What if the War Never Happened (Divergent)

Chapter 21

[Just so you know, unless it says its someone else's PoV, its Ashley's]

My eyes slowly open, remembering the intensity of the lights in the hospital. When my eyes are open enough for me to see out of them, I see... my room.

When did I get here. Maybe my dad carried me over here and Marlene is doing house calls.

I get out of bed and pace quickly in my room. Not out of stress but out of testing my leg. It feels incredibly fine. Like it didn't get shot.

Suddenly I hear banging up against my window. I look up and see something terrifying. Everyone I know and love are beating on my window with black eyes. I can see my parents out there. Its almost like someone ripped out their eyes and replaces them with black marbles.

I quickly get out of my room and hear banging on the big window in our living area. Which is practically the rest of the outside wall. Everyone I know is there raging their fists against the window. Like Eric and Tori are there.

And being the person that I am, I don't feel scared. Nervous, maybe but not scared.

I run out of the apartment and head towards the Pit. When I get there, there is absolutely no one there. I hear some type of movement over by the chasm and I quietly make my way over there.

I peel around the corner and see Carter standing on the railing looking down to the chasm. No he would never...

Then he starts to bend his knees and jumps. I sprint over to him but I miss him. Thankfully, I grabbed his shirt. I haul him back up and catch my breath. He does the same thing.

When he finally looks up at me, he hisses. Like a possessed person with a demon in them. He also has the dead black eyes. He swiftly grabs my throat and stands up. He lifts me over the chasm and holds me there.

My mom appears to his right and my dad at his left. [A/N: because women are always right!] Everyone else I saw in my window in my bedroom show up behind them. Holding gigantic guns that are trained on me, they all stare at me. But it feels like they stare into my soul. They all hiss at me as I hang there defenseless.

Suddenly a flash goes off by the side of the chasm and Katlyn drops to the ground and gets pushed off into the chasm. Another gun shot. Mason falls to the ground. He is thrown into the chasm. The process repeats itself until only me and Carter are the last ones standing, or hanging, there. I screamed while each person was being hauled up and over into the chasm.

Before the shot goes off for Carter, he stares directly into my eyes and growls "If I go down, you go down with me."

Then out of the corner of my eye, I see Austin step out with a huge gun that's pointed at Carter.

This is not real. This can't be real. Carter wouldn't do that and Austin doesn't know how to operate a gun like that. This is just a dream or something. Its not real.

I feel myself unclenching my hands. Why was I clenching my hands? And my breathing becomes more controlled, less sharp. I feel more relaxed.

Why am I feeling this way. I am being dangled over the chasm. I should be terrified. But I am relaxed. What the hell is wrong with me.

That's when everything around me goes dark. I open my eyes again and leap out of whatever I was in. The lights are blinding and the room is small. I crawl over to a corner and hide my face in my legs.

"Its okay sweetie. Everything is alright. Nothing is going to hurt you. Don't worry." a calm voice says as two pairs of arms wrap around me. One that is small and one that is very muscular.

I look up to see my parents looking at me in a comforting manner.

"Wh-wh-what happened?" I ask stuttering. Why am I stuttering. I don't feel scared. I wrap my arms around myself to stop the shaking. Why am I shaking?

"The second stage of initiation. We had to move it up so you could participate in stage one. After stage two, we will go back to stage one." my dad explains. "Now its your turn to explain to us what that was."