
The Stiff Who Fears
I walk into the fear landscape room with Tris following close behind.
I had told her we'd be coming to this place last night before she went back to the dormitory after dinner. She had seemed wary of the reason, but didn't ask why. I was thankful for that.
"Today, we're going to be going into the same fear landscape." I told her, swallowing and adverting her eyes.
Her eyes widen.
"Mine?" She says in nearly a whisper.
"No, mine." I gulp. I hope this will be easy.
She comes over to me. "Are you sure you want to?" She asks.
"Why wouldn't I?" I say.
"Well you haven't told me anything about you and now you're just going to let me inside of your head?"
I stop getting the syringe ready. "What, are you afraid of that?"
"And you're not?"
I shake my head. "No."
She looks confused but doesn't ask anymore questions.
I proceed to inject myself and her with the simulation fluid.
I then lay down on the chair, knowing that this might be the hardest part about this.
She looks around as if she's searching for something then looks back at me.
"How am I supposed to get into the simulation if you're sitting in the chair?" She asks.
Here it comes...
"Well, you're supposed to lay on top of me."
I can almost feel the hairs standing up on the back of her neck.
She wasn't expecting this.
But surprisingly, she doesn't say anything. She simply comes over to the chair and climbs on top of me. Her reluctance is evident, and I try to ignore it.
The simulation starts.
+++
We open our eyes as soon as they're consumed in darkness and find ourselves on a sort of tight rope overlooking the city.
My heart jumps to my throat.
Even though I know it's a simulation it still scares me.
"It's only a simulation. We can just jump." Tris says.
"A Divergent would jump. A Dauntless would go across." I say, spreading my arms wide to keep m y balance and walk the tightrope.
Tris follows.
We make it to the other side, bringing us to my second fear: Confinement.
The second both of us are in the room, the opening closes, and out of instinct, I jump at the now-closed opening and my cheeks flush. Tris saw that.
She immediately runs to the wall I'm leaning my back against and tries to pry it open with her fingers.
"Just take your time." I say sarcastically, already sweating more than usual.
"You know most boys would give up almost anything to be trapped in a confined space with a girl." She teases.
"Not claustrophobic people Tris!" I almost shout.
"Okay okay!" She starts to work faster, and soon, the box disappears.
I look to my left and see the table with the gun.
"Which is this?" Tris asks.
I don't answer her; I simply get up, walk to the table, and pick up the gun.
Suddenly, a girl kneeling appears in front of me, and I know it's time to tell Tris what's going on.
"I have to kill her." A pause. "But I can never do it...unless I look away."
Her face transforms from one I don't know to Tris's, so I look away,
And shoot.
The gunshot isn't as loud as it usually is, and I pray that that means I'm getting over this fear.
I turn around, and the room transforms into my Abegation house.
This is the worst.
"Why are we in Abnegation?" Tris asks.
Marcus comes out from behind a wall, and my breath hitches in my throat.
"Marcus...? What is he-"
He undoes his belt, and looks at me.
"Wait...Marcus had a son. His name was-"
"Tobias." My father calls out, and I clench my fists.
I hear Tris gasp as he whips the belt in my direction. Before I can register what is happening, Tris is in front of me, getting hit by my fathers belt.
No. I think, coming to my senses and pushing her out of the way.
Several other Marcus's start to materialize from the shadows, but I've been through this.
I punch the Marcus that is in front of me in the face and he flies into the wall, along with the other Marcuses.
We wake up in the fear landscape room.
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