More. || Eric Coulter

Ten.

5.43 am showed the clock on my bedside table when I looked at it. There was no point in waiting for it to go off in 17 minutes so I stood up and got ready for the day already.
I went through todays plan as I was going through the usual morning routine and made my way out of the apartment once I was dressed in the prepared clothes.

6.10 am

Some units were already on their way to their designated location while other units, like Unit 1 where Eric was a part of, didn't have to wake up for another half an hour.
The pit was unusually quiet for a day like this; one would expect the atmosphere to be filled with anticipation and nervousness though there was no trace of any of that. Only one unit was meeting there before they would head out.
I was approaching the locker room, opening my locker once I found it and proceeded to put on a bullet proof vest with a walkie talkie attached to it. A belt followed in which I stored a small gun and other equipment I would need, like handcuffs, a syringe with spare doses of serum as well as a couple of other things. Then I put a compact backpack on so I could store extra ammunition as well as other guns and necessities.
Taking the last gun and putting a wireless ear piece in my ear, I closed the locker and headed to my units gathering point where some of them were already waiting.

6.25 am

We were heading out for our designated location after we'd checked everyones presence and just like in the pit, it was unusually quiet. It seemed like today was just another day of patrolling. Some of the members of this unit were even having a casual conversation filled with a couple of jokes and laughter.
Maybe I would've been capable of making jokes, too, though there was nothing to laugh about. This was my journey straight into death and while not only thinking about that, thoughts about Eric invaded my mind again.
I should've talked to him and apologized or at least wished him luck for today. But all I ended up doing was act like a coward and there was nothing that I could do to make it better.
There was a slight chance that Eric would at least get a last look when his unit and the initiates pass the border though there would be no time to talk to him let alone think about talking to him. For now, our focus should be on the mission and the next steps.

6.30 am

"Unit 17 has arrived at their destination. All members are present. We are proceeding with the next steps. Over." I said into the walkie talkie on my shoulder as our unit split and every individual headed towards different points of the border.

7.00 am

"Unit 17 has cleared and secured the border. I repeat, the border has been cleared and secured. All nearby public institutions are on lock down. Everyone is at their designated spot and ready for the next steps. Over."
This was it. The calm before the storm.
The way we were gathered created a passageway that the initiates would have to pass through and while we were patiently waiting for them to arrive, we gave each other nods, silently saying 'good luck'.
It felt surreal.
Yesterday I thought that we would be much more nervous, especially since no one in our unit was a pure soldier and therefore not used to situations like these, but not a single one of us seemed to care much about what was to come; at least on the outside.
We kept eyeing our surroundings, making sure that the area stayed clear for when the initiates would pass, and while it was easy to stay focused in the beginning, it got more difficult to stop my mind from wandering the more time passed.
The thoughts about Eric subsided though there was nothing I could do about the constant nagging caused by the threat that was following me around.
It was odd and very unsettling that the killer has not made a move yet. Then again, it would be stupid to make a move during the silence, the risk of drawing attention and therefore causing an early uproar being too high.
I couldn't help but think about when it would happen. Would it be when the initiates walk by? Or once they start eradicating? Where was the assassin even hiding?
Logically the killer couldn't be part of the initiates because almost all of them were not in the war seven years ago. Still, there were many other possibilities left and it started to infuriate me. It was infuriating that I couldn't prepare myself the slightest bit. The killer could be anywhere. Somewhere among Abnegation, somewhere among the other citizens. The killer could even be among this unit for all I know!
Letting out a frustrated sigh I turned my head back to the direction of the Dauntless district and listened to the reports from other units coming from the ear piece.

"Unit 20. Fence is secured and gates are guarded. Over."

"Unit 25. Amity secured and on lock down. Over."

"Unit 12. Erudite secured and on lock down. Over."

"Unit 5. Candor secured and on lock down. Over."

"Unit 14. Common areas have been cleared and secured. All public institutions are on lock down. Over."

7.30

A low noise could be heard in the distance.
It was so low that one could easily miss it though after a few moments it increased in volume. The sound definitely came from the gates of Dauntless.

"Unit 1 and the initiates have left the headquarters and will shortly head to their destination. Unit 18, 17, 16 and 15 stay sharp. Over." said a voice through the ear piece.
Everyones head shot to the direction the initiates would come from and adjusted their grip on their gun.

As the group came closer, a rhythmic thump could be heard becoming louder and louder by the second and then, after a couple of minutes of waiting and growing anticipation, they were there.

"Unit 17. Unit 1 and initiates are in sight. I repeat, the group is in sight. Over." I said into the walkie talkie as it was my duty as the units leader.

The closer they came, the more energy surged through my nerves and it became harder and harder to stand still.
Erics face was the first one I saw among all the members of Unit 1, instantly bringing guilt to the surface again.
I kept my eyes fixed on him hoping he would somehow feel that I was there and look at me though he never did, disappointment and a feel of helplessness and vulnerability surging through me.
It took a couple of moments to regain focus but when I did I kept an eye on the group of initiates.
It was a scary yet interesting and surprisingly satisfying sight with all of them moving in unison. But just when I started to skim the rows I spotted an irregularity.

My hands shot up to the walkie talkie and I changed to a channel that would connect me to Eric as he was the one responsible for them.
"Unit 17, Cultres speaking. There is an irregularity in the formation. Seventh row. There are eleven instead of ten people. Suspicions are on Four and maximum alert on Tris. You might want to look into that. Over."
"Copied, Unit 17. Over." replied Eric.
With that I changed back to the main channel and focused on the group again.
Was it possible that Four is the killer? After all, he was in the war seven years ago but seeing him in this passive state of mind ruled out that theory unless he was an undiscovered divergent pretending to be affected by the serum. That would be unthinkable!
The girl next to Four, Tris, was definitely dangerous considering that she was in fact a Divergent. I knew she would be trouble at some point and I had a very weird feeling that she would definitely stir things up during this mission. Still, even though she could potentially be the killer, I highly doubted that she would actually be capable of doing such things. She's not twisted enough to write those sickening letters especially considering her past at Abnegation and her less than average skills.

A couple more minutes passed and the group of initiates finally left our sight taking the anticipation with them.

"Unit 17. Unit 1 and initiates have just left our sight and entered the Factionless district. Over."

Silence took over again as I was eyeing our surroundings. Some of us kept looking in the direction where the group left while others allowed themselves to take a quick brake.
It seemed like it was even quieter than before the group passed with not even a slight breeze of wind surrounding us, making an excellent job at annoyingly tugging at my nerves.

This would've been somewhat of a suitable moment for the killer to strike yet there was still not the slightest sign. For a very short moment I found myself thinking and hoping that the killer would already get it over with as if I was the most suicidal person in this world but how could I not when it was tearing my nerves apart.

It felt like an hour passed by though looking at my watch it said it was only 7.45 am.
How odd that a "war" could be so quiet and anticlimactic in contrast to the war seven years ago which resembled a blood bath and a massacre.
Then, in the nerve-tugging silence, my walkie talkie clicked and someone spoke.

"Unit 17. Runaways and Factionless heading your way! Get ready. Over."

____________________________

Sooo... things are - finally - getting exciting!
Who do you think could be the killer?