Ruined
Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin
Summary:It went beyond anything they could have ever imagined. A nightmare they couldn't even begin to fathom. [One-Shot]
The cheers were absolutely deafening behind them. Even the most hardened veterans couldn't help but grin, caught up in the lively, wild atmosphere. "I still can't believe we did it!" Petra's smile was so wide Levi thought it had to hurt. The positive glow on her face pulled out a smile from him.
With the brute giants out of the way, the world was theirs to explore freely and easily. The small caravan was supposed to make way to a new HQ built on the far end of the island. An island! They lived on an island in the middle of the ocean! Eren, Mikasa, and Armin had been overjoyed when they'd first learned.
The sun was setting on the field, casting golden and orange rays. Levi loved sunsets. If the trio was to be believed, the sunsets over the ocean were even more beautiful. He glanced over at his female subordinate. He drank in the colors reflecting her. He wasn't the only one awestruck by the sweet woman's beauty.
A twinge of sympathy touched him for Oluo. He felt for his arrogant subordinate, the pain of unrequited love must be awful. But I made a promise, and I plan to keep it. As they began setting up camp for the night, Levi immediately claimed Petra as a partner and the two went off in search for firewood. The crystals provided light but not warmth.
"So, what do you think?" He gestured to their surroundings, awkwardly breaking the peaceful silence. The moon was high and big and bright in the night sky, illuminating their path.
"It's all very…fresh," Petra closed her eyes and inhaled, "and so beautiful and open too. It feels optimistic."
"Yeah…"
They strolled through the forest, content with the peace and picturesque scenery. Petra froze when they reached a section covered with wild flowers of all types and colors. Levi leaned his shoulder against a tree and watched her make a bouquet. His eyes caught the moonlight shining down a single, snow white flower. He plucked it carefully and knelt next to Petra.
"Oh," she gasped quietly. "It's glowing!" She beamed. Before she could reach out and add it to her bouquet, Levi tucked it carefully behind her ear. She blushed the loveliest shade of pink. "What are you doing?" She loosened her hand, letting him remove the bouquet and set it down gently beside them.
"Keeping my promise," he leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers.
Petra's arms snaked around his head and pulled him down, lying back on the soft grass. The kiss was better than both had fantasized while safely tucked under the sheets in the privacy of their rooms. Petra opened her mouth, letting his warm tongue roam her hot mouth. Levi was thoroughly enjoying making her moan when a stick snapped not far off.
Voiced carried over from the other people wandering around. Levi made a sound of annoyance. He only wanted to kiss her (and more) to his heart's content, was that too much to ask? "It's fine," Petra stroked his cheek. "We've got our whole lives to do it."
Levi's hearts fluttered pleasantly, a rare event brought upon only in the presence of the kind ginger-haired woman. "We do," he agreed, smiling softly. This time Petra's heart did a flip-flop in her chest. "But just two more minutes," he captured her lips again.
A small group huddled around the table. "Here," Armin pointed to a small building symbol with 'HQ' on a hand-made map, "is where we are." His finger moved across the space with the word 'ocean' and onto a roughly made curving line, stopping at an anchor symbol. "This is where the first party said they made port. According to them, it was filled with old, rusting, and huge ships made of metal. They said the entire place was dead."
"Once upon a time, there must have been civilization there. We assumed it would be forests and open fields. But whatever and however they made their cities, they're still standing after a hundred and ten years. Well," Mikasa faltered, "mostly standing."
"You'll understand when you see it," Eren said in a mix of awe and sadness.
Everything humanity had accomplished, all the hard work, it was amazing and depressing to see what it had come to.
"Because of the limited supply, Commander Hange and her group had to return. They went back and haven't returned yet."
The trio shared uneasy glances. No one missed it. "How long have they been gone?" Erd asked.
"About a month," Mikasa answered.
"A month and no one bothered informing us?" Levi frowned, minding automatically jumping to dark scenarios.
"We didn't want to cause unnecessary worry. It's not unusual for the commander to lose track of time." Armin explained about several trips, some with Hange and some without, exploring the area around them. "There are fifty soldiers and they've got plenty of medicine, clothes, horses, weapons, and enough food to last them ten more days."
