon heads start to turn to my tear stained face and people recognize who I am, a small pathway is formed just enough for me to squeeze back into the school. This time no one from the crowd tries to get in, they know if they go in they may be mistaken for a Factionless and killed, but I don't care I need to find Edward.
I'm the one who sent him to Amar, if he gets killed his blood is on my hands.
The school halls are now covered in crimson liquid that resembles the blood of people from ages 15-40. This couldn't be blood, they couldn't of killed this many people. I don't believe it until I see the bodies. Their bodies. Young and old, they must've been ordered to kill on sight.
Sprinting down the halls and through a forest of bodies I throw myself onto the nearest garbage can and empty everything that was bottled up inside of me along with everything in my stomach. Wiping my mouth I stand up straight and remember that my friend's life is on the line.
Standing to my full height I take in a deep breathe, feeling the cool air fill my lungs and slowly exhale it all. I need to find Edward. I feel my legs travel, my lungs burn, eyes blur, hands clench, the more I run the more my head spins.
That is until I hear heavy footsteps fall in sync together and I dart across the hall into an air vent that I became accustomed to hiding in for gunman drills. I watch through the thin lines as the men in black scout around my school, looking for a target, looking for another death.
It isn't until after a minute that I finally muster enough courage to kick open the vent and jump out to continue my mission. Glancing left and right through the halls my brain comes up with multiple solutions as to where Edward might be. If he was looking for Amar I need to think of where he might think Amar is.
Just as the thought occurs to me I feel a hard body slam into mine and stumble back jerking out my gun.
"Tris," Amar's voice seems to make me feel safe once again and I feel home.
"Amar," I cry and throw my arms around him, I feel like I haven't seen him in ages when it's only been under an hour.
"Tris you need to listen to me carefully," he says pulling away from me and laying a heavy hand on the side of my face.
"These men, I didn't send for them, my plan was to find Evelyn and strike a deal, some sort of bargain, that's how she works," he says jumbling his words together.
"Wait," I stop him, "Then who are these people?" my voice becomes hushed a if they're right behind me listening
"I..." he pauses as if the words he's about to say are hard, "I don't know." The words seem foreign in his voice, I don't think I've ever heard those words come out of his mouth. I pause for a moment before remembering my purpose, "Have you seen Edward?" I ask anxiously.
"Yes, he told me everything..." he trails as I watch his eyes flicker around me, he's thinking, I watch as his machine-like brain functions.
"It's Jeanine," he says after a long minute.
"How do you know it's Jeanine and not the government or something, I mean Marcus is trapped in here," I reason trying to click all the pieces into place.
"Jeanine used to work in a military lab, mutating things, studying soldiers brains before and after they kill someone, stuff like that, I recognize these soldiers uniforms and it's from Jeanine's old district."
"So Jeanine wants to kill all the Factionless to get to... me?" I ask with the sinking feeling returning in my chest.
"Listen Tris, something is different in your brain, Edward couldn't give you all the details, but I can I've been studying you brain every since you were little. The choices you make defy all probabilities, your ability to control fear is inhuman, we need to finish this talk later, but for now you need to get out before Jeanine finds you."
"Wait, Amar," I plead, "Can you come with me?"
"I'm sorry Tris we haven't found Lynn or Zane yet, and I'm not leaving until I have all my kids safe," he says his eyes pleading with mine. I don't want to go alone, I don't want to walk through this ocean of bodies while the people killing are looking for me.
Shaking my head yes I wipe a few rouge tears and swallow my fear down.
"Ok, I'm sorry," I choke out and Amar holds me for another second before placing a small kiss on my forehead, "I'll see you soon kid, ok?" he asks looking me. His eyes hold the same intensity as a well-trained soldier, reminding me of what he really is.
"Take the Northern staircase up, you will have to climb down the side of the building but right now it's our safest bet, that's where I sent Edward," Amar instructs and soon I find myself flying down the halls knowing the sooner I get out of here the sooner this nightmare will be over.
Finding the flight of stairs was the easy part, passing more bodies was the hard part. Skipping steps I finally reach the top and bolt for the window when my feet stop and so does my heart. Gasping comes from the corner of the room and sickly coughs. Turning I see Edward, drenched in his own crimson blood being propped up by the wall.
"Edward," I breathe while falling to the corner of the room.
"Tris," he gasps as blood paints it's way on his lips. Tears stream down my face as I hold his head in my chest, crying into his hair.
"Listen," he croaks, "You have to... you have to get Myra out," I look down to see his pale green eye pleading with mine, his eyepatch the only thing not coated in blood.
Grabbing my hand so tightly I feel like it might break he says, "Promise me Tris you have to save her, I can't but you can promise me Tris," his voice is cold and hard as a stone. Shaking my head I hold his in my hands as his grip on my hand loosens.
"I promise I promise," I choke out with ugly tears coming down quicker than I can wipe away.
"NO," I cry cover my eyes and pressing my head to his as his blood soon covers me.
"EDWARD NO," my voice becomes hoarse as the life in his eyes fades.
"PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME HERE ALONE!" I cry into his cold body which is seeped in warm blood. Feeling everything in me spin and turn I fall to the ground vomiting once again.
His pale face haunts me and I wish to God that he would wake up. But he's not sleeping, and he'll never wake up. There was a promise made, a promise I have to keep. Standing up on shaky legs I take a breath before moving, knowing I would collapse again if I moved to quickly.
I look to the other side of the room to the window. Light streams out of it and a breeze of life comes through, out there I'm almost guaranteed freedom, guaranteed my life. The shouting and cheering of my peers comes through the window, almost like they're calling to me, calling me to come home. But this school was my home, everything I'm made of is because of it, and that's when I remember what my purpose is, to save as many people as I can.
Without another thought I turn on my heal and walk away from the window, and into the school to find Myra.
Hey guys so I made and Instagram account for this story it's called divergent_fire_v_ice and I don't think I'll update the story until it has 100 followers so please go follow!