Author's Note: I have nothing to say other than I should really keep the updating on par with ao3. I'm trash.

A dark brow lifts in amusement at my reaction. He stops a few feet away and I have to fight to keep myself in place, refusing to show the same kind of weakness as before, "Me? What about me?"

I ignore his question. "How do you know where I live?"

The smooth chuckle that leaves him has my gut clenching. "Its not hard to follow a scent like yours." His silvery gaze eyes my cautionary stance and there's a barely discernible twitch to his lips. "Are you afraid?"

I tense. For whatever reason, because of his sudden appearance, I was able to live another day. That didn't mean it was a legitimate reason to trust him. The feeling I got from him was beyond dangerous, and with good reason. If what I remember from that night is true, then he was most definitely someone I wouldn't be able to take on.

"You wish." Still didn't stop me from baring my teeth at him.

The air is strained as we stare each other down. A bead of sweat rolls down my temple and he shifts. I fight for my body to stay still, my muscles screaming. All he did was cross his arms and my reaction has me forcing down an embarrassed flush.

The slight movement brought him more into the light of the street lamps. His face is unreadable but I notice a slight twitch to his lips, a small glimmer of amusement in his eyes. He clicks his tongue.

"Look kid, I could care less about you. All I'm after is the people who've suddenly shown an interest in you." He leans in closer to me and I take a step back. "Why is that?"

I scrunch my nose at his so called nickname. So he does know something about them. Curiosity burns over caution and I blurt out, "Who are they?"

There is a flicker of something in his eyes. Relief? That can't be right.

"You don't know."

I can't help the growl that escapes me this time. "Of course I fucking don't, its why I'm asking."

I'm quickly losing the last of my patience over this and I'm not entirely sure what I'll do when it hits rock bottom. I run a hand through my hair in frustration when he doesn't say a word, if anything, it looks like he's debating on which direction to take his leave.

Before he can move one inch in whatever direction he choose, I reach up, calling out to him. "Wait." The look he gives me has my hand freezing in midair. I swallow. "Tell me."

His brow furrows slightly in an annoyed scowl. "I have no obligation to tell you." He turns on his heel, back to whatever direction he came from. "Good luck, kid."

I have a terrible habit of putting action before thought. I've gotten myself into loads of trouble and its obvious that I still haven't been beaten enough with that particular lesson because I grab at his shoulder.

There's a feeling of weightlessness and then pain as my back meets the floor, successfully knocking the wind out of me. Then there's a shoe digging into my chest and I grasp it instinctively, trying to pry it off and let me fucking breathe.

"Don't you know how to take a hint, brat?"

I wheeze as he applies pressure and I look up to meet his glare. My throat goes dry and his eyes widen ever so imperceptibly. My head aches and my mind is pulled into that tunnel. I gasp.

The cell is cold and dark. The stone floor scraping at boney knees. There is a single torch outside the prison bars, but he'd rather be in the dark than look at the way he lives. The only thing keeping him sane is the voice that speaks to him while he is alone. He doesn't remember when it first started but he clung to it desperately.

'Who are you? How are you able to speak to me?' It was something he asked a lot, but the answer was never a complete one.

'You are...in my head? Are you me?' Always a negative.

'You're outside? I don't remember what that looks like.'

'Will you show me? Are you going to save me?'

'Please, help me. I don't want to be alone anymore.'

'They're coming for me. I'm scared.'

'Hel-'

"Get out!"

Pain explodes behind my eyelids as my mind is forced back into itself. My head is reeling, my vision swimming as I try to focus on the cold fury emanating off the man above me.

"You shouldn't be able to do something like that." His voice is deadly now. "How are you doing it?"

I want to throw up at the amount of force behind the command. Never have I felt this kind of pull. I grit my teeth, but the answer spills from me anyway. "I-I don't know! You're the first person that this has happened with."

The foot on my chest is becoming painful now. "I don't believe you."