"Maybe they encountered other humans," Connie said.
Or a large mass of titans, Levi thought, ever the pessimist. But according to some of the first members of the expedition across the ocean, the trio included, there were no titans. Eren explained they could be easily hidden behind the buildings as tall as the walls, but two days of wandering and not a living thing in sight, they'd declared the area dead. Really, Levi honestly thought Eren was exaggerating about the height of the buildings.
"We were thinking of going after them in a week. It takes about a day to get here. They know we'll get worried if they're not back in time, so hopefully we'll meet them at the port by the time they get back to the ships from…wherever. What do you think?" Armin asked.
"Sounds good to me," Levi nodded.
"It's so soothing," Petra sighed happily later than night, cuddling against Levi, listening to the sound of ocean waves outside the window. Levi was content to hold her naked body firmly against his. "I wonder what kinds of animals live in the ocean, don't you?"
"Hmm."
"I heard people saw this really big, black-and-white animal dive out of the water. I hope we see it too!"
"Hmm."
"And do you really think the buildings are as tall as they say? Levi?"
"Hmm…."
Petra turned around, looking at his face, free from tension, eyes closed. She pouted, "Are you listening?"
"Hm."
"Okay," she smiled softly and started talking, happily watching his eased expression while he enjoyed her cozy presence.
"You don't have to say with me, you know."
"That's okay, I want to."
"Don't you want to watch the ocean?"
"It's unlike anything I ever imagined. But it's just a large expanse of water," Petra shrugged. "The novelty wears off quickly."
"Right…" Levi exhaled. "So, how much longer…?"
"Levi, we left forty minutes ago."
"Oh."
They were quiet for a while. Petra humming and cutting an apple.
"Petra?"
"Yes?"
"I think I'm dying."
Petra paused what she doing. "You're not dying, Levi. You're only seasick. Eren said it wasn't uncommon and you'll find your sea legs soon enough."
"Owh…"
She stopped and put the knife and plate away. "Can you sit up for me?" Bringing his hands up, he pushed himself off the mattress. Petra sat down, nudging him further down the bed. She brought his head down in her lap and rubbed his scalp, "Well?"
"I still feel sick," Levi sighed, "but much better."
Petra grinned proudly. "Hey, at least you aren't vomiting like Oluo. He must be excited to suffer the same affliction as his man-crush."
"I'm not his man-crush," Levi shuddered, "and don't say that word." He really, really did not want to throw up on her. He chose to focus on his not-so-secret lover—if the looks half the Scouts were giving them was anything to go by—instead of his stomach. I hope we get there soon. He couldn't wait to get off the damn ship.
The majority of the Scouts could only watch in silence as the city came into view. We shouldn't be here, was Petra's first thought. Her hand found Levi's. He glanced down at their hands then up at her anxious face, and wove his fingers through hers.
It was early evening, the sky mostly gray and blue and gold with a few clouds tinted with an orange hue. The buildings, even from the distance, they could tell were as tall as—if not taller—than the walls. They were rusted, dirty, and collapsing on themselves. The old city was broken and disintegrated and desolate. It looked like a graveyard, with the skyscrapers serving as tombstones.
"There's the ship!"
They dropped the anchor near the sister ship and quickly got off. A small group boarded the abandoned ship in search of their comrades. Mikasa emerged with the last of the group, "It's empty. But most of the food is still there."
The crowd shifted uneasily. "We should go look for them," Eren said immediately.
"We'll split into three teams of ten. One group of five will stay and watch the ship while the others take a look around," Levi ordered. "Each group will have one person who has been here and is familiar with the area. We'll meet back here in an hour."
"What if we can't find them?" One of the Scouts asked.
"We'll stay at the ship and hopefully they'll be back by tomorrow," Armin said. "If not, we'll wait a few more days." They began breaking up into groups. Petra and the rest of the members of Group C followed Levi on horses.
"I don't think the 3D gear will work here," Levi said unhappily.
Many structures were made entirely of glass—or used to be and now it was all shattered. Others were too run down and unstable. It was daunting for them, moving in what seemed like another world entirely. The skyscrapers loomed over them, awe-inspiring and intimidating at the same time. Silence only made the environment eerier. Eventually, their time started to dwindle and the sun began dipping in the horizon. A few people had the crystals out, even if the lighting was adequate enough.
