Hey guys, thank you for whoever is following this story so far! It's nice to know that someone is enjoying it.
Here is the next update, hope that you enjoy.
Also, Japan was AMAZING. Would highly recommend going there if you can, the food was incredible. It was a good thing we did so much walking otherwise I was going to have to be rolled onto the flight home.
As always, please review if you can - thank you! :)
Chapter 4 – Levi
It had been two days.
Two days since their world had gone to absolute dogshit. Two days since they had all been holed up in close quarters on the second floor of the Medical Centre. Two days since he saw Eren cave in Hannes' head with an IV drip stand and break down.
Two days since the infected had risen and brought the world to its knees.
Levi, for one, was bored as shit. There was only so much that you can do in close quarters. In fact, it was a miracle that the group hadn't devolved into arguments. Their phones were still working but they only had one charger that they had liberated from behind the reception desk. Social Media was full of various videos and pictures of the horrors that the infected wrought, nothing particularly useful nor interesting apart from the fact that the only thing to bring one down was to destroy the brain in some way.
Over the last two days, the media and Government had continued to broadcast sporadically with updates, and the group had learned a lot from it.
They had been told that once the virus had taken hold, the hosts are technically dead. The only thing that keeps the person moving is the virus itself which caused an innate desire to spread the disease via saliva or blood inhalation. Fucking disgusting disease, in Levi's expert opinion. If you were bitten, you were dead. If you ingested enough diseased blood, you were dead. If they caught up to you and ripped you apart, you were dead. If you were lucky. Once that bomb had been dropped, Levi had scrubbed the parts of the waiting room that had been splattered with Hannes' blood within an inch of its life.
Levi had called and called Kenny, but the line rang off every time. He had a feeling that his uncle wasn't dead yet but he didn't know why the old bastard wasn't answering his fucking phone. Not that Kenny was particularly attached to the old piece of shit brick. Levi remembered Kenny ranting about the thing multiple times.
"I fucking hate this shit. Just because I have a mobile, doesn't mean that I'm available all the time. Who gives a fuck if I don't reply to a text for four days. Who fucking cares, I'm not free just because I have this fucking ballache of a device." The old man had raged before launching it across the room, the protective case thankfully prevented the phone from breaking.
Levi cracked a slight smile at the memory. He was currently picking his way across the waiting room that was blanketed in darkness, his goal was to slip out onto the fire escape for a cigarette. He checked his phone, 11:45pm. Everyone else was asleep.
They had moved Hannes' body back into the medical bay and draped a blanket over him to give the illusion of peace. Nobody had said anything, but there was an unwritten agreement that the room was off-limits since they weren't certain what the teacher had contaminated by turning in there.
Thankfully, there was another, smaller medical bay opposite that one next to a musty nurses' office. Now the whole group was camping in there, except for Eren who had locked himself in the nurse's office after they cleaned up the waiting room of Hannes' blood. Mikasa and Armin had tried to no avail to coax the young student out. Levi knew that the boy had only crept outside the room to wash, piss, and shit during the wee hours of the morning. Thanks to Levi's insomnia, he had heard Eren creep past the medical bay to the small bathroom down the corridor at around 03:00 every night. Eren wasn't exactly quiet as he stumbled about in the dark, cursing as he stubbed a toe or something.
Levi, for one, was mostly concerned about the body. Sure, it was cold now – well it was more apt to say it was fucking Baltic - so that would slow the rot. However, in the next couple of days it would certainly start to smell. Levi was practical but he wasn't heartless, he'd wait if he could to bring it up to everyone until Eren could make the decision about what to do with the body. He knew for a fact that only himself and Erwin had been thinking about the potential of a rotting corpse across the corridor from where they slept.
And, Levi was certain, that nobody else knew the horror of the sight and smell of a decomposing human body. He'd rather spare them that, at least.
Levi frowned as he noticed the waiting room window was cracked open, he was one hundred percent sure that he had closed it before everyone retired to sleep. He approached it slowly and peered outside before he promptly rolled his eyes. The night was clear, and the moon made it all too easy to spot who was teetering precariously on the fire escape, a bright orange plastic bowl on the grate between her feet. Hanji was balancing slightly on one foot, keeping pressure off of her sprained ankle although Crista had said that it should be okay after she rested it for a day or so.
"What are you up to now, Shitty Glasses? I thought you were asleep." Levi said as he slipped out the window and lit up a cigarette.
"Experiment." She stage whispered. Her head swung around to Levi, her eyes shining behind her frames. "Come look at this, it's insane."
"I think the only thing that's insane here, is you." Levi quietly laughed, following her lead to be quiet, as she grinned manically at him.
Levi walked forward, cigarette still in hand, as he leaned his elbows on the railing next to Hanji.
"Watch this," She whispered again.
