Hollow Body Got a Hold on Me

Eric's POV:

She's gone.
She's really gone.
Stormy.
Fuck.

Four stands on one side, and Chaotic, Rebel, Rowan and Daniel stand in a close group on my other side.
We are at her funeral.
Dauntless don't wait. Memorials are always the day after a death.
This doesn't feel real, but at the same time, it feels all too real.

Max gives the same speech he always does.
He begins the address for the Divergent, and I turn to leave, several pairs of eyes watching my retreating form.
I can't stand there, and listen to that.
He killed her.
And I killed him.
What's left?
There is nothing left for me; I will never get over this.
There is only one escape.

When the thought enters my mind, I don't hesitate.
I pull my blade out of my boot, and turn the metal over in my hands, watching the light glint off of the steel.
I drop to my knees just outside the doors, and look up.
"Stormy?" I begin, my voice breaking, and I start to cry again.
"Kaitlynn? I don't know if you can hear me or not, but I'm sorry. I'm sorry this happened to you. I lied when I said I thought I might be falling in love with you. I am in love with you. Fuck... I love you."
Sobs rack my body, as my shoulders shake.
I smile through my tears, looking back up.

"If you're up there somewhere, please, forgive me? I just can't go on without you. I'm sorry."
I laugh, hysterically, as I stab the blade into my forearm, dragging it down my arm long ways, slowly, watching as the blood spurts out. I drag it down the other one, as well, still laughing.
The door opens in front of me, as people try to exit the cafeteria after the memorials ended.
There are gasps all around.

Max stepped forward, and I'm still laughing through my tears.
"Eric?" he approaches me, slowly.
I shake my head, and continue laughing as I drag the blade across my chest, marking across the scar there, making an X.
"It means nothing, anymore," I say, looking back up.
I look down as I see the blood seeping through my shirt, and pouring from my arms, and I smile as I close my eyes.
Here I come, Stormy...

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

Four's POV:

It was definitely Amar. I checked the back footage, and he entered Stormy's apartment, staying only about five minutes, before leaving as the fire grew, and Eric rushed to save her.
I showed all my findings to Max, and the other leaders, with the exception of Eric, who was in a coma in the infirmary.
I've gone to visit him, every day, for the past week, just talking to him.

I feel some weird connection to him, but I don't know what it is.
I don't want him to have to deal with this, but I don't want him to kill himself, either.
Jeanine Matthews stopped by today, she wants to be notified as soon as Eric wakes up.
I find myself wondering what that is about.

There's only one weird thing I can't figure out. Three of the monitors from that night are on a loop. Somebody covered up something they didn't want found out. But, Amar was easily seen on the other cameras, why would he have looped some, and not the ones in the corridor?
It's a mystery that I may never crack.

Eric's POV:

I wake up in a white room, in a white bed, in white clothes.
Stormy is here with me.
I smile at her, as she lies beside me, and I kiss her nose.
'You can do it,' she says, softly.
'Do what?' I ask.
'Kill them all!'

I wake with a start, sitting up straight, and struggling for breath.
There are monitors attached to my body, and there are bandages on my arms and around my bare chest.
I'm in the infirmary at Dauntless.
I'm alive.
I don't want to be.

I lay back on the pillow, staring at the ceiling as I replay what happened, grief overtaking my mind.
And I cry, and cry and cry.

There's a knock on the door, and I don't answer, I just continue to stare at the ceiling, as tears flow silently down my face.
Four enters my room, and stands by the edge of my bed.
"Eric?" he says softly, but I don't answer him.
"Eric, I'm so sorry for everything. Shit, I'm sorry. And I hate to bring this up so soon... but, Jeanine Matthews is demanding to see you, she's right outside the door, waiting."

I look at him then, blinking some of the tears back, and sitting up, wincing as my self-inflicted wounds pull at the strain.
"I'm so sorry," he whispers again, as he backs out of the room, Jeanine entering.

"Eric," she starts, with sympathy in her voice. "I'm so sorry for your loss."
"You were right," I say, brokenly. "Amar was Divergent. And he was dangerous."
Jeanine smiles at me, sadly. "Yes, well, it's not always a victory to be right about some things."
A nurse from Erudite walks in, and injects a red-tinted syringe into my I.V., the liquid burning my veins. I must look a little concerned.

"Oh, don't worry, the other nurses were busy, and I took the liberty of having Annie get you a little something to numb the pain."
I look her in the eyes, then, wondering why she wanted so desperately to see me, now.

Oh.
This stuff makes me feel weird.
...Oooooh.

"Eric, I hope you'll make the choice to join my cause, now. You've seen firsthand the kind of destruction," she places her hand, softly, over my right, "and death, that come with allowing these Divergent criminals to live free. I didn't know Kaitlynn that well, but she was a nice girl, and I'm sorry that this had to happen to her; that this had to happen to you. I am sure that she would want you to avenge her death; she wouldn't have wanted to die in vain? Would she?"
No.
No, she wouldn't have.

I shake my head, in agreement.
"Then join me, Eric. You get your revenge, and with revenge, comes peace. In whatever form that peace may be. We segregate, and annihilate, the Divergent in our city. What do you say?"

Revenge.
Revenge.
Revenge.
Revenge.
Revenge.
"What do you need me to do?" I say darkly, my own voice sounding foreign to my ears.

Jeanine smiles at me then, standing up.
"I will be in touch, until then, get yourself fixed up, throw yourself into your work, keep an eye out for any possible Divergents, and make a list. We are working on a serum that will allow us to distinguish the Divergent traitor, from the peaceful citizen. It might take a while, maybe a year or more. You'll be the first to know. Use your anger, Eric. Otherwise, your grief will destroy you."

Revenge.
Revenge.
Revenge.

