Back in the days when ALYNA was only over on Archive of Our Own I made a rough-yet-detailed map of Shiganshina. Well, I just created a way more reader friendly version that is less detailed but also far easier to read and understand.
You can take a look at it here:
mybrainproblemsDOTtumblrDOTcom/post/127824983019/alyna-shiganshina-finally-got-my-shit-together-and
Some day I will crack the secret to getting FFN to not fuck with my text links good god fuck right off FFN.
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They ended up tossing Eren's phone out the window near a busy intersection before heading north on a road parallel to the highway bisecting Shiganshina, Levi glancing at the rearview mirror every other minute. Eren was about to make a comment about Levi being paranoid when he noticed a black sedan behind them nearly cause an accident running a red light to stay behind them and trying to pass a car on the right to move forward.
"Noticed it too?" Levi flicked a quick glance towards Eren before checking the rearview mirror and then looking back at the road.
"How long have they been behind us?"
"More than a few blocks."
"How are you planning on losing them?"
"We're just going to make some left turns."
Eren gave Levi a puzzled look as they continued to head north along the highway, his seatbelt locking up as they made a sharp left turn to pass over the river and then another to continue moving parallel, now heading south alongside the highway.
"If those were the lefts that were supposed to lose them then your driving is pretty shit because they're still behind us and gaining."
"I don't need a fucking back seat driver."
"I'm riding shotgun."
"Fuck off." Levi's brow was furrowed in concentration as they merged onto the highway, still heading south.
"You're going to hit a shit ton of traffic as we get closer to downtown."
"I know."
"They're getting closer."
"I fucking know, Eren."
The highway started getting more congested and Levi merged left into the express lane. Eren could feel his stomach lurching as he watched the sedan getting closer, now joined by a second one as well. Both sedans caught up to their car, the original one finally passing the car immediately behind them and the second speeding up so as to be directly parallel to them in the lane to their right. Eren watched in horror as the car to their right began to move closer and the rear window was rolled down. He saw the flash of shiny metal in the masked person's hand and then –
There was a break in the concrete barrier on their left and Levi turned the wheel hard while pulling up on the emergency break, sending them drifting through the gap in the center barrier. Eren was thrown hard into the door while both sedans collided as they tried to follow moments too late, creating a snarl of traffic. Levi merged into the lighter traffic on the northbound side of the highway, slowing down slightly as he moved to the center lane.
"So that was your left turn." Eren looked slightly queasy as he leaned back against the seat. "Are you fucking crazy?"
"For someone without a driver's license you sure have a lot of fucking opinions on other people's driving."
"Well I know when someone's driving is going to get me fucking killed."
"If I hadn't made that turn we would have been killed." Levi's voice was taut and as Eren looked closer at him he could see the tension in his body; his shoulders stiff and his knuckles white as they gripped the steering wheel. Eren's gaze followed up Levi's arm, starting at his hands and ending at his upper bicep where a dark bloom was spread out from a tear in his sweater.
"You're hurt." Levi's eyes darted away from the road briefly, his neck bending slightly to glance at his arm.
"It's a graze. And no, that's not some stoic machismo bullshit. Scared the ever-loving fuck out of me but it really is just a graze." Levi frowned, his hands clenching hard on the steering wheel before some of the tension eased out. "If it were Killshot I'd be dead."
"So their sniper wasn't that good?"
"Their sniper got within an inch or two of at least seriously incapacitating me – if not killing me – in the rain while I was running. Their sniper is very, very good."
"So if the weather had been nicer…"
"We wouldn't be having this conversation."
The both of them fell silent as Levi continued to drive, Eren staring out the window at the passing scenery as they headed north out of Shiganshina. They didn't go far before the car's gas meter registered that they were below a quarter tank, forcing them to stop at a service plaza just outside of Shiganshina. The continued rain gave them both an excuse to put hats on, brims pulled low to cover their faces as Levi began to fill up the car. Eren ended up staying with the car while Levi went inside to pay and use the restroom, setting the nozzle back into the cradle and getting back into the passenger seat. When he looked out the window again he saw Levi coming back, his pace just shy of running. Rather than leave the plaza, Levi simply pulled over into the parking lot off to the side.
