A/N: Because this fic is based off of the video game The Last of Us, the plot and several pieces of the dialogue will coincide with the game. However, I made sure to add that Attack on Titan feel and original pieces from myself. I DO NOT OWN THE LAST OF US OR ANYTHING FROM THE NAUGHTY DOG FRANCHISE. OR ANY PART OF ATTACK ON TITAN.


[Prologue]

The wooden clock ticked and tocked on the wall, filling the otherwise silent room with a repetitive noise that never ceased. The small pendulum waved back and forth over the sleeping head of a young man who found refuge in the room's old sofa. He slept soundly to the clock's noise, body curled up in the couch cushions.

Quietly, the front door at the far end of the room began to rattle. The knob twisted and turned completely, and the door eased open. Another man — a tall blond — and a fairly short, tomboyish, young lady crept inside, closing the door behind them, being careful not to startle the sleepy-head on the couch; but when they tried to approach the young man, an obnoxious creak of a wooden board sounded beneath their feet.

"Oh damn it," cursed the crimson-haired girl. The sleeping denizen quickly awoke.

He sat up swiftly, thinking for a moment that he was about to be ambushed, but he caught sight of the two individuals in front of him — their clothes had been dirtied, but they were smiling.

"Happy Birthday, Levi!" the two greeted in unison as the crimson-haired girl held out a box of expensive tea packets.

Levi blinked twice and sank back into the couch, relieved that it was simply his comrades in his wake. "It's just you two..."

"Good thing we caught you sleeping!" said Farlan, the brown-haired man, with a wide smile. "It wouldn't have been much of a surprise if you weren't!"

"We got you something!" sang the crimson-headed Isabel as she placed the box of tea packets in Levi's hands.

Examining the box and its much-too-extravagant design, Levi's brow furrowed. "Where the hell did you two go?"

"Uhh..." The two stuttered.

"We shopped around a bit!" Isabel spat quickly.

Levi was unimpressed. Even though that was his usual expression.

"Don't you like it?" asked Isabel.

Farlan glanced at the short tomboy. "Yeah, don't you love drinking tea?"

Levi placed the box on the low table directly in front of him and exhaled. "It was nice of you to get me something, but don't you two realize what time it is?"

Farlan and Isabel stole a glimpse at the clock above Levi's head.

"It's almost midnight," he growled. "You two could've been caught, and I wouldn't have known until morning." This is the fucking slums, you dumbasses.

"Oh come on," Farlan groaned. "You gotta lighten up. We're here! We're back! We're safe! It's still your birthday! There's no sense in acting like shit on your special day."

"We just wanted to make you happy!" Isabel smiled.

Levi pursed his lips, still unimpressed.

But he had to admit: what they did was indeed a feat, risking their lives simply to smuggle a brand new box of expensive tea packets.

"Thank you," Levi uttered. "Now go to sleep. It's late."

The two made way for their so-called "sleeping spots," splitting off to separate sections of the building. As Isabel wished Levi goodnight, her leg brushed against the coffee table. She glanced at the table and saw the box of tea packets sitting near a tattered copy of a newspaper. Her eyes glossed past the paper, reading its header quickly:

"Military Fights Back As Mysterious Infection Strikes at 200%."

Confused as to what such a heading meant, she brushed it off and went straight for her own pile of cushions to sleep on.


Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

When the clock's hands ticked at the faded number one on the clock's face, it seemed that only Isabel was in a deep sleep. Suddenly, the sound of heavy wood creaking filled Isabel's ears, startling her. She gasped and pushed herself off the dusty cot.

"Someone there?" She asked. There was no reply.

She scanned her surroundings with the help of a small lantern while frantically strapping on three-dimensional maneuver gear. She skulked through the small hallway of the abandoned apartment that she and the rest of the trio lived; but there were no signs of Farlan or Levi anywhere.

The house was empty.

"Guys?" she called out, heart beginning to pound. She hated being alone, especially without them. "Guys!"

She made it into the living room where Levi had originally slept. There was the couch and the old wooden clock, even the box of tea packets she had given him — but Levi was nowhere to be seen. She leaned down and placed her hand on the cushions — they were still warm.

"Anyone?" Her voice began to tremble.

Wherever they had gone, they only left recently — at least on Levi's part. She turned her head to the clock, and her brows knitted together. Where the hell would you be?

