Rampant: A Divergent FanFiction (Book Two) ©

Chapter 1

                Her eyes, they were icy, hollow, and completely vacant; as if they’d never held an ounce of life within their depths. At the same time, however, they were full of many unspoken words that were thick with meaning. I could feel rather than hear them, asking why? Why didn’t I leave her alone? Why did I have to sentence her to a certain death? She’d been so young, with such a bright future, and great things ahead of her. Why, why, why?

                If I’d only been stronger. If only…

                But it was too late now.

                “I’m sorry Randi, I’m so sorry. Please, forgive me,” I tried to say, but as soon as the words came out the wind carried them away.

               My apologies dissipated until all that was left was a ragged and broken moan coming from my lips; as if I were the corpse trying to speak, and not the other way around. The ghost of her memory raised a hand towards me, and without hesitation I reached forward in an attempt to grasp her fingers. I blinked, and suddenly she was much farther than I’d realized.

               I strode forward, but somehow, the faster I moved, the more her body seemed to float away from me. Subconsciously, a little voice in my head reminded me that this wasn’t real, that it was a nightmare; the same one I’d been having for practically a year.

                I didn’t care. I wanted to see her, needed to remember, even if it was only possible through a dream.

                Sage; her blue-tinted lips breathed softly, willing me to keep going. I sprinted; stumbling to a stop when my foot seemed to be caught on some unseen obstacle.

                I looked down, but there was nothing but dead grass and crushed leaves.

                Sage; she crooned again, and it was always at this point that the nightmare would take a turn for the worst. I knew what was coming, but even with that knowledge, I couldn’t bear to look away from her remains.

               The moonlight shone eerily down onto her gray-green bones, casting obscure shadows in the depths of her black, empty eye sockets, and her skeletal grin. I was frozen; not daring to move lest she disappear completely. Her teeth chattered at me, and though it was an impossibility, I could somehow hear the accusations behind the gesture.

               Against my will, my body moved, reached towards her; and just as my fingers seemed like they would graze her, the scene shattered.

               I awoke with a strangled gasp, my body drenched in sweat and my limbs numb from the lack of use. Awake, I was awake, it hadn’t been real.

               A deep ache throbbed in my back, and as I blinked, I realized I again hadn’t made it to my room the previous night. I shifted and then winced when my head began to throb. Around me, there was a series of empty beer bottles, some shattered, and others cracked. They were strewn about close to my feet, but also farther down the dark tunnel.

               I frowned, somewhat disoriented, but upon further inspection I knew I was at least in the right hallway. For some reason, I always seemed to lose consciousness around this area. I supposed it had to do with the fact that the space was usually deserted.

               Upon wrapping up the celebration of our initiation and the supposed funeral the dauntless had given Randi, we’d all been taken to a series of tunnels that were just north of the Pit. There, we’d been shown and offered housing in the vacant apartments. I’d opted to go last, and had eventually picked a room in the southern wing of the dauntless compound. Why? Simply because the southern region was the least populated area.