"In the morning you stay here." Eric tells me calmly but sternly. I eye him as his tone makes me feel like I'm being scolded for something I didn't do.

I challenge back with an innocent, "why?"

It ignites him into fire, "Lauren. Because I'm fucking ordering you to!" He's yelling and I challenge him again like the foolish girl I am, always poking at the beast.

"Why." I stand confident with my arms crossed eyeing the back of him as he puts his apartment back in order.

"Something is happening and you don't need to be involved." The words hit like a dismissal as if I were a child.

"I have an infirmary to run, Eric!" I'm yelling at him not caring about the consequences of challenging him further.

"It's been taken care of." He snarls now looking directly at me from across the room with his piercing blue eyes.

I pull a hand through my hair and try to keep my composure, but I just can't. "What? What the fuck do you mean it's been taken care of?"

He charges across the room suddenly and grabs at my shoulders. "Goddamn it Lauren. Your ass is to NOT leave my damn apartment in the morning!" I raise my eyebrows at him. "Don't worry. If I have to use force I will." I quiver because of his tone and the look he's giving me and he notices. "Laur, I'm not going to hurt you." And he's letting go of me and back handling his shit and cleaning up his apartment as I sit there now a prisoner with a glass of whiskey handed to me to down.

I watch him intently. Is he really about to take part in genocide? There are parts of him that I've seen that show he isn't as tough as he always seems. He has his moments, but I know that some part of Eric cares for me. Am I naïve? That part cares enough to try to trap me in his apartment. I can't argue anymore because he'll get his way. If this is how he's trying to protect me then so it must be it, but whose going to protect him when he needs it? I'm literally the only person in all the factions to have the thought of whose going to protect Eric Coulter. He let his mind get poisoned by Jeanine; someone has to show him the good side.

He carries me to his bedroom and tosses one of his shirts at me to put on. While he takes off his clothes to only leave himself in his underwear as he crawls into his bed. I stare at him and he simply raises his eyebrows as I begin to undress. It's not sexual. I'm just curious for where his eyes go and if he gives me that look that he cares.

I join him and he holds me like he'll never hold me again. My thoughts go crazy.

He kisses me and I relish in it. He pulls away from my face and we stare at each other as the moonlight dances across our faces.

I don't like how this feels like a goodbye.


I felt his lips on my forehead before he left. It doesn't feel real in my half conscious state so I let sleep win. It's hours later when I realize that I've slept in till 9:40am, rather he probably but something in my whiskey last night to sedate me this long. I rush to Eric's window seeing the last of the controlled soldiers entering the train. I need to find out what is going on before I walk in blind.

Eric's safe has all his weapons in it and I'm guessing there's one in here I can get incase I run into trouble down the hallway. Of course I'm going to take a few kitchen knives, but this is extra caution. The safe is by number and fingerprint. He would make it this hard to crack. I scour his apartment finding tape and heading straight for the door that he touched when he left. I've successfully got some fingerprints and head to try that with any code I can think of.

Five minutes in and I'm wasting fucking time. There's no point. Kitchen knives will have to do.

I go to make my escape and realize that the door is bolted shut so that I can't get out. I smack my hands off the door in frustration.

Fuck.

His tiny ass living room window is my only option to get me somewhere else in the compound. The balcony is a ten-foot drop to another roof and all the others lead me to places I don't want to go. The living room window keeps me in this area of the compound.

I bust it with a fucking huge dictionary he had, what a fucking Nose thing to do and for him to have, and carefully crawl out. I scale down the wall and see that someone thankfully left the hall window open, I wonder if that's coincidence.

I slide through it much easier then Eric's window and am greeted by the eerie silence of no one being here.

I grab my guns and put on my tactical gear from my apartment. There's no one in the Pit and I feel sick.

I keep walking cautiously when a gun clicks behind my head. "How are you awake?" Of fucking course they kept Peter out of this. I turn to him and am determined to make a real idiot out of him.

"I have leadership status. I have to check the infirmary and aid if needed. How long is it supposed to take?" He looks at me confused for a second and I roll my eyes.

"They just reached Abnegation. I suppose no more then three hours. Max and Eric are leading it so their plans should unfold seamlessly." He lowers his gun finally and I nod and head to the infirmary now to cover my tracks and escape from the emergency door there. I can't digest that Peter told me Max and Eric lead the attack. I have to worry about how I'm going to find my friends.

