Welcome all to my first Divergent fanfiction (original novel by Veronica Roth.) This story is rated T for moderate violence, language, and sexual themes. Please review; I'd love to read your feedback.
Chapter 16: Frigid
Nina's pained scream broke the quiet of the dormitory and caused Maddie to jolt out of bed. She stared down, stunned, at the horror unraveling before her eyes. A large mottled snake had clamped its jaws onto Nina's outer thigh. Nina's mouth formed a silent 'O' and the color instantly drained from her face. After several long moments, the snake let go and slithered away. Nina was white as a sheet as she stared down blankly at her wound; the snake's fangs had made two small incisions, about an inch apart. "Well, that hurt," she said in a small, stupefied voice.
Maddie's brain seemed to be functioning in a muddled, slow haze as fear spread through her veins like ice water. Just as the reptile began to move towards the dark, cool space beneath the bed, Maddie snapped into action. She jumped down from her top bunk and slammed her heel directly onto the center of the snake, causing its guts to gush outwards. Thick blood and putrid bile sprayed in all directions onto Maddie's bare ankles and Nina's exposed thighs. Thinking quickly, Maddie ripped a pillow out of its case and shoved the disgusting, dead creature into it. She rapidly tied the end of the case into her belt loop and knotted it off.
"Nina, we have to get you to the clinic," Maddie said, turning to her friend.
Nina's eyes flashed away from her injury to Maddie's face. She nodded weakly in response.
Maddie hesitated for a moment and then quickly grabbed the small notebook that Nina had been holding in her hands - the only evidence of Clark's malice and insanity - and shoved it in her trouser pocket. "Ok, let's go."
Nina groaned as she swung her legs over the side of the bed. "Help!" Maddie cried out as she bent down to scoop her arm under Nina's armpit to help lift her to her feet. The two friends waddled slowly to the door, Nina struggling to move her legs and Maddie finding it difficult to bear Nina's weight.
Maddie cried for help once more as they crossed the threshold between the dormitory and the hallways. Nina's body was slick with sweat, and she slipped a little from Maddie's grasp. "It fucking hurts…" she whimpered pathetically, a cry of pain escaping her lips.
Maddie shivered and felt goose bumps run up her arms. "It's going to be ok, Nina." Tears welled in her eyes. She could hardly believe her own words.
Maddie heard footsteps rushing from around the corner and was relieved to see Tae rush forward to help. Tae momentarily stared at the two girls, her mouth agape, unable to comprehend and unsure of what to do. At that moment, the color drained from Nina's face and her body slumped forward as she lost consciousness. Maddie's knees buckled under the sudden weight of Nina's languid body.
"Grab her legs, quickly," Maddie commanded. Tae nodded and hauled up the lower half of Nina's inert body into her arms while Maddie rearranged her hold on Nina's torso. The two girls moved as rapidly as they could down the hallway towards the clinic, stumbling awkwardly with the weight divided between them.
"What happened?" Tae asked, nearly breathlessly.
Maddie felt her chest begin to clench painfully and could garner enough breath for only one word: "Snake," she stated simply. She shook her head 'no' at Tae's inquisitive look. "I don't know." Her heart had begun to tighten in a familiar throb that was a warning to Maddie that she was starting to overexert her body. Not now, she thought. I can't stop now. In spite of the cool air within the cavern, Nina's body was producing copious amounts of sweat in response to the snake bite, which made it difficult for Maddie and Tae to kept a hold of her body.
When they finally arrived to the clinic, Tae swung open the door with a forceful kick and the girls filed in and dropped Nina's body onto the first available cot. Amir was inside being treated for a minor facial abrasion by a healer-in-training. When he and the trainee noticed the commotion, they immediately rushed forward.
The healer-in-training's hands shook as she lugged Nina into an upright position on the cot with Tae's help. "What happened," she asked, looking to Maddie for answers. Maddie's eyes went wide in disbelief, as the horror of the situation began to fully register in her mind. "She was bitten by a snake… this huge, ugly snake…." She subconsciously patted the pillowcase that was tied to her belt loop to confirm that the creature was still there. She failed to notice that the reptile's blood had SEEP ed through the thin cotton cloth and left a trail of red droplets all along the corridor to the clinic.
"A snake?!" The healer shot her a disbelieving look. "Are you sure it wasn't something else that cut her, like glass? There are no snakes in these caverns!"
"Yes, a fucking snake," Maddie snapped. She ripped open the pillow case and tossed the bloody snake onto the floor as proof. "Look at her leg - do something!"
