CHAPTER 9: THE ISLAND
Historia Riess
Historia watched Levi dry heave for the tenth time, a growing pit forming in her stomach. She glanced back at the mouth of the alley again. The crowd had begun to disperse leaving few straggling groups behind. She was sure that the group of Military Police was still out there...along with Officer Randor.
Half of her wanted desperately to run out there and beg one of the officers for help. The operation aside, Levi was obviously sick and needed medical attention.
But the other half of her was still stunned. Frozen in place by what she'd just heard.
"They're wearing the same ring."
Of course, leave it to Captain Levi to drop a bombshell of a revelation like that and then collapse into a sick mess. He hadn't been able to keep his feet under him so she'd hurriedly dragged him back into the shadows of the alley.
"Captain?" She asked. He looked near dead with exhaustion, holding himself up on his hands and knees, shaking. "Hey, hey, come on, I need you to tell me what's going on. You can't be serious about Randor, right? Are you sure you saw a ring?"
"The ring." Levi murmured. His teeth grit in pain, pressing a weak arm against his stomach.
A few barked shouts sounded from the courtyard.
"Captain, please!" She shrieked. "We don't have time—I don't know what's going on!"
"No time." He agreed. "Burns is a Lovof...he'll kill us. He has the ring, the family ring. It has their crest on it. I saw it. I missed it."
"You're not making sense! Who are the Lovofs? We need to worry about Randor! Come on!"
"...Lovofs. They all got arrested...I thought they did." He was mumbling incoherently now. "He must be from the daughter...Randor had the ring too...how did I not see the ring..."
"Captain—" She tried to interrupt him.
"He's working for Burns, and now we're trapped—" Levi abruptly sucked in a huge gasp, looking her dead in the eyes.
Historia froze. Gone was the pained expression, now replaced by a drowning expanse of fear in her former superior's eyes.
"We. Have. To. Get out of here!" He grit out before his arms gave out and he collapsed in a heap.
Patrik's bar blowing up around them had been bad enough. Being chased by a hooded assassin had been considerably worse. But watching Levi in such a weak and fragile state, succumb to sickness and mental anguish? That frightened her most of all.
Her heart trembled. Her hands shook. She needed him now more than ever, but the overbearing constant protectiveness he'd displayed early on were completely gone. Not even a stray curse word tumbled from his gasping lips.
Her nerves were so on edge that she almost missed the shouting from the courtyard.
"...search everywhere! Patrols take to the streets immediately, report back any findings…"
Oh god.
She was out of time.
"Okay, up we go." She slung an arm under Levi, not so gracefully lifting him to his feet. He stumbled, groaning under his breath.
Somehow she pulled the both of them towards the mouth of the alley. The weight of Levi leaning on her slowed their progress, but her fear kept her moving. His head lolled as she pulled his hood over his face.
Peering out into the now almost empty marketplace, Historia paused. Light flickering of candles illuminated the area, hiding much in the shadows. On the far side from them, the clump of Military Police stood conferring. Their bright tan jackets stood out in bright contrast against the nondescript clothing of literally everyone else. They were easy to spot, which was pretty much the only bright side she could think of at the moment.
A few of the last stragglers limped near, and just before they passed the alley she moved out in front of them. Hopefully they would blend into the sorry group. Just a couple of poor underground husks to ignore.
One of the military police officers turned to look at them. His eyes scanned through the group, seeming to see right through her.
Her heart thundered. She gulped.
The officer turned back to his group.
They continued to limp forward, leaving the courtyard behind. The other people split paths from them, leaving the two of them exposed on a strangely empty street.
"...I know...somewhere we can go. It's the safest...place." Levi's whispered voice made her jump.
"What?" She croaked.
"We can't go to the safe houses." He wheezed. "They'll know."
The realization almost broke her. They had told Burns everything. He knew every detail about the operation, and that meant Randor likely did too. And if he really was the one chasing them…
No. She couldn't let herself dwell on that now. They could figure a way out of this when they were safe.
"We need...hide. They can't find us…" Levi said.
"Can you show me the way?" Historia asked. "You said you know somewhere?"
He paused.
"Yes."
She glanced at Levi as he spoke. He looked pretty bad. Under his hood, his dark hair was plastered across his forehead. His chest heaved with every breath, his arm still wrapped around it. Most worrisome of all, she was holding up a concerning amount of his weight with his arm slung over his shoulder. It was getting heavier by the second.
He had been in mental anguish since setting foot here, but only now did Historia finally see the full extent of the toll it was taking on him.
And she wanted to scream.
After all, it had been her insistence that swayed Levi into coming. Her decisions started this chain reaction for him.
Her failures seemed to pile up like books, each one detailing the many reasons she was unfit to lead. Unfit to be a queen. Unfit to rule. And unfit to help.
Is this what you meant when you said live a life to be proud of Ymir? To go wallow in the muddy underground and die, dragging everyone down with me?
She could almost see her friend strolling along next to them, rolling her eyes and stuffing her hands in her pockets.
"Of course not you idiot." She would have said.
Silent tears slipped down Historia's face.
"I'm sorry…" She whispered, not sure who it was directed at.
The road before them twisted and cut around several tightly packed structures. They towered over them, connected by overarching bridges and second story balconies. It would have looked nice, the architecture lux, but years of decay with no upkeep left it all holding together like a child's craft.
People darted out of sight like rodents. Groups of them stared out of windows and alleys at every passerby. Surely the word was spreading like a disease across the thousands of ears underground. The Military Police were on the streets and the streets were none too happy about it.
