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1
Welcome to Hell
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Azye sucked in a ragged breath, her lungs tearing painfully as she inhaled the icy air. The pouring rain pelted her skin, the freezing cold of the night numbing her clenched, shaking hands.
The whiz of ODM Gear was all too torturous, the hellish grinding of it for once sending a pang of fear tugging at her heart. She clutched her controllers tight, all too aware of the pursuers behind her.
She'd been running, flying, for hours on end; it was a miracle she hadn't run out of gas.
The gear was the only thing keeping her alive. The body of the limp boy secured on her back, his warm, steady breath fanning on her neck, was her reason, will, to continue.
Louis was alive.
And for that, she would fight.
Because if she stopped, they would fall. And if the fall wasn't merciful enough to take her life, their pursuers would in its stead.
She sped through the forest, unseen branches of the giant oaks nipping at her cheeks as she clutched the handles of the empty, blade-less ODM controllers, ignoring the stinging on her bloody palms.
Blood and sweat marred her vision, more than the rainy night did. The biting cold tore at her lungs with each ragged breath, icy needles skewering her from inside out. Her eyes strained to keep open, spots dancing in her vision as her limbs seared in protest of her movements.
She blinked furiously, exhaling a shuddering breath as she squeezed her cold, numb fingertips into the trigger. A burst of gas hissed behind her, propelling her forward with a jarring force.
She tightened her hold on the boy.
He was alive, for fucks sake!
She gasped for air once again, another hiss of gas thrusting her forward, further, further into the forest of giant oaks.
They'd get out together.
In fact, they had gotten out together.
They just needed to make it past Wall Sina, into Wall Rose, and freedom would welcome them with open arms.
It would either be freedom, or it would be death.
But all she felt was regret. Mind-numbing regret.
They should have waited. One more day in the Underground wouldn't have killed them. Why, why had they chosen today?
Memories flashed in her mind.
.
"Azye, they're here, it's our only fucking chance!" He hissed in a harsh whisper, eyes wide with hysteria. His hands shook as they gripped the ODM Blades, the metal clattering as he handed her another set.
She scowled, her hands grasping his, squeezing.
"Calm the fuck down, Louis. Think it through. It's not a game. That's the Survey Corps, not the MPs! They'll kill you!"
Louis snatched his hand from hers, moving forward quickly, grabbing her shoulders.
"We'll rot down here anyway if we don't take this chance! It's the only time the stairwell will be this unguarded! You know there's a forest out the North West gate, we got the ODM for it!"
The boy was unusually haggard, desperate, his brown eyes pleading as they bore into her own. "We need to get out, Az. We can't stay in this hellhole forever!"
.
She sped up. Shouting erupted from behind her. She could hear them clearly, despite the roaring of blood and wind in her ears, hair whipping past her face.
"He's on her tail!"
"Make way for the Captain!"
Her blood ran cold, as a raging panic overtook her.
.
"You're a fucking idiot," She muttered with exasperation, running a hand down her face. She looked at him, studying his sunken cheeks. His shaggy brown hair ruffled, eyes darting over her face for a sign of approval.
She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, her eyes scrunching shut. "If we do this, you'll need to listen to me for once, alright? Until we make it out of Sina."
Azye watched as his face relaxed, his eyes filling with joy as he pulled her into a hug. She grumbled halfheartedly, sighing as she patted his back.
"We'll make it, Az, I promise. We've been planning this for way too long to pass this chance up."
Her heart warmed, despite her unease.
.
Louis loosened.
She cursed under her breath, uncharacteristic whining spilling through her lips.
No, no, no! Don't give out on me, L!
She pulled the unconscious boy closer to her back, tightening the fabric that bound them together. She took a large gulp of air, diving closer to the forest floor. She randomised her path. She was acting foolishly, desperately, grasping onto any chance to outrun them.
Something was telling her that it was impossible—
No!
Fuck. That.
She'd fight to her last breath. Louis was alive, and for that, she'd move till her lungs gave out.
More shouting.
"Surround them!"
No way in hell.
Her glare hardened, Azye focusing her sights forward.
Forward.
Just go forward. Get out of here. Think, think, think!
She pressed roughly on the trigger, a huge spurt of gas hurling her forwards with a loud hiss. She gained speed, shooting herself through the forest, hooks pulling her body forwards with jarring speed despite the extra weight on her back.
His weight.
Louis' weight.
Proof of his life.
Just a little longer. We'll make it to the wall.
There was a heavy rustling from above her.
Her head snapped up in terror, eyes meeting the fluttering of a dark green cloak, and a head of raven hair.
And furious, furious eyes.
