Divergent Writing Scraps

Scraps 4

[] Song-Walk in the trees by Rob Siemson []

When I woke, I let out a sigh. We’re back here again. In a bunk, everything screaming inside of me. An older Dauntless is leaning over me, her lips pursed. She turned to someone behind her ‘This ones awake, at last.’ I let my eyes fly to the person behind her. Reece. He smiled, the bags of skin under his eyes seemingly purple ‘We’ve been attacked by a front line attack squad who somehow slipped past our defence. They let off a grenade in the street. Luckily it was a weak one, more meant to injure than kill us.’ I hooded slowly, taking it all in ‘But for now, I think our attack has been put off.’ I froze, anger surging inside of me ‘They’re taking people from their factions! They’re going to keep taking them unless we go!’ He didn’t seem to care ‘We have to stay here while you all recover.’ he said simply, walking away before I could reply. I stood up, and immediately gritted my teeth, pain shooting through my limbs. 

I wandered the hallways for a while, running my fingers along the cold stone walls. We must be in a bunker of some sort. Maybe just an abandoned building. I don’t know.

At last I find another room identical to the one I was in. Ryder lyes eerily still on a bed inside, and I burst through the doors. We’re alone. Good.

I shook his shoulder, and he still didn’t move. I grabbed a syringe, and poked him in the side with it. Still nothing. Pursing my lips, I looked for an option. Just when I had decided on injecting him with some green liquid on the table next to him, a person walked in. I dove under the bed, squishing in the corner and holding my knees to my chest. They walked to the other side of the room, and I could see something in his hand. A bottle with ice cold water inside it. He put it down on the table and left, not saying a word. I guess it must be for Ryder when he wakes up.

A mischievous  smile twisting on my lips. I grabbed the bottle, pulling off the lid and squirted the water all over him. He shot up like a bullet, looking around with huge eyes and cursing ‘Calm down!’ I laughed and grabbed his shoulders. Ryder gave something, a half-laugh and half grunt. 'Trust you to wake me like that.’ he grabbed his sheets, drying himself down. Then his eyes flew to my head ‘Hey. Where’d you get those stitches from? They look pretty badass.’ My fingers went to my forehead, and yes, there were stitches. I shuddered, remembering the explosion. ‘Don’t you remember?’ Ryder eyes were blank for a moment, then sad, angry, furious. 

‘We HAVE to get them back, okay?’ I nodded ‘Reece said we couldn’t go. That’s why I came to you. I think we should go.’ His fingers clenched the sheets tightly ‘We need to go. Reece can’t stop us once we’ve gone.’  he said ‘I know. We should leave soon if we want it to be private.’ He stood up, taking his pack and gun. ‘Let’s go now.’ 

-*-

Once we had gotten our gear sorted, we both crept to the back of the building, careful not to seem suspicious. But there were some people standing in our way. Maya. Cain. Emy.

‘Where do you think your going?’ Maya’s arm was bandaged awkwardly, the plaster wrapping around her shoulder ‘Important stuff’ Ryder said quickly.

‘Oh puh-lease,’ Maya said, rolling her eyes. No-one just LEAVES.’ she looked us up suspiciously ‘What’s with the packs? You going somewhere?’ I started to get frustrated ‘It’s none of your business where we’re going!’ I spat ‘Actually, it is.’ Cain said quietly ‘We could tell Reece and your whole mission would be put off’ I balled my fists, trying not to get too out of hand. ‘Move, or we’ll make you.’ I growled. Emy took a pace forward ‘We’re coming with you.’ Ryder hesitated before saying ‘You…you know?’ Emy nodded swiftly ‘We heard you. We wanna come too.’ I looked into her soft brown eyes, and knew she wasn’t lying ‘Fine.’ I said sharply ‘But if you ruin it, then we’ll make you run all the way back to Amity, okay?’

They all nodded their consent, loading their guns and walking out behind us.

=*=

The people yelled angrily in the pit. I walked in with Grayson ‘What’s going on?’ I yelled above the noise ‘Their giving an announcement I think’ Grayson shouted back. I nodded, pushing my way to the stairs. We leaned over the railing, and saw Alec stand up on a table and give a ear-splitting yell. The whole pit fell silent ‘I know you’re all here to get some news on the squads attacking at the moment.’ I gulped. That was Tris. I leaned further in anticipation ‘And we have some good news and some bad news. Obviously I’m going to give the good first.’ everyone groaned ‘The majority of the A squads swept the city, clearing a path for the B division to take the centre of town into control.’ there were cheers, and claps. That was good. 

‘And now for the bad news.’ His eyes went around the room ‘One of the B squads was bombed and shot. They lost 3 soldiers in the shooting, and a further 4 in the bombing. They are trapped in the centre of the city, and I assume they are trapped by patrols from the Deathrow.’ I froze, feeling like I had fallen through the floor and into the endless black below. 

That could be Tris. It probably was.

‘Come on,’ I grabbed Grayson by his thin arm ‘We need to go.’ I could feel a lump in my throat ‘What? Where?’ I tugged him out of the room and dragged him to the dorm ‘Get packing,’ I said ‘We need to go save Tris.'