Convergent

Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Tobias

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As we all exit the metal building, we form a group around my mother. We need to get her to the Rebel Headquarters, which was once the town hall of the Fringe. Amar leads us half a mile down by the gate, and on the other side lay two allies branching off into two others. Destroyed buildings rot on the other side, and it's what we use to hide in.

Amar holds up a section of the fence that he cut open, and allows everyone to crawl through. Once on the other side, everyone draws their guns and loads the chamber.

My mother looks at us and points down the ally. "My guard, Zeke and I will take a short cut through the slums of the city to get to town hall, which is one of the less patrolled places by the rebels. You guys head straight down this ally to get to the main streets. Make sure every single rebel is dead. We don't want anymore civilian bloodshed then there already is." She says, then looks at me. Nodding her head, she smiles and turns around, following her guard to the right.

"Let's do this," I say as I jog down the ally way.

+

I stick my head around the brick building we crouch behind and study my surroundings.

The Main Street is full of rebels with weapons. Two stand near the buildings, making sure the people inside don't come out. Four other guards drag a family of four to the center of the street. The mother is crying and two of the girls are screaming. Nine other rebels stand around the family, guns pointed.

Christina pops her head in next to mine. "If we want to make a move, now is the best time," she whispers. I lean my head back over the corner of the building and eye the rebels. "Just like Evelyn said, we don't want anymore innocent bloodshed."

Tris puts her arm on my shoulder. "Tobias, we need to move now." I nod.

"TO YOUR KNEES!" A rebel man shouts. The men behind the family push them down onto the gravel, until all of them are looking up at barrels of guns. He walks around the family and pauses next to the wife. "Do you know why you are going to be killed?" He asks with a sly smile. "He," pointing to the father, "has decided to decline joining our group. And we don't take no for an answer. You are either with us," he shouts lifting his gun in the air, pointing it at the mother. "Or against us."

A silver knife flies through the air and stabs straight through the rebel's right hand. Dropping the gun he screams, as blood drips onto the black road. Tris, Christina, Amar, George and I emerge from the covering of the buildings and start shooting.

Tris throws another knife, landing square in the chest of the man who was threatening to kill the family. She pulls out her gun and shoots to her left, hitting the guy in the forehead. I shoot to my right, getting the two standing by the buildings and they crumble to the ground, blood dribbling from their lips.

Christina fires back to back with Tris, covering each other. I shoot another one, that takes refuge in the trees to the left.

George fires at a rebel running up to the family, and shoots him in the back. The little girls scream as the body thuds to the ground next to them. Amar shoots another rebel in the chest, and turns his back to George.

Two more rebels come from the buildings, running towards George. I see it happening before I react to the situation. I jump into the air and fire, nailing one between the eyes, but I fall to the ground, my gun sliding away.

The rebel continues to run up to George, but George does not see him.

"GEORGE!" I yell as I push myself to my knees. He turns around and his eyes widen. The rebel pulls the trigger and a bullet flies through the air. Suddenly, Amar jumps in front of George, pushing him out of the way. The bullet buries itself into his head.

I jump and begin to run toward the rebel when a knife suddenly stabs through his chest. I skid to a stop as the body falls to the ground and I see Tris to the side of me, her arm still in aiming position.

I look back in the center of the street and see Amar sprawled on the floor, lying in a pool of blood.

Amar. My instructor. I drop my gun on the gravel and run towards him.

George hovers over him, tears running down his face. "Amar!" He screams. His hands grabs his shoulders, but Christina pulls George away from the body of Amar.

I look down. Amar holds his chest, blood collecting in his neck and pooling around his head. His dark eyes look beyond me, into the cloudy sky.

Something inside of me drops. He was my instructor. He helped me survive through Dauntless. He was one of my only friends there.

I close Amar's eyelids and stand up. Tris walks up to me, placing her hand on my back. "Tobias, we need to keep moving." She says. "I know it's hard, but we have to keep going. We can come back later for Amar." Small tears collect at her eyes. "This is what happened to me, with my parents. I was forced to leave their bodies, and I kept moving. We need to get to City Hall before they all force their way out of the city."

I nod in agreement.

George stands up, and sniffles, then retrieves his gun from the floor. Christina looks back at me, then the body, and turns back around.

"Town hall should be right down there," Tris tells us. She points down the road. "Around the ruins of the park, it should be across the street. We need to get there soon, so we can protect Evelyn." She starts in a jog, and we follow.

I turn once more, looking at Amar in a pool of blood. I turn around, and wash the image from my head and continue to run.