Discoveries ✔ (Divergent Fourtris Fanfiction)

Chapter 46

So this is a dark chapter... sorry.

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Tris

I rub my sleepy eyes and look around for Tobias until I see his silhouette in the darkness. He sits on a chair, bowed down to tie his shoelaces. I frown.

"Tobias?"

The silence makes my voice sound louder.

He doesn't answer. In fact, he doesn't react at all.

I throw the blanket off of me and get out of bed. The floor is cold under my naked feet as I walk towards him.

Tobias lifts his head up to me when I stand right in front of him, and I gasp and jump back in horror.

His eyes.

His eyes are not like his.

They are empty, staring at me without showing any emotion. There's nothing there; no fear, no recognition, no love.

No Tobias.

***

I walk behind him in silence, my thoughts racing to find a way out of this situation. More people with empty eyes join us as we march along the hallways. Everyone's steps share the same rhythm, so I intend to stick to it, too.

I can only assume we're heading to the pit, but we're taking the strangest route, passing by all of our friends' apartments. Christina. Uriah. Lynn. Marlene. Zeke and Shauna. Will. Lauren.

They all look the same.

They all look like empty shells.

It's hard not to panic as I realize that I'm alone, completely alone.

Why is this happening?

***

The pit is crowded with people. There must be some secret pattern in which everyone finds his or her place in one of the many lines. I struggle not to differ from the rhythm of the steps as I try to find the place that I'm supposed to go.

I don't know how, but I just walk and end up in a line in the middle, right behind Lauren.

It's surreal that I'm the only one in the crowd who knows what's really going on.

The waiting people stand so still that I don't dare to move either. I just glance sideways to where Tobias was standing only seconds ago, but he's not there anymore.

My heart rate speeds up. Where is he? Where has he gone?

I can't control my breathing. I try to take in deep breaths, and slowly, but I can't. I just can't.

***

We're moving forwards, every line in the same pace. I can't see what they're doing in the front.

I can't see. It's too dark, and there are too many expressionless faces around me. All those people. They have all turned into mindless soldiers because our vaccine doesn't work.

I finally recognize it's Eric who's standing facing my line, holding a syringe of orange liquid that he injects into the neck of the boy in front of him.

Another step.

I have to take another step.

And another.

It's Lauren's turn now, but Eric's hand holding the syringe sinks.

"Lauren," he says.

"Eric," she replies, her voice firm.