Holding On||Peter Hayes (Divergent)

Chapter 31

We headed back to the compound immediately after the meeting. In the compound, Four searched wildly for Tori and Harrison and told me to retrieve some weapons. I obliged and went running around the compound to the initiation dormitory. AJ, Lynn, Uriah and Christina bombarded me with questions once I rushed in. Ignoring them all, I ran over to my bed and got out two guns and filled them with ammo. Placing them beside me I frantically begin searching for knives. "Do any of you have some knives?" I ask over their voices.

"Where were you?" AJ replied.

"Just give me the knives you have!" I yell. They all share astounded looks and hand knives of all sizes. I stuff them in my pockets and between my jeans and belt.

"Explain, now." Lynn orders.

"Me and Four are going into the Erudite headquarters to find the control rooms so we can eliminate the data," I say hastily. "Tori and Harrison will explain. I'll be back soon." I pick my guns up and begin to walk out.

"Piper!" Uriah yells after me. "What if you-you -"

"Then so be it." I stop and whip around.

"We just lost Mar," says Christina. "We can't afford to lose you too." Marlene... she wouldn't want me risking my life just to obtain information on Erudite. But she's dead, and I can't dwell on her. No more weakness.

"They'll only take me in for testing because I'm Divergent," I inform them. "Four has a plan. It'll be okay. Bye for now." I sprint off without another word, shielding their cries of protest from my mind. Four told me to meet him at the staircase leading out of the compound. I ran as hard as I could. My injured (but healing) leg whined with pain, but I had the pain killer from Amity on me so I'll be okay. Four is already there when I reach the door to the stairwell. He takes a gun off me and then leads me up the stairs. We emerge into the light and stand by the tracks, the train far from where we are.

"Did you tell anyone?" He asks me.

"Uriah, Lynn, AJ, Christina." I reply. "Vaguely."

"You don't have to do this," he warns me. "You have people that care for you, and that are grieving a recent loss."

"I don't want to grieve with them." I peer over the tracks and see the front of the train speed closer into proximity. "I'll do it alone, like I did with my mother." Four doesn't say anything in return. Instead he begins running as the train zooms past us. I go after him and hop into the train straight after him. I sit with my back against the train wall, my legs crossed. I'm going to Erudite. I didn't think I'd end up having to go. After Marlene, I thought I had to hand myself in. This is it, although not entirely what I thought I was going to do. Instead of surrendering to them I'm going inside to help towards planning an attack against the faction that murdered my best friend. And it's also a way to meet my father without AJ knowing. I don't want him to end up disowning me as his sister. We've been through hell together. Him not talking to me was bad enough...

Four stands beside me, slinging the gun strap over his shoulder. "We're going to put up a fight, make it look like we're on a suicide mission," Four explains. "Then we'll let them take us and we'll be inside. We'll stay prisoners until the attack date, or escape together if we can. We better make sure Tris hangs on too, we need her alive. You find your insider, I'll find the control rooms. Clear?"

"Clear." I place a knife in one of the inside pockets of my bomber jacket. I then zip it up and stand beside Four, who smiles at me. "Just in case." I tell him. From the open train door opposite us I see the large exterior of the Erudite headquarters. It's a large tower, with a rusted, colossal bean shaped object upon the land the compound stands. The grass is green and well kept, and you can see a few people walking around the outside. I feel my heart beat rise and my muscles tense. No more fear, I say over and over in my head. Four then tells me it's time to jump. I nod and jump off first, waiting for Four to land. He does so flawlessly and beckons me forward. We start off at a slow jog, gradually speeding up as we cross the grass of the Erudite sector. We run after we pass a cluster of cars parked upon the pavement and sprint when the traitor Dauntless start shooting at us.