As I promised, here is chapter 9. Though it is short, it's kinda (like I explained before) the 'ending' to the first part of this book. Hope you enjoy!
CHAPTER 9
“Help!” I scream at the top of my lungs. “HELP!” I can’t get up with his body on top of mine. His cheek is on my shoulder, keeping me from lifting my head. Tears stream unwillingly down my face.
“HELP!” I sob. I’m only sixteen. There shouldn’t be a dead body lying on top of me. My ex-boyfriend’s dead body shouldn’t be on top of me. “Help,” I say, half-heartedly.
What if I’m caught here forever? What if they think I’m dead? What if they leave me here in Dauntless? What if—
“Cath?”
I turn my head slightly to see Bass in the doorway, and the only way I react it through sobs. He hurries to my side, rolling Patch’s body off of me. His face is horror-struck when he sees the face of the dead Dauntless guard, and I pull myself up to a sitting position.
“Let’s go,” I say. I can’t talk about it right now. Too much is going on in my head. I can’t think straight anymore. All I can do is take steps, look straight ahead, and keep shoving air into my lungs. No time for anything else. No strength for thoughts.
“Cath, you should slow down. Take a breath,” he suggests cautiously.
I glance at the monitor. There are images of Dauntless looking confused, Abnegation looking relieved, but there’s also a screen showing aware Dauntless soldiers coming our way.
“We have to leave,” I say, pointing at the computer screen. “They’ll be here in a matter of minutes. Now come on.” I stomp out of the room and jog to the corridor. There stands Tris, hugging her brother, Jackson and my father. No Andrew.
“Where’s your dad?” I ask Tris. She simply shakes her head.
Defend. Protect. I guess there were some things I couldn’t control today.
“Let’s go,” I bark.
I head for the elevator and don’t look back.
+ + +
I sit with my feet dangling over the edge of. We go to Amity next. At least, that’s what I thought I heard Bass say.
The sun is just setting over the city’s skyline, the trees slowly turning red as we edge our way into the fall. The snow will come soon after that. I wonder if the factions will still be at war by then. I wonder if I’ll still be alive to see it. It’s shocking to believe that last year’s might’ve been my last winter. It’s hard to believe anything today.
I don’t think I’ve accepted it yet. I don’t know what to think. I guess I just don’t know anymore.
Someone takes a seat beside me, but I don’t even notice before the person, Bass, says, “You good?”
I purse my lips. “Not really.”
He wraps an arm around my shoulders and hugs me to his side. “Don’t forget. I’m always here for you.”
“I know.” I smile. “We always have each other’s back’s. No matter what.”
We’re both silent for a moment, and when I glance behind me, I see that Tris is in the corner, sleeping, with her head against her brother’s shoulders. Marcus is sitting idly by, and Jackson…is staring my way. I smile, a faint blush creeping onto my face, then look away. There’s something about…I don’t know.
“What next?” I ask softly. “The war’s over.”
“No,” Bass scoffs. “It’s only begun.” He shakes his head a little. “This city will never be the same.”
“What if that’s a good thing?” I wonder. “What if it’s what we needed?”
“I don’t know.” He pauses. “We’ll just have to wait and see.”
+ + +
We are like the Factionless now. We have no definite home, no definite identity. We only have names, guns strapped to our hips, and clothes of various colors that mean nothing to us anymore. We are broken pieces of a precedent whole, scattered around the city, impossible to be swept and glued back together. We may not know what’s next. What lies beyond the next sunset and sunrise. We only know that the sun will set and rise, and life will go on, whether we like it or not. And we will have to face whatever the universe throws at us. We are many things, but we are not alone.
So we’ll ride the train to the end of the line, and then, we’ll jump.
Like I said, very short. Not even a thousand words. But I'm working on it right now! Stay tuned, as I may or may not update next weekend! Have a nice week everyone!
DFTBA,
-Kathleen
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