"I'll be back." Eren said, as he grinned and made his way out into the dry, hot air of the City of Maria.


"Damn," Eren whispered, "The air is almost like pure salt on my tongue... I need to get to Armin's place." He turned to the direction of the curb and started running. Her leg wasn't bleeding that badly, but injuries like that are prone to infection...

Eren stopped and looked around at the nearby four-way. There were footlong potholes in the ground and smashed carriages on the sides. He walked up to the nearest one and felt one of the wheels. Hm, this wheel is worn down, but these marks look fresh... this must be recent... Something shifted inside, causing Eren to back up quickly.

Tch, already? Eren thought, removing his knives from his belt.

A pair of small paws held the wood and hopped out. A cat with brown, tattered fur limped out, and made it's way to the middle of the four-way. It stood there for a moment then spasmed violently and fell down to the ground, still as can be.

Eren sucked in his breath. Poor guy... he looked west from where he came, and took off in the direction. He continued running until Armin's home came into view.

You better be okay... Eren shook his head at the thought. Armin's too smart to let himself get caught be anybody. He's not too strong, but he can at least run for a while... Eren caught the scent of decay in the air. He hesitated opening the door, until a boy's yell pierced the air around him.

"Armin!" Eren shouted, as he pounded the the door. Crashing sounds came from inside. It's too much to break the door down...


"D'you have any bowls around here?" Jean asked after setting the door back in place.

Mikasa nodded. "Yeah, there should some in the cabinet over the sink."

"Thanks." Jean walked over to the sink and started the warm water. He pulled out a large bowl and let it fill about halfway.

"Jean?" Mikasa called.

"Huh?" Jean came in balancing the bowl of water.

"Thank you."

Jean scoffed. "No need to thank me. I'd do it anyway." He got down and cut some of the cloth off. "Where were you coming from anyway?"

Mikasa looked toward the door, "I was coming from the Library."

"The Library? That's all the way across town!" said Jean, obviously surprised. He dipped the smaller piece of cloth into the water and poured some alcohol on it.

She nodded. "Yeah, I was in the middle of reading the summary, when I heard gunshots." She hissed as Jean patted the cloth around the wound.

"Tch. I'm sorry, I should have warned you before I put it on." Jean apologized.

"Don't worry, I'm fine." Mikasa lifted her leg as Jean began wrapping the bigger piece of the rag around her calf. "Well, I heard shots being fired, and I turned to look at the nearby television. I saw something about a viral infection before I was forced to leave by an officer."

Jean attached some tape to hold the rag together. "Hm, then how'd you get the gash?"

Mikasa was silent for a moment. "It was about when I was leaving downtown Maria."

Jean continued applying the tape. "Yeah, an-" He was cut off by some low moaning and shrieks outside the door. "Dammit." He grabbed a nearby recliner and began blocking the doorway.

"W-wait what about Eren?!" Mikasa asked.

Jean took the nearby coffee table and jammed it between the door and the recliner. "If he wants to make sure you're safe, he'll make it." He got on his knees. "C'mon, I'll take you up stairs."

Mikasa lowered her head, "F-fine." She balanced carefully on Jean's back as he made his way up the stairs. "D'you hear that?"

"What?" Jean asked.

"That." Mikasa whispered.

Slow thumping began moving around the attic. Jean's face froze.

"Crap."


"Armin!" Eren shouted, as he pounded the the door. Crashing sounds came from inside. It's too much to break the door down... He looked around, the windows had steel screens behind them.

I'll go around. Eren thought as he made his way to the fence. He quickly made his way over the twisted metal, and scanned the area. The wooden wall was broken and the insulation ripped to shreds. The couch was knocked over, broken glass spread across the floor, and the television was aflame and sparking. Dammit! Armin!, Eren sped into the house, dodging sparks, and broken wires. Chunks of wood were falling from the ceiling, and the banging became louder and louder.

Eren sprinted up the stairs to see two infected people, a male and a female, smashing their fists madly on Armin's door. He hid behind a table that was turned onto it's side. Tch, what do I do... Eren looked at the knife in his hand, and got an idea. He turn to the legs of the table and began sawing. Once he had two legs, he chucked one down the stairs, causing it to hit the t.v. The people turned, bloody, vicious faces toward Eren's direction. Both sprinted down the steps, and began hacking away at the television. Eren crouched and quickly moved to Armin's door.

"Armin, you there?" he whispered.

No answer.

Eren spoke a bit louder, "Armin, it's me, Eren."

Rugged breathing came from the other side. Eren backed away, but accidentally dropped some glass down the stairs.

Dammit. Eren got down and crawled into the next room. He shut the door to a crack, and got under the bed. The steps squeaked unevenly, and the pounding began again. Slow footsteps began moving in Eren's direction.

Thump. Thump. Shh.

Eren slowed his breathing. Crap... One's coming for me.

Thump. Thump. Shh.

He started thinking as the sounds got closer.

Thump. Thump. Shh.

His eyes glowed. The infected entered the room. It checked the nearby chairs, and even looked under the desk. It came to the side of the mattress.

Eren held his breath. The Infected turned and started going back. Eren slowly got up and grabbed the infected from behind. He wrapped his arms around the infected neck and slowly choked it out. It convulsed and spat out malicious green liquids.

Ugh, disgusting... Eren shook the liquid from his jacket, and shoved the body under the bed. The pounding on Armin's door continued. He threw the other table leg into the hallway, the infected female looked over and went for the wooden leg. Eren jumped behind it, but it threw it's arms around and sent him flying backward.

"Ugh!" Eren exclaimed, falling onto his back. The infected shrieked and fell onto him, pinning his arms down. "Dammit, dammit, dammit..."

Armin's room door burst open.