Anamnesis - Chapter 10 – By accident or design?
"TARGET ACCOMPLISHED; CARD TWO"
Mikasa threw a bewildered look at Levi, confused at what she was hearing. Not only confused by just the sound of the strange chime and the announcement that followed, but now there were multiple voices shouting, that appeared to be coming from the middle of library. Instinct told her to run straight to where the voices were coming from, but instead Mikasa pulled on the chain connecting the handcuffs to Levi as he began to run.
"Wait, Levi! Before we go and find out what is happening, we need to agree on something..."
"Yes?" Levi asked.
"I don't want anyone to know about my wounds or the dream – or memory whatever it was."
Levi nodded.
"I agree. I think it would be dangerous to tell them. We still don't know who we can trust. But… you can trust me." Levi said, trying to reassure her.
Mikasa pursed her lips, not sure of what to say to him.
They both started running and rounded the corner of the bookcase that had kept them hidden from sight away from the others. Mikasa felt the hair of her arms prickle and stand up as the air around them now was cool and chilly.
As they got closer Mikasa and Levi could see the others had all formed into one group and appeared to have formed a sort of half circle around the fireplace that Mikasa and Levi had sat beside earlier.
"Jean, what did you do?"
"Did you hear that noise – that chime? What does it mean?"
"He's done something wrong, and now the maze is going to punish us!"
"This is entirely your fault, Jean!" Ymir shouted.
Jean seemed to be standing between the crowd and the fireplace, which now had a fire burning inside. But something about the fire did not look quite right to Mikasa. Jean turned to his partner that he was handcuffed to, Ymir, and pointed at her.
"You were the one that was complaining that you were cold!" Jean retorted.
"Don't put the blame on me and pretend like you weren't cold either?!" Ymir replied.
It does feel colder than it was before…
"Look at the fire." Levi said to no one in particular. The others were still shouting at each other but Annie and Bertholdt were standing close by.
"Yes, was can see it. It is a fire." Annie said curtly.
"Annie…" Bertholdt voice was more of a whimper that anything else.
Mikasa's brows furrowed in annoyance, not only at Annie's rudeness, but because she too could tell that something was not quite right with the way the light and shadows fell around the fire.
"Levi is right. Something is back there. Something is behind the fire." Mikasa said above the shouting.
The shouting in the room grew quiet, and now the group's attention was now concentrated on the fireplace.
"Is it just me, or do the shadows look strange somehow?" Somebody whispered.
Reiner took a step forward before turning back to Armin.
"Let's go and check it out." Reiner encouraged.
Armin swallowed hard and finally stepped forward with his partner, the chains of the handcuff clinking faintly as they went. The pair slowly approached the fireplace before Reiner cautiously knelt directly in front of the fireplace.
Without turning back Reiner said something that the others couldn't hear.
"What was that Reiner? We didn't hear you." Sasha said.
"I said, that it looks like there is a room here. A room behind the fireplace…"
"You've got good eyes Levi." Bertholdt said.
With a huff, Annie crossed her arms across her chest.
"Let's go and check out the new room then!" Sasha said with a grin.
No doubt the prospect of more food is on her mind.
Mikasa smiled to herself at that thought, but it was soon gone when Reiner spoke next.
"Guys, I think someone is in there."
"There's another person in the room?" Jean asked.
"Yeah… but I can't really see much else from this distance." Reiner said, picking out the logs from the fireplace and throwing them to the side.
"What are you doing? Don't put the fire out – it's cold in here!" Sasha exclaimed.
Reiner turned around and threw her an incredulous look.
"Do you want to find out what's going on in this place or not, Sasha?" Reiner's tone of voice was that of no nonsense.
Sasha's only reply was that of a pout of her lips, and Reiner continued to carefully pull out the logs until the fire had all but died, and all the remained was a few embers. Everyone gathered closer to get a better look.
"So…who volunteers to go first?" Armin asked.
Reiner gave Armin a confused look.
"Armin… c'mon. We should go first."
