Death Wish

Part 19

Dinner was quiet. The excitement from yesterday's fights seemed ancient history as we sat in a group, hardly touching our food. One by one, each person shared one or two of their fears around the circle. I listened with blank recognition, my thoughts focused on Four's proposition.

8 o'clock came agonizingly slow but it came nonetheless. I left dinner by myself claiming that I wanted to get to bed early. No one questioned me and I left without issue.

I walked down the long hallways to the fear sim rooms. When I entered, I immediately saw Four standing there with his back turned to me.

"Uhm, hi?" I said gaining his attention. He turned to look at me

"Good evening Ferris," He offered casually.

"So why am I here?" I asked curiously, stepping into the white room cautiously.

"Ferris, I am going to ask you a question and you best tell the truth," Four told me. "What did you score on your aptitude test."

"Dauntless," I answered with only the slightest bit of hesitation that he definitely noticed.

He sighed. "Ferris, you're lying, you got through those fears because you knew they weren't real. Now answer my question. What did you get on your aptitude test?" Four asked seriously as he took a step closer.

I opened my mouth, ready to say Dauntless again but quickly closed it once I saw the look in his eyes. My hands had subconsciously balled up and I averted my gaze from his.

"You can tell me," He insisted and something in his tone made me believe him.

I hesitated a couple seconds longer. Briefly wondering if this was some sort of a trick. But the genuine look in Four's eyes told me it wasn't.

"Divergent," I mumbled, finally looking back at him. "I got divergent but I don't know what that means."

Four nodded, he'd gotten the answer he'd been looking for and turned around to grab a syringe.

"That's what I thought. Something you need to understand is that most people think Divergents are dangerous," He told me.

My brows furrowed.

"Dangerous?"

"Your mind is different from others. The factions are meant to guide each person's mind into being controlled. But you don't fit into just one, making you a threat," He explained calmly.

"I don't understand," I said, taking a step back. "I wouldn't do anything to hurt anyone."

He seemed to anticipate this. "Your mind can't be controlled and that makes you a target. I want to help you," He said.

" How?"

"Well if you want to get through Dauntless undetected then you will need to practice getting through the fear simulations like a Dauntless. Not like a Divergent," Four explained and gestured for me to sit down. I nodded in agreement even though I had little understanding.

"Wait, in my fear landscapes?" I asked.

"No, we will be going in mine," Four answered and got ready to inject me.

"Have you ever done this before?" I asked but didn't make a move to stop him.

"No," Four replied subtly, right before sticking the syringe in. "But I think it will help."

I inhaled before closing my eyes.

I reopened them to see I was on a slim bridge right in between two very high buildings. Four was right next to me looking down. The wind gusts threatened to throw us off and I held onto the brdige tight.

"Fear of heights?" I asked and Four nodded still looking down. I wasn't the biggest fan of heights either but somewhere deep down I knew this height was fake.

"Well, it's not real we could just jump," I offered and Four immediately shook his head.

"No, that's how a Divergent thinks, you have to think like a Dauntless," Four said looking behind me where there was a window open to one of the buildings.

I kept low but made my way over there cautiously. We entered a small room that's walls started to close in on us

"Claustrophobia?" I asked as I pushed up against the walls to try and get it to stop.

"Yeah, what would a Dauntless do?" Four asked as he pressed his body up against the shrinking walls but to no avail. I looked to the floor and found nails. I immediately started jamming them underneath the moving walls. Four was now starting to press into me.

"Just take your time, this box is only about to squish us" Four said sarcastically but I stayed focused and successfully stopped the walls.

I stood up and looked around at the new room I was in. There was a girl sitting in a chair with he hands tied behind her. She looked scared. There was a small table next to her with a gun laying there.

"Who is she?" I asked as Four grabbed the gun.

"As a Dauntless soldier you have to follow orders you don't always agree with. She is just an innocent," Four explained as he rose the gun to the girl's face. I wanted to yell out to stop but I remembered it was all fake.

"I could never do it looking at them. I have to turn away" Four said as he turned away from the girl and I did the same. Then the sound of the gunshot rang out.

I looked back expecting to see the poor girl dead but instead we were now in a strange house with grey walls and boring grey furniture.

"Are we in Abnegation?" I asked looking around.

Suddenly a man started walking down the stairs with a large belt in between them. I recognized him as Marcus Easton the head of Abnegation.

"Your last feat is your worst fear. It lives in the deepest part of your mind" Four explained and I looked at him wide eyed. His father used to beat him... I had no idea.

"Tobias? I am doing this for your own good" Marcus claimed as four more of him surrounded us.

They all suddenly charged.

"No!" I yelled as I pushed one of the Marcus's away.

Then suddenly we woke up.