Group C came to a stop near an intersection, Levi looked in all directions. The Scouts talked behind him in whispers.
"There's nothing here," their guide said to her comrades.
"So creepy…"
"I don't want to be here, I want to go back."
"I'll be honest, I'm a little scared right now."
Petra's horse trotted up to Levi's, "I don't think they're here." Levi turned to see her staring somewhere in the distance.
"What's wrong?"
"This place isn't safe."
"Yeah," he scowled at the sidewalk in disgust. "It's filthy. Who knows how many germs are crawling around here?"
"No, that's not what I meant." Petra's eyebrow furrowed. "I feel like something's very wrong with this place."
"I understand you're saying, you've noticed it but you haven't realized it yet. There are no animals around."
"Yeah, there aren't," Petra glanced around. She had yet to see a cat or dog or insect or bird or any animal that may have once occupied the city before it was built. She knew after the titans had taken Wall Maria, wild animals made a home for themselves in the abandoned houses. "There's no sign of any living thing here at all,"she shivered.
"As long as there's no airborne virus floating around I'm good." Levi nudged his horse forward. "Though it would be just my luck," he grumbled to himself.
Petra followed close behind. She couldn't find the words to explain to him what was going on in her head. She was scared and embarrassed at her emotions. Ugh, what am I supposed to say? I want to run back to the big, safe walls we've been fighting all these years to escape? And all because of a gut feeling? She felt like she was sullying the memories of the Scouts who'd lost their lives to help humanity be free of its cages by wanting to run back there and never leave again.
But it's not completely illogical. I've lived my entire life in a contained space and now, all of a sudden, the world is here, big and unknown. It makes sense why I'm intimidated. She felt better. That made perfect sense to her. She could imagine how someone who'd lived their life out in open spaces would feel claustrophobic behind the walls.
"Hey I think I saw something move over there!" One of the Scouts shouted, pointing to his left. They immediately gathered at the mouth of the ally. It was far too thin for a titan to fit. Even the smallest of the giants could be seen easily.
"Ready your swords, and be prepared to make a runfor it if necessary," Levi ordered. He retrieved a crystal from a bag and tossed it in. A girl in a dirty rag was laying there, shivering, knees drawn up to her chest, her back to the Scouts. She twitched and began to sit up.
"She's hurt!" Petra noticed the blood on her visible hand. She dismounted and moved towards her quickly.
"Be careful," Levi warned. His hands hovered over his blades, eyes scanning the ally for any movement. The entire city was practically dead and then they find a random bleeding, kid? It felt like a trap to Levi.
The little girl turned around and dropped the mouse—she'd been eating, not shivering. The dead rodent made a wet squelch noise as it hit the concrete. Petra could only freeze and stare in shock at the sight of the eerie little girl without pupils and all milky white eyes.
And the giant hole in her stomach, spilling out her dried up intestines.
She made a growling noise and lunged for Petra.
"You guys, is it just me or does anyone else want to go home?" Sasha fidgeted nervously. She'd been getting the jeepers ever since they set foot on the land. Her instincts were screaming at her to run in the opposite direction as fast as possible.
"You want to abandon our friends and run back with your tail between your legs?" Eren yelled angrily.
Sasha gave him a hurt look. "Eren," Mikasa said warningly.
"Sorry," he turned away. He had an uncomfortable feeling in his stomach.
The frustration of not being able to find his comrades was getting to him. The other Scouts whispering nervously amongst each wishing to return to the safely of the walls was one thing, hearing it coming from Sasha was another. She was a close friend, not to mention had keen instincts. If she thought something was wrong, it made Eren's heart fill with dread.
"In any case, our time's up. We don't want to worry the others and soon it'll be too dark, so we're heading back," Mikasa's words were a relief to some of the others. "Let's go," she led Group A back, fighting the urge to stay and search for just a few more minutes.
Where could they have gone? Further into the city maybe? Surely they would have put up signs so they don't get lost. All the roads and streets had signs but most were rusted beyond reason. In this dead quiet environment, Hange's loud, enthusiastic voice would have been heard from a mile away.