Tears are springing to my eyes, the fire in my head making me weak. I flail uselessly beneath him. Suddenly, the cool night air is reentering my lungs and I'm gulping it down desperately, coughing in the process.

"Doesn't matter." His voice sounds a little farther. "They'll be coming after you in earnest now and I suggest you either arm up or hide." His footsteps slowly move away.

From my place on the sidewalk, I croak out a, "I'm looking for someone. They have her...and I need to go after her." My voice is soft but I know he hears me. He stops but doesn't look back.

"That's not my problem." With those as his parting words, his presence vanishes.

I slam down a fist in frustration. I curse and just lay on the concrete outside of my apartment building, letting the coolness seep into my back. Another chance at finding out not just about what's going on, but anything about Mikasa, had slipped through my fingers. I'm weak.

I don't know how long I lay there, or when I made it back inside my apartment, but it's a few hours later when I finally register that I'm laying on our couch. The sun is just starting to color the sky. My phone buzzes in my pocket.

I reach behind me and pull it out, swiping at the screen. I find a message from Smith saying to take it easy until there's more news on Mikasa . I groan. That could take any number of days, weeks, even. This month was just getting better and better.

I sink myself further into the couch, close my eyes, and sigh. Instead of letting myself grow frustrated over everything, I decide to try and think things through.

I know that there are some dangerous people after me, but I have yet to figure out why. Did Mikasa's mission have something to do when them? Is the fact that she's missing have something to do with me?

I think back on the attack and the odd things that were said. Why did I get the feeling that...that thing had been implying something? Why did that asshole rescue me and then leave me hanging? Out of all things on my list, that was what was bothering me the most.

I'm tossing around on the sofa when a thought comes to me. I wasn't completely without resources. I reach for my discarded phone and look for a number. Deciding that its still too early, I decided to send a text. I decide to nap while I wait for a reply.

The sun is at its peak by the time I open bleary eyes, my attention immediately flying to the flashing red light on my cell. I sit up, swipe it, and read the message.

Why is it that whenever you need help, you message me?

I grin and type back a response.

Who better than you?

I know he's rolling his eyes.

What do you need?

Information.

It's a few minutes before my phone buzzes.

Go to the usual spot once the sun goes down. We'll talk once you get to my place.

I send a message of confirmation and let the phone go dark. I feel a swell of hope in me. If there was anyone that could help me, it was him. He was always a little difficult to track down since he was involved in quite a bit of things. He was a special case though, so I understood his need to keep his whereabouts hidden. I have never understood how he kept his phone from being tracked though. I don't think on it too much.

With a new sense of purpose, determination coursing through me, I stand up and begin to make preparations.

xxxxxxxxxx

The sky has already gone dark by the time I'm closing the door to my apartment with a backpack slung over my shoulder, taking the stairs down to the first floor. Without a car, it takes me a good forty-five minutes to reach the designated street lamp.

Everything was relatively quiet, which was usual for this part of town. There were less eyes that could pry and it was the exact reason I was told to come here. I'm not waiting there long before two entities make themselves known.

"Lookie what we have hear, Sasha."

"Well if it isn't little wolf boy!"

I eye the ghosts hovering just above my head. Normally, people can't really see ghosts, but if they bind themselves to a clairvoyant, then those ghosts are able to take energy from their host. That energy could be used to talk to the living, move or even grasp objects, and if the host is powerful enough, they could enter the bodies of others.

"Connie, Sasha." I nod at them. "I'm surprised he sent you, you guys can never keep your hands to yourselves."

Their laughter rings around me as they whirl about.

"Its way too tempting not to!" Connie is clutching his stomach as if it actually hurts. I guess old habits die hard. "The look on people's faces when a baked potato suddenly starts floating is priceless!"

At this point Sasha is giggling along with him, floating higher and higher into the air. "Remember that time when you went and exploded that one guy's soda? He thought his friend shook it and he punched him!"

I stand there and watch them crow at their own pranks, waiting for them to calm on their own. I was used to these two, you could even say I enjoyed being around them. I'd never bothered asking about their story because they honestly didn't seem care. They had more life in them than some people I knew.

