Eric Coulter Oneshots

{This Mask of Mine part 5}

I was awakened to the sharp sound of Four banging metal together. Peter must have set me back down in my bunk earlier. It was best until initiation was finished anyway. I remember that my clothes are on from last night and I head to the pit.

I trudge down the edges that had no rails and I pass two Dauntless women playfully shoving each others shoulders. I see them as fearless but I hope they can't see the nerves that have soon bundled in my stomach.

I feel nauseous. It must show on my face because Marlene and Uriah walk over and try to steady me. I thank them. They talk to me but I don't listen. I can't listen. The only thing I am able to hear is ringing that isn't in my ears but rather inside my head. I have to keep it together though.

I think of my brother. I allow the memories of our past together in Erudite slip into my mind. The ones of him teaching me how to write my name and tie my shoes. I smile at those. The ones of him watching scary movies with him and laughing when I got scared. The one of him beating up some guys who bullied me. I like that one. He had always been Dauntless the more I thought about it. Then the night before the choosing ceremony popped into my brain.

Flashback
"Hey." He'd said shaking me awake. I slap at his hands. "Go away." I whine. "I need to talk to you Ele." He called me that when I was a baby. I remember our mom telling me about it. "What is it Er." It was the name I gave him in return. "I couldn't tell you while mom and dad were up." This made me nervous. He almost never kept things from our parents to this extent. Yes he had secrets I had them too but he only woke me up once before to tell me about them. "The aptitude test." He said slowly. "I didn't get what mom or dad would have wanted." I look up at him shocked. He'd always been very smart. I hadn't known him to be otherwise. "What did you get." He hesitated. "Dauntless." He whispered. "Well you are brave." I say wanting to cry. "And Erudite." I'm stunned. "People can get more than one attitude." He nods. "It's just rare." I nod at him. "So your leaving." He turns to me. "I don't know. That's why I wanted to talk to you." I shake my head. This may be the most Amity and Dauntless thing I'd ever said. I touched his forehead gently. "Erudite is wrong sometimes Eric. Your head tell you lies." I then let my other hand rest on his chest. "Freedom and truth lies here." I say. He nods. Silence falls over us. "I think... I think I want to be brave." I put my emotions aside. "Then be brave Eric."
End

That was the last time a talked to him before initiation. I heard four start talking and felt Marlene drag me along with them. I snapped back and started moving on my own. Eric nodded at me. "Same as yesterday Elena and Marlene." He said. I feel like I might puke everywhere but that would be a sign of weakness.

"It's pretty close to the sim but you will be aware when your in there." He nodded at me. "Good luck." I swallowed. He injected the needle into my neck. I wince. "Sorry." He grunted. Then it went black.

I wake up in Dauntless. It is unusual quiet. People stared at me with laughing eyes. "It's the broken girl!" This was the fear of persecution .They started to shout. They chanted it. Empty bottles of champagne were thrown at me. One shattered on my head, breaking my skin open in an ugly gash. "Broken girl!" They said. Throwing more trash and other bottles. I felt my blood drip down my face in a waterfall. I know it's not real but my brain can only process the pain in my head. Think a way out. Think a way out. My brain screamed. I am now sobbing against a metal door with my hands over my head. Wait. A door? I press the handle and fall into another place.

Now I am in a small room with glass walls. Others look in at me. Non of them are chanting though much to my relief. A tall man with a tattooed head and face flips a switch. A pipe at the bottom leached out a Smokey substance. The fear of suffocation. What could I do. I slam into the wall but it pushed me back. I take off my jacket and put it over my face, but the air leaks through. I sputter you blood.

Four explained something earlier. I try to clear my mind. I wasn't listening but I heard something about a face. What would he mean about talking about a face? Face your fears! I thought suddenly. I take the jacket off and get as low as possible. I start to cough up blood and I claw my throat for air. My lungs almost exploded. I try to scream but I can't. Then it's still.

I wake up this time crying and gasping for air on a roof? I looked around puzzled. I wasn't afraid of heights. I try to move but my feet are planted. I am lying on my back and I cannot move. The fear of being in a collapsing building. Oh no. I felt one floor fall. I tell out in shock. I want to crawl into a little ball and hug my knees. Another floor falls. I must face this fear as well. 'Clunk.' Another two. Groans erupt from the building and it begins to sway. It falls over and the ground lets me sink into it. That one wasn't to horrible.

Then I see Eric. He looks sad. I see Peter who is next to Eric with the same sober expression. I still can't move. Then I feel my body start to drop down. 'No I'm Alive!'I scream but it only sound in my head. I lay inside the small box. Being buried alive. I try to break forward and claw my way out. I lay there. Think think. I fell the bubble of anxiety form. Then I see two men with shovels. They are broad and only one has any hair. I think as hard as I can. I think my eyes are open and that I am screaming as loud as I can. I think so hard I must believe it because the start to pull me out. I grip the edges of the coffin for dear life.

Then I'm in Erudite. I'm in my room with three white walls then two blue ones. It was shaped like a pentagon. My mother stands beside my father in my doorway. My fathers teeth are rotting and his eyes were bleeding and one was falling out of socket. He looked like a zombie. My mother had the same teeth but her hair was made of centipedes. They crawled around on my scalp causing my skin to crawl in displeasure. The fear of my parents. I want to shriek for help. I do. "Eric! Eric help! Peter! Four! PLEASE!" I cry out. "Elena dear girl did your mask of emotion finally break like you?" He let out a dark chuckle. I start to have a panic attack. My breaths are uneven. I try to flail around but four snake like restraints wrap around my leg. "Eric had always been my favorite, what about you Sheri?" She cackles and agrees.

My father walks into the door and takes off his belt. "You are Erudite even if your not that bright!" He said. A lash came across my face hard and the restraints keeping me on the wall tighten. One forms around my stomach. His hands snake around my neck and he slams me into the wall multiple times. Blood gushes from the wound. "Please stop Dad I'll do any-anything!" I gasp out screaming and crying like a child. "YOUR BROTHER MADE HIS CHOICE NOW YOU MAKE YOURS." He picked up the chair and slammed it into my ribs. I screamed out. "ERUDITE!" I scream. "YOU WILL NEVER BE YOUR BROTHER!" He yells.

Then I am awake again. I shriek and start flailing. "Elena!" I hear fours voice and run to him and hug him tightly. He surprisingly let me. He rubbed my back as I cried and shook in terror. After a few minutes while he stands up and states. "I had to pull you out." I now realized I was sweat soaked. "W-why?" He cringes. "Your heart rate was to high." He said. "You may go." I leave barely able to walk awaiting the nightmares that were sure to come.