The body descended toward her with rapid speed.
Azye held back a gasp, a whimper, whatever the fuck was begging to spill out her lips. Her eyes snapped away, focused forward, fingers pressing the trigger on her handles with desperate haste. Faster, faster—!
Her gas sputtered out.
Her heart dropped. Azye's eyes widened in response to absolute, mind-numbing horror.
She twirled Louis around, abandoning her anchors, clutching him to her chest as her back made painful contact with the forest floor.
Wet mud and leaves squelched behind her back, the hard floor knocking all the air out of her lungs. She wheezed in pain, unable to make a sound, as their bodies skidded harshly against the forest floor. Her back crashed against a tree, Azye screaming in agony as it slammed into her slipping body.
She wanted to give up.
No, goddammit! Louis is fucking alive!
She cursed under her breath, coughing, hands shaking, as they fumbled at the fabric knot. She tugged it away with a whimpering growl, clawing herself up despite the utter agony she felt, muscles roaring in raw pain. Her fingernails were upturned— not that she could even feel them. Blood soaked the side of her head, red staining her tattered shirt and pants.
Her senses screamed one thing at her, hissing rowdily with desperate urgency. She was in big fucking trouble.
But she'd fight. Fight till the bitter end. She'd fucking kill them.
She hauled Louis against the tree, Standing in front of him, pulling a knife from her boot.
Even if she killed just one of them, she could take their gas! That's right, they just needed gas! Gas!
She fought away the panic, calming herself with each painful breath.
She drew ragged breaths, ignoring the throbbing in her head as she strained to keep her eyes open.
There was sharp whirring, and a figure landed in front of her.
Him. Their Captain. The fucking bastard. His fault. His fucking fault.
She clutched the knife in her bloodied hands, pointing the glimmering blade outwards in warning, as her other hand braced itself for a fight. Her foot, shaking, slipped into a defensive stance behind her, as her gaze steeled, desperation flaring in her veins.
She needed to fucking fight.
"Get the fuck away from us," She rasped, her voice a stranger to her own memories. She sounded wild, desperate. Angry.
He didn't acknowledge it as he approached her.
She steadied her shaking hand, fisting her free hand in preparation. She vaguely noticed another figure, blonde, much larger, land behind the approaching man.
She refused to acknowledge the fear building in her system, her hands shaking as she stepped forward. She was outnumbered. Outnumbered by far too many soldiers, it seemed, judging by the rustles and whir of ODM that rattled in the looming trees. There were at least two of them hidden in the branches; there had to be. And she knew there were more on horseback following behind. Those soldiers would catch up in just a few minutes, and when they did, she would be utterly fucked.
Without any ODM, she was as good as dead.
"Or what?" The raven-haired man growled lowly, the metal scabbards clanking with every step forward. "You're a knock away from death's door. The fuck are you gonna do?"
Azye grit her teeth, her knuckles white. Her gaze steeled, muscles tensing as she glowered at the soldier.
"I'll drag you down with me, bastard." She rasped, voice crackling and dry.
He stopped approaching, standing right in front of her, a hand's width between their faces. His wet cloak brushed against her muddied, tattered trousers as it flailed in the harsh wind, his hood slipping away from his face.
Their eyes locked.
Unblinking, steel eyes paralysed her to her spot.
He leaned forward, a deathly glower boring into her as she reciprocated an equally murderous glare.
The man bared his teeth, his eyes flashing with menace.
"Give it a fucking shot."
He lunged.
Azye jerked away from his fist with a sharp wince, just barely evading his attack as it sliced against the side of her cheek. She didn't pause, swinging her dagger blindly, desperately, as she slammed herself onto the side of his body. They fell to the ground, Azye cursing incomprehensibly as the soldier tutted in distaste.
She pushed with a heaving grunt, pinning him below her as his back thudded against the forest floor, wet mud squelching loudly under him. Black tinted the edges of her vision, blooming into a deadly scarlet as blood ran down her cold face. An ugly rage filled her, consuming her thoughts entirely, ragged breaths tearing out her chest.
He was the one that'd hurt Louis.
The same guy trapped under her. And Azye wanted stone-cold revenge like she needed to breathe.
She yelled angrily, furiously, the arm holding her knife thrusting towards him, the blade zipping towards his neck—
He caught her wrist.
The blade had stopped an inch above his throat, Azye's hand shaking violently as she tried and failed to push it down past his grip.
Her rage deepened.
He was looking at her with immeasurably murderous eyes, anger contorting his features into a threatening scowl.
"Pest," He hissed, and his grip on her wrist tightened painfully as he thrust her arm away from him.
