Devious | Eric Coulter

31

UNEDITED

T H I R D    P E R S O N 

Charlotte's gun clattered on the floor, her eyes focused on the lifeless body of the woman she had shot.

She had shot.

She hyperventilated, her hands shaking at the sight before her. Charlotte trembled, "I-I didn't---I just---the mother, I---no. No, no, no. T-The children---their mother---I did--"

"Lottie," Eric hissed, "Calm the fúck down."

"Calm down. Calm down? CALM DOWN!" She let out a sick laugh, "Calm down. Calm down. Calm the fúck down. "

"Eric, sort her out." Max said, a suspicious look on his face.

That was bad news for Eric.

Immediately, Eric did as Max told and dragged a hysterical Charlotte into one of the grey house lined up beside them. He closed the door behind him with a loud bang and turned to her, his face softening.

"Lottie," He consoled, "You did---"

"I kílled her," She had sat down on the floor and was rocking herself back and forth, "I kílled her. I kílled a mother. B-But it's not my fault. I didn't--yes! It was not my fault, it was your  fault!"

She turned to Eric with a crazed look, "You drugged me. The needle, you did it! It wasn't me, I'm innocent. I didn't kill a mother of two young children," She was choking with tears as she spoke,

"I'm not a killer."

Eric pinched the bridge of his nose. The drugs had lost their effect.

Great fúcking timing, too. Too fúcking great.

"I had to, Lottie. To keep you safe."

"No! I need to get out of here. I need to find Tobias and we can run away. I need to get away. I need to get away now."

This is so fúcking low. I'm going to regret this, but fúck it. Fúck everything. Eric thought as he pulled Lottie up from her fetal position. "Lottie, if I didn't---"

"Get away from me," She sobbed, "Get the fúck away from me."

"Don't you fúcking get it?" Eric's voice raised, "If you fúcking run off, I'll be their target! I  was supposed to help you, and if they find out the truth, they'll fúcking kíll me."

Charlotte continued to struggle against him, so Eric continued his pathetic tries to make her stay.

He's using himself as a bait.

"If you go out that door and show that you're against us, I'll die. Do you want me to die, Lottie?"

Charlotte froze at his sentence. After everything Eric has done for her, was it really worth it? He helped her mask her Divergence and even help her pass initiation.

Did she want him to die?

"No." She croaked.

Eric tried to keep the relief that he felt. Fúck, that was close.

"I don't want anything to happen to you, Lottie. Just stay with me, and you won't have to do it again."

Eric brought his hand up to her face and wiped the tears that had fallen on her cheeks. Charlotte unconsciously leaned in towards his touch, her action emitting a satisfied reaction from Eric.

"We need to go. Just keep close, alright?"

Charlotte nodded before following Eric out the door. She took a deep breath and tried her best to get her act together.