"Hey, does anyone hear that?"
Group A stopped and listened.
"It sounds like a large crowd," the same woman said in awe.
"Why are they…are they groaning?" Eren wondered if they were sick.
Next to him, Mikasa was having similar thoughts. "Something sounds wrong but that noise, they sound…sick."
And then the horde rounded the corner.
They were slow, pale, and shuffling, some faster than the others. Most, if not all, had chunks of flesh missing on their bodies, every last one coated in dried blood. Their clothes had long since deteriorated, only patches of cloth clinging to their naked bodies here and there, giving them an even more uncivilized and animalistic look.
One of the Scouts managed to break free of her shocked spell; she screamed and galloped back to the ship. It snapped the others out of their horrified stupor and they followed her.
"Eren, let's go!"
He turned and followed after his group. Chancing a glance over his shoulder, he saw the distance between his group and the horde increase. Their numbers were frightening, but the living had a higher chance with the fast horses. They just keep on coming! Mikasa slowed, letting him catch up to her. "What are they?!" He screamed.
"There's no time for that! We have to—" Her heart lodged in her throat. We can run away from this mob, but if our group is the first to reach the ships… They'd lead the things right to the water, effectively cutting off the other two groups from boarding the ships and leaving them to fend for themselves in the barren city. "We can't go back!" Mikasa yelled. Her comrades ignored her.
"What do you mean we can't?!" Eren recognized one of the half-destroyed buildings. "We're so close!"
"If we reach there first, we'll lead those things right to the ships and then how will the others escape?"
Eren slowed, there was plenty of space between them and the horde to stop and think. "Let's wait for them to catch up. Once they're close enough, we'll lead them to the right and away from the others. Once we're a good few blocks away, we'll move south and hit the water. Then we'll move down the coast and join the others. If it gets bad, we'll ditch the horses and go for a swim."
"Yeah, they probably can't swim," Mikasa watched the horde with unease. They had to be dead. No living human could move with such wounds.
"Worst comes to worst, I'll transform," Eren gripped the reins tightly.
"But only as a last resort," Mikasa said. Over the years, it had gotten more difficult to remove him from his titanic body. She knew Eren was afraid one day he was going to transform and wouldn't be able to return to his human-self.
As soon as the horde neared, they took off to the right, Mikasa keeping a sharp eye out for another group of them that could pour out from another intersection. They headed south and neared the water. "Eren…"
"What?" His stomach squeezed with dread at her pale face. He followed her gaze and looked left. "Holy shit," his green eyes widened. Another horde was attacking the ships. "They're not going to survive." Their attackers were on the ship, from the way it was rocking, there were too many on board already.
"We have to leave."
"They came from the north."
"Eren we have to move now," Mikasa checked the status of the group behind them. It was about twenty yards away.
"Armin's group went north."
"We have to leave right now while they're distracted. Levi's group is on the other side."
"What about Armin?!"
"He's as good as dead if he's there," Mikasa replied harshly. The horde was only tenyards away now. "He's smarter than all of us, there's a good chance he joined up with Levi's group."
"You're right." He shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Let's go."
Petra screamed, crashing on the ground as the vicious little thing attempted to bite her, teeth snapping in a chilling noise she'd never forget. Levi dismounted immediately while the others stayed frozen. He grabbed her by the hair and ripped her away. With his strength, the girl who was all but skin-and-bones went flying into the brick wall, making a snapping noise and falling to the ground.
Before the queasy dread of his act could set in, she started to twitch and sit up.
"T-that's not possible!" Petra scrambled up.
The little girl was back on her feet, neck bent at an unnatural angle. Her vision now messed up, and she still struggled towards them. Levi didn't hesitate, swinging his sword and decapitating her. "What the fuck?!" The body lay still, but the head continued to move. Petra was frozen in place, watching Levi approach the head warily and slamming the sword through the brain.
Before they had a chance to think, groaning and shuffling and screams made their hearts skip a beat in fear. They hurried out of the alley in time to see a mob of mindless corpses feasting on their comrades.
Only a single though went through Levi's head: Run.
Grabbing the young woman stiff in terror, he dragged her away to his horse, happy to see she hadn't left him. Mounting quickly, he offered Petra his hand, "C'mon, let's go before they notice." She clung to him tightly as the horse raced away from the slaughter.
