Born to be Dauntless

Chapter 49

I keep my eyes open,and when I see that the bullet hit its target. I close them. I do not want to watch anyone die. Not at my hands.

'Shouldn't you say 'not again'?' I hear my own taunting voice in my head.

I clench my jaw and open my eyes. Dark (Y/N) is on the ground . Dead.

I sprint towards the door the best I can with the dark spots dancing on my vision.

The poison is kicking in.

'You can't give up now, you're five feet away from freedom, run faster!' Will's voice says.

I do as I'm told and run even faster.

I throw my body against the door, twist the handle, and fall through. My hands numb, I press it closed behind me, and shake them to regain feeling.

The next room is twice as big as the first one, and it, too, is blue-lit, but paler. A large table stands in the middle, and taped to the walls are photographs, diagrams, and lists.

I take deep breaths, and my vision begins to clear, my heart rate returning to normal.

Among the photographs on the walls, I recognize my own face, and my friends'.

A long list of what appear to be chemicals is posted on the wall beside our pictures. Each one is crossed out with red marker. This must be where Jeanine develops the simulation serums.

I hear voices somewhere ahead of me. I feel confused about how to feel.

If I hear voices that probably means Jeanine is still alive and someone is there with her.

But then again, someone is there with her.

"My brother's name," I hear. "I want to hear you say it."

Tori's voice.

How did she get through that simulation? Is she Divergent too?

"I didn't kill him." Jeanine's voice.

"Do you think that exonerates you? Do you think that means you don't deserve to die?"
Tori is not screaming, but wailing, the whole of her grief escaping through her mouth. I start toward the door.

"The reasons for my actions are beyond your understanding," Jeanine says.

"I was willing to make a sacrifice for the greater good, something you have never understood, not even when we were classmates!"

'The greater good,who does she think she is , Gellert Grindelwald?' Will's voice says in my head.

I walk towards the door. Which is a pane of frosted glass.It slides back to admit me, and I see Jeanine, pressed against a wall, with Tori standing a few feet away, her gun high.

Behind them is a glass table with a silver box on it—a computer—and a keyboard. The entire far wall is covered with a computer screen.

Jeanine stares at me, but Tori doesn't move an inch; doesn't seem to hear me. Her face is red and tear-streaked, her hand shaking.

I know what I have to do. I have to save Jeanine.

I clench my jaw at the thought. But if I want to save the data,I have to do this.

"No!" I scream. "Tori, don't!"

But her finger is already over the trigger. I launch myself at her as hard as I can, my arms slamming into her side. The gun goes off, and I hear a scream.

My head hits the tile. I ignore the stars in my eyes and throw myself across Tori. I shove the gun forward and it slides away from us.

I can't shoot my friend . She Is counted as my friend.

Tori's fist connects with the side of my throat. I choke, and she uses the opportunity to throw me off, to crawl toward the gun.

Jeanine is slumped against the wall, blood soaking her leg.

'Leg,remember?' Will's voice says.

I punch Tori hard near the bullet wound in her thigh. She yells, and I find my feet.

I step toward the fallen weapon, but Tori is too quick. She wraps her arms around my legs and pulls them out from under me. My knees slam into the ground, but I am still above her; I punch down, at her rib cage.

She groans, but it doesn't stop her; as I drag myself toward the gun, she sinks her teeth into my hand.

The truth is I once got bitten by a classmate to skip physical education otherwise known as P.E.  So the pain does not shock me. And I hit her with my leg. And continue crawling towards the gun.

I have not come this far to let Tori shoot Jeanine before I've gotten what I need.

With a lurch, I smack my hand around the handle of the gun. I twist, and point it at Tori.

I have to do this. I won't shoot her, but she need to know that I can .

My hand. My hand is covered in blood, and so is Tori's chin.

I have seen a lot of blood. But it never was my favorite thing to see.

'Is it for anyone,really?' I hear Will's voice.

I get up and try to ignore the pain .

"I didn't take you for a traitor, (Y/N)" she says and I roll my eyes at her .

"I'm not," I say .

"I can't explain it right now, but . . . all I'm asking is for you to trust me, please. There's something important, something only she knows the location of—"

"That's right!" says Jeanine. "It is on that computer, (Y/N), and only I can locate it. If you don't help me survive this, it will die with me."

"She is a liar," says Tori. "A liar, and if you believe her, you are both an idiot and a traitor, (Y/N)"

'I am not an idiot ' I think as I clench my jaw.

"I do believe her," I say.

"I believe her because it makes perfect sense! The most sensitive information that exists and it's hidden on that computer, Tori!"

I take a deep breath, and lower my voice.

"Please listen to me. I hate her as much as you do. I have no reason to defend her. I'm telling you the truth. This is important."

Tori is silent. I think, for a moment, that I've won, that I've persuaded her. But then she says, "Nothing is more important than her death."

"If that's what you insist upon believing," I say, "I can't help you. But I'm also not going to let you kill her."

Tori pushes herself to her knees, and wipes my blood from her chin. She looks up into my eyes.
"I am a Dauntless leader," she says. "You don't get to decide what I do."

And before I can think—

Before I can even think about firing the gun I'm holding—

She draws a long knife from the side of her boot, lunges, and stabs Jeanine in the stomach.
I yell. Jeanine releases a horrible sound—a gurgling, screaming, dying sound. I see Tori's gritted teeth, I hear her murmur her brother's name—"George Wu"—and then I watch the knife go in again.

And Jeanine's eyes turn into glass.