Before you start off: There is blood in this chapter and not tiny amounts either. You will also find needles, violence, and some of the same psychological shit as the previous Eren POV chapter. If you're looking at those warnings and you're going "fuck no, I cannot read this" I've made a chapter summary post on Tumblr with just the plot relevant events: mybrainproblems-dot-tumblr-dot-com /post/101633783739/alyna-ch-74-summary

Do people want me to continue to do this for future chapters that are more graphic?

And yes, I did look up the actual effects of sodium thiopental aka sodium pentothol aka truth serum. Vouch for me when the FBI comes to arrest me because I've been Googling shit about sodium thiopental, chloroform, rohypnol and side effects of blood loss by volume. I'm not a criminal, just a humble fic writer.

.

"You want to what?"

"Escape. Out the window."

"Eren, it's nailed shut."

"I have an idea. We need to pull out one of the nails –" Marco opened his mouth to object but Eren cut him off. "No, wait and just listen. We can use the nail to shatter the glass. We won't even need that much force."

"You want to pull one of the nails out?"

"Yeah."

"They're hammered into the frame pretty well."

"The wood is pretty old-looking. It's probably going to start splintering away pretty quickly."

"Eren. Listen to yourself. You want to try pulling a nail out of splintering wood with your fingers. We don't even know how high up the window is. You weren't conscious when we came in but we were in an elevator for a while before we got here. We could be on the fifth floor for all we know."

"Well we won't know unless we try." Eren gave Marco a furious look before taking a deep breath to try and calm himself down. He then continued, to speaking at a lower volume. "Please, Marco? Please?"

"The Survey Corps and our friends are probably on the way right now… they'll be here soon."

"Marco, we don't know how long we've been here beyond that it's been more than a day. I don't doubt that they're coming to get us but we've been drugged multiple times and I just got knocked around by some fucker in a mask. I would really like it if just for once I was able to save myself, especially since someone else got dragged into this because of me."

"It's not your fault." Marco's attempt at reassuring him didn't help.

"I know it's not my fucking fault but it still happened and you're here because you were with me."

"Okay, but what if we are on the fifth floor?"

"We'll figure something out. You can't win unless you fight for it. If we don't even try we've already lost."

"Alright. Just... let's try not to get splinters in our fingers?"

Eren nodded and got closer to the window to inspect the sill further. He ran his hands across the frame carefully to avoid the splinters that they were almost certainly going to get trying to pull a nail out. The wood was old and splintering around each nail. Eren moved closer to inspect each to see if there was one that might be easier to remove than the others.

They worked on the nail in shifts, trying their best to avoid getting splinters. They inevitably got a few but most were easily removed. There was no avoiding eating or drinking and so when the light outside of the painted-over window began to dim and food was shoved unceremoniously through the door they accepted that they wouldn't be conscious again until morning.

This time Eren was completely unsurprised when he felt something tighten around his wrists while a hood was pulled over his head as soon as he was pulled outside of the room. He could only assume that he was being lead back to the same room as before. He felt trepidation as he continued to move forward; he had no desire to deal with his captors' particular definition of "questioning." This time the hood wasn't pulled off of his head after he was tied to the chair and as the minutes pressed onward he could feel his own fear beginning to spike. It's okay, it's okay. Maybe I'll get roughed up again, but they want information from me, they don't want me dead. That's a good thing, right? And Marco, maybe Marco will have the nail free when I'm back and we can get the fuck out of here. We're going to get out of here. I just need to get out of here. Whatever these freaks want.

Eren was just starting to conclude that they weren't planning on removing the hood when he heard someone moving next to him. He closed his eyes in preparation for the painful change in light, but he felt a sharp pain in his arm instead.

Fuck. That was a needle. Definitely not a good thing.

