Finding The Courage

Part 50

The train slowed down as we got closer to our destination. I watch as Tris and Four sit in one of the doorways, their feet dangling over empty space. I turned away from them as Four threw his arm around Tris. I still hated the way it made me feel to watch the two of them together. Four, who was still very angry with Caleb, pushed him out of the train car first. The rest of us jumped off the train like we had so many times before. It was dark but soon flashlights were being turned on as We gathered as a group again. I lingered at the back of the group as the others teased each other. I couldn't help but smile to myself. It was nice to watch them act carefree one last time before things got messy.Peter nudged my shoulder as Tori waved her flash light to grab our attention.

"Johanna and the trucks are going to be about a ten minute walk from here, let's get going." We all began to shuffle forwards. "If I hear a word from any of you I will beat you senseless. We aren't out yet." Tori warned us. I threw a playful look at Uriah indicating I thought he would be the one to get the beat down. He reacted with a fake hurt face. We made our way through the dark towards the trucks that Johanna had arranged to be waiting for us. We were close together moving like a unit of elitely trained soldiers, which I guess we were. Tori led us through the night.

Tori was getting further away from us by the second, before any of us could jog to catch up to her a shot rang out piercing the darkness. The only thing we saw was her flashlight hitting the ground.

"Split up!" Four shouted. "Run!"

Peter pulled with him as the rest of the group scattered. We stayed low to the ground and kept moving as we returned fire. In the dark I had no way of knowing where anyone was but I kept my eyes on the flashlight Tori dropped and spotted Tris. Peter shoved me down as he took a shot and I lost sight of Tris. When I looked back up the light was gone. Peter dragged me after the light. I wasn't watching the ground and stumbled over something. I turned to look down as I caught myself only to realize it was Tori. My heart stopped in my chest as I searched for any sign of life as the sound of gun fire started to dissipate. Peter had noticed I was no longer beside him and came to crouch next to me as I searched Tori for a pulse. I let out a sob as I couldn't find one.

"We have to go." Peter urged me, tugging on my hand to get me to move again. I quickly gathered the supplies Tori had on her and handed Peter her gun.

"I'm sorry." I whispered to her and kissed her forehead before leaving her there as we ran off into the night. .

In the distance I saw a steady light, I had a feeling that it was Johanna and I began to drag Peter along with me as I picked up speed desperate to see if the others were safe. The truck was moving towards us slowly.

"Tris?" I called out as the lights got brighter.

Tris jumped out of the truck to wrap me in her arms.

"I saw Tori go down and when we didn't see you I was so afraid we had lost you too." Tris whispered to me.

"Peter pulled me away. Did you at least get them?" I asked.

"Yea I shot her." I patted Tris's arm and checked on Four who was bleeding lightly from his arm. A quick glance was all I needed, he would be fine.

The ride was quiet except for the occasional bump from the truck or question from Tris but I wasn't paying attention to her. The landscape was beautiful, it looked like nature had overtaken the city we now knew it was. Four put his hand out the window and signed, I facade him only to see that he too was lost in thought.

"This is it." Johanna's voice startled me out of my daydreams. "The outer limits of the Dauntless patrols." There was nothing there, nothing to distinguish the difference of Amity's farms except a series of signs with x's on them. To stop any Dauntless patrol from going too far.

"Have they ever gone past the limit?" Tris breathed out.

"A few times." Was Johanna's response. "It was our responsibility to handle it if it did happen." Tris and I both gave her a look and she shrugged at us. "Each faction has a serum. The Dauntless serum gives hallucinated realities, Candor's gives the truth, Amity's gives peace, Erudite's gives death, and Abnegation" She paused for a minute when Tris shuddered. "Resets memory."

"Resets memory?" Four and I exchanged a look.

"Like Amanda Ritter's memory." Four said.

"She said there were many things she was happy to forget. I remember." I responded.

"The Amity were charged with administering Abnegation serum to anyone who went too far. Just enough for them to forget the experience and nothing more." Johanna informed us.

I knew Four and I were thinking the same thing. Anybody who had gotten this far and had their memory erased. I shuddered at the thought of stealing someone's memories. It was wrong, and it just pointed to all the ways our city needed to be fixed.

"Look." Four grabbed Tris's hand and pointed in front of us as the early morning light began to brighten the world around us. I began to examine the world around us, roads and dark buildings, power lines that were collapsing. It was nothing like the city we had left behind. I felt almost half finished. There were train tracks here as well, several sets that all seemed to lead towards one building.

"What do we do now?" asked Uriah.

"We follow the tracks." Tris answered.