Hollow Body Got a Hold on Me

Stormy's POV:

I wake up, early the next morning, feeling numb.
I grab my things, and head to the showers.
Nobody else is up, yet, so I quickly undress, and step under the scalding water. I finish cleaning myself; and then, I just let the water flow over my body, my thoughts racing.
Eric looks so different from last year, when he was still Jai.
He's built really well, with large, toned muscles.
The hints of left-over baby fat, that were on his face, back then are long gone, giving way to defined cheekbones, and a strong jaw.
And he’s grown in height, as well as his shoulders broadening out.
That, and the tattoos and piercings, made it almost impossible to recognize him, until he took me into his fear simulation with him, that is.

God, I was so scared, yesterday.
I mean, Eric died.
He was dead.
And Four brought him back.

I saw fear, in Four's eyes; I thought he hated Eric.
Eric hates him.
I could almost see resemblances, in the two older men. It wouldn't be surprising to me if they turned out to be cousins, or something.

I was so embarrassed when Eric saw my fear simulation yesterday.
I mean, I was raped, and then, I just ran away; leaving him to his unfortunate fate.
And, when Eric took me in with him...

I can't get it out of my head.
I keep replaying the horrifying scene, over, and over again.
I cut the water off, still feeling numb.
I hurry to get dressed and run down to the training room, for some peace and quiet, before we have to go under simulation again.

As I walk in the door, I hear loud thuds, heavy breathing, and grunting.
Eric is there, beating the shit out of the poor punching bag.
This isn't exercise.
He's angry.
I hope he's not angry with me.
He looks up, then, and notices me standing there; watching him. He waves slightly, and gestures for me to come over.

"Hey," he says, still panting, sweat dripping off his forehead.
"Hey," I reply, smirking.
I like to smirk.
Eric walks over and sits on the bench, across from the punching bags, placing his hands on the seat beside him, and leaning forward.
I join him.
"So," he begins, wiping his brow with his arm. "I've been thinking about your simulations."

He's been thinking about my simulations?
That’s embarrassing.
I must look nervous, and he offers an apologetic smile.
"Yeah, I was trying to think of a way to help you overcome your fears, without everybody knowing what happened,-."
"Everybody?" I interrupt him quickly.
"Uh, yeah, when I transferred only the leaders saw your final test under simulation. But, now, all the initiates get to watch the simulations on a big screen."

I gulped loudly.
I can't let anybody else see what happened there.
"Don't worry; I'm going to figure something out. You just work on facing your other fears, the way a Dauntless would, okay? Maybe I can delete your last fear from the landscape, before the final test?"

"Impossible."
We both look up and see Four walking towards us.
Shit.

"Four," Eric said, pressing his lips together, in a tight line.
"Eric," Four replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "As I was saying, it will be absolutely impossible to just delete the fear, unless you want to shut down her brain, in the process?"

We look at each other, and then back at Four.
"So, what do we do, then?" I ask, timidly.
"You're gonna have to practice every waking minute, and hope you find a solution to your fear, before it starts. Otherwise, whatever it is that you don't want to be seen... all of Dauntless will see it."
"Fuck," I curse lowly.
Offing myself, is sounding better, and better.

Eric's POV:

I really hate Four.
At least he didn't tell Stormy that he saw everything.
And, he's right, as usual.

******************************************************************************

I am able to get Stormy into an older, unused room for practice. Four promised to take care of the transfers for me.
She is in the simulation, now, and I'm watching on the monitor by her head, as she tries to figure out how to escape, or face, her fears.
She's been practicing, on and off, for hours, now, and she's made a lot of progress with all of her fears; except one.

I can't watch her last fear, again.
It pains me to see her go through that, over and over again.
I watch her face instead; her eyes are closed, but her face twists in pain, and tears pour down her face.
I reach up to brush a strand of hair out of her face, when she sits up quickly, and grabs my wrist.
The fear in her eyes is almost superseded by hate.

"Do. Not. Touch. Me. Right now," she says slowly, her hands starting to shake, and her lower lip beginning to quiver.
After effects are a bitch; I know.

"Yeah, yeah, no I'm sorry," I say quietly, as she releases her hold on my wrist.
"Fuck, Eric, I'm sorry, it's not- I just-," she tries to explain, but I don't need her to.
I completely get it; it wears off pretty quickly, though.
That's why she's trying to apologize, now.
I wave my hand through the air, as she rattles off apologies.
"Hey, I understand, don't worry about it okay, please? I know the first few minutes after you come out are the worst."
She nods her head, in agreement, looking into my eyes.
I smile softly at her.

"May I?" I ask softly, holding my hand closer to myself, than to her face.
She nods silently, and gulps.
With her permission, I reach my hand up, and brush that stubborn, stray piece of blood-red hair out of her face, and tuck it behind her ear, before pulling my arm back to myself, slowly.
"Thank you," she says quietly.
I flash Stormy a goofy grin and, then, a genuine smile, when she starts laughing.

******************************************************************************

Stormy's POV:

One week later.

It has been a long week, and I still cannot overcome my final two fears.
I don't know what to do; I fight, and I fight, but I don't make any progress.
And, when I hear Eric scream, I still run away.
I'm ashamed of myself.
Eric saved me, and then over, and over, and over again, I run the other way, when I hear the screams start.

Eric watches this on the monitor, every day; several times a day.
Everybody is going to watch me get raped on a giant screen tomorrow, and then, they're going watch me run from my savior, when he needs my help.
Fuck.
That.

All my friends are out partying; the Dauntless way of relieving stress.
Daniel and Rebel were making out on their way out the door.
I'm in my bed, in the dorm, alone; trying to sleep.
I can't.
I get up out of bed, shivering as my bare feet hit the cold floor. I make my way to the showers.
I don't really know what I'm doing in here.
There's a box full of razor blades by the sink, and I grab one, turning it over in the flickering light.
I'm not going to let everybody see what happened to me.

I hold out my arm, looking at the pale flesh of my wrist.
I drag the blade across my skin, slowly, watching as little beads of blood follow the straight line I made.
That's not enough.
I need more.
I need to go deeper.

******************************************************************************

Four's POV:

"Zeke! Get Eric up and down to the transfer showers, now!" I yell as I leave my station in the control room, and run down the concrete steps, two at a time.
Eric is closer to her than I am; I hope he can get there in time.
We've never had this kind of suicide attempt at Dauntless, to my knowledge.
I hear a door slam open up ahead, and I know Eric knows.
He answered the phone when Zeke called.

"Stormy!"
He found her.
"Stormy?!"
She's unconscious.
"Help! Somebody help her!"
She's bleeding to death.
I reach the showers, and the scene before me now is terrifying, to say the least.

Stormy must've turned the showers on, as steam billows to the ceiling, and, the two Dauntless, before me are soaked from the spray above them.
Eric is kneeling by her small, still form, and has placed her head in his lap.
Blood is flowing from several cuts marking her arms.
Eric has removed his shirt, and is applying it to what could only be the deepest cut, as blood seeps through the shirt.

The fear in his eyes is heart-wrenching.
It reminds me, again, that Eric is human; not, demon-spawn.
Eric looks up at me, with water dripping off of his face. "Help..."