Until Death Do Us Apart ? ???? ???????

Chapter Four: The Price of Defiance

"I say we blitz them," Will adds.

I bite my lip, scanning the area until I spot the Ferris wheel. I start heading toward it.

"What are you doing?" Eric calls out.

I look down at him. "Just trying to get a good vantage point."

"Good thinking," he says, then starts climbing after me.

"I'm not a baby, you don't have to follow me," I mutter.

"You should take it easy," he replies. "You took a good beating yesterday."

"I didn't think you noticed," I say, glancing back at him as I continue climbing the ladder.

"Yeah, well, I couldn't watch that."

I roll my eyes and keep climbing. Just as I step onto the next rung, it snaps. I quickly grab onto the side of the ladder, and Eric's hand shoots out to steady me, gripping my waist.

"You alright?" he asks, his voice low.

I swallow my fear. "I'm fine."

I continue climbing, trying to ignore the heat from his hand on my waist.

"This is high enough," Eric says, but I smirk, looking around.

"No, this isn't high enough. We need to go higher."

He stops moving and looks up at me. "You're afraid of heights?"

"Everyone's afraid of something," I shrug, continuing my climb.

"I didn't think you were afraid of anything," he says, his tone softer.

"Come on, Jordan."

I reach the circular part of the Ferris wheel and climb onto it.

"Really?" Eric asks, incredulous.

I ignore him and keep climbing toward the outer edge of the Ferris wheel.

"Are you even human?" he calls after me.

I stop when I reach the very top and look around. "See? It wasn't that hard," I say, grinning.

Eric rolls his eyes, but I can see him checking the area. "Look," I say, pointing. "There it is. Four's flag."

"Well, I'll be damned," Eric mutters.

"Alright, what's your plan?" he asks, still focused.

We're inside the building where the flag is kept. "We split into two groups," I say. "We'll go up this side, and the rest of you engage Four's team."

"WE CAN SEE THEM!" Four's team yells. My group immediately dives for cover as gunshots ring out.

Eric and I sprint and hide behind some electrical equipment.

"Go," Eric whispers. We split up, and I grab Christina to come with me.

We run, ducking to avoid being shot at, and find another hiding spot. But then, I see Peter lining up to shoot Christina.

"Tell me if this hurts," Peter says, smirking.

"You tell me," I say, and with that, I shoot him in the back. He stumbles forward, groaning.

"Asshole," Christina mutters as she shoots him again.

We keep running, heading toward the bell tower. We ascend the stairs and burst through the door at the top. Suddenly, Molly appears, aiming her gun at me. But we've both run out of bullets.

We close in on each other, and I strike first—kicking her hard with my legs. She swings the gun at me, but I duck and roll, evading her attack.

I quickly grab her gun and elbow her in the face, sending her crashing to the ground.

I take the flag and swing it around. "We won!" I yell.

The cheers from below echo in my ears, and a triumphant smile spreads across my face.

As I walk back toward the train with my team, I hear my name being called.

"Hey, Jordan!"

"Yeah?" I turn around.

"Come with us."

"Where are you going?" I ask.

"Short cut back," they reply, grinning.

"Dauntless style."

I glance at Eric, who looks unhappy, but I brush it off.

"Count me in," I say with a big smile. We run up some stairs and onto the ledge, where a huge zip line waits for us.

"You're up," someone says, helping me into a harness.

"Don't forget to pull the brake at the bottom," they remind me.

I nod. I don't want to crash into a wall.

Before I know it, I'm flying through the air. The cold wind rushes past me, and I open my arms wide, letting the rush of adrenaline fill me. I close my eyes for a moment, just soaking in the experience.

When I open my eyes, I spot my reflection in the window of a building, and I smile.

The next moment, I'm heading straight for a broken building. I scream, thrilled by the danger.

But then, I realize I'm coming in too fast.

"PULL THE BRAKE!" I hear someone shout. I reach back, struggling to grab it. Finally, I manage to grip the brake and pull it as hard as I can.

Sparks fly as I slow down, finally coming to a complete stop. I look down to see everyone cheering below me. I can't help but smile