She cursed herself for not listening to her instincts and he cursed the maze of a city. More of the undead were now coming from within the city. Too busy trying to avoid the mob, they ended up getting lost. Which way to the sea? His hyper brain kept imaging the dead things crawling out of every dark little corner, making it difficult for him to think clearly.
"They're dead," Petra finally said in a small, shaky voice. "Their wounds…they have to be, right?"
"We don't know anything right now," Levi replied carefully.
You didn't have to be a genius to know they were no longer living. Titans were one thing, but he couldn't understand how someone could die and come back as a something. It didn't make any sense at all, it was unnatural. Once you die, that's it. When you're dead you're gone, the end, he thought almost frantically, as if thinking it would make it happen. Humans, animals, hell even plants and titans.
They were in a completely different world, where all the rules, it seemed, were non-existent. The skyscrapers looming over them added to their confusion and feeling of insignificance. We never should have come here. The city was a death trap. The feeling of arms wrapped tightly around him and the shaky breathing was fraying his nerves.
Levi was furious with himself. "How could we have been so stupid to think titans were the only threat out in the world?!"
"We didn't know—"
"Exactly, we didn't know shit about what was out here and we just waltzed in like a bunch of fucking morons."
Petra knew he was agitated. Who wouldn't be after what they'd seen? It went beyond anything they could have ever imagined. A nightmare they couldn't even begin to fathom. "We should move, staying in spot doesn't seem safe."
Levi willed his emotions away. I can't afford to lose my head, not while Petra's survival is at stake here. He quickly found the most stable looking building around. "I have a dumb idea."
"I'm open to anything," Petra observed their surroundings. "We're sitting ducks right now."
"That building, it doesn't look too bad and it's one of the tallest here. We'll keep climbing until we can see the water. It'll also give us a good view of where the…mobs are and we can avoid those streets."
"What if more of those things are in there?" Petra asked nervously.
"It's been over a hundred years. Why would they be inside when the food's out here?"
The horse trotted to the broken glass door and they dismounted, leading her in as quietly as possible. Petra held a light crystal while Levi got his horse to settle down in one of the rooms. The blinds were still intact and kept her from being spotted from the outside. Pulling out their swords, they crept silently up the stairs.
Frightening scenarios of being cut-off from both ends plagued them both.
The blood rushed to Petra's head every time they passed a door leading to the floor, half expecting it to be thrown open and a mob to jump them. Minutes trickled by and they began to loosen up slightly. It wasn't until she saw the floor number, it was too messed up but she could make out the first digit as a four, she realized how out of breath she was.
Understanding her captain's gesture, she quietly turned the knob while he readied for any potential attackers.
Fear coursed through his veins. Minutes had passed and nothing. In fact he thought it looked worse. Mikasa peeked above the counter of what had once been a tiny, 24-hour convenience store. He was glad she couldn't see the resignation in his eyes. He had to do something. I won't let her die with me. Eren wondered how everything had gone so wrong.
They were going around the horde, moving further away from the ships and deeper into the dead city. They couldn't believe the sheer numbers of the undead. Exactly how many humans had lived in the city? Where had they been hiding when they'd first come across the ocean? Or had the expedition brought them? How many had died and now were haunting their home? Prowling the streets for anything with a beating heart.
The moaning was unnerving.
"There are too many of those things," Mikasa voiced his thoughts. "We have to hide and wait for the crowds to thin."
"Where?" Eren asked, agitated at feeling trapped. "We have to find someplace stable and big enough to hide the horses."
The moaning seemed to be coming from all directions now.
"Eren…"
He really didn't like the way she said his name.
"I think we're trapped. We have to hide. Now."
"What about the horses? How'll we get back?"
"We don't have a choice," she grimaced. For the time in his life, he saw unbound fear in her eyes. Mikasa was terrified. That scared him more than anything else. Sorrowful and guilty, they left the horses and ducked into small streets, trying to move away from the horrible groans.
It wasn't long before the strangled cries of the horses reached them. They flinched and kept moving. For too long they'd fought titans, they were used to that, and they faced the situation in a similar manner. Eren was too deep in his thoughts wondering what was going on to notice the skeletal thin figure on the move above them.
