Rampant: A Divergent FanFiction (Book Two) ©

Chapter 20

               As I watched Biff stalk towards Zane, step by step, it took me only a second to come up with the undeniable fact that if I didn’t put a stop to this fight, it would escalate into something much more dangerous. Biff wasn’t a bad guy, but sometimes he didn’t know how to handle his own strength, and that’s where the danger lay. If pushed, Biff would not hesitate to push back with enough power to crack more than a few bones. In the training room, he’d had some restraint. But here, there was nothing to soften his edges.

               If Zane thought a silly wrench would tip the scales in his favor, then Biff had obviously injured more than his ego yesterday. He must’ve hit Zane far too many times on the head; he couldn’t be in his right mind. Though his shaggy, golden-blonde hair and dimpled, baby face gave Biff the over-all appearance of someone innocent and angelic, it was clear to anyone who laid eyes on the rest of him that he wasn’t to be messed with.

               Behind Zane, the initiates were tense and looked alarmed, especially Wayne. He’d been taking fighting lessons from Biff since he was little, and thus knew the same thing I did; Biff was like a high-grade explosive. If he went off, there was absolutely no way to escape the blast unscathed. Before anyone else could jump in and worsen the situation, I acted.

               In a flash I lunged and yanked the wrench out of Zane’s hands, simultaneously shoving him back into the crowd of initiates. He stumbled slightly but then righted himself, trying to look cool as he straightened his shirt. Then he began to walk forward again, seeming prepared to continue with his idiotic show of defiance. He was not making my job easier.

               “Felix, Tyler,” I snapped, jerking my head in Zane’s direction.

               Immediately the two stepped up and took ahold of Zane’s arms; successfully stopping him from getting any closer.

               “Sage, what gives?” Biff protested with an air of playfulness; though I noted that he was still walking forward with determination in his step.

               “Biff, stop, the kid was just being stupid,” I said, trying to sound bored. “Let it go. This doesn’t need to escalate more than it already has.”

               “I’m not scared of that lumbering sasquatch,” I heard Zane gripe behind me. I turned and shot him a look.

               “Sasquatch, hadn’t heard that one before,” Biff chuckled as he paused near one of his tables that was filled with scrap metal. He picked up a thick and heavy-looking pipe, resting it on his fingers as if he were weighing it or something.

               “Biff, be reasonable,” I said, though I knew my words were useless; going in through one ear and out the other.

               He didn’t answer me, instead I watched as he leaned to the side, waved at Zane, and then proceeded to demonstrate his strength by bending the pipe in half with his bare hands. The only sign we had as an audience that Biff was exerting himself, was the fact that the ropey veins and thick bands of muscle on his arms went taught. Other than that, his cocky smile never faltered, and he didn’t even grunt or break a sweat. Amidst the sounds of shallow breathing behind me, the only other noise heard in the room was that of the protesting metal.

               Sneaking a glance behind me, I saw that Zane had finally come to his senses and was wearing an appropriate expression on his features; something between a silent gasp and a horrified grimace. His face was pale, as if all the blood had drained out of him, and he was no longer being restrained by Felix and Tyler. Rather, he was slowly walking backwards to stand behind them, almost as if he intended to use them as a shield.