Eren

My eyes open. I'm in a white room with a couple other beds. Is this the medical room? What am I doing here?

My eyes widen as I remember the vampires. I start to stand, but my head spins and my limbs won't work right. I lose my balance and barely catch myself on the edge of the bed.

I'm sitting still, trying to pull myself together, when Levi pokes his head into the room. He comes over to the bed when he sees me up. "We weren't sure you were going to wake up."

I stifle a yawn. "What do you mean?"

"Armin contacted Hange and asked her to mix up an aerosolized form of the vampire knock out drug, but you weren't supposed to be in there when we used it. The uncontrolled dose could have killed you."

"I should have been able to get out of there. I messed up. Sorry."

He ruffles my hair. "You did fine, brat." I look up at him and a smile starts to spread across my face, but it's short lived as I remember my conversation with the vampires from earlier. "They knew about my dad."

He nods. "I know, the security system picked up the whole thing. We'll try to learn more when we question them."

"So everything's over?"

"Yeah. All the vampires were either killed or recaptured."

I breathe a sigh of relief. "And is everyone alright?"

"We sustained heavy damage. My squad is alive. The kitchen staff too, thanks to you."

I smile, and Levi walks to the door. "I've got work to get back to now that you're up. Hange can bring you to my room when she's done checking you over. Just make sure you wash up first." I look down and realize I'm still covered in blood. "I'll let Hange know you're awake, she'll want to run some tests."

After Levi leaves, Hange comes in holding a cup of animal blood. "Thank God you're up. I was so worried I was going to lose my favorite research subject!"

I give her a mock scowl. "I feel so loved."

She grins, handing me the cup. "Don't worry, I was worried about you too."

I take a sip of blood and my head quickly stops spinning so much. I down the rest and set the cup on the bedside table. I turn my eyes to Hange. "It sounds like your drug saved my life. Thanks."

She waves her hand dismissively. "Thank Armin. He's the one who came up with the plan." She pauses, then looks worried. "Speaking of, you should probably go see him."

"Why, what happened?"

She presses her lips together. "He's been through a pretty traumatic experience. Now that the adrenaline has worn off I think it's finally sinking in."

"Is he gonna be ok?"

"Eventually, but right now he's pretty shaken up." She sighs. "Are you alright? You've been through a lot as well."

I shrug. "Yeah, I'm fine. The vampires are dealt with. That's what's important." She gives me a relieved smile.

Hange spends a while looking me over, and once I'm feeling a bit more steady she points me to the bathroom. I glance into the mirror and grimace. I look like something out of a horror blood comes off my skin pretty easily, but I can't do anything about what's dried onto my clothes. I hope it won't freak out Armin too much.

When I walk into the hall, Armin is sitting on a bench with his head down, staring at his hands. His face is pale and his eyes are puffy from crying. I didn't have to worry- he's covered in blood as well. I take a cautious seat next to him, trying to ignore the smell, but it's not as hard after dealing with the vampires earlier.

Armin keeps his eyes cast down. "You were right Eren, I should never have agreed to work here."

I rest my hand on his shoulder. "You'll be ok."

His voice cracks. "I watched Moses die."

"You're alive. Just try to focus on that."

He looks at me with tears in his eyes. "I don't know how I can stay here after what happened."

I swallow. He doesn't belong here- I know that. He's too innocent for this kind of place. "Then quit. You'll never have to deal with another vampire again."

He gives me a worried look. "What about you?"

"I'll be fine. Like I said before, don't worry about me. Do what you think is best."

He looks back down. "…alright."

"I'm so sorry I got you involved in this Armin."

He gives a halfhearted shrug. "It's fine. I was the one who made the decision. You did warn me." He sniffs and I pull one arm around him, not wanting to put my self control to the test with a real hug.

Hange comes out of her office. "I've got an exam to finish writing before I teach tomorrow, so I've got to leave. Levi didn't give me a card to get into his room, so I'll just take you to him, alright?" I nod and with one last reassuring squeeze to Armin's hand, I follow her.

Hange takes me to a room that looks a lot like the one I woke up in when I first arrived here. Through the window I see Levi wearing an apron and gloves and holding a pair of pliers. Bean is chained to a chair in front of him, blood dripping from his fingers.

Hange switches on the speaker and I hear the vampire's voice, "…tell you anything. Rip my nails off as many times as you want."

Levi's eyes narrow. "Let's move on to something more fun then, shall we?" He sets down the pliers and pulls out a knife.

"Go ahead," Bean says, but there's a slight wobble to his voice.

Levi lifts the knife and presses it into the vampire's throat, drawing a thin line of blood. "Who let you out of the cages?"

Bean swallows. "I'm not telling you anything." He pauses, cocking his head to the side and sniffing the air. After a moment a sly grin appears on his face. "I smell that little vampire pet of yours. How's he doing? Has he killed anyone yet?"

"Eren is not a pet," Levi snaps. He brings the knife down into Bean's hand.

The vampire flinches and then gives a choked laugh. "He'll show you his true colors eventually."

Levi narrows his eyes, then pulls the knife back out. "If you don't have anything useful to say, then we're done here."

"Did I touch a nerve?" He smirks, flexing his fingers as his hand heals. "I'm willing to bet you'll be the first person he kills when he snaps."

Levi draws his gun. "Eren is not going to snap."

"Try saying that with his fangs in your throat."

Levi presses the gun against Bean's neck, and pulls the trigger. The sound echos in the small room, and the vampire slumps forward. He wipes the blood away with a calm expression. An empty feeling settles in the pit of my stomach.

Levi walks out the door, yanking off his gloves. He tenses for a moment when he sees me, and scowls at Hange. "I thought you were supposed to take him to my room."

She shrugs. "I can't get in there without a key card. What's with you?"

Levi shoots her a vicious glare. "He didn't need to see that."

"What else was I supposed to do? I'm busy."

He grits his teeth. "Fine, I'll take him myself." He grabs my arm and pulls me after him, only letting go once we've turned a corner.

"What's the big deal?" I ask.

"I don't like you watching that type of thing."

"I watched you kill someone earlier."

"It's different." We walk down the hall in silence for a while, and then he asks in a quiet voice, "Does it bother you?"

"After what he did to me? No." I drop my eyes.

The torture may have shaken me up a bit, but it doesn't bother me, he deserved it. But my stomach still feels empty and cold. Levi pulled the trigger so easily. His expression calm and disinterested, no different than normal. And sure, Bean deserved that, but how will he look when he kills me? Is it going to be just as easy? Am I just another vampire to him?