Lance and Mia are under the serum as they robotically move around and don't look at me. I slowly make my way out of the infirmary doors and run straight to the train that is approaching.

I memorized the train system and where to get off to go during my time in Dauntless. Let's see if it pays off.

I get off with Abnegation in front of me or I should say the ruins. I can't believe my eyes at the sight. I hear yelling, screams, and gunshots. The Abnegation is being slaughtered by control Dauntless. My friends are killing innocent people and they're unaware of it.

I move for cover and go along the backside of the buildings. I'm trying to avoid any of the guards or controlled Dauntless. I know Four and Tris are here I need to find one of them, but I bet they somehow are together. The three of us could be more effective then one trying to storm the room in Dauntless I'm sure houses the control serum machines.

Like magnets the first person I hear that I know is him and I then move closer until he's in view.

"Say goodbye asshole" Eric says to Four with a gun pressed to his head, fuck. Tris stands behind to watch as Max eagerly watches on. Tris is composed for once and knows not to just attack.

My heart is racing. I can't let either of them die.

It's my turn to step in. I take Eric's hesitation and go for it.

I have a gun in each hand as I come out of hiding. Pointing one straight at Eric's head and the other at Max's. They're guards didn't stay to watch this, idiots for making this easier for me.

"Put it down Coulter." I demand.

He wasn't expecting me and the look on his face goes from surprise to laughing sadistically to cover the surprise. "What the fuck is this? I locked you up!"

Max looks at Eric and shakes his head, "You aren't supposed to be here Lauren." Max says now directed to me and both Eric and I roll our eyes at his obvious statement.

"Let Four go now." I move closer.

Max stands like an expressionless stone. When Eric's face scrunches at my statement.

"He's Divergent. We must kill him." Max says monotone.

Tris steps and puts her gun into Eric's and he lets out another sadistic laugh. She was safe until she decided to not be rational anymore, now I have to save them both. She's dumb for putting a gun to Eric, but then again so am I. The difference is he'll shoot her but not me. Eric presses his gun into Four's forehead more. "Looks like we have two Divergent Stiffs. Two very dead Stiffs." He swiftly grabs Tris' gun from his back and points it at her head all while still having the gun on Four.

"That's the least of your problems. You have a Divergent with leadership power in front of you. Kill me then too."

Eric's eyes widen at my confession and Max doesn't even look surprised.

"Lauren." Four warns.

Then silence happens.

"No." Eric says now dropping the guns on Four and Tris as realization of my words hit him like a ton of bricks.

"Run!" I yell to Four and Tris. Max and Eric now point their guns at me.

"What have you done, Lauren? Was that an attempt to save your friends by telling us you're Divergent when you aren't!" Eric yells in rage and a hint of hurt.

"Why do you think Jeanine took me? Why do you think Amar secretly trained me? Why the fuck do you think I'm such good friends with Four and Tris you idiot? Jeanine suspected I was Divergent. Amar strengthened me to hide it. I am Divergent!" I yell like an insane person for him thinking I wasn't. "Watching my fear landscapes meant nothing. Watching me closely also meant nothing. I learned how to mask my Divergence before I was ever a member of Dauntless." It's not all true. I didn't learn I was Divergent until I was in Dauntless. It makes them think I've had the upper hand this whole time and that I knew what I was doing though. The looks on their faces are peerless.

"You foolish child. Take her to Jeanine, Eric!" Max orders and raises his gun at Eric. Eric stands there frozen in shock.

"ERIC! DISARM HER AND TAKE HER TO JEANINE!" Max screams and Eric gets it. As if he turned his emotions off, he robotically turns his head to Max, nods and then turns it back to me.

My fingers are on both triggers. I shoot Max in the shoulder and by then Eric takes me out by lunging at me. Wrestling for power. He's on top of me but his punches don't pack their usual punch. There's not that much force and I know I can take him, but there are my guns in between us. I can tell his head is all over the place. Never once does he reach for his guns. I knew he wouldn't shoot me.

Until I hear the gun go off and feel the pain. I'm shot in the stomach.

Hypothetically, I can bleed out.

Hypothetically, they aren't going to help me because I'm a Divergent traitor. This is the end.

And the darkness takes me.