I notice that they're babbling now so I decide to step in. "Uh, guys, you think you can point me in the right direction now?"

Slowly, their laughter dies down, Connie wiping at fake tears and Sasha still sniggering lightly.

"A-man asked us to lead the way." Both ghosts turn and link their arms in unison, skipping in midair as Sasha calls behind her, waving a hand at me. "Follow us!"

I sigh and shuffle in the direction they're now dancing in. I don't bother memorizing where they're taking me, never have since it was somewhere different more often that not. There are a few stragglers on the sidewalk, but they all look preoccupied with their own thoughts.

I notice that we've entered an alley, there are a few turns, and then I come to a stop at metal door as Connie and Sasha pass right on through. The door opens and I step inside.

Looking around I see a large amount of computers and papers laying around. There's a few books here and there that I know I can't even read the title to.

"Hello?" I call out and my voice echoes around the large living area.

I hear a muffled, "Here!" from around a corner. I step over piles of paper, careful not to knock anything over. There's trinkets here and there and I can't help but wonder what they're for. I feel a hand land on my shoulder from behind me and I crane my neck to look at the blond man standing there.

"Hey, Armin, long time no see."

He gives me a dry look. "I wonder why."

He rolls his eyes and makes his way back to the computer he was working on when I only chuckle nervously at him. I drop my bag at the edge of his desk.

He's already clacking away rapidly on his keyboard when he addresses me, long blond hair pulled back, blue eyes glued to the screen. "So, what did you need?"

Armin was a rare kind of human, one powerful people would love to get their hands on. His ability to communicate and bond with the souls of the dead was extraordinary. At times, he could touch things and look into its past. In the rarest of moments, he could even glimpse into the future.

I shuffle for a second before answering. "Last week I got a call from Mikasa. She's in danger."

Armin hums low in his throat. "That's not all is it?"

I shake my head and sigh. "That same night, I was attacked...by a strigoi."

Armin's hands still at that as he turns in his chair and regards me with a serious expression. "Let me see."

I step toward him and stretch out my hand far enough for him to grasp. He goes still and closes his eyes. A heartbeat later, those eyes are snapping wide open, staring at me in shock. He can't see everything as it happened exactly, but I know he saw enough by what he says.

"How did you catch their attention?" He questions at a half whisper.

I can feel my own breath catch in my throat. "Who are they?"

Armin is biting his lip and furrowing his brow. "I'm not sure if they go by any name. What I do know is that they are a very dangerous group. Dipping their fingers in various black market activity." He's looking up at me now. "What's worse is the way they've suddenly begun hunting people down. Brutally murdering those that get in the way."

He's starting to pace now, biting at his thumb. I can almost see the gears in his head working. "Judging from your memories, they're looking for specific people. There's word going around that they've been conducting experiments on humans and non-humans alike. For what, I don't know."

I know he's rambling now and the more that comes out his mouth, the paler I get. Armin has a way of getting information that even Sina has a hard time getting their hands on. Ghosts make perfect spies, being able to get into anywhere at will. I know he isn't lying. Fear grips me.

He comes to a sudden stop, blue eyes wide in horror. "Eren." His head whips in my direction at impressive speed. "Were you followed?"

My face twists in confusion. "What? No. Why would I be followed?"

There's a loud curse from Armin and then the lights go out.

There's a loud banging from the door, whoever is was on the other side using an impressive amount of force to knock it down.

I grab at Armin and bring him closer to me. "Is there an exit?"

I can see him nod in the darkness. "Yeah, in a cellar but I don't think we'll have time to make it there."

"Shit."

From around our corner I see the door fly off its hinges. The smell of rotting flesh immediately hits my nose, stronger than the last time I'd encountered it. Among the five that just entered, two of them are what I was hoping never to encounter again.

The voice across the room has my skin crawling and by body tensing.

"Hello, Eren. Are you ready to come with us now?"

Author's Note: The next chapter is one of my favorites tbh.