A moment later he found himself gagging as the overwhelming taste of garlic filled his mouth. From somewhere in front of him he heard what might have been a muffled snort of laughter. He gagged again as the taste increased in its intensity and thenfinally began to dissipate. As the intense taste fully receded from his mouth Eren began to relax; there was no longer an inexplicable and noxious taste in his mouth. He shifted around a bit and realized that the hood wasn't really as scratchy as he had thought and as he pulled at the restraints on his limbs he found that they weren't as painfully tight as he had thought earlier. There wasn't really any pain even when he yanked sharply with his arm. He heard that same muffled laugh again but couldn't find it in himself to care. When the hood was yanked roughly off of his head it all came together.

Shit. I've been drugged.

Eren braced himself for the sudden adrenaline spike of that realization but found himself fading back into a mental fog. He was there and yet he wasn't, everything that happened seemed like it was happening to someone else – like he was watching from somewhere a few feet away. He felt no physical reaction as a slightly blurry figure stepped forward into his space, only a vague sense that nothing good would come of their proximity. He did feel his heart stutter when the person in front of him grabbed his shirt collar and dragged him upwards to look at them. Terrifyingly large eyes and a toothy grin were looking down at him and he barely had the energy to attempt to twist away and slump to the side. Eren was able to identify the source of laughter this time; judging from the mask it was the same person who had "questioned" him previously. He expected the rage to come but it never did, he simply floated along. Eren only became aware that he was staring down at the floor with unfocused eyes when he was backhanded by the person in front of him.

"Now then. We would like it if you would pretty please answer some questions for us." The voice was vaguely feminine and filled with false apology. "I know it seems silly, but can you tell us your name?"

"Eren Jaeger. I was born in Shiganshina but I live in Trost now."

"And what are you doing here? A little far from Shiganshina, aren't we?" He tried to be angry at the fake tone they were using, but he just couldn't engage the emotion.

"I'm studying marine biology at Trost University. I live here with my sist –" Somewhere Eren found it in himself to bite the inside of his cheek before continuing further. Why am I telling them all of this? I want to cooperate for Marco's sake but this… all of this extra stuff… they didn't even ask.

"Your sister is Red Scarf, yes? Don't be shy, we've been looking into you. Don't you want to tell us about your friends? You know a lot of heroes, don't you? What about your new hero friends? Care to tell us about the Survey Corps? You've gotten very cozy with them."

Eren was starting to be able to feel pain again from clenching his teeth so hard. I'm not going to… not gonna say anything. Not saying anything. He felt like his whole body was trying (but unable) to tense up to keep anything from slipping out. He was certain that at any moment the torrent of words would start spilling out; his friends' names, the Survey Corps' names; anything they wanted. It was almost a blessing when he was backhanded again. He felt the almost-there edge of pain, but it was the fuzzy disorientation of what he had been drugged with combined with the sudden snap of his face to the side that caused him to lose anything that he had been focusing on. He could only stare dazedly to the side until his questioner grabbed his chin to turn him back to face them. I hope I'm not fucking drooling.

"You gave him too much." They let go of his chin and his head immediately dropped down so that he was staring at his lap.

"I told you without his exact weight I could only guess at a dosage. Leave him for a bit and let it start to wear off, it's not like he's going anywhere." Their unkind laughter rang in his ears and when he brought himself to look up he saw the backs of three people and the door shutting behind them. In spite of what he had been drugged with he felt his mind suddenly focus in on that narrowing strip of light, felt the adrenaline spike and the fear of being left tied up alone in a room. He knew even as it left his mouth that whatever he was yelling was unintelligible and slurred but he couldn't stop.

"Shut the fuck up." Even though the voice came from one of his masked captors he felt his fear recede slightly.