"Something happen?"
"Heard two truckers talking about how an accident fifteen miles ahead has the whole northbound side shut down. A rig jackknifed and snarled up the whole thing about fifteen minutes ago." Eren looked at him confusedly.
"And you're freaking out because…?"
"We pulled off our own little stunt and the southbound side is shut down as well and will be for a while." Levi glanced over at Eren as a look of understanding began to creep across his face.
"We're trapped." Eren's lips parted slightly. "It's not an accident, is it?"
"Doubtful. Take out the road atlas and see if there's anything that turns off further north. If not, we'll head back south towards Shiganshina and see if we can pick up some other road heading out from there."
"We can just use –fuck, no phones or GPS."
"Yeah, we're analog-only right now."
"This fucking blows."
"Just get out the atlas."
Eren reached into the back to grab the atlas, opening it up and spreading it across the center console so that they could both look at it. He watched as Levi traced the highway with his finger, looking for a road that would take them off the main highway. After a few minutes Levi seemed to have some idea of what route they would be taking, though he didn't share it with Eren immediately, simply starting the car up and pulling out of the plaza, crossing the overpass and heading south.
"Levi? Where are we going?"
"Picking up a couple local highways and we can connect back to a bigger one."
"But not the Trost-Shiganshina."
"No."
"Where the fuck are we going then, there aren't many others…" Eren trailed off, frowning. "The only other highways around here pick up off of the Trost-Shiganshina and head west or southwest."
"Yeah."
"We're heading away from Trost."
"Yeah."
"Why the fuck are we heading away from where we need to be? There's nothing out that way except for trees and mining."
"I'm going to drive as far as I can down the local highway and then there's another that runs due north and hits an arterial highway going back to the Trost-Shiganshina."
"And what, we're supposed to lose them by being the only ones on the fucking road?"
"Do you have any fucking better ideas, Eren?" He stared at Levi, looking at the tension in his body; the clench of his jaw and his eyes darting between the road and his mirrors.
The car was silent as they drove on and turned off onto Local-20, Miner's Road and the tense atmosphere continued to get thicker and thicker as time passed. Neither of them spoke a word to one another, Levi staring dead ahead while Eren glanced at him occasionally. There was a look on his face that it took him a while to place. It wasn't anger and it wasn't fear either, it was something more primal than that –the look of an animal being hunted, backed into a corner and ready to strike at anything that came near it. And Eren couldn't help but wonder just what would happen if he were pushed to lash out.
The intervals between the small-town shopping centers along intersections on the highway slowly started to increase until Eren realized they hadn't seen any sign of life that wasn't another driver in over forty miles. After a while there weren't any other smaller cars on the road either, only pick-up trucks and rigs. On the side heading back towards the main road the rigs' cargo was made predominantly of coal and tankers of natural gas, massive tree trunks and crushed gravel. Their side of the road had some of the more interesting cargo with rigs hauling vehicles larger than themselves –massive equipment bound for the mines and quarries, some with wheels the size of small cars and with names like "Skullcrusher" painted on them. They were sleeping brown and yellow behemoths, greedy monsters ready to come to life at the will of humans, to destroy everything that stood in their paths. Eren couldn't help but stare at them, in awe of their mechanical bulk and cognizant of the destruction they were capable of under their handlers' control.
Although they were heading south, they were also heading into the mountains, the temperature dropping and the car's heat losing its effectiveness. Eren shivered, his clothing still wet and the heat only able to do so much to warm them. He wasn't about to vocalize his discomfort knowing that the outcomes would be either Levi snapping at him or giving up his own coat even though he was clearly as well. For some reason, in spite of everything, he felt that the latter was more likely.