"We should give someone else the chance to volunteer." The shake of Armin's voice was undeniable towards the end of the sentence.
Poor guy. Reiner seems so keen to go, but Armin is holding him back because he is scared…he looks like a little boy.
Mikasa realised that she felt pity for him, but then she noticed that most of the crowd were now looking at her and Levi.
Are they expecting us to volunteer to go first?
"How about it, Levi and Mikasa?" Armin called out.
Mikasa had no intention of volunteering to go somewhere that could be potentially dangerous.
I've got my own problems to deal with. I don't need more shit on my plate.
"Yeah, Mikasa. Why don't you go first?" Annie's voice was loud enough for everyone to hear.
Mikasa could always count on Annie to wind her up. With her mind now made up, she turned to face Levi, but to her surprise he was already looking at her. He too had decided but was waiting for the go ahead from Mikasa.
"We'll do it." Mikasa voice carried with it great confidence, as if she had always meant to volunteer.
With the chains of their handcuffs rattling, Levi and Mikasa approached the fire place, and they crouched down beside Reiner as he pointed inside. The room inside was almost pitch-black, the only light source that entered the small room was from the library itself. But now Mikasa could see what Reiner was pointing at.
"See that?"
Mikasa could just about make up a huddled shape lying on the floor of what looked like a small room. The last of light prevented her from seeing anything else in the room.
It could be a person…
Levi nodded and just before he was about to climb through the fireplace, Erwin stepped forward.
"I'll go with you."
There was a murmur of whispers among the group, some had confused looks on their faces, but the look on Armin's was one of delight.
"The more the merrier, right?" he said.
"Glad to have you with us." Levi said, as they shook hands.
"Let's get to it then." Mikasa insisted, as she took the first step forward, but Levi stopped her.
"Wait, Mikasa, I'll go first." Levi said.
Without hesitating, Mikasa clambered through the fireplace before replying.
"It's okay, I got it."
"That's some partner you got there. Does she ever actually listen to you?" Erwin said in a low voice so only Levi could hear.
"Tch."
Levi and Erwin followed Mikasa's lead, as she waited on the other side she tried to make out the other shapes in the room.
"Are these hammocks?" She asked though she already knew the answer.
The hammocks were pinned to the brick walls of the room, and a few pillows and linen blankets scattered across the room.
"Can we get a light or torch or something in here? Erwin called out to the others in the library.
"Sure, we'll find something for you to use." Armin called back.
Cautiously, the three of them approached the huddled shape on the floor.
"It does kind of look like a person." Mikasa whispered.
"Hello there." Levi called out.
There was no reply from the crumpled mass on the floor.
"Guys, we have some matches that Jean had to start the fire." Armin said, as he threw them into the small room.
Erwin handed Levi the box of matches, a short hiss followed at he struck a single match. With a short fizzle, a small ambient light emitted from the match. It did not prove to be much of a light source, but it was better than nothing. Slowly, Levi approached closer to the mass on the floor, when Erwin stopped him.
"I'll go first." Erwin said, "In case it's not safe. If something happens to one of you… You are both handcuffed to each other and escape might be difficult. Whereas I have no partner."
Levi nodded, passing the match over the Erwin. The tall blonde man deciding that it was safe enough, crouched down and prodded at the huddled mass on the floor. With no reaction to Erwin's touch, he turned the shape over, revealing what appeared to be an unconscious man. He appeared to be middle aged with short dirty blonde hair, and a wispy moustache.
The three of them tried and failed at waking up the man lying on the floor, but he wore the same green tired threadbare looking jumpsuits that they did. Mikasa suggested searching for a card, like the rest of them had found on their person. Agreeing, Erwin still crouched down at the unconscious man's side, began to root around his pockets. Finally, Erwin produced a card with the man's name, and held it out so the Levi and Mikasa could see.
~*~*~
Hannes
"W/"
~*~*~
"So his name is Hannes… but what does the bit underneath mean?" Erwin asked.
