Divergent: Four's POV

Chapter 27

I try to wake Zeke up and get him out of the simulation, but it is no use. He finishes getting dressed and walks to the door to leave. I need to get to Tris so I follow him out the door and see that everyone is under this simulation. He falls in line with other Dauntless as they head toward the Pit. I'm going to have to pretend that I am under the simulation if I want any chance of finding Tris and stopping this. If I am awake, I know she and Uriah are also awake. We walk toward the Pit and up through the glass ceiling to get to the train tracks. I have to do my best to match Zeke's movements because there are Dauntless leaders everywhere watching us.

He walks to a table and takes a gun, holster, and bullets then walks toward the tracks, I follow. When I get outside I scan all of the Dauntless to try to find Tris. I can't be obvious or the leaders will see me. Out of the corner of my eye I see Uriah, he looks placid like the rest of the people around us, but I can see the fear in his eyes. What I can't see is Tris.

Then from the side I see someone move just a little more than they should be. She is small and easily concealed by the bigger people around her. She must see me because she is moving in this direction.

I follow the people to get on the train and maneuver myself to be the one that helps her into the train. I take her hand as mechanically as I can and pull her in. She glances up and sees that it is me, but I keep the blank expression on my face so I don't draw attention to either of us. She looks devastated. She has always felt like she knew I was Divergent even though I never shared that with her. And now she looks overcome with grief that I look like everyone else.

We stand next to each other as the train fills then begins to shutter forward. We are shoulder to shoulder and I know that a small movement won't be noticed in this crowd. So I take her hand and lace my fingers with hers. She squeezes my hand and I can feel a slight tremble in it. I gently move my thumb in circles around her hand to try to calm her.

The train comes to a stop and everyone starts to jump off of the train. We are in Abnegation. I move my head and I look at her insistently. She looks back and I say, "Run."

She can't, "My family," she says.

We jump from the train and I walk in line in front of her. I have not been back here since before my choosing ceremony more than two years ago. Everything looks exactly the same as I remember, except he buildings are all dark and the streets are full of Dauntless.

We continue to walk when suddenly the monotonous sound of marching people is broken by the popping sound of gun shots. Out of the corner of my eye I can see grey clothed people kneeling on the ground and being executed in cold blood. Innocent men, women, and children will all die; all of Abnegation will die if I don't figure something out quickly.

All around us Dauntless soldiers carry out unspoken orders. It won't be long before Tris and I are spotted.

We are stopped and standing completely still with a group of other soldiers when I hear voices coming up next to us.

"This is insane," says a male voice that I recognize as Eric. He goes up to Tris and pokes her in the face. Stay still Tris, don't move, I think.

"They really can't see us? Or hear us?" asks a female leader's voice.

"Oh, they can see and hear. They just aren't processing what they see and hear in the same way. They receive commands from our computers in the transmitters we injected them with..." I can see him move his finger from her cheek and touch the injection site on her neck. "...and carry them out seamlessly."

My fury is building, I want to grab him and kill him for touching her. But he walks away from her and moves toward me.

"Now this is a happy sight," Eric says. "The legendary Four. No one's going to remember that I came in second now, are they? No one's going to ask me, 'What it was like to train with the guy who only has four fears?'" I knew he resented me, but I didn't realize how badly. He pulls his gun out and points it to my temple. I can feel the barrel of the gun pressing against my head and I try to decide what to do. "Think anyone would notice if he accidentally got shot?" he asks.

"Go ahead," say the female voice. "He's nothing now."

"Too bad you didn't just take Max up on his offer, Four. Well, too bad for you, anyway." Eric says as he clicks a bullet into the chamber of his gun.

I twitch my hand; I'm going to go for my gun. I am faster than him but he has the gun right on my head. But I can move fast enough to at least shot him in the leg.

Before I get the chance to move, Tris has her gun on his forehead with her finger on the trigger ready to fire.

"Get your gun away from his head," she growls at him.

"You won't shoot me," Eric replies.

"Interesting theory," she says to him. Then she moves her gun down and shoots him in the foot.

In one swift movement, I have my gun drawn and have shot the woman in the leg. Tris grabs my arm and we run. We run as fast as we can, me dragging her faster than she is used to running, toward an alley to try to disappear. There is a shot behind us and Tris falls to the ground. She has been hit in the shoulder. She looks at me and says, "Run!"

"No," I tell her. There is no way I am leaving her here. I crouch on the ground and cradle her in my arms. I help her to stand and keep my arm around her to support her weight.

We are surrounded immediately. "Divergent rebels," Eric says. "Surrender your weapons."