The other person kept their back to him, fiddling with something that Eren couldn't see. Even if they didn't want to interact with him at all Eren was relieved that somebody else was in the room with him; that he wasn't being left completely alone. He noticed that whatever it he had been given was starting to wear off when he moved his wrist and discovered that he had rubbed one area raw earlier while he couldn't feel it as anything more than discomfort. The other person in the room noticed his increased motion and he heard a muffled conversation over a radio clearly indicating that they should return. As he watched the others start to file back in through the door he wondered just how long he had been there. Is Marco okay? There's no way that he knows anything about what's going on with me… I hope he isn't too worried. He really doesn't need to be worried because… because clearly they need me and they don't need hi– No. We're not going there. He's going to be fucking fine and we're getting the hell out of here.

"Look who's nice and awake now."

"What the hell do you want from me?" He could immediately tell by the stutter in their movements that he had said something wrong.

"Maybe a little too awake." No. Fuck no. He felt the jab in his arm before he had enough time to consider what he wanted to vocalize. It didn't take long for things to start going fuzzy again, but unlike the previous time he simply felt relaxed. He didn't even bother to fight it this time; it was chemical and there was no getting around his body's reaction.

"Now that we're calm and not drooling on ourselves, how about we have a chat?" The fake sweet voice was back and they crouched so that they were at eye-level with him, even if he couldn't see their eyes. Eren felt their fingers come to trap his chin so that he was forced to continue to look into their horrifyingly large eyes. He tried to jerk his head back but their grasp on his chin went from tight to painful as soon as he tried. "What have you told the Survey Corps about us?"

"So I guess you're part of the Titans then..." Eren paused for a moment and tried halfheartedly to pull back, but they kept their grip on his chin. "They rescued me from a bunch of your friends who kidnapped me except they didn't know that I was there just that there was some big shot guy who was supposed to be showing up but they said that it was probably bullshit but they rescued me which was cool. Oh and… and Smiles died."

"Yeah. Shorty killed her, we know."

"It was an accident!"

"Like I give a shit. She died, I moved up. What else did you tell them?"

"That's… all I know. About anything."

"Bullshit."

"I don't fucking know anything okay?" His own fear and adrenaline and the effects of the drug were creating an odd mix of emotional responses. He felt panic in spite of his relaxed state. Fear being buried in a box of cotton.

"You've told them more."

"There's literally nothing else for me to tell them." Eren jerked his head to the side and this time they let him, releasing their grip on his chin and allowing him to move his head freely.

"But you know more."

"I already told you I don't know anything else."

"Your father…"

"I haven't seen him since I was twelve. Why does everyone act like I must have seen him yesterday?"

"And the Survey Corps too?"

"Yeah, they won't shut up about asking about Grisha. You won't, they won't. I don't give a shit. He walked out on us but I guess there was the time when I was four and he bought that tricycle." Great, more word vomit.

"Fine. I'll be a little more specific. Where's the key, Eren?"

"The key?" Eren blinked slowly in confusion. "Like to my apartment?"

"The key. Your father's key. Where is it? You have it."

"I don't have any idea what you're talking about!"

"He gave it to you, now where the hell is it? I don't want to do anything to your friend. It's not like he's-"

"Leave Marco alone!" Eren could feel the panic spiking past whatever he had been given as his eyes darted around the room.

"Look, it's not like he's here for any reason besides the fact that he was with you, so how about you think of your friend and just tell us what we want to know."

"I don't know anything! I swear!" He tried to lean back as his questioner reached out their hand again to touch his face. He could feel their unseen eyes staring at him and felt like he was going to be sick from the now-gentle touch on his face. When his breathing became erratic and nausea began to claw at his stomach he finally tried to pull away from their hand again. This time they let him move, but it was a brief victory. As he sat there and tried to regain control of his body he felt himself trembling; his moment of reprieve only lasted a brief moment as a fist collided with his face.

"You refuse to tell us anything?"

"I don't know anything. I don't know what you want from me." Eren's voice was soft as the drug in his system tried to drag him back into calm.

"Oh no, you know something." Their voice was light but it hardened as they spoke again. "What did you tell the Survey Corps?"

"I already told you!"

"You're lying."

"I'm not lying!"