The winter sun was starting to get low in the sky and Eren watched as the sign indicating the turn-off for Dauper came and went. He had never asked Sasha exactly where her hometown was or how far it was from Trost, but as the sign came and went he had his answer; a thousand miles away and who knew how far she had to travel to get to the nearest bus station. It was at the next turn-off after Dauper that they saw signs of life along the highway rather than the claims of the signs they passed. There was a small motel set slightly back from the highway, a couple of rigs parked in the lot and a diner and gas station on the other side.
"So we're still cousins?"
"Sure."
"Do we have a cover story for why the hell we're in mining country?"
"You make something up, I don't have the energy." Levi pressed the heels of his palms to his eyes, hunching forward and taking in a deep and even breaths and letting them out in a steady rhythm.
"Let's go with a modified version of the truth? Highway was closed and we decided to try and take an alternate route?"
"And what, we misread the distance on the map by over a hundred miles?" Levi took his hands off of his face and sat back in his seat, blinking repeatedly before letting his eyes close again. "Then again, I guess we could just pretend to be clueless city people."
"Oh wait, there's a reserve park here. We're city people who want to – I don't know – see a wild bird or something. What do you thi–?"
"I think you should do the talking because I can't handle this shit right now."
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The main office of the motel was homey and smelled of fresh cut pine and kerosene from a heater over by a pair of threadbare armchairs. The woman behind the counter was older, her tawny skin reflecting the warmth of the low light in the room. When they walked in her head was bent down as she read a book placed on the counter, pushing her long dark hair behind her ear every few seconds as it slipped out and got in the way of her reading.
"Um, hello?" Eren spoke tentatively as they walked in and watched the woman's head immediately popped up. An easy smile stretched across her face.
"Well hello there. How c'n I help ya two?" Eren was immediately and strongly reminded of Sasha and the accent she worked so hard to hide. Something about the association threw Eren off slightly and he paused briefly before responding.
"We were hoping you had a room open for the night?"
"That w'do. Almos' empty now save a few rig drivers. Hope ya two weren't here for the shootin' season. Three weeks late for deer, two weeks early for turkey."
"No, we're here for the uh, the reserve park."
"Oh shoot, you didn't look it up first then." She gave them a sympathetic look. "Park's closed fifteen November t'fifteen March."
"Oh." Eren barely reacted to the news, only realizing his mistake as the woman frowned at him.
"Awful long drive out t'find out the darn thing's closed. Ya two takin' it well."
"It's been a long day."
"I hear that. Both ya two look soaked to the skin. Been dry as a bone here t'day, must've come a long way."
"Shiganshina." Eren's voice came out rough as he floundered, wishing that Levi would jump in and say something, anything.
"I see ya two got Rose plates on the car though."
"We're from Trost, visiting family in Shiganshina for the holidays and decided to make a detour." His throat felt scratchy and dry as he swallowed, willing her to talk about anything else.
"Long trip then." She pulled out a clipboard with some paperwork and a pen on it and set it on the counter in front of Eren before pulling out a ledger from under the counter. "I got a couple room open. Lookin' for one or two beds?"
"Two." It came out more forcefully than Eren had intended.
"You sure?" She was giving them a thoughtful look. "Ain't give a damn one way or other."
"We're cousins."
"Don't look nothin' alike."
"Step cousins." Eren heard Levi's voice behind him, tired but firm.
"Wish my daughter was close with her steps." It came out as a disgruntled mutter.
"It's not common but hey, here we are." Eren gave what he hoped was a nonchalant shrug.
"Hmm, well how ya two payin'?"
"Cash." Levi finally stepped forward, fishing his wallet out of his pocket.
"Be fifty for the night."
"Is it an issue if we stay longer?" Eren gave Levi a sideways glance as he asked, trying not to stare too long at the shadows under his eyes or the slump in his stance.
"Never full this time the year." She gave them a searching look, her brow furrowing a moment before relaxing and smoothing out again. "I've got a free two bed 'round back. I'm about t'put in a load of pillow cases for the wash, if ya two want I can put your things in too."
