Memories of You

Chapter Forty-Six - No Winners

 Thank you so much to Depecher and BarbaraK2U for your endless help.  I know these last chapters have been difficult, but I can't thank you guys enough.  Thank you, thank you.  

Tobias' POV

The urgent pounding of feet is the only recognizable sound among the shouts of anger and rage. It seems that the thought of a peaceful surrender by the enemy has been long forgotten. The only thought in the minds of the frenzied soldiers is the desire for blood.

Though I run with the stampede of men with my rifle at the ready, I am only out for the blood of the soldiers that have hurt Tris. I certainly don't condone what we found on the train, and I do want the individuals that did that to pay dearly. And while I know hundreds if not thousands of desperate people need to be liberated from their hellish captivity, today I am only here to rescue the woman I love. I will let the others deal with their rage and pain in their own way. I will only exact revenge on the man in black, should he be there. If I find him, I will gladly give him the serum Matthew concocted: that barbarian is the only person I will actually take pleasure in killing today.

The camp comes into view, and my breath catches as I halt in my tracks. Rags stops ahead of me when he realizes I'm no longer following him and runs to be by my side. I feel the grip on my rifle loosen and it slowly falls out of my grip, hitting the soft grass underfoot. It's huge. She could be anywhere in there. For a brief moment, I panic that I'll never find her, but then I shake my head. That's why I have Rags — he'll be able to find her.

I hear shots being fired near the gate, and I can only assume the first soldiers to get there have decided that for the cruelty they have witnessed, they will not be showing mercy today. The enemy soldiers here will pay the ultimate price for it, whether they inflicted it or not.

When he hears the gunfire and chaos erupt, Rags starts growling lowly, his body getting ready to spring forward. I quickly grab his collar before he can run, and fish for the leash in my pants pocket so he doesn't bite my hand again. He strains against the lead, and I pull him back to my side.

I wrap Rags' leash around my hand to lessen the distance between us, reach down to pick up my rifle, and hike the strap over my shoulder. I lean over, scratching Rags' head to try and keep him calm. "Let's hope she's here, boy," I state softly. Rags keeps his stance as low as I'll allow him; his ears are plastered to his head, ready to take off if I give him the chance. His low growls continue despite the gentle words I speak to him.

Amar, George, Zeke, Will and Uriah gather next to me, looking over the chaos going on within the walls. Amar looks at Will and says firmly, "Start setting up. I'm not sure what we're going to find, but try to prepare for any and every possibility."

Will nods, taking his pack off and setting it on the ground. "Guys, leave your stuff here. I'm going to need blankets and tent poles, just in case."

We take our packs off, removing anything we might need, and leave them next to Will as he hurriedly begins creating a makeshift stretcher.

Rags strains to get to the road, whimpering and whining as Jeeps and other vehicles begin to roll past us. Amar looks at the rest of us. "Remember, we do not interfere. Got it?"

We nod, and say in unison, "Yes, sir."

I look to Will, who has his head down. "We'll radio if we find her." He nods his head quickly, continuing to pull what he needs from his pack and ours. I pull my pistol out while everyone else readies their rifles, and let out some length on Rags' lead.