Amir grabbed Maddie's right hand, his grip tightening almost painfully as he took in the ghastly sight. The snakebite was an open wound with blood and green liquid beginning to seep out. Maddie clutched Amir's hand in despair. "Go get Eric, please, and hurry," she requested, squeezing his hand in what she hoped was a reassuring manner. He nodded, brought her hand up to his mouth and lay the lightest of kisses on her knuckles, then rushed out of the clinic.
Nina sat up suddenly, a wild and confused look in her eyes, and leaned over the side of the cot. She briefly vomited a foul mixture of bile and water then lay back down and passed out once more. The healer snapped on a pair of latex gloves, did her best to wipe away the snake guts that had stuck to Nina's skin, and carefully prodded at the wound. Blood continued to leak out from the incisions, creating a trail of crimson liquid that ran down Nina's leg. The healer quite uselessly attempted to clean up the blood only to find that more continued to leak out. At that moment, the door to the clinic slammed open and the sound startled Nina into a quasi-alert state.
Eric barged into the clinic, trailed closely by Amir, and brought his eyes close to Nina's thigh to examine the wound. Her thigh looked horrific; a combination of reptile guts, blood, and venom stained the entire side of her leg, and more liquid continued to ooze out of the incisions. Nina whimpered pitifully, trying her best to bite back the pain that she felt. Eric straightened up and spoke sternly to the healer. "Have you treated her yet?" He cupped Nina's cheek and tilted her face up to him so that he could pour some of his water down her throat.
"I, - treatment? I don't know," the healer-in-training replied nervously. "I'm just a trainee, all the main healers are down at the pit, treating serious injuries from Initiates leaving their final audits."
"What kind of snake bit Nina?" Eric asked Maddie.
"An ugly one," replied Nina, laughing weakly.
Maddie shrugged and nudged the snake corpse, which was lying in a poodle of blood on the floor. Eric crouched and inspected the creature. He thought for a moment, concern etched into his features. "This is some sort of rattlesnake. Definitely venomous." He snapped his head up at the healer. "Do you have any vials of anti-venom?"
Blood rushed to the trainee's face. "I don't think we keep that here, our supplies are limited." Her hands shook as she opened a pill bottle. "I can treat her for the pain, but beyond that—"
Eric knocked the pill bottle out of her hands furiously, sending painkillers flying across the room. "She doesn't need pain medicine, she needs anti-venom immediately." He carefully picked up Nina and tucked her into his broad arms with a tenderness that didn't match the wrath in his eyes. He looked at the healer and spoke sternly. "Call the healers at the Erudite clinic and tell them to prepare a syringe of viper venom anti-serum." He paused to look down at Nina, who had passed out again in his arms, and then snapped his head up at Maddie. "You, come with me, and bring that thing with you" he commanded, nodding his head towards the snake on the floor, then stormed out of the clinic.
Maddie bent down and grabbed some of the pills that had fallen to the floor and stuffed them in her pocket. Then she hurried after Eric, simultaneously shoving the snake back into the pillowcase, her heart protesting at the sudden stress her body was experiencing. She followed Eric silently through the corridors and was impressed at his quick pace in spite of carrying Nina's body. They ran past the Pit and up the flight of steps that led to the rooftop.
Thankfully a train was already approaching. Maddie threw the pillowcase into the first cart and hopped on, then turned to take Nina from Eric's arms. He jumped in next and helped Maddie pull Nina's body closer to the center of the cart, away from the open door.
"We need to get her into upright position," Eric instructed. "It will help restrict her blood flow from spreading the venom to her heart." Maddie sat up and pulled Nina up against her chest, so that her torso was upright while her legs were splayed out on the floor. Nina's head lolled back, resting on Maddie's left shoulder. Eric tore a strip of fabric from his shirt and wrapped it lightly around the top of Nina's thigh. "This will help further constrict the blood flow," he explained. Maddie admired his ability to remain calm in such a nerve-wracking situation.
Eric began to pace the train cart, watching the city pass by at an excruciatingly sluggish pace. "We're moving too slowly. She needs the anti-venom now." He slammed his fist against the wall to emphasize his last word.
"Isn't there anything else we can do?" Maddie pleaded, panic bleeding into her voice. Nina came to and lifted her head feebly. She let out a faint moan of pain but didn't say anything. Maddie rubbed Nina's cold, sweaty arm in a weak attempt at comforting her.
Eric crouched down and rubbed his jaw as he stared ahead at Nina, seemingly lost in thought. Maddie fed Nina some of the painkillers from her pocket using the last of the water in her bottle. She was about to say something again to break the silence when Eric finally spoke up. "I can try to suck the venom out of her leg."
"Eric, don't," Nina protested shakily. Her voice was small and harsh; her throat was dry despite the water Eric had given her earlier.
Eric ignored Nina and scooted up to her lower body. He took her knee in his hand and lifted it to gain better access to the wound. Nina extended a trembling arm and attempted to shove Eric away, but in her current weakened state she did not have the strength to push him.
