The Unlucky Ones

[30] - Chasm

[Tobias]

I try to sleep for the better part of an hour, twisting under the covers to find a comfortable position. But it seems like someone has replaced my mattress with a bag of rocks. Or maybe it's just that my mind is too busy for sleep. Eventually, I give up, putting on my shoes and jacket and walking to the Pire, the way I do every time I can't sleep. I think about running the fear landscape program again, but I didn't think to replenish my supply of simulation serum this afternoon, and it would be a hassle to get some now. Instead I walk to the control room, where Gus greets me with a grunt and the other two on staff don't even notice me come in. I don't try to go through Max's files again--I feel like I know everything I need to know, which is that something bad is coming and I have no idea whether I'll try to stop it.

I need to tell someone, I need someone to share in this with me, to tell me what to do. But there's no one that I would trust with something like this. Even my friends here were born and raised in Dauntless; how can I know that they wouldn't trust their leaders implicitly? I can't know. For some reason, Tris's face comes to mind, open but stern as she clasps my hand in the hallway. I scroll through the footage, looking over the city streets and then returning to the Dauntless compound. Most of the hallways are so dark, I couldn't see anything even if it was there. In my headphones, I hear only the rush of water in the chasm or the whistle of wind through the alleys. I sigh, leaning my head into my hand, and watch the changing images, one after another, and let them lull me into something like sleep.

" Go to bed, Four, " Gus says from across the room.

I jerk awake, and nod. If I'm not actually looking at the footage it's not a good idea for me to be in the control room. I log out of my account and walk down the hallway to the elevator, blinking myself awake. As I walk across the lobby, I hear a scream coming from below, coming from the Pit. It's not a good-natured Dauntless shout, or the shriek of someone who is scared but delighted, or anything but the particular tone, the particular pitch of terror. Small rocks scatter behind me as I run down to the bottom of the Pit, my breathing fast and heavy, but even. I've gotta get there before something bad happens.

[Beatrice Prior]

A hand wraps around my neck. It squeezes my throat tightly. A hand wraps around my wrist. Elbows slam into my ribs and shoulders. The hand on my throat lifts and covers my mouth. In the moment, time flies by at such a slow pace. It moves and then stops and I'm stuck there with a frozen time that has no intention of starting up again. Tears burn at my eyes. Time begins to pick up its pace and all of a sudden, three men are on me, tackling me to the ground. I can feel their hands on me. They are feeling every inch of me. My throat closes up at the realization of what could happen if they decide to go further. I lift my knee, kneeing one of them in the stomach. Whoever the medium height one is, he groans, leaning backward, but only after he slams my shoulders and head into the concrete beneath me. The other two take me by my hands and legs, lifting me off of the ground, my mouth still covered. I swing my legs, trying to shake the one holding my legs. I kick and elbow them. I want to be free. I hit the one holding my legs hard enough to make him drop my legs. My feet touch concrete and I kick backward, hitting the one holding my arms in the shins. His hand releases my mouth and the other releases my arms. I make a run for it.

" Help! " I scream.

The one I kneed in the stomach appears in front of me, grabbing me by the side of my arms. His knee lifts into my stomach, plunging deeper into my abdomen. I'm shocked and release a sharp exhale. I slouch and his arms wrap around me. He holds me as I gasp for air. All of a sudden, a dark cloth is covering my eyes. Heavy hands tie it behind my head. A hand is covering my mouth again. It smells familiar. Oddly familiar. I bite the hand. His hand slips.

" Keep her mouth covered. We can't have others confronting us. " A voice.

Peter. I should've known. He's always been out for me. No wonder he's out for me now. The hand clamps down on my mouth again and they lift me up. All I can rely on to tell me where I am is sound now. I listen and inhale sharply when I hear the sound of loud rushing water. We're at the chasm. The hand lowers and my mouth is exposed. I'm gasping for air, frantically trying to make my way out of this somewhere. I scream out while I can.

" Cover the Damn Stiff's mouth! " Peter screams.

The hand covers my mouth again. I clench my teeth and take in the scent on the hand on my mouth. It smells like soap. Lemongrass and Sage soap. The same scent drifts around Al's bed and clothing in the Dorms. A pit forms in my stomach. I can't believe that Al would do this to me.

" Lift her up, guys. Get her over the bar! " Peter says.

I begin to swing my legs and arms, trying to break free from this.

" Jeez, Stiff. You sure you're Sixteen? It doesn't feel like it. " Peter says.

Bile rises in my throat and I force myself to swallow it.

" Oh, wait! I found something! " He exclaims.

He grabs my waist, and his hands glide further down my body, getting too close to other parts of me. I elbow Peter in the chest.

" Don't do that to her, Peter. " Al says, tension obvious in his voice.

Do not try to justify anything you are doing, Al.

I thrash again, this time falling out of Al's arms. An arm swings close to my mouth and I bite down quickly. I bite harder, tasting the sharp twang of blood in my mouth, and not my own. Something hard hits my face and shocks me, sending blinding white heat through my head. If it weren't for the coursing Adrenaline, it would probably be pain. One boy's arm releases me and I'm thrown to the ground. A foot takes place in my ribs repeatedly, taking the wind from me. I cough and struggle with the hand that grabs a fistful of hair from my head, slamming my head into the concrete. I'm dizzy from the impact. I reach behind my head clumsily, untieing the blindfold. The harsh lights of the chasm stab at my eyes. Peter reaches down to me, grabbing me by my throat. He lifts me off of the ground, holding me over the Chasm. Pink, Green, and Blue spots appear at the edges of my vision as I look at him. I try to reach him with my legs to kick him, but my legs are far too short to touch him. My lungs are screaming for air. I fight for air. A loud noise, similar to a shout, escapes the loudness of the chasm. Peter releases me and I fall onto the railing. I groan as I try to stay up. My eyelids are heavy. I can hear shouting and thuds. I open my eyes seeing a dark blue-eyed man run forward.

" Four... " I whimper out.

I lean against the bars as the frigid Chasm water nips at my ankles. I try to stay awake as my world fades in and out. All of the fighting goes silent. Warm callused hands wrap around me. At first, I'm scared it's one of the men from earlier, here to finish the job. But then, these hands lift me off of the railing and pull me close to them. They are so warm and so comforting.

" Tris. " Four's rough voice whispers.

He swings his hand under my knees and lifts me, holding me close to him. I bury my face in the nape of his neck, and then there is a sudden hollow emptiness.