The front door began to rattle again, only this time, without her touching it. Putting away the lantern, she reached for the blades that were stored in the compartments at her sides; she was ready to strike. Who the fuck is it? She prayed that it was Farlan or Levi fumbling with the door; and when the door swung open and closed half a second after, she found that her prayer came true.

"Levi!" Isabel released her grip on the blade handles and ran to him.

Roughly, he rushed past her to his own set of maneuver gear. His fingers raced to strap everything on, and Isabel watched in confusion.

"What's happening?" she asked.

"These people have gone mad," Levi said harshly.

"What do you mean?"

Suddenly, there was pounding on the door.

"Get away from there," Levi warned; Isabel nodded, staring at the door.

The pounding grew louder and louder. With each sound, the door shook harder, hinges weakening drastically. A moist groan came from behind the door, and in one more strong slam, the door flew from its hinges and revealed a grotesque figure.

Grotesque but still humanoid.

Isabel's eyes widened in horror. "What the fuck is that?!"

Levi pulled her behind him as he drew his sharp parrying blades. He stared at the creature before him — a swollen human being with strangely skinny arms. The humanoid figure took a step forward into the room, but, in an instant, was struck down by a flash of light.

It fell onto its knees, bleeding profusely from the stomach. Levi was standing behind it, sheathing his blades with blood splattered on his cheek and arms. Disgusted at the sight, he quickly turned around and rushed back to Isabel, grabbing her wrist again and leading themselves out towards the apartment's back door.

"You... you killed him?" she asked quietly, shocked by the ugliness of what she had just seen.

"We need to get out of here. Now."

The back door swung open, slamming against the side of the building, and they hauled themselves out as quickly as possible. Lashing their eyes to the side, they found Farlan standing with his gear ready to go. For a moment, they were relieved; but only for a moment. Startled by the sudden burst, he pivoted on the balls of his feet and saw a horrified Isabel and a blood-stained Levi racing out from the door. As Levi whipped the door shut and locked tightly behind him, Farlan examined him, from head to toe.

"Holy shit," Farlan breathed, staring at the blood all over Levi's arms and cheek. "You got... blood on you..."

"It's not mine, so let's go."

Instantaneously, the three shot grappling hooks from their waists and clung onto the nearest, tall building. They pulled themselves away from the apartment with their maneuver gear and observed the streets from above. What was happening? Why was this happening? They could not help but wonder. When they looked down beneath their feet, they saw perhaps the most wretched image they have ever seen: swollen humans attacked other human beings, grabbing their limbs and snapping their necks. Flesh was being devoured in every corner; the smell of dead bodies permeating the air.

Isabel held her breath, feeling a knot begin to rise up through her throat. Farlan refused to look down at the scene, shaking his head in strong disapproval; but Levi...

Levi watched it all unfold.

The sights he saw were engraved into his mind — the bloodshed, the tears of those who tried to flee from those mutated humans, the death and anguish.

It was all too real.

They descended onto an empty platform, collecting themselves and trying to make sense of what happened in a mere matter of hours. Isabel began to stray from the group, holding her arms and trembling while Levi and Farlan observed her.

"People are turning into these weird, flesh-eating things...!" Isabel cried out. "And everyone's dying and bleeding and... being eaten...!And...!"

Farlan approached her and placed his hands on her small shoulders. He looked into her tear-filled eyes, finding the raw panic and fear within her.

"What the fuck is going on?!" She finally screamed, pounding her fists into his chests. She was filled with disbelief and many more emotions that were just too much to bear in one time. "What the fuck?!"

Levi quickly turned his head to her, listening.

"Don't be so loud," Farlan said. "They might hear us..."

He wiped her falling tears with his thumb and cupped her face gingerly. He could feel the terror radiating from her body; hear her heart slamming against her chest — or maybe it was just his. She was not the only one of the three who felt this intense strain of horror. He tried to suppress his own trembling to put on such a brave face; but the shaking would not cease.

"Before I came back to the safe house, I heard from other people," Levi began, "that the infection finally hit this city."

Farlan inhaled sharply and slowly exhaled.

The infection — it was not a simple outbreak.

It was a pandemic.

Thousands were struck by this infection — an infection that morphed humans into giant, flesh-eating, mindless creatures scientifically classified as Titans. Their skin would stretch and harden; their muscles bulged and shrank in some places; their mouths widened; and their digestive and reproductive systems were completely destroyed. Everyone within the Underground City believed that the infection would never reach them — they were underground after all. They were away from all the danger above.

They were sadly mistaken.