He twisted her wrist back with excessive strength, Azye unable to hold back a groan of agony as her fingers flew open. The knife fell to the floor, lost in the undergrowth.
He lunged forward, Azye's lack of strength in her worn state further hindering her futile attempts at resistance. He easily reversed their positions, Azye now pinned below him, knees on either side of her torso locking her to the muddy floor, while a hand held her arms captive atop her stomach. She wheezed in pain as he leaned forward, slamming his weight onto her body, forcing the air out of her lungs. The ODM Gear dug painfully into her back, and she thought she heard a crack, even through the thunderous downpour of rain.
Yeah— if she wasn't fucked before, she was now.
She choked, gagging on her tongue, as her eyes burned in riot at the lack of air.
He pulled back a fraction, Azye coughing as she greedily sucked in the air returning to her lungs. Her head swam, throbbing even more when his other hand grasped her cheek, flinging it aside, cold hands digging the side of her face into the sludge of the forest floor. She thrashed, squeezing an eye shut to stop the earth from entering her eyes, gagging at the putrid odour of rain and mud.
He pushed his weight onto her, unrelenting— Was she going to die like this? Suffocating with her face buried in sludge and shit?
Fuck. No.
She worked up her strength with a wheezing groan, pushing a final time, putting all her strength into a last ditch attempt to escape his hold, groaning, yelling—! It worked for a mere second, the surprise burst of power thrusting her forward an inch before exhaustion untimely wrapped its arms around her once again. She fell to the floor with a loud, squelching thud, coughing and gagging, sucking greedy, ragged breaths despite the shitty stench of rainy earth that filled her nostrils.
And yet, he still kept his hold on her, pushing, pushing, pushing—!
"That's enough, Captain." A low voice bellowed over the thundering rain. "Sit her up."
She heard her detainer grunt in acknowledgement, his sound rumbling down to her ribs, before the weight on her vanished. She gasped in the air that returned to her lungs, coughing to the side. She couldn't even think to move before he held her again, yanking her forward by the collar of her soaked, bloodstained, muddy shirt, before thrusting her onto her knees. He twisted her around, grabbing her arms. He trapped them behind her with a hand, easily handling her limp body. Cold, wet fingers grasped her chin from behind her. He pushed her face upwards, forcing her to meet the other man's eyes.
Azye squirmed violently, straining against his grip. A tug of his hand sent pain flaring into her shoulders, her arms feeling as though they were being torn out of their sockets.
"Stay still, you filthy rat," He warned, shoving her face forward. His fingernails dug painfully into her skin, carving crimson crescents on her cheeks as he tightened his grip on her chin.
She shouted a muffled curse, before forcing herself to still under his death grip, allowing her eyes to dart to the man in front of her.
He watched her from a few feet away, cold, analytical. Azye barely caught the glint of blue in his eyes, the light trapped in his iris despite her obscured vision, and the pouring rain.
"What the fuck do you want?" She rasped, her voice muffled from the soldier's grip. "Let me go!"
She was in no place to be making threats, or asking questions for that matter, but the words found her before she could deny them. Her gaze hardened, anger bubbling inside her at the thought of being subdued, when Louis' writhing body was right behind her, unprotected.
If they laid a fucking hand on him, she would strike to kill.
The man stirred, a sudden sincerity overtaking his features as he stepped forward, kneeling before her.
Azye jerked back instinctively, but made no other move, tracking him with bated breath.
"My name is Erwin Smith," He began, his voice much clearer now. "And I'm the 13th Commander of the Survey Corps."
Her heart dropped.
Commander. Survey Corps.
Her eyes widened, and she tugged against the grip on her, elbowing her captor as she attempted to jerk herself away.
The man tsked at the action, merely pushing her forward roughly before tugging at her arms once again. She muffled a cry, biting her cheek to silence it.
"What the hell do you want?" She repeated, struggling to keep the desperation out of her voice, disguising it with a fit of equally potent anger.
He held that gaze of his, that calculating gaze, as if he was reading everything about her. As if she were a book. A bitterness tasted on her tongue, her heart hammering in her chest at the near intimidation she felt. She glared daggers at him, scowling, unwilling to let fear take a hold of her.
"What's your name, Miss?" He asked, remaining composed.
She didn't reply, keeping her glare directed at him, venom in her eyes. She would have spat in his face if it weren't for the death grip on her jaw.
The said grip tightened at her lack of response, a hard knee digging painfully into her back. She hissed in pain, pushing in resistance despite the pain shooting through her limbs.
"Answer him." The man's voice rumbled into her ear, pulling her arms further back.
"Captain, please." The other man commanded.
