A Dauntless Love

Chapter 29

Eric's POV

I saw the gun pointed at my head and I knew it was all over. After everything I had done and everything we had been through I knew Four would not let me live. He was going to kill me. The only thought I had was of Lizzy and the baby. My actions had led me here but I wasn't the only one that was going to be paying the price. When I was gone Lizzy would have no one. She was going to have to raise our baby all by herself. Thinking of my child that I would never know tore my heart in two. My son or daughter would never know me, never know my voice. I would never get to hold my child in my arms or feel their little hand in mine. I was not ready to leave this world.

I heard my name yelled and I knew there was only one person who could have said it. Lizzy was here. Why was she here? I did not want her to witness this. I scanned the crowd until I saw her standing there. I took in the sight of her face one last time. Her long scarlet hair hung around her face wildly and I remembered how it felt between my fingers. I looked into her emerald eyes and my heart shattered into a thousand pieces. Her eyes were darker than they normally were and I could see that tears were streaming from them. I looked at the curve of her lips and remembered what they tasted like. Her face was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen and I knew it would be the last thing I ever saw. I loved this woman more than I had ever loved anything in the world and I had destroyed her. My death would leave her alone and leave her in pain. My eyes glanced from her face to her rounded belly. Her hands cradled the tiny bump where our child grew. My hands ached to touch it one more time. I wanted one more time to tell my baby that I loved them. I looked at her face again and saw the anguish painted on her beautiful features. I did not have enough time to look at her before the gun went off.

Liz's POV

I fell to the ground next to Eric's body and pulled his head into my lap. I could hardly see from the tears streaming down my face. I could feel the warmth of Eric's blood beginning to cover me. I blinked away my tears and looked at his face. His eyes were open but he was not there. Those beautiful icy eyes held nothing behind them. Whenever I looked into Eric's eyes I had seen the love shining from them. I couldn't stand to look into those eyes that were void of anything. I gently closed his eyelids and pressed my face against his. I stroked his blood soaked hair. His body was still warm but I could feel it already beginning to grow cold. I gently kissed his lips.

"Eric...I...I love you..." I choked out.

My tears turned to sobs as I rocked back and forth with Eric's body cradled against me. I knew there were still people all around me but I did not care. Eric was gone. The love of my life was forever taken from me. I took his hand and pressed it to my lips. The warmth had yet to leave his fingers. I held his hand against my rounded belly. Even though he was gone he could touch our baby one last time. My world had just come crumbling down around me and I did not know where to go from here. Eric's body was getting cold in my arms but I could not let go. I saw a few people move towards us and I looked up. Four and Tris were standing there and I looked at them with a ferocity that I did not know I had in me. I had always thought Four was a better person but now he had killed the father of my child. My child would have to grow up without a father because of him. No one moved as I stared down Four until he turned and left with Tris right behind him.

A few people stepped towards us and I looked at them. They reached to touch Eric and take his body. I was not ready to let go just yet.

"DON'T YOU TOUCH HIM!" I yelled and they back up.

The room started to clear out and I stayed there with Eric's body just rocking back and forth. The sobs had turned to whimpers as his body had grown cold. My legs ached from being on the cold stone floor but I could not move. If I let go of his body then he would be gone forever. I felt someone put their hands on my shoulders and I jumped. I looked up and saw that it was Marley. She knelt down beside me.

"Liz, I am so sorry sweetie." She said.

A new sob came forth from my soul and I leaned my head against her. She smoothed down my wild and bloodstained hair.

"Come on Liz. You can't stay there forever. You need to let them take his body."

"I...I...I can't...he...he's my Eric. I love him." I whispered.

"I know sweetie I know. Think about your baby okay. Your beautiful, precious baby. You need to take care of it. Get up. I will help you okay?"

I looked at Eric's body one more time. The color had already left his skin. I kissed his cold lips on more time and stroked his stone cheek.

"I love you Eric." I whispered to him.

I set his head back down on the ground. Marley held her arms out to me and I took them. She helped me to my feet. My legs protested moving after kneeling on the floor for so long. I looked down and saw that I was covered in blood, Eric's blood. Marley held onto me as she guided me through Candor. We passed people all along the way and they all looked at me in sympathy. Not many people had love for Eric but I suppose I was another story. I had done many of the Dauntless members' tattoos so they knew me. Candor knew nothing except what they saw and what they saw was a pregnant woman just lose the father of her baby. I'm sure I looked haunting as I walked through the halls covered in blood with tears still streaming down my face. We got outside and the outside air hit me. Instead of refreshing me though it only made it worse. I cleared my head and made everything sink in. I was a single mother. Eric was dead.