Its throat had been ripped, it created no sound as it tumbled over and fell on top of Mikasa.
Shit! Instincts drove Eren to rush forward and pull the thing off her. He hadn't expected it to put up the fight it did, struggling and thrashing until it managed to twist its neck, the old bones cracking, and bite his shoulder. A blade wedged in its head a second later. Eren yanked it out, staring at the sword covered in decayed brain matter, the bite in his shoulder aching but an afterthought.
A grip on his arm pulled him and the next thing he knew, they were in the store, waiting for a horde to pass.
"We have to move."
"Mikasa…"
"We'll go through the back door and run like hell," she whispered. "If there are too many, you'll have to transform." They couldn't do it inside, the building could come down on Mikasa.
"I don't think I can," he replied shakily. "I'm going to turn into one of those things."
"What are you talking about?" Mikasa asked, pushing back her panic.
"The bite hasn't healed. Why?" He whispered desperately. "Whatever…that thing infected me with by biting me, it's messing with my, my body. I don't think I can turn into a titan." He was afraid that at best, nothing would happen. At worst, he was instantly going to turn into the living dead. He voiced his fears, trying to get her to understand where he was going. "I'm a lost cause."
"If you're trying to say what I think you are, forget it. I'm not leaving you behind. I thought you'd know better by now."
"But this time there's no going back! We're dealing with fucking dead people that eat everything they see and don't feel any pain."
"You're not going to die," Mikasa shook her head stubbornly, refusing to believe it. There were too many undead flooding the streets and some ended getting pushed into the store. Run. The fight or flight instinct kicked in and she grabbed Eren's arm, dragging him through the door and out back.
Hearts pounding loudly and breaths coming in short huffs, they finally managed to find a street devoid of the undead that seemed to materialize at every turn. Blood rushed to Mikasa's head, groans pouring from the destroyed city, it all made her dizzy. Eren pulled her into the closest building just as the first of their chasers came around the corner. The horde descended into the street.
Eren closed the back door of a once five stare restaurant with a click. If they know we're here, this isn't going to hold them back. He knew even in his weakened state, he'd be able to kick the door down with ease. He silently shuddered at what the wave of walking cadavers would do to it.
"It's clear," Mikasa whispered, almost making him jump, and put away her sword. They settled against the freezer door. Mikasa eyed the large stove, big enough to fit two grown adults, half expecting tiny fingers to come out followed by a body. She forced back the horrifying image of an undead child crawling out of the oven.
They sat in thick silence with an underline coating of terror.
Even with the bodies piled across the room, the stench from the rotted corpses made her gag. Levi moved his tongue around his mouth, trying to get rid of the sour taste. He looked at the woman resting her head on his shoulder. Wrapping his arm around her, he held her tighter. "What are we going to do?" She finally broke the silence.
For once he didn't know.
His normal response in any dangerous situation was summed up in one word: survive. With the decimated buildings, unfamiliar terrain, and the mind-numbing amount of foes who they only knew were dead and felt no pain, he was at a loss at what to do. He was used fighting humans and titans, not some distorted mix of the two.
Before he could answer with an honest, blunt 'I don't know,' they heard the soft thuds and heaving breathing. Petra's mouth tasted like copper, she wanted to throw up. They're climbing the stairs. Their brains couldn't function properly, was it muscle memory? She didn't know and couldn't quite bring herself to care at the moment.
"Your horse, they must have heard her."
The oblivious animal behaved as it usually did, the noise attracting the walkers outside. The mindless creatures had flooded into the building, going through the open door and up the stairs, tripping and falling over one another, finally becoming a slope for the others to shamble over and, eventually, unconsciously climbing the steps.
Levi knew she was paralyzed with fear and didn't know how to break it to her. We're trapped. They had nowhere to go but up. And then what? Using the 3D gear was suicide. He mentally cursed the architects who designed the buildings. They may have looked pretty and all way back when, but now all the glass, and the lack thereof, was a problem.
"The rooftop," he stood, making Petra stand with him.