The Captain eased his grip with a click of his tongue.
The Commander, Erwin, looked back at her, his glare suddenly harsh.
"While I applaud your recalcitrance, if you aren't willing to cooperate with me, I will move on to your comrade. Surely, you wouldn't want him taken back to the Underground after all your efforts to escape that very place tonight?" Erwin's eyes hardened in silent warning. "Now tell me. What is your name?"
Her eyes flashed dangerously, Azye straining with all her might to remain composed, to think rationally. Her furious glare didn't falter, the only sign of his succession in piquing her attention being her clenched jaw, and her hands balling into fists behind her back.
"It's Azye," She spoke through gritted teeth, spitting the words with malice. "Now you tell me what you fucking want."
His eyes flashed.
"Azye." He addressed, sincerity once again dripping in his voice. A sincerity much too raw to be believable, sending alarm bells flaring in her mind.
He has something over my head.
"Your skill with the ODM Gear is exceptional. It's surprising you've managed to even navigate this forest in these conditions, let alone outrun an Elite Squad with a boy on your back for such a long period of time. I commend your skill—"
"Cut to the chase," she interrupted hoarsely, black spots dancing in her vision. Her voice cracked. He was rambling, and she was having none of it. Her consciousness was fading from her grasp. She was vaguely aware of a trickle of warmth pouring down her face, red blooming in her peripherals. She squeezed her eye, blinking away the blood that stained her vision.
He smirked at her, a subtle tug of his lips.
"Very well." He spoke, his eyes glinting.
He leaned closer, droplets of water snaking down his chin. She was sure he could hear her thundering heart, her irregular breaths, and see the dozens of cuts littering her face.
And then he spoke.
"Join the Survey Corps, Miss Azye."
She swore the world stilled.
What?
Her eyes widened, breath caught in her throat. She parted her lips, but no sound came out, Azye unconsciously stilled under the Captain's grip.
What?
Erwin clearly sensed her disbelief, shock, doubt. He leaned away, his gaze hardening.
"To put it simply, refusal will have you and your companion placed under the custody of the Military Police Brigade, where you will be fittingly punished for your crimes. You won't be treated very nicely in their hands— not with the list of offences you've managed to accumulate. You will either rot in their prisons for the rest of your lives, or you will be executed." He paused, and Azye soaked in his words, her head pounding. He tilted his chin down a fraction, becoming serious as he bored his eyes into hers. "Should you choose to enlist under my Brigade, I shall take it upon myself to get your crimes pardoned. This is a second chance. You've been given the opportunity to turn your life around."
He leaned forward, eyes fierce.
"What do you say, Azye? Will you lend us your strength?"
Her mind was racing, thoughts flashing one over the other as she understood the gravity of her situation. The decision that would change her — and Louis' — lives were in her fucking hands.
In her bloody, bruised and beaten hands.
Her stomach dropped down to Hell.
Logically, Azye knew she'd have to accept his proposition.
And she would have agreed in a heartbeat— if it weren't for the fact this was the fucking Survey Corps.
Widely known as The Suicide Regiment.
The gist of what the Commander had proposed: 'Join me, or I'll leave you and your buddy to rot.'
It was no deal.
She nearly laughed at the absurdity of it— God, no, it wasn't a fucking deal.
It was a goddamn ultimatum.
He was acting as though she had the freedom to choose anything but his wild proposition. He was playing her. He wanted her to believe it was her own choice. He wanted her to feel comfortable, to feel as though she had a choice in the matter as he strung her along like a mindless puppet.
That's what he was after, wasn't it?
Her strength?
Clearly, these pigs were desperate for soldiers, if they were resorting to recruiting criminals into the Military. The overwhelming irony of it didn't do anything to ease the tension in her guts.
"What about Louis?" She spoke hoarsely, clearing her throat. She coughed up blood to the side, jerking her face away, unable to keep it down.
"Naturally, the offer extends to him as well. I recall his mobility in the gear was extraordinary, even by military standards. I can also promise treatment for him at the Survey Corps HQ. That is, of course, upon your decision."
She snapped her mouth shut. The bastard was just toying with her, at this point.
But if Louis would live, her hands were tied. Literally and figuratively.
She had to accept.
"Fine," she croaked, her hands fisting tightly behind her back, nails digging into her palms. "I'll join your fucking Corps."
He smiled deeply. "Wonderful. As I expected, you've made the right decision."
She didn't reply.
But she couldn't have, even if she'd wanted to.
Fatigue overwhelmed her.
Darkness enveloped Azye without warning, her vision blurring into a mess of colours. She slurred out a curse, barely registering the Commander calling her name, reaching a hand toward her, before the world gave out under her.