"You told them about Cronus."

"I remembered a name! That's all, I swear!"

"Would you swear it on your friend's life?" They leaned back slightly as Eren gaped at them.

"Please don't… that's all… that's it."

"And the key?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Looks like you're far less useful than we thought you'd be." His questioner turned away and gestured to the others in the room. "You know what to do."

"Wait! What about Marco?!"

Eren didn't receive an answer as they left the room. The three remaining masked figures began to move closer to him and he tried to fight against the chemicals telling his body to relax, determined to try and fight back once they released his restraints if he got the opportunity. Instead of unbinding him, three sets of hands grabbed at his shoulders and upper arms, pinning him even more closely to the chair. Eren attempted to struggle against their grips for a moment before realizing he was hopelessly outmatched in his present condition. He fought down an unknown fear welling up in his gut as a fourth figure came in through the door carrying a tray. It wasn't until they were placing the tray on a nearby table that Eren was able to recognize the contents; a butterfly needle, some tubing, and empty blood bags.

Shit. Fuck no. I am not getting bled out like a pig by a bunch of sick mask-wearing freaks. Holy fucking shit no. He began to struggle against his captors again, the rush of adrenaline pushing back the fuzziness of whatever he had been drugged with. Even as he tried to move he kept his eyes on the other figure and watched them put down the butterfly needle, only to pick up something else he couldn't see. As they walked closer to him he struggled even harder and felt the bruises forming on his body underneath his captors' grips. There was an intensely painful jabas a needle was carelessly shoved into his arm;his struggling slowly decreased until he could barely move his own body as the familiar soporific feeling took over. He was only vaguely aware at the pinch at the crook of his arm as the butterfly needle was inserted but in his present state he swore that he could feel each milliliter of blood draining out of his body and listened in horror to the pulse in his ears. His breathing became shallow and erratic as the panic rose higher and higher with each additional moment his blood continued to flow out.

Eren attempted a half-hearted struggle after the needle was removed and his restraints were being undone but he could barely stand up straight, let alone fight back. The hood was pulled over his head again and he felt himself getting tossed over one of his captor's shoulders. They hadn't bothered to tie his hands and he attempted to punch the back of the one carrying him; he only realized just how weak his blows must be when the person carrying him laughed derisively and hiked him up further onto their shoulder.

The journey back to the room where he and Marco were being kept took hours and seconds in his mind and he wasn't aware that they had returned until he was being dropped to the floor and having the hood pulled from his face. He blinked slowly to clear his eyes and stared up at Marco's worried and horrified face.

"I'm sorry, Eren. I'm so sorry."

"What do you have to be sorry for?"

"I couldn't work on the nail." Marco kept his voice low. "They had someone in here with me the whole time you were gone."

"Shit. Are you fucking… they seriously…?" Eren scrubbed at his eyes with his hands as he groaned. "It's okay, we can work on it now. We need to escape as quickly as possible though. They said I'm not useful anymore and… I don't think they're going to just drop us off at home."

He watched Marco's face go ashen before he started shaking. Neither of them moved as the full weight of their changed situation began to weigh down on them. When they heard someone unlocking the door they both of them went wide-eyed and could only stare at each other in that split moment before the door opened. Eren watched as Marco was grabbed and he could barely stand up to try and yell, never mind fighting back. As the door slammed closed again Eren was left alone and numb. He collapsed back to the ground and was unaware of how much time hand passed when his fury finally bubbled up past the drug-induced haze and he lashed out to punch the wall. The unbearable pain never came as he stared at his bloodied knuckles.

That's right; I can't really feel pain right now. Eren looked up slowly at the window and then down at his hands. I can't feel pain.

Eren stood up and used a hand to steady himself on the wall as he walked forward towards the window. He didn't even give it a second thought as he began to yank at the nail, splinters and the jagged metal of the other nails ripping at his hands.

I'm getting out of here and I'm getting Marco.