Spitfire - Eric Coulter

Chapter XXI

It's dark. I stand on a field, the sky filled with black clouds, rain thrumming down on me. I do the first thing I can think of. I run to find shelter somewhere. But then a crash tears apart the sky, making the ground shake and a bolt of lightning slams into the ground. I yelp.

Thunderstorms. That's embarrassing. But I cower on the ground when the next crash sounds non the less. Deep breaths, in, hold, and out. Everything will be fine. It is just a thunderstorm.

Breathing in and out. Slowly, calmly. When the next flash of lightning hits I close my eyes.

It's warm. I am sweaty. I am in a hole. A big ass hole in the ground. "Great, fucking great..."

And then I hear it that gods damned hissing of a snake. So I look at my feet, instead of the sky above and screech. Snakes everywhere. I stumble back, stepping on them until my back hits one of the walls. They snake around my legs, climb up my body. I shake my legs wildly, which only causes me to stumble and fall to the ground. Goosebumps cover my entire body as the snakes now slither all over me. Breathing. Just breathing. Through the nose, not the mouth. Otherwise, they might get into my mouth. Oh gosh. Breathe. Breathing in, hold, breathing out. Closing my eyes. Imagining myself in my happy place.

It is dark once again, only small rays of light showing through cracks above me. And tight. In a box. A tiny, tiny box. I can't move. I slam my hands against the walls, splinters digging into my hands. And then a thud on the box. And another one. The light gets less. A bit of earth trickles through the slits. And some more. It gets darker. Someone was burying me. I slam against the wood, yelling and shouting, but to no avail. And as it grows darker, I focus on my breathing. I needed to save oxygen. Calm breaths.

I am in Dauntless. The Pit. I walk around, seeing my friends. They look at where I stand but don't notice me. Talk and joke. I walk closer. "Hey" No reaction. "Uriah?" Nothing. I touch his shoulder. Nothing. I hit his arm, touch his face. No reaction. I try with the others. As if I didn't exist. Walking through the Pit I speak, shout, but no one hears me, sees me. Tobias is there, but he too ignores me. Eric, Tris, Christina. Noone. I was alone. I was here, but alone. Insignificant. I sit down. Breathing. Close my eyes.

It is hot. Burning hot. Sweat forming on my forehead, covering my back. The room stood in flames. They were everywhere. And no way out. There was no way out. The carpet was burning, the couch, the walls. Everything was burning. I cough. The flames come closer and closer, licking at my feet. And there was a wall behind me. My pants caught fire. I drop to the ground, rolling on the floor to stop it, to stop the fire. But it's everywhere. I was burning. Hot searing pain everywhere. Red hot flames. I couldn't breathe, not this time. I couldn't breathe. Everything hurt. Everything was burning. I was burning. My hair. My hair was burning. I scream. And scream. I smell the smoke, the burning of flesh. I would die. I would die, right now. I can only hope that it is over soon. I close my eyes.

When I open my eyes I recognize the room in an instant. It's my home. I know what happens next.

"Where are you?!", Markus shouts. I scramble to get into the closet, hide from sight. I know it only gives me a few more seconds to brace myself. The closet doors fly open, Markus grabs me by my hair, yanking me out.

"Where is my beer?! You forgot, didn't you? Of course, you did you useless thing! I will have to show you obedience!"

The first blow is always the worst. To my stomach. Never the face. My shoulder. A kick to my knees and I fall to the ground. I know this. One kick follows the other. Breathing in, hold, ignore the pain, breathe out. Breathing in...

I look up from the ground. Next to me lies my brother. Motionless.

"Tobes?", I whisper. No reaction. "Tobias!"