Hanji bent to retrieve something from the bowl between her feet. Levi noticed it was a wad of kitchen roll sopping with washing up liquid and water. She leaned over the railing and dropped the wad. Levi watched with interest as it dropped like a stone, right onto the head of one of the infected that was shuffling about two stories below them. The infected student didn't react to the tissue that was now stuck in his hair. Levi let out a noise of disgust but he couldn't deny that he was intrigued. Primarily, he was thinking about how that thing would dry and cake in the hair. Disgusting.
"See how he didn't react at all? My theory was right, they can't feel anything. They have limited or no eyesight, since they haven't looked up at us once as long as we're quiet. I'm unsure about taste or smell, but I can say with confidence they can't feel heat. Look at that one!" Hanji said, pointing at a girl walking around in pyjama shorts. "It's freezing cold and she doesn't react."
"Interesting," Levi said, taking a drag of his cigarette.
Hanji turned to look at him, her eyes shining. "Oh, you haven't seen anything yet. Check this out."
Hanji reached down and retrieved a black object. Levi instantly noticed that it was a small, black stapler. Presumably stolen from the reception desk behind them. The plastic glinted in the moonlight as Hanji pulled her arm back, her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth in concentration. Hanji then pulled her arm forward and threw the stapler. Levi took another drag of his cigarette as he watched the stapler arc through the air, only to collide with the top of a rubbish bin before it skittered off into the grass. The sound of plastic colliding with metal echoed throughout the campus, so loud that Levi's eye twitched.
The result was instantaneous. The infected heads all popped up simultaneously before they began to scrabble over each other towards the bin. They moaned, almost in frustration as dozens of bloodied hands scraped uselessly over metal. Levi found the whole display surreal.
"How mental is that!" Hanji whispered.
"That's the creepiest shit I've ever seen." Levi mumbled as he flicked the butt of his cigarette off the side of the building. The glowing ember snuffed out before it hit the ground. "Although it's good to know how they hunt, we can sneak around them."
Hanji's bright smile collapsed into a frown. "Wait, the broadcasts all said that they'd fix this soon. Someone will come for us, right? The military? The police?"
Levi looked at his friend incredulously from the corner of his eye. "Are you kidding me? Why the fuck would they come for some nobodies like us?"
"Um, because it's their job?" Hanji shot back.
"If they could fix it easily, they would've done it already." Levi said. "Do you honestly think that barricade will last forever? The only food we have is from the waiting room vending machine and whatever snacks the nurses squirrelled away behind reception. We can't live off cheap biscuits and cup-of-soups. We'll eventually have to get out of this building. And that is if the government can fix it at all, what if these freaks," Levi gestured to the infected milling about below them. "Are here to stay? What if this is our life now?"
Hanji's shoulders sagged as she bent down to retrieve the orange bowl at her feet. She looked at Levi, her face etched with pain. "I know you're right; I know. Erwin has pretty much said the same to me. But . . . I was just trying to be ignorant for a little while longer. I miss our life before Levi. I miss experimenting in the lab and watching stupid movies with you and Erwin. I miss everything. I'm not stupid, I was trying to have a little faith."
Hanji didn't say anything else before she quietly ducked back into the waiting room through the window, leaving Levi alone on the fire escape.
"Tsk," Levi ground out before he leaned over the railing, resting his elbows on the cold metal. "You're a fucking tool, Ackerman."
The guilt pooled in his stomach and spread to his chest. Hanji was not stupid; she was probably fully aware of their situation well before Levi and Erwin had said anything out loud. She was trying to keep herself positive and Levi ran his big mouth and tore that illusion to pieces, and for what purpose? To drag her down into misery with him? Levi didn't know, but he did know that he had to apologise to her in the morning. He owed her that much, at least. Levi's right hand crept up to his left pectoral, fingering the tattoo of two wings that he knew was emblazoned above his heart beneath his jumper. One white for hope, one blue for strength, in honour of his lost friends. He had killed Hanji's hope today. Levi sighed and dug his mobile out of his pocket again, punching Kenny's number impatiently.
"You've reached Kenny's phone, don't bother leaving a message. If I cared enough, I would've answered you on the first try. Go bother some other sap."
Levi growled with annoyance as he waited for the beep. "Listen you old fucker. If you value your continued existence on this planet, you'd better give me some sign that you're alive. Otherwise, I'm gunna come look for your wrinkly ass in London and kill you myself. I know you ain't dead yet, not even Satan could drag you to hell without you nuking the place." Levi took a deep breath. "Just, call me back – okay?"
Levi disconnected and sighed again, placing his phone back in his pocket. He then reached into his other pocket and put another cigarette between his lips. "Fucking old ass twat." He mumbled around the cigarette as he flicked his purple lighter to ignite it.
"Well, I hope you're not