The girl went limp in Levi's arms, sagging heavily against his grip.
His lip curled with disgust.
"Did you get what you fucking wanted, Erwin?" Levi muttered. He set her down, away from the growing puddle of mud, calling his squad from the trees with a flick of his hand.
Rustling from behind him.
He stepped away from the woman as Petra landed lightly in the undergrowth, giving him a firm salute.
Levi jerked his chin to the unconscious woman— who was now sat upright in the Commander's arms. Her bloody head lolled against Erwin's shoulders, the rain slowly washing away the mud coating her cheeks.
"Petra. Take care of her and the other brat." He ordered, droplets of rain falling into his wet lashes as he turned his head back to the redhead.
"Yes, Sir," Petra affirmed, flashing him a smile before turning away. The commander smiled at Petra, settling the unconscious woman into Petra's arms. The much smaller girl stumbled for a few seconds as she adjusted her hold, hauling the woman's limp body towards the rest of his squad.
Erwin sighed quietly, pushing himself up from his knees.
Levi's gaze flickered to the Commander.
"Apologies, Levi. I failed to mention my true intentions prior to involving you and your squad in my personal business."
Levi clenched his jaw, snapping his gaze back to Petra.
"That's not the fucking issue. You promised you wouldn't step foot into that place." Levi glowered, his fingers twitching. He balled his hand into a fist. "You lied."
Levi didn't get a response.
"You could have given me an order," Levi continued, feeling the remnants of an old anger seeping into his veins, as he snapped his gaze to the blonde. He narrowed his eyes, hating the stoic mask the blonde adorned when they argued. "You know I would have done it if you'd ordered me to."
"Levi, I consider you my friend above any obligations I have as Commander." He said. "I don't enjoy ordering you around."
"Then don't go behind my fucking back, Erwin." He ground out, toying with the man's name.
The commander's eyes flashed as he watched over Levi's Squad, his lips pursing.
He turned, his gaze falling to Levi.
"I apologise. I am wholly at fault for not advising you of my motives. For now, focus on returning to HQ. We will discuss any further details come morning."
"Erwin—"
"You have your orders, Captain."
Levi barely held back a scoff, his eyes glinting dangerously as he fisted his hands, his brows furrowed into a tight glare.
He turned his back to the man.
Levi sucked in a breath, calming himself, as he walked over to his horse— the rest of the squad had brought them through. He stroked his black stallion's snout, its black coat shimmering wetly as it caught the sparse moonlight spilling through the dense trees. He jumped onto his horse, trotting over to his squad.
His attention fell to his squad as he pulled up next to them, watching as Petra secured the unconscious woman to her horse.
He wrinkled his nose.
The woman was fucking filthy, soaked to the bone and looking as though she'd been rolling around in a fucking ditch— which she had been, more or less, dragging him along with her.
"Captain." His squad chorused, the group snapping into solid salutes as they noticed him pull in.
Levi nodded, dismissing them. "Are they secured?"
"Yes, Sir. Eld and Gunther have got the boy, and Petra insists on taking the woman even though I'm clearly more—"
"That's fine, Oluo." Levi cut in, watching the soldier's mouth snap shut. Tugging his soaked cravat away from his neck, he turned to Petra, eyeing the top of her head. "Make sure you've properly restrained her. Let me know immediately if she wakes, HQ is a six-hour ride from here."
Petra gave him a smile, nodding. "Yes, Captain. I'll let you know."
He nodded in acknowledgement, turning away, rain hammering on his shoulders. He twisted the reins on his horse, urging the beast forward.
"Let's go."
notes
Thanks for reading! 3
I've been sitting on this idea and it has been plaguing my thoughts for months now, so I decided to finally put it into words. I've planned out the entirety of Part Zero (it'll be about 20 chapters, the longest part out of all of them) and drafted out a solid chunk of it. I doubt my lazy ass will stick to a regular update schedule, but when I do update, I'll do my best to spoil you with the word count. 90% of the upcoming chapters will be a lot longer than this first one.
Also, let me clarify that this was written purely to spite my shitty sleep schedule and lack of social life.
And speaking of: Let me extend a special and warm welcome to my fellow sleep-deprived, caffeine addicted AOT enthusiasts reading this at an ungodly hour.
Go get some sleep. (I say this, sat at my computer like a fucking gremlin at four in the morning)
Anyway, thanks again for reading. I hope you enjoyed it, and I also hope you stick around for more! :)
This work also posted on ao3 under the same username (with much better formatting, if i may add) for those of you who prefer it as a reading platform.