"Thank you." Levi's voice was a croak and the woman gave them both a soft smile.
"Name's Irene." She handed them a key, telling them where the room was and where they could park, never asking for their names in return.
It was nearly dark by the time they left the office, shuffling over to the car so that Levi could drive it around to the back of the motel, the car completely hidden by the rigs in the lot. The both of them grabbed their things and trudged to the door of the room, Levi locking the door and throwing the deadbolt while Eren searched blindly for the light switch.
"Well, she knows something's up with us."
"You think?" There was no edge to Levi's sarcasm. He leaned up against the wall for a moment, heaving out a deep sigh. "Let's just get out of this wet shit so she can wash it."
In almost any other circumstance Eren would have been trying to get a look at Levi to know just how muscular he was beneath his clothing, to know the lines and the curvature of his body, whether he had any scars or marks, how much body hair he had. In this circumstance however, Eren just wanted to get out of his freezing cold and soaking wet clothing. And yet there really was no avoiding look at Levi just a little bit given their proximity as he pulled his sweater up over his head and the t-shirt he wore underneath rode up as well, the wet fabric clinging together.
"Oh, you have ink?" Levi turned to stare at him like a deer in the headlights before nodding and – to Eren's shock – lifting his shirt up so that the tattoo was visible again.
Spread across the majority of the left side of his rib cage was a cross nestled into a bed of flowers. It was spartan, only inked with a black outline without any fill or much detail. Eren had seen enough tattoos to know that while it wasn't poor quality, it hadn't been expensive. A piece large enough to cover most of his rib cage would have cost a bit more due to its size and he assumed that the lack of detail in the design was the trade-off. He couldn't help but think how much it would have hurt to sit for long enough to get something like that done. There wasn't much between skin and bone and a tattoo that size wouldn't have been a short appointment either.
"I didn't realize you're religious." Eren watched as Levi's brow furrowed in confusion as he let his shirt fall back down again to cover the tattoo. "The cross. I didn't realize you were Christian."
"I'm not."
"Oh." There was an awkward paused that stretched out between the two of them, Levi's face fluctuating between conflicting emotions that Eren couldn't figure out before finally settling on some sort of detached melancholy, his voice was soft and barely audible as he spoke.
"Back when I was in the Underground… I had friends, they were more like family really." He paused for a moment, his fingers touching at the cloth covering the tattoo. "Isabel Magnolia and Farlan Church. He would've thought the cross was funny and Isabel… I don't think she ever saw a magnolia."
Eren floundered around, his mouth opening and closing several times before he was finally able to get out a quiet "I'm sorry" that felt woefully inadequate.
"It was a long time ago." There was a pause and when Levi spoke again, his voice was louder and surer. "You take the first shower. If you give me your things I'll hand them off to Irene if you're still in the bathroom."
Eren grabbed his bag and brought it with him into the bathroom, shucking off his remaining wet clothing and wrapping a towel around his waist before cracking the door open and handing the damp bundle of clothes over to Levi. The heat of the shower was welcome and he could feel the tension flowing off his skin, emotional exhaustion turning physical and settling into his bones.
Had. Were. Eren wrapped his mind around Levi's tattoo and clearly long dead friends and words came echoing back to him:
"Friends die."
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Levi winced at the squeak of the tap as Eren turned the shower on, cursing the fact that he'd dropped his earplugs somewhere between the warehouse and the car and that he hadn't thought to ask Hanji for an extra pair to bring with him. Sighing heavily, he sat down on one of the beds and opened his backpack, checking that the hard drive was safe and noting with relief that it was solid state rather than mechanical. In the process of taking the hard drive out the envelope he had also taken from the inside of the computer fell out.
The envelope was still sealed in the plastic bag, its appearance was completely non-descript and innocuous barring the person to whom it was addressed. Levi hesitated a moment as he opened the plastic bag, frowning and turning the unsealed envelope over again and again in his hands. When his hands finally stilled, there was a look of grim resolve on his face.
He opened the letter and began to read.