LET ME BACK IN
I can't write anything happy for these two, I'm sorry. Writing in Levi's point of view is difficult.
Based on the instrumental, "Let Me Back In," by Explosions in the Sky.
Fear.
Her bellowed screams were hard to silence. They echoed inside of my head, causing my hands to tremble. What was happening right now – I could barely suppress the bitter taste on my tongue, listening to her screams.
Regret.
I clenched my teeth, bit my lip, and tried to drown her out. The scratches of her nails on the door, the clash of her glasses hitting the floor, the sound of her weeping; wailing; sobbing. They kicked my chest in so that I found it hard to breathe.
This had to be done.
I'm sorry, Hanji.
Anxiety.
My hands still shook with every step that I took. The farther I moved from that door, the more my body refused to cooperate. Within moments I found my hands trembling, my body unable to keep up with what my mind was handling. Leaving her there – was it really the right choice?
Of course it was. It had to be. What else could I have done?
"Corporal..." Shrieking, she whimpered, letting out a deep, hollow breath.
Terror.
Scoffing, I knew what was coming next. The thundering footsteps made their way closer and closer, with each passing second. The blood, I could hear it dripping on the ground as it walked. Slowly dripping, making a reflective splatter sound as it hit the floor, followed by a boisterous footstep. And another. And another. Loud, obnoxious, deafening footsteps, and they kept getting closer, no matter how fast I ran.
A crash. I felt a strong wind blow behind me, swiftly. Its breathing I could hear, faintly. The smell of rotting flesh could be traced even from here. The trickling blood I could hear even more clearly. The sound of mangled shards of wood and brick could be heard flying throughout the air, clattering upon making a landing onto the hard, stone floor. I did not stop.
Your death will not be in vain.
Quickly, I spun around. Face to face with the giant, I looked into its ghastly eyes – its sinister smile reminiscent. My body trembled with horror, if only for a moment.
Regaining my composure, I took my swords out of their hinges in my gear. I readied myself for battle, wiping the blood off my lips from where I bit them earlier. I gnarled. I would not lose.
"Would you like your limbs detached?" scowling, I pointed one of my swords towards the giant's head.
It looked at me with that stupid grin, before walking over to where I was with thunderous, albeit slow, footsteps.
Carelessly, I leapt up into the air, pulling my shivering body towards my destination. I felt my body glide lightly through the stuffy air, releasing any tension I had left into a channeling energy.
Wait, why is my gear stuck? I know I checked my gear before leaving on this mission. I know I did. Why was it malfunctioning now, of all times? It had worked perfectly fine earlier.
"Fuck," I muttered, plunging to the ground with a loud clash. My gear was stuck. The left lever not operational. I landed with the left side of my face face down, sliding across the damaged floor that was covered in broken wooden shards.
One piece managed to lodge itself into my eye, another stuck halfway into my left triceps. I winced briefly.
I tried to get up, but I knew I wouldn't be fast enough.
"You won't kill me," I muttered, my voice slightly trembling.
Before I realized what was happening, I heard her voice.
"Corporal!"
Slash. Slice. Drip. In a moment of hesitation, I heard a wide hack come from behind me. It was her. I had no doubt.
But it was too late.
The giant was smart. Before she could get to it, I felt its hot, steaming mouth close around the right side of my body. I couldn't feel anything. My vision getting blurry, fuzzy. I felt scorching crimson liquid drip down my face, slowly; bit by bit. Some stained my vision, or what was left of it. Numb. Is this what it felt like to get eaten? Is this what it felt like to be helpless?
Is this what it felt like for all my men, when they faced their end?
I felt nothing. Nothing but her sweaty hand gripping mine.
"Corporal! Please, no!" I heard her scream, through messy hearing. It sounded almost like a screech; a dying swallow's screech.
I squeezed her hand, trying to smile. How can you smile with half a face?
"Be strong, Hanji."
I could hear her cries, again. This time though, they were different. They sounded more poignant, and somber. Less like the fearful, bloodcurdling wailing I had heard before.
Suddenly, my hearing ceased. I felt her arms cradle what was left of me.
She whispered in my ear, "Wait for me," placing a kiss on my cheek.
I closed my eyes.
I'll wait for you.