Levi shrugged his shoulders and offered that maybe the others on the other side of the fireplace might know.
"What did you find?" Reiner called
"We found someone, we're bringing him out." Erwin called back.
"Before we do that," Levi said in a quiet voice to Erwin, "we need to talk. Not now, as we don't have time. Later on once we get this guy Hannes back, meet me and Mikasa behind the bookcases at the far end of the library."
Erwin's prominent eyebrows furrowed together before he nodded silently.
Mikasa knew that Levi did not believe Erwin to hostile, so she considered the alternatives and thought she knew where Levi was going with this.
With the agreement settled, the three of them began to haul the unconscious man out of the small room, through the fireplace entrance and back into the library. They were met with puzzled and concerned faces.
"What happened to him?"
"Is he dead?"
The group of spectators were silent as Hannes was laid down on one of the now empty couches.
"No. He is still breathing." Mikasa said, as she propped a pillow behind the unconscious man's head. She watched his chest rise and fall, albeit slowly.
"Can't you wake him?" Eren said with a confused expression.
After a long-spirited conversation, including what the card they found on Hannes said, it was decided that Armin and Reiner would keep watch of the man for the rest of night. The others were to go to sleep, and it would be decided what to do tomorrow.
The group dispersed into their own corners of the library, trying to get what little remained of their time to sleep. Levi and Mikasa said nothing to each other as they made their way back to their alcove. As they sat back down on the couch they had shared, Levi reassuring Mikasa that she should try and get some sleep. It didn't take long for her to drop off into her quiet slumber.
Levi pondered over his thoughts, trying to rationalise what he was thinking. He took his name card out of his jumpsuit pocket.
Take me back to where I belong.
Levi turned the phrase on his card around in his mind, bending it every which way that he could. Knowing that key to getting out of maze was right in front of him. Distracted, he could hear Mikasa's breathing become more even, as her shoulder slumped onto his. Her head lolled perfectly so that it lay comfortably between the crook of his neck and his shoulder. Levi heard Erwin approaching them before he had even turned the corner of the alcove.
Levi nodded his head in recognition as Erwin took a knee beside Levi.
"I waited until everyone was asleep. We'll keep this quick and quiet." Erwin whispered, his voice susurrus as he motioned to Mikasa.
"Yes. Let us get straight down to it shall we. We will make an agreement. As you can most likely tell, you are not too popular amongst the others…"
We are going to need allies.
"Yes, I gathered that," Erwin said, the crinkle near his eyes betrayed tiredness, but Levi also thought it was worry. "But every group needs an outcast, or villain in some cases."
Levi nodded, showing that he empathised with Erwin's unfair position in the group dynamics.
"For whatever reason they have chosen to go against you. I doubt that they would do anything now…but if things happen to get ugly, you can be assured that you will have our aid."
Erwin's eyes narrowed as he looked at Mikasa, still sleeping softly against Levi.
"Does she feel the same way?"
Levi said nothing. Erwin gave a sad smile.
"I appreciate the gesture. It will be nice to know that not everyone completely is completely against me. But that being said, I don't know what the three of us could do, if the others go against us. They greatly outnumber us."
"Let us hope that it does not come to that." Levi said.
"In return, I offer you the same. If there is anything I can do to help either of you, just let me know."
Levi felt that Erwin's words were sincere. He wondered at how alone Erwin must feel. Even though he wasn't the only person without a partner here, the other had all seemed to fall into little cliques, with Erwin being the exception. His first impressions obviously left a lot to be desired.
"One question though. Making this arrangement requires trust… What did I do that made you trust me?"
Levi hesitated before answering and scratched at the small bleeding scab on his arm.
"Let's just call it gut instinct."
Authors Note: I know that I haven't updated in like a year and a half. Please believe me when I say that a lot has happened in my life during the last two years or so. Not least with the global COVID 19 pandemic. Having said that, finishing this fic has seemingly rekindled my passion for writing, and I hope to have more updates for this fic soon.