"What's the point?" Petra's entire demeanor was resigned. She just wanted to sit and hold onto the man she loved instead of trying fruitlessly to run away and waste the little amount of time they had left.
Levi wasn't built like her, survival was far too ingrained in him. "We'll have an hour or so before they reach the roof." He began leading her up. "Hopefully there's a way down from up there. Or maybe someone will come." The latter was a slim chance at best but Levi would take it.
After minutes of quiet, Mikasa cautiously snuck out and returned feeling a bit hopeful. "Most of them are gone. We can leave if we run fast."
"You should go then."
"I'm not leaving without you, I told you—"
"Mikasa," he finally lifted his head, "I can feel it. This thing moving inside my body. I have minutes left," he choked out. His body was feeling weak and sluggish and plain sick. "I'm dying."
"No, I refuse to accept! You can't give up!" She knelt, gripping his shoulders. "Fight to win, remember? Isn't that what you taught me?"
"This is like some kind of virus passed on by bite," Eren removed her hands. "You can't will a disease away, Mikasa. Don't be ridiculous." His words came out harsher than he intended. Don't they always?
"But I can't," she whimpered, shaking in a mix of fear and anger.
"This time you have to," he pushed her away. "Armin is still out there. You have to find him and the other survivors." She looked to protest but he continued. "People back home, they have to know what's out here." He swallowed roughly. "They can't come here. We have to," he couldn't believe the words about to come out of his mouth, "we have to rebuild the walls."
Fortunately, Rose and Sina were still standing, extremely strong and durable, having been build from titan powers. They'd only have to build one more wall. With Eren out of the picture, it would be time consuming and hard, but not impossible with the right motivation.
They had no idea how many undead were out in the world. He didn't think they could swim—he certainly hoped not—but if there was even the slightest chance of them making it to the rest of the people… "You have to go, so everyone can know. It'll sound unbelievable but they'll listen to you."
"But—"
"The survival of the human race depends on it Mikasa, stop being selfish! This isn't something we can win against. The sheer numbers of them… all it takes is one bite. And these won't just be ugly giants but somethings that once used to be someone."
"Fine," she spat, "but I'm still not leaving you behind. I won't let you—let you go alone." She couldn't bring herself to say the word die.
"You won't," Eren replied in an odd tone. "But you'll have to leave me here."
Mikasa looked at him in confusion before the impact of his words hit her. "No. No, no, no, no," she shook her head. "You can't be asking me to—to!"
"I'm sorry," he winced. "I would do it myself, believe me I would," his face twisted into an expression of anger and pain, "I'm too fucking weak to even end it myself." His head slumped back against the door. "You'd be giving me mercy. Please," he stared sadly with the bright green eyes she loved so dearly. "I don't want to become one of those things. What would you do in my place?"
"What would you do in mine?"
"I'd give you mercy," he replied after a second. They both knew he'd scream and throw a tantrum before even thinking about the possibility of considering it. Suddenly he covered his mouth, coughing violently. Crimson blood contrasted sharply against his pale skin. "I don't have much longer." He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
"That's—"
"I'm a grown man! Would you for once let me make my own decision and respect it?" He snapped. He did not want her anywhere near him when he turned. "There's no time! Just do it already!"
Mikasa sunk to her knees before him, pulling out her sword. Relief flooded him. "I love you," the words were out of her mouth before she could think.
"I know," he wiped her tears with his thumb. He wished he could kiss her. Fear of infecting her stopped him. Instead, Eren wove his fingers through hers and kissed her hand, "I love you too."
THUD!
They flinched violently at the sudden impact. They heard us! Eren paled. A stream of steady curses began following out of his mouth. Mikasa searched frantically for an escape but the door gave way to countless cadavers. Standing defensively, she began swiping her swords furiously but there were too many. The place packed up quickly and there was no room left to maneuver.
Neither had a second to think before the undead were upon them, biting and tearing their prey apart in a frenzy. The screams of pain were drowned by the groaning from the sea of the undead horde.
Aside from the odd rectangular metal boxes in the corner, there was nothing on the roof, they had nothing to use to block the door. The door itself was made of metal, looking a bit rusty but stable enough. Petra neared the edge cautiously, wary of the ground giving out under her feet. As she had feared, there was no way down from the building.
