Red

52

VAN'S POV

I finally came to terms with Tris and Sam hanging out for the night when I hear someone yelling, their voice loud enough to catch the attention of almost everyone else too.

But it wasn't just any voice, the voice belonged to Tris. I recognized it immediately, and I turn around to confirm what I least wanted to be true: Tris and Sam were missing.

I wanted to be mad, but I couldn't, not at them. Not when I didn't know what had happened, someone could have taken them for all I know. I could be mad at myself, though. I could be mad for so easily letting Tris go, when this obviously isn't a safe environment for her.

Tris yells my name again, making me tense. I didn't like thinking about the probable truth, the fact that Mike has a hold of her and Sam.

"That was Tris," I say, my voice rough. "I need people to come with me." I wasn't sure how many people would be with Sam and Tris, if any, but I couldn't risk going alone. And thankfully, Bondy, Benji, Bob, and Larry all agreed to come with me without any reluctance.

The five of us run through the woods, listening to Tris's yells, my heart breaking each time I hear her frightened voice.

But her cries for me suddenly stop, something that actually nerved me more than her calling my name. Why would she stop? Was someone making her stop?

"They're going to be by the waterfall," I say, though I wasn't certain. But if they had snuck out, I could safely assume that's where they would go, so that's where I decided to lead everyone.

The sun was beginning to set and it was getting harder to see where I was stepping. I wasn't wearing shoes, and I almost didn't even notice the sticks or rocks that poked the bottoms of my feet. I was too worried about finding Tris to think about anything else. 

Eventually, we reach the waterfall, and I don't know if I felt relived because Tris and Sam were there, or fearful because so were Mike and two other men. Mike and Sam were going at it, Sam looked pretty beat up, and I motioned for Benji, Bob, and Larry to get Sam away from Mike and the other man.

My attention was focused on Tris, though. The last man was holding her into his body, one hand over her mouth, the other over her chest. Tris's eyes were shut closed so she couldn't see me, but she was trying to move out of his grip and she was mumbling into his hand.

"Let her go," I demand, my voice gravelly. I walk up to him, Bondy close behind, and grab onto the man's shoulder. "Let her go," I repeat myself in the same voice.

If it wasn't for his tight hold on Tris, I would have pushed him down into the water. "Tris, I'm right here," I say, calming my voice only for a second, only to let her know it was me.

She opens her eyes, and I look in them, but only for a second. Because I couldn't stand looking at Tris when she was this broken. She made me vulnerable, soft. And I couldn't be vulnerable or soft right now.

Bondy comes in and grabs the man's hand that was held inappropriately over Tris's chest. "Hey, man. It's two against one," Bondy says. "Let her go, mate."

There was no response from the man, and he remained standing with a tight grip over Tris until Bondy was finally able to force the man's hand off of Tris.

Bondy pulled Tris aside and stood with her, an arm loosely draped around her shoulder. She was looking down, and I couldn't quite see whether she saw me looking at her. But I couldn't look at her too long, not when she could make me feel so vulnerable. Because being vulnerable was the last thing I needed right now.

I turn back to the man and, with my hand still grabbing his arm, I push him back. "What do you think you were doing to her?" I growl. My grip tightens as I get more and more angry with him.

I hated acting like this in front of Tris, I didn't want her to think of me as an aggressive person, but I couldn't just let this guy go without making sure he would never dare to step close to her again.

"Chill out. I wasn't doing anything wrong," the man says. I push him backwards into a boulder, causing his head to smash into it. I could see clearly, but I'm sure he was bleeding. And there would definitely be a bruise.

"What were you doing to her?" I ask again, my voice deeper, quieter. I bring a hand to his neck, applying some pressure to get him to speak.

He grabs my hand with his hands and tries to move it away, but he fails. "I told you, I did nothing wrong," he says, repeating himself. Somehow, he thought that would be an okay response, that I would accept that and let him go.

But I didn't accept that. It only made me angrier. I pull him toward me only to slam him back into the boulder. "Don't you fucking lie. Own up to it," I say, my voice filled with disgust.

"Van!" I hear Bondy call me.

I look back at him and see Tris hugging him, her head buried in his chest. "You're scaring Tris," he says.

"Tris...Tris will be alright," I say blandly, though it actually pained me seeing her like that, frightened. Not just frightened of anything, but frightened of my own actions. But I was doing this for her, even if she couldn't see that. Everything I do is for Tris.

I redirect my attention back at the man who still hasn't said anything. "What were you doing?" I question, my third time asking the same thing.

The man chuckles and shakes his head. "The same thing I know you want to do to her," he says, clearly amused with his nasty remark.

"You're sick, you and Mike and everyone else on your side, you're all sick," I say.

"Doesn't matter anymore, does it? Who's here to stop us?" The man says, his voice strained as my grip gets tighter.

"We're here to stop you," I say, referring to me and everyone else who wasn't with Mike.

I take my free arm and throw a punch at the side of his face, not realizing just how angry I was and just how strong my punch ended up being. The man grabbed his face and spit out some blood from his mouth.

"Don't you ever go near her ever again, got it?" I ask him, feeling no remorse for his beaten up face.

He nods his head, but that wasn't enough for me. "What are you never going to do?" I ask.

"Fucking hell, I'll leave her alone, man. Just let me go," he says.

And with that, I let go of his throat and push him down to the ground. "Don't get up until we're out of sight," I demand and walk toward Tris and Bondy.

"Bonds, I need to talk to Tris," I say, my voice coming off a little more aggressive than I intended.

He was hesitant to agree, but does, nonetheless. Bondy was smart enough to realize that there was no use arguing with me when I was already worked up.

"Be nice, Van," Bondy says with a sigh. He gently pulls Tris from his body, her reluctance to leave him saddening me, and then walks away, leaving just me and Tris.

"C'mere, Tris. Follow me," I say, motioning with my hands. I needed to talk to her, but I needed to do it away from the beaten up man that Tris knows I was the cause of, I needed to do it where she would be able to listen to what I was saying and not focusing on him. Because, knowing Tris's kindness, she'll feel bad for this man, even though he was acting completely irresponsible with her.