"Oh, and Eric," she turns back, in the doorway. "I'll be sending Annie every couple of days or so, she'll bring this serum for you."
"What is it?" I ask, curiously.
"It'll keep you feeling more like yourself."

Revenge.
Revenge.
Revenge.

Stormy's POV:

What is this place?
Where am I?
I sit up from a single white bed, and notice that everything is white.
The floor.
The walls.
The table beside the bed.
Even a white remote control lies on the table.
I pick it up, and press the power button.

I turn around as I hear a clicking noise, and I see a screen coming forward from inside of the wall behind me.
I press the button for volume control, and turn it up.

There's Eric leaving his apartment. He hesitates momentarily before rushing to my door, banging on it and kicking it; trying to break it down.
"Stormy!" he screams, banging his fists on the door.
Four enters the screen, sliding a key card on my door, and the door opens, smoke billowing out.
There are many people standing in the hallway, crying and murmuring.
Eric rushes forward, but Four grabs his arms tightly.
"You can't go in there, Eric, it's too late," he says softly.
Eric is visibly angry.
"Get the fuck off me, Stiff!" he screams, and tears away from the other man’s grasp, and rushes in through the door.
Four looks torn; like he's uncertain of what he's supposed to do.
My friends are there, standing with everyone else, and they look so worried and scared.
"Stormy! Stormy! Where are you?"
I hear Eric screaming, and the smoke increases, flames licking out of the apartment, now.
There is silence for another moment, and then, "Stormy! Come on, get up!"
A brief moment of silence, followed by a loud rumble, and the camera filming the scene shakes a bit.
Everyone in the hall is silent, now.
"No!" Eric screams. "No!"
Four rushes into the burning unit, then.
"Stormy!" Eric screams again.
Seconds later, I see Four dragging Eric out of the apartment, covered head to toe in soot and sweat.
Eric stares at the door in shock, and Chaotic walks up to him.
"Is she-," Chaotic asks him, with tears in her eyes, and Eric turns to look at her.
He swallows visibly, and tears fill his eyes, threatening to spill over, and he never answers her.
Chaotic begins sobbing.
Eric screams, and turns to punch the rock wall, not even flinching, though I can see the blood dripping off of his knuckles, now.
He turns, and runs away, only to come back moments later dragging Amar with him.
Eric walks towards the door to the still burning apartment with the dark-skinned man, and Four rushes forward to stop Eric.
Eric kicked him in the gut and the man fell to his knees.
Eric swung the door open then, throwing Amar into the apartment, closing the door once the other man was inside.
Eric stood against the door, bracing it so clearly the other man could not escape.
Pretty soon, there are screams, terrible, horrifying screams coming from inside that apartment.
Once the screams have stopped completely, Eric opens the door and the charred body of Amar falls out into the corridor.
A few screams can be heard from the onlookers crowding the corridor.
The camera zooms in closer to Eric, as he turns around to face Four, his eyes filled with despair.
When the other man places a hand on his shoulder, Eric falls to his knees, sobbing and screaming, and pulling at his hair, as he rocks back and forth on the ground screaming, "No!"

I find myself crying.
Eric thinks I’m dead.
Maybe, I am dead.
The scene before me changes.

The Dauntless are in the cafeteria, as Max, the leader stands above them on a table.
Eric, Four, and my friends from initiation, stand together off to the side.
"Today, is a sad day. We've lost two of our best, and bravest."
It's a funeral.
My funeral.
Eric is crying silently the whole time, and when Max begins to speak about Amar, he quickly retreats.
The camera angle switches, and I see Eric on his knees, staring up into the camera; at me.
"Stormy?" he begins, his voice breaking, and he starts to cry again.

"Yes?" I say, crying silently. I know he can't hear me back.

"Kaitlynn? I don't know if you can hear me or not, but I'm sorry. I'm sorry this happened to you. I lied when I said I thought I might be falling in love with you. I am in love with you. Fuck... I love you."
Sobs rack his body, and he holds his arm as his shoulders shake, looking down.
He smiles through the tears when he looks back up.
"If you're up there somewhere, please, forgive me? I just can't go on without you. I'm sorry."
Eric laughs, hysterically, as he stabs a blade into his forearm, dragging it down his arms slowly, blood spurting out. He drags it down the other one as well, still laughing.
The door opens in front of him, and I hear several people gasping. Max enters the screen, and Eric looks up at him, still laughing.
"Eric?" Max says, slowly moving closer to my love.
Eric shakes his head, and continues to laugh as he drags the blade across his chest, marking across the scar there, making an X.
"It means nothing, anymore," Eric says, looking back up to the camera.
He looks down to see the blood seeping through his shirt and pouring out of his arms, and he smiles, and he closes his eyes and falls to the floor in a pool of blood, immediately surrounded by people trying to stop the bleeding.

"No!" I scream. "No!"
I throw the remote at the locked door to my side, and attempt to bang on it until someone finally opens the door and steps inside.

"Hello, Stormy," Jeanine Matthews crosses her arms, and smiles at me. "I really am sorry about all of this, you weren't supposed to get hurt, but you got in the way of my plans a long time ago, when Eric followed you out of Erudite."
"I'm staying with you?" I ask, confused.
The lady laughs then, a dark laugh.

"Heavens, no! You stay here, alone. Except when a client has need of you, then you'll be going down the hall."
"Client?" I ask, growing more confused.
"You have to earn your keep, we don't give handouts," she says with a frown as she turns to leave.
"Wait, what do you mean? I don't understand!"
The door slams shut, and I hear the sound of her retreating footsteps getting more, and more, quiet.
What the fuck is going on here?

Is Eric alive?
Will I ever escape?
I have the sinking feeling, that life as we know it, is about to end.

TBC in SEQUEL