They did not understand how fast the rate at which the infection spread was underground, compared to the much slower rate above. Immune systems were below average in the Underground City - many had no chance to fight against it.

"It doesn't matter who's infected." Levi gritted his teeth. "We need to get away. Reaching the surface is one thing, but I refuse to stay here and become Titan feces or be a quick dinner."

Farlan nodded and turned to Isabel once more. He tilted her chin up and spoke calmly, "You gotta be strong, okay? At the top of your game, Isabel."

Levi drew his parrying blades once more in a single, smooth motion and spoke boldly to his companions:

"We're getting the fuck out of here."


It was a tedious process, but it got them somewhere having to constantly connect and disconnect to buildings like monkeys swinging through trees.

For hours they traveled by maneuver gear, avoiding the streets and even the low buildings. They flew with swords in hand as well as the mindset to be as far away from the Underground City as possible. They wanted to be safe — to live. They all hated that place with a burning passion - the slums was no place for any man, woman or child; but the infection in the Underground City was all the more reason to seek refuge at the surface. It would mean a different kind of lifestyle, needing to start all over again - find a new safe house, smuggle some more food and weapons - but it would have been worth it. At least they were farther from the infection. There were more techniques on the surface to keep the infection at bay than underground. Life up top should not be any more difficult and dangerous.

The trio moved at a steady pace with their gear. All was going well.

But then, a strange high-pitched noise came from Farlan's oxygen tank.

He began an awkward descent.

"Shit...!" He mashed the trigger for his 3DM gear, but only the grappling hook seemed to work. There was no more momentum to continue traveling through the air properly, and he fell hard onto the pavement, rolling into a pile of firewood.

Shocked to see their comrade on the ground, Levi and Isabel safely dropped to his location. They landed on their feet and sprinted to him.

"What happened?" Levi asked.

"I... I don't think I have any oxygen left to keep using this damn thing...!" Farlan's intense panic was returning.

"We can still make it!" Isabel said. "We'll just carry you!"

"You can't!" Farlan hastily stood, tossing the bits and pieces of firewood off to the side and ignoring the minor cuts on his knees and elbows. "You'll need both your hands to carry me and both your hands to use the 3DM gear. It's already hard enough with blades in your hands. It won't work. There has to be another way...!"

As they stood contemplating what to do next, heavy footsteps was heard from around the corner. Farlan jumped and backed away from the firewood, feeling tremors in the ground.

And then...

"Oh shit!" Farlan screamed as a four-meter high Titan grabbed hold of his left arm.

Furious, Levi aimed at the Titan and shot a grappling hook directly into its shoulder. He reeled himself in with blades ready to cut, and he carved through the Titan's neck, blood splattering everywhere. It released its grip on Farlan and dropped him back to the ground. Levi landed with his body bent low towards the ground and then saw a skinny, peculiar-looking shape at his feet. He kicked at it to examine it, and his eyes shot open, horrified.

Levi faced Farlan who struggled to stand. Isabel ran to his side to prop him up, and it was then that Levi noticed Farlan's shoulder spurting out blood.

"My arm!" He shrieked. "Oh my God, where is it?!"

Pale and cold at the face, Levi took a step back. What did he just see?

"My arm! My arm! My—!"

"Ahhhhh!"

Two more Titans came, both six meters tall. Isabel held onto Farlan, shielding him from the danger.

"Isabel!" Levi called out.

Frantically, she pressed the trigger of the maneuver gear and gripped Farlan tight; but no matter how hard she tried, she could not lift herself from the ground.

"No...!" Isabel gasped.

Levi rushed to the Titans, filled with nothing but pure hatred towards the monstrosities. He came in, full-force, and slain one in a single blow. As soon as he could connect to the next Titan, another one had appeared, holding Farlan and Isabel in its wrinkly hand.

"Levi! Big brother!" Isabel screamed. "Please help!"

It was too late to disconnect and switch targets — he only had two options: kill the Titan he was connected to or slam right into it and break a few bones. Without hesitation, he sliced through the Titan's head, praying he would be fast enough to lay waste on the last one; but as soon as he made his way through the spewing fountain of Titan blood, Farlan and Isabel were nowhere to be seen.

Levi finished the battle and defeated the last Titan in the vicinity. The blood that rained all over him disappeared into a cloud of steam. Slowly he turned, trying to find his comrades and wanting to believe that they made it out alive.

But there was no trace of them except for the severed arm on the ground. Their bodies were gone, but their screams echoed throughout the city.

Levi was all alone now, his own heart ripped out of him.