ALL THE WRONGS • DIVERGENT ERIC FANFICTION

chapter 72 | different ways to die

VENUS

I UNTANGLE myself from Eric's body, my breathing heavy. We slip on our clothes in silence and I try to get my head to focus but it's impossible.

I thought I hated him.

All this time, I thought I hated him for what he did to me. But it seems I actually love him more than I let on, and I don't know why.

Not because he is Aria's father, but because he understands me. He always has, even through initiation. He saved me when Tobias tried to kick me out. Even though he was harsh, there was something there all along, and I love him for that.

"I have to go," I whisper, getting to my feet. Eric looks at me with pleading eyes. "I'll come back. I promi-"

"My execution is tomorrow."

I pause and suck in a breath. His execution. The execution which will decide whether Eric dies or not, based on his crimes. And Eric has done so many bad things.

"I know."

"You could let me go." Eric mutters and I glare across at him, my brows furrowing.

"No!" I hiss. "Are you insane?"

"For wanting to get out of dying?" Eric chuckles under his breath. "I guess that's a pretty insane thing to do-"

I stomp over to him, pressing him against the wall. "If they catch you, they'll kill you on the spot and probably do the same to me because I assisted your escape!"

"Then what are you going to do?" Eric snaps, his eyes narrowed down at me. "Leave me in here to die?"

I don't want to argue with him. In fact, I can't find the words to say - I can't let him leave. We'd be on the run forever and what about Aria?

"You think running away is a good idea?" I question him, forcing my voice to stop trembling. "You have Aria to think about now. You can't just leave and expect everything to be fine-"

"You did-"

"You shot me in the fucking chest, dipshit!"

Eric is silent for a long moment, and I just stand there, looking down and burning holes into the ground when he hugs me, wrapping his strong arms around my body and proving just how small and fragile I really am. I let out a sigh and fall into his embrace, sinking my face into his shirt.

"How did we get into this mess?" I grumble, looking up at him.

"It isn't a mess - it's a war."

When I walk away from him, it takes everything in my heart to stop me from just walking back and staying there for the rest of the day. Eric grabs my arm before I lock the cell. "Take the back door."

"There's a back door?"

"It leads outside the Candor compound."

"Isn't that tempting for the prisoners?" I comment and my hands shake when I lock Eric's cell and I wish I didn't have to, wish I was just somewhere where the factions didn't exist, had never existed.

"I'll visit you again." I say. "Before the execution. And... I'll be there. I'll be on your side."

Eric's eyes darkened and he looked down. I grab his hand through the bars and smile at him. "This isn't over yet. You have... three things to live for and that's enough."

"I love you." Eric says and looks into my eyes and I want to stay there forever, looking into his blue eyes, falling into them. But I know that I can't. I know that there's no way I can be that lucky. I am not that lucky.

"I love you too," My voice cracks. I wipe my cheek - a tear - and try to stop my breath from hiccupping. "so much." And we'll see each other. Tomorrow, and the day after, and in a time where we can't even remember the factions - we'll die together.

His eyes follow my every step until I'm too far away into the shadows. I look back as I walk, trying to see him, realizing how painful it will be but needing to see his face because I am doubting myself, doubting that I will be able to see him tomorrow before his trial.

I don't realize I'm steering into a cell until hands grab me, pulling one of my arms backward. I scream and a heavy breath rushes past my ear as my left arm traps between the bars. In the other, I'm holding the set of keys. Whoever it is, reaches out of the bars and tries to grab my hand, grab the keys.

"You bitch!" I recognize the voice. Rhett. Rhett fucking Morley.

"Venus?" I hear Eric's voice, desperate, so far away from here. He shakes the bars frantically, wanting to get to me and I grit my teeth as Rhett grabs my wrist, fingers spiralling toward the ring of keys.

With a grunt, I throw them from my fingers. They sweep across the ground and to my luck, underneath another cell. I look up and see Harmonie looking straight at me, the keys at her feet.

I open my mouth to say something, when Rhett yanks back my arm that is still stuck awkwardly between the bars. I scream again, straightening my fingers and yanking my arm back. Pain crashes through my shoulder but I ignore it and relief rushes over me when I release my arm but he grabs my hair and yanks me forward and I'm face to face with Rhett and I hate it.

"What do you want? I'm not letting you out of here." I spit at him. "I want to shoot you. I'll shoot you from head to toe; I'll be your death."

"Or wouldn't it be so much better if you let me go? They'll shoot me as soon as they see me," Rhett smirks. "I, unlike your boyfriend, have only one reason to live. I don't want to die in a seat. I want to die running."

"Rhett, get the fuck away from Venus!" Eric yells, but Rhett ignores him, chuckling.

I glare at him. He heard that? He heard our conversation?

"Yeah, I heard it all." Rhett nods slowly. "It all."

"Fuck you, you sadistic piece of shit." My voice doesn't even shake. I am angry, fuelled and I'm certain everyone wouldn't mind if I just shot him in the head right now. "I want to see the life leave your eyes. When your execution comes tonight, I will be the last thing you see."

Rhett's eyes suddenly flick down to the gun in my waistband. My breath falters and I duck, rolling my head down and back up again until his hands fumble from my hair. He reaches for me, but I'm too far away now and he starts screaming and shouting like it's going to save him because I was his chance to get out of here, and he just fucking blew it.

I turn round. Harmonie is still looking down at the keys before her feet, still and shocked and not knowing what to do and maybe two years ago I would've done the same thing but now, I would've unlocked my cell and made a run from it. I understand why Eric wanted to do the same.

"Harmonie," I say breathily. She looks up at me, rubbing her fingertips together. Then, she leans down and picks up the bunch of keys, passing them to me.

"I get what I deserve." She says, even though I can tell from her eyes she is hurting so badly. She is torn between leaving now or maybe never leaving at all but they're both so risky.

I take the keys from her hand. She makes no move to hurt me, unlike Rhett who is still stretching out to reach me.

"Venus?" Eric calls again, worried and my mind is in so many different places.

"I'm... I'm fine." I say as I look into Harmonie's eyes. She dips her head and turns away. I remember her when she first got to Dauntless - innocent, happy and young. Now, she is troubled and guilty and there's blood on her hands.

We have changed so much.

There is nothing more in the world that we want than to go back in time, back to the rooftop and just jump all over again.

Maybe we wouldn't do it so wrong.

The keys of my laptop decided to fail on me, which is the reason I couldn't write/post this chapter any quicker. I know that isn't exactly an excuse because I could've done it on my phone but I can write so much better and quicker on a laptop. At least it's fixed now, so I can finish up my first Divergent fanfiction and I might cry since I've been writing this for such a long time omigod :') Love you guys so much !

X x, caley