Holding On||Peter Hayes (Divergent)

Chapter 18

Peter.

I want to find him. I stand on the train beside Uriah and Marlene, looking around without any head movement to find my boyfriend. I'm unable to find him among the many others in the carriage. I think he's behind me, but a part of me doubts that. I want him with me, just to stand by me. The train then stops - the train never stops - and we all hop out to the Abnegation sector. What are we doing with a bunch of Stiffs? The Abnegation all start running, grabbing the children and leading them to safety. The guns go off and bodies begin falling. How could my faction be so heartless? Yes, we are a cruel faction according to those that aren't a part of Dauntless, but have mercy upon the children! Half of them might not even be Divergent.

I don't understand the term 'Divergent' anymore. Before all this, I thought I was different and couldn't tell anyone as I was more advanced and acquired more traits than an average person. The way I see them now Divergents are monsters, creatures to be slaughtered no matter age, faction or state of health. We're only people, just like the non-Divergent. As far as I'm aware, Divergents only became threats now. I don't understand Erudite and never will - even though I have a part of them in me due to my Aptitude Test.

Then I remembered all the issues with the city's leadership and how Jeanine Mathews wanted Erudite to be the leader faction. The attack against Abnegation about Divergents, but leading the city. Good leaders don't instigate war upon other factions and brainwash the strongest faction to help. Abnegation were good leaders of the city - they knew what was right. Gunshots kept ringing through the air. They're gunning the Abnegation down one by one. Uriah looked at me, raising his gun. I did the same and shot in clear spaces, trying to avoid any men, women or children in grey slacks bolting past.

"You two!" Eric called to me and Uriah. I turned to him with Uriah in sync, marching towards him in the fashion of the other brain-dead soldiers. Eric looked to me and tapped my neck where he injected me with the serum the previous day. "I thought you were Divergent, you know. I guess you're just too good to be Dauntless... you too Pedrad. Your brother is a total failure, I'm glad you've made it high up the ranks." I wanted to smack Eric right there, but keeping undercover is more important than my violent needs. "Check this row of houses and gun down any Stiffs you see."

Uriah and I walk into the first house. The Abnegation houses are made of cement and are cube shaped, all lined up in neat formation. Inside they're bleak and drab, matching their mundane personalities. Once Uriah and I are inside, we search around to find any Abnegation. "We're not killing them." I declare. "We have to get them out somehow - or hide them or -"

"I found a family - no, no, no my friend and I are rescuing you, not killing - Piper you pansycake come to the kitchen now!" I run in the direction of Uriah's voice, rolling my eyes at him. "How are we gonna get them out?"

Uriah is standing in front of a family of four: a man and a tearful woman huddled against the cabinets of their kitchen, holding the shoulders of their two children. The children are twins, a boy and a girl, like AJ and me, looking around the age of eight. I have a mini flashback of when I was younger and both my parents were together. Abandoning all thoughts, I kneel level with the family and begin hurriedly speaking. "We don't have much time here, and I don't want to have to kill anyone today, but I have to say this," I begin, setting my gun behind me. "I'm Piper and that's my friend Uriah. Our faction have been injected by a serum by the Erudite and have no idea what they're doing. We're Divergent so the serum doesn't work on us. Do you have a back door or a window facing the outer parts of the sector?"

"Yes, just up here," the man points. He stands up, telling his wife and children to follow him.

"Piper, give them these knives, and keep a few for yourself." Uriah hands me an array of knives. I take three and store them in my jean belt. I hand a knife to the parents and children.