We're stuck. Our only hope now is if the others came to rescue us. She didn't see how that was going to happen. Their only way out was overrun with the undead things. There weren't enough soldiers to even make a dent in the horde. Who knew how many other countless things were wandering around the old, broken city? To make matters worse, the sun was setting, casting dark shadows and adding more horror to the environment.
Petra dropped silently next to Levi, back against the metal box. She curled her hand into his warm one. They'd imagined so many different scenarios in their heads about the world. This didn't even come close. Dangerous animals and maybe people they'd planned for. A sea of living dead attacking any living thing in sight was not it.
They're like almost like titans. The thought have her pause. "The titans…"
Levi turned to her, snapping out of his thoughts of gloom and doom. "What about them?'
Petra bit her lip. "What if…what these things are the reason they were created?"
"Why would anyone create gigantic carnivores with so many smaller ones already running around?"
"It almost makes sense," Petra continued. "The walking corpses are like a disease and the titans, with their large size and regeneration and their almost impenetrable skin, were made to combat this. They don't actually need to eat and can't keep their 'food' down. They don't attack animals, only humans, or what looks human." The more she thought about it, the more it made sense.
"If that's true, then we just royally fucked ourselves." Aside from Eren, there were no more titans left in the world. Or at least none back home. They didn't even know if his Shifter abilities could be passed down to his children.
"Maybe they didn't mean for titans to eat humans too. But they're not very intelligent so they attacked humans and those things alike."
"That's a lot of ifs and maybes. We don't even know if titans eat those things, it's not like there are any around here to confirm your theory." The two beings could possibly be related, evolutionary or something. "Bottom line is, we don't know nothing about the walking dead. It shouldn't even be possible."
"Yeah, it's just speculation." Suddenly, Petra was reminded of Hange. "Do you think Hange and the others fell prey to these things?"
"Probably," Levi answered bluntly. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back.
"Are you okay?" Petra asked worriedly. His hand was ridiculously hot. His skin was pale and he was sweating too. Too wrapped up in her thoughts she'd dismissed his state on the current situation.
"I'm okay," he lied. He was feeling weak and lethargic. I'm getting too damn old. He didn't want to consider the possibility of having contracted the sickness.
They fell into silence once more. Eventually, Petra couldn't take it and wandered over to the edge again. "I'm going to see if I can spot anyone. Maybe someone survived and got…back…" Body feeling heavy like it was filled with lead, she moved closer. Squinting her eyes to see between the buildings in the distance where the water shone, Petra's heart stopped for a second.
She was immediately reminded of a colony of ants swarming a piece of food. How are we going to get back now? As much as she'd tried to accept the situation, she'd held onto the small hope of a rescue party. She could not see a living thing in sight. Does that mean they're all gone? It couldn't be possible. Surely Eren and Mikasa were hiding out somewhere?
"We're surrounded! They're everywhere! The ship is…" She turned around when no reply came her way. "Levi?" His head was slumped over. "Levi, are you okay?" She moved closer.
His head snapped up, milky white eyes staring hungrily. Petra stopped, numb with shock. How? Why is he one of them? She could only stand and watch him get on his feet, awkward and not at all like the graceful way he usually moved, and growl at her, sending cold shivers down her back. Unknown to her, he'd accidentally ingested infected blood while making quick work of the undead they'd found in the office and later piled in the corner.
She had nowhere to run. He was newly turned, just a few seconds old, body still fully intact. She didn't have the will to move. The thing that was once the man she loved and devoted her life to was reduced to this dead, still moving state without a conscious. Primal instincts took over and she stepped back until she stood near the edge.
No. It's impossible. Levi...
The sudden collision knocked her breath away and the air began shifting around them. She held onto him tightly. Petra couldn't even register the pain of having her flesh being torn off before the violent impact on the ground turned her mind dark.
I was wondering one day what the point of the titans was (if they could serve a rational purpose of some sort) and this is what popped up in my head.
Actually, I'd originally planned a much more sadistic version where the virus didn't just make them zombies but undead rage monsters. Eren tries to transform into a titan but becomes a zombie and kills Mikasa, while Levi and Petra both turn and join the undead horde, wandering around for the rest of their unnatural lives.
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