Finding The Courage

Part 35

I pulled Shauna out of the way as Four and Tris retreated back to us, Shauna was bleeding everywhere and I was running out of ideas. I had already stripped off my t-shirt, having ripped it to shreds trying to wrap it around her torso. I threw my jacket back on as Four picked her up and we took off running out of the building and back towards Candor. As we were running, Four started yelling at us.

"How could you be that stupid!" His anger was directed at both of us.

"Don't you dare try to lecture me Four." I growled, taking off at top speed to reach Candor and have them prepare for Shauna. We were not that far away and as we approached we were met with a team of Dauntless and a very concerned Zeke.

"Tris. Stop. Listen to me, if you keep risking your life like this reckless and senseless we are done." I heard Four declare before I followed after Zeke to help with Shauna. Tris is next to me moments later and once we were dismissed from where they had taken Shauna she dragged me along to see Tori.

Tori was sitting in a bed, her arm wrapped up like mine had been when I had been shot. She looked thrilled to see our faces as we sat down on either side of her bed facing her.

"Tori, you need to call a Dauntless meeting." Tris started.

"What for?"

"We aren't safe here anymore. Jeanine has made requests and Jack will follow through." I finished for Tris. I got up and left the room as Tori informed Tris about her time as a spy and what she had seen in Jeanine's private lab. I made my way to Christina's room, I found it with little problems and knocked on her door.

"I need you to dress me up again." I said when she opened the door. Twenty minutes later I was showered and dressed with my hair and makeup done. Christina had chosen to put me in black pants and a black crop top along with a maroon open front sweater she had managed to take with her from Dauntless. I insisted on keeping my boots this time and tucked the knife back into it as I left her room. This time Eric was going to talk to me, not toy with me. I made the familiar trip to the holding cells, hyping myself up until I was standing in front of the door to his cell.

"What brings you to my humble abode." Eric got up off the bench and started to circle me as I stepped into the room.

"Stop playing games. Jeanine has requested your safe return; we both know Tris won't let that happen. So why don't you tell me what you can before it's too late." I turned to face him. I watched his face and for the first time I saw what had to be fear, the realization that he would not be making it out alive. He sat with his back against the wall and his legs stretched out. He patted to the space between his legs motioning for me to sit with him. I carefully placed myself between his legs as with my back against his chest. He wrapped his arms around me, I tensed up and felt his chest rumble in a low chuckle.

"Indulge me, if what you said is true then this is my last chance to be alone with you. I want one last night on the roof with you. I'll tell you what I know if you just let me hold you." In that moment Eric wasn't the strong scary leader of Dauntless but a scared 18 year old boy who was staring death in the face.

"Jeanine is looking for something, Abnegation was supposed to have it. Those disks we shot at people were to inject them with serum like the one used on the attack of Abnegation. Jeanine needs the divergent for something, that's why she keeps coming after your friend. She wants all the divergent dead in order to maintain what she thinks is peace." He rested his chin on top of my head. "That's all I know. I was tasked with finding and destroying as many divergent as possible. I can see now that some of you are better at hiding in plain sight." He kissed the top of my head this time. We sat in silence for a while.

"Tell me a story, something only you and I will share." This time my heart broke for him. Eric was a murder, I knew this but he had done it to protect me.

"Only if you tell me a secret." I felt conflicted sharing such a sweet moment with someone who had actively tried to kill my friends not too long ago. He had tried to fight me himself when I had challenged him during initiation.

"The day you landed on the roof I knew you would be trouble for me. You looked me dead in the eye and jumped off that roof with no regard for your safety and laughed as you fell. I have never seen such stupid bravery."

"I thought you were going to kill me that day you tried to fight me for standing up to you." I whispered to the silent room. "I thought you were going to throw me off the chasm the night you found me sitting there."

"How could I? Only a few people have ever challenged me, or even avoided my punches. You are the only girl. It made you that much more desirable to me." Suddenly he pushed me away from him just a little bit and turned me to face him. He gently brought one of his large hands to hold my cheek and guided my face to his. This kiss was different, this was the type of kiss I would have expected from Four. It was gentle and soft. I was stunned as he pulled away and for the first time since I had known Eric I saw a genuine smile from him.

"You've been here too long, the guards should have come to remove you by now. Your friends are probably on their way." He mumbled as I began to move away from him. He reached into his pocket and removed a small bag. He held the bag out to me.

"Take it. It was always going to be yours." I grabbed the bag from him and examined it in my hand but hid it suddenly when I heard a commotion outside the room. Four burst through the door, the look of shock on his face mirrored mine as he looked for Eric. Finding him in the corner, Four grabbed him and dragged him out of the room. In the hallway were all of the Dauntless who were old enough to be full members.

"Tell us why Jeanine is hunting Tris." Four shouted as he threw Eric on the floor. Eric just chuckled.

"Do you really think I would tell you if your precious little companion couldn't get it out of me?" Four made a show of making sure the gun was loaded and the safety was off in an attempt to scare Eric.

"I'm only going to ask once." Four said and this time Tris aimed a gun at Eric's head.

"All I ask is that you are the one to shoot me, so you can live with the guilt of being a murder. You're no better than me." Eric met Four's eyes and grinned at him.

"I will never feel guilty for killing you." Four aimed at Eric's head ready to pull the trigger.

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you." Eric's eyes met mine and then he was on the floor, the life draining from his eyes.