Historia sucked in her chest.
"...we need to go down...they won't follow us down there." Levi's head bobbed. His eyelashes fluttered, but he managed to gesture his arm up.
She frowned, but followed the directions. Around the corner, the streets took a darker turn. Literally. The road dramatically sloped down into a realm of shadows. Less candles illuminated shops and taverns. More people clumped in the middle of the street. Vague glints of metal indicated knives being held in every other hand.
Darkness clung with a jealous hand, and it wasn't letting go.
Despite his weakened state, Historia was suddenly very grateful to have Levi so close.
"Captain, where are we going?" She asked, afraid for the answer.
She could barely make out the breathed answer.
"The Island."
Historia wasn't sure how long they'd been walking when she realized she could no longer see the cavern roof.
They had trudged down the sloped street as it caved into tunnels and back out to desolate streets. The air was stale, stagnant. The whole place stunk like the rotting corpse of a titan, only it invaded every inch of her making it hard to think. It was as if they were marching right into the heart of one of the monsters.
Here the buildings grew up and around them like a forest of trees. They were packed tightly and grew out at odd angles. Some were hardly more than hovels carved into the sides of cliffs.
And high above it all were the faint lights of the upper districts, loftily placed to look down on the lowest of the scum of the earth.
Even in the poorest areas there was still discrimination and hate.
It broke her heart in a way she couldn't explain.
Levi had stayed quiet most of the way. Occasionally, he would groan or mutter something his breath, looking up only to give her vague directions.
"Go towards the tall building."
"Through there, past the fences."
"Around there."
She tried asking him for more specifics, but he kept losing focus so she'd given up. Her feet ached against the dirt and gravel. None of the roads underground were paved, but here it was even less so. The well worn foot paths reminded her of the brutal hiking trails Shadis forced them to endure in their training days.
The only light came from candles lit along the way. Every three or four buildings apart the tiny fires flickered from inside onto the path like stars on a cloudy night. Each time she glanced inside one of the structures she saw silhouettes huddled in clumps. They barely moved. Even in the deepness, she could see the thin frames and tattered clothes.
The estate she'd grown up on flashed through her mind. She'd never gone hungry or been without clothes. Though she'd been ignored all her life, the absolute luxury she lived in was something the people forced to live here would have murdered her for.
That's why we're here. She tried to tell herself, but the words clattered around her mind as if it were hollow.
They kept going, one step at a time. Historia's eyes stung with tears. Her legs shook. To her surprise, she found herself missing Nile. He regularly bothered her with his dismissive attitude and overbearing protectiveness, but despite all that, he had always listened to her. Even when they disagreed he made sure to let her be heard.
What she wouldn't give for one of his reassuring nods right now. Hell, she didn't even know if Nile was still alive.
What if Burns killed him like he tried to have us killed? Nile was supposed to meet with him today.
The thought made her shoulders sag.
"...up there…" Levi weezed. "The blue door."
He fumbled his arm in the air, catching onto Historia's free hand. She was alarmed at how feverish his skin felt.
"I don't see a blue door." She whispered back, scanning the street. It was packed tight with crumbling wooden structures. Rotted planks and old nails poked out of the ground at odd angles. A rusty tin cup and spoon lay dented in front of what looked like an old tenement. Her boots crunched against broken glass.
"...there." He mumbled, finally raising his arm to point at the tenement.
Historia gulped as they stopped.
At three stories tall, the building should have been imposing, but the roof caved in over half the third floor leaving it lopsided like a chair missing a leg. Old shingles hung from its walls, attempts to cake them on with mud and clay evident behind them. The entryway gaped open like a mouth with a single blue tinged door hanging off one side.
"What is this place?" She said, horrified.
Before Levi could answer, a looming black figure appeared in the doorway.
"Strangers aren't welcome in these parts." A gruff voice boomed from it. Historia could faintly make out the lines of the man's eyebrows, furrowed at them.
"S—s, sorry!" She yelped, jumping back. "We're leaving."
The man scoffed. "Leaving so you can come later?"
His burly frame began advancing towards them. Historia's heart shook.
Run!
"I'll save you the trip."
She desperately tried to pull Levi with her as then man gained on them.
But Levi broke away from her with an abrupt jerk.
"Captain!" She gasped, stumbling.
Levi stood with his back to her. The man roared, rearing back his fist. Impossibly, Levi caught it and twisted it around. A jagged crack sounded a moment later.
The man howled.
Levi threw him to the ground, digging his knee into the man's neck.
"Are there any more in there?" He hissed in a tone so filled with venom Historia didn't recognize it.
"No!" The man choked out. "It's just me! Please—don't kill me!"
Levi glared down at the man for another second before releasing him.
"Get out of here." He spat. "Come back and I'll kill you before you walk in the door."
The man whimpered, clutching at his broken wrist. Levi kicked him savagely in the gut and the man scampered away.
Levi turned his eyes to Historia, and her heart skipped a beat.
Pure animalistic fury twisted the captain's face. He glared at her, and she took a step back.
"...Captain?" A tear fell from her face.
All at once, the wave of anger melted from his face and he sagged. She barely caught him in time before he crumpled to the earth.
"Home…" He rasped. "We're home."
AN:
Things aren't looking good for our friends right now...
Thank you everyone for reading, and especially thank you to everyone who leaves comments and your thoughts about this story! It means the world to me :) :) :)
~Gamma