Maddie patted Nina's arm reassuringly but shared her concerns. "Are you sure that's such a good idea? I mean, can't that make you sick?"
Eric looked intently down at Nina, who was pleading silently for him to not put himself in danger. His face passed into shadow as they entered a short tunnel. He hesitated before answering, the only indication of the internal turmoil he felt. "I don't know," he replied truthfully. They exited the tunnel and light illuminated his face once more, revealing determination and hope and something Maddie recognized in his icy eyes. "But I have to try."
Eric bent down and placed his mouth over the snakebite. Instantly Nina attempted to recoil in pain, but Eric held her firmly in place. He sucked for a moment, pulled away and gagged, then spit out a dark, thick liquid onto the floor. The blood and venom permeated the dirty carpet of the train cart, forming a shapeless black stain. He brought his mouth back to the wound then pulled away again, repeating the motion several times – as Maddie tenderly caressed Nina's clammy hands, feeling quite useless – until no more venom entered his mouth. He haphazardly wiped his forearm across his mouth, smearing some dark fluid from his lips across his cheek.
Eric sat up on his knees and trembled as he pulled the steel water bottle from his utility belt. He uncapped the bottle and went to pour some in his mouth, only to find that it was empty. He dropped the bottle with a clash, crawled over to the open door, and emptied the contents of his stomach onto the rail tracks below. Maddie watched him and tried to place a word to the something that Eric had displayed in his eyes as he'd looked at Nina. She realized quite suddenly that the look was the same one that Amir gave her whenever he held her in his arms.
After what seemed to be an agonizingly long time, the train finally began approaching Erudite headquarters. Nina struggled to hold onto her consciousness but was pale, clammy, and dazed. Her pupils were fully constricted. When they arrived at Erudite, there was a team of healers waiting with a stretcher. Nina was able to weakly sling herself off the train with the help of Eric and Maddie. She was quickly carted off into the Erudite headquarters, with Eric and Maddie trailing closely behind. The healers entered the compound with Nina in the stretcher without a hitch, but a guard at the door prohibited Maddie and Eric from entering. "Halt," spoke the guard gruffly. "No unauthorized visitors are permitted beyond these doors."
Maddie bristled furiously, eager to check that Nina was ok. "You better let us in, that's my-"
Eric stopped her with a motion of his hand. He gazed intensely at the guard, pulled out his identification, and handed it over.
The guard skimmed over the card, his eyes widening in alarm as he recognized the name. "My apologies, sir." He straightened his blue uniform nervously as he stepped back to let them enter.
Maddie let out a quiet giggle. "Wow, I wish I had that power over people…"
Eric appeared not to hear her voice. His long legs moved him quickly down the passage, making several turns in the eerily quiet compound. Maddie found herself missing the sound of the roaring chasm of Dauntless, of the laughs and yells that were a constant background noise in her home faction. She was beginning to struggle to keep with Eric, impatient though she was to see Nina, when they finally made it to the Erudite clinic.
Maddie gasped in shock when she saw Nina. She was wearing an oxygen mask and a healer was tending to her snakebite with a small alcohol wipe. The healer finished wrapping a strip of clean gauze around Nina's wound, then turned away with a sigh and peeled off his blue latex gloves as he approached Eric and Maddie. "She's stabilized now, but we'll need to monitor her for another 24 hours."
"But she'll be ok?" Maddie pleaded, wringing her hands.
The healer gave a modest, hesitant smile and nodded.
Maddie exhaled with relief and threw her arms around the healer to give him a tight, quick hug. He grimaced awkwardly and patted her shoulder, unsure of what to do. Eric had to bite back a laugh; he knew the open affection displayed by the two Amity transfers took some getting used to.
Maddie wiped a few small tears away from her face as she left the healer with Eric. She sat carefully on the edge of Nina's cot and brushed Nina's hair tenderly. She was still unconscious, but a healthy, rosy hue had returned to her cheeks.
The healer turned to Eric. "You saved her life by calling ahead of time and getting her here so quickly. We were able to inject her with the anti-venom right away. She may not have been so lucky otherwise."
Eric shifted his feet uncomfortably.
The healer quirked up an eyebrow and pointed to Eric's jaw, which was still smeared with a black mixture of blood and venom. "Is that…?"
"Yes," Eric interrupted gracelessly. "I sucked the venom out of her leg."
The healer's eyes widened. "Do you realize how incredibly dangerous that was for you?" He asked, exasperated. Eric shrugged and quickly glanced at Nina, but didn't answer, so the healer continued. "I'll need to treat you as well then. Go sit down."
Eric lifted the ragged hem of his shirt and used it to wipe his face. "I'm fine," he said succinctly. When the healer opened his mouth to argue, Eric threw him a dismissive look and walked away.
Eric stood awkwardly at the edge of Nina's bed, unsure of what to do. He crossed his arms and observed Maddie staring devotedly at her friend. His chest tightened as he watched her caressing Nina, smoothing out her tangled hair, and wiping her sweaty forehead with a damp cloth. It made him think of his childhood, something he had been suddenly prone to doing in the past few weeks despite the pain that memories of his mother usually brought him.
An icy voice sliced through the silence and tore him away from his thoughts. "Eric, how lovely to see you."
Eric snapped his head up and looked at the woman standing at the entrance of the clinic. Jeanine Matthews was dressed impeccably in a crisp blue suit, holding the door ajar with her left foot, which was encased in an impossibly tall stiletto. She looked pointedly at Maddie and said "Visiting hours are over. Healer Smith will escort you out."
Maddie frowned but got up and reluctantly followed the Healer out of the clinic through the door that Jeanine still held open. As she passed Eric, she stealthily snuck something into his back pocket without Jeanine noticing.
Jeanine turned to go down the hall in the opposite direction. She motioned for Eric to follow her, and when he hesitated for a moment to glance at Nina, Jeanine gave a small, disingenuous smile. "She'll be fine. Come." Her heels clicked loudly on the tile floor, the sound echoing in the vacant hallway.
Eric complied and followed Jeanine as she wove through the corridors to an elevator, where she pressed the button for the penthouse. "What a good trainer you are, Eric," she stated insincerely. "Going above and beyond to take such good care of your Initiates. I'm sure you care equally for all of them. They must all look up to you as a mentor and leader." The threat was palpable; Jeanine had cleverly disguised her warning in saccharine words but they could not be misconstrued. She had taken note of the special interest Eric had for Nina and she blatantly disapproved.
The elevator pinged and the doors opened, revealing a pristine white office. The polished marble floors were immaculate, and a floor-to-ceiling window granted a spectacular view over the entire city. Eric could see his black-clad figure reflected back in the glass yet he barely recognized himself.
"Please, take a seat," Jeanine motioned towards Eric's customary seat on the opposite side of her desk. Eric had sat at this very desk many times, discussing and scheming with Jeanine and Max, 'taking orders,' a small voice in his head said, but this time felt different. He felt different.
"So, 'Marina Jorgenson'," Jeanine continued in her clipped, professional voice. "You believe her to be Divergent, do you not?"
Eric sat stiffly in his chair and composed his facial expressions so as to not reveal his thoughts. "I'm not sure."
Jeanine flipped through a stack of papers on her desk, searching for a particular sheet. "Ah, yes," she said as she found what she was looking for. "Marina 'Nina' Jorgenson, Tae Han-Ji, and Quentin 'Q' Williams. You submitted these names 3 weeks ago as being possible Divergent infiltrates in your group of Initiates."
Eric shifted in his seat. "Yes, I did."
"Well, the next 2 weeks are Mental Endurance training followed by final examinations, so the information you glean during that period should be more than enough for you to determine once and for all who is Divergent and who is not." Jeanine returned the stack of papers to a red folder and filed it away in the sleek cabinet behind her desk. "And then you can personally… get rid of those problematic Initiates…" She got up from her chair and perched herself atop her desk, close to Eric. "And then we attack Abnegation."
Eric looked up at her, unfaltering in his gaze, and nodded.
"Do you remember the plan?"
He could recite the plan backwards and forwards effortlessly. "Inject the Dauntless with the Control Serum after Initiation Day. Lead them to Abnegation. Eliminate all Divergent. Eliminate Marcus Eaton. Eliminate anyone who resists." The words felt like cold slime in his mouth.
"Good boy," Jeanine patted his knee condescendingly. "You're well on your way to getting that promotion you've been wanting." Promotion. The promise of power was irresistible to Eric; he felt a hollow longing for control stir within him. Jeanine slid off the edge of her desk and sauntered over to the adjacent suite, slipping off her jacket as she walked. When she looked back and saw that Eric had not moved from his seat, she dismissed him with a curt tone. "You can go now."
Eric waited until he was alone in the clinic, where he sat beside Nina who was still sleeping, to remove from his back pocket the object that Maddie had given him. It was a small, black notebook with the name "Clark" inscribed on the first page. Eric leafed through the pages increasingly rapidly, his eyes widening in alarm as he approached the final pages. On the last page was a wicked doodle of a snake and of a girl with her eyes crossed out with red pen.
Eric stood up in anger, reached for the radio transceiver clipped into his belt, and contacted the emergency services channel at Dauntless headquarters. "Relay message; get Initiate Clark Harrison into locked custody; await further instructions."
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