The Last Promise (Alternate Ending)

The Last Promise

The ride back to the compound is slow and dark. I watch the moon disappear and reappear behind the clouds as we bump over the ground. When we reach the outer limits of the city, It begins to snow again, large, light flakes that swirl in front of the headlights. I wonder if Tris is watching it sweep across the pavement and gather in piles by the airplanes. I wonder if she's living in a better world than the one I left, among people who no longer remember what it is to have pure genes. Christina leans forward to whisper in my ear.

"So you did it? It worked?"

I nod. I see her touch her face with both hands, grinning into her palms. I know how she feels: Safe. We are all safe.

"Did you inoculate your family?" I say.

"Yep, we found them in the hancock building with the Allegiant."

I nod focusing back on Zeke and Hana. They murmur to each other, watching the strange, dark world as we move. Amar gives the basic explanation as we go. I try to ignore my surges of panic as he almost veers into street lights or road barriers, and focus instead on the snow. I've always hated the emptiness winter brings, the blank landscape and the stark difference between sky and ground, the way it transforms trees into skeletons and the city into wasteland. Maybe this winter I can be persuaded otherwise.

When we arrive at the compound, I note that there are no longer guards standing at the foot of the fence. And instead of feeling a sense of hope, I find myself growing worried but I do not bother addressing it to the that rest. We hop out of the truck, one by one. Zeke stays behind to help his mother walk through the snow that has now begun to compact into frozen layers, making it more difficult to walk through. I tell Zeke to stay behind with Evelyn so Christina, Amar and I can look around to make sure everything is alright.

"Where is everyone?" Amar says as we make our way past the abandoned security checkpoint. Before we turn the hall toward the laboratory, I place a hand out so the others will stop behind me. Something isn't right..."Four, what are you-"

Amar doesn't even get a chance to finish his sentence, he falls almost instantly leaving Christina and me panting behind the wall. There's a loud cry in the distance and then I hear gunshots, but all I can think about is Amar, my instructor, once dead to me, is dead yet again. Only this time it isn't a lie, this time it's real. Just like those gunshots are real. We've arrived sooner than we expected.

"Tris and Caleb haven't stopped the serum" Christina says breathing a little too hard. I nod my head taking in the obvious. Tris. Where is she?

I move my hand over the gun at my side and peer behind the wall. It appears to look empty but I know for a fact they're hiding, waiting for the right moment to take us down.

"You should go warn Zeke and Evelyn, I'll stay behind to look for Tris." I glance back at Christina to make sure she heard me and is still fully aware and capable of responding. She gives me a look before grabbing her weapon.

"Right! Because those gunshots were not loud enough." I don't bother to deal with her candor smart mouth.

I hold out two fingers and instruct her to go to the right. I'll take the left. She follows my lead away from our protective wall. We move slowly, looking in both directions, watching each others backs. The guns held out in front of our bodies. I take slow easy breaths remembering what it's like to hold a gun, a gun I thought I'd never be holding again.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spot a guard hiding behind a pot of what they call 'Zebra Grass'. Not the best hiding spot. I shoot without hesitation and trigger a violent mess. I aim my gun at another guard to my left and fire, keeping a close watch on Christina. Now that I think about it, she's never actually fought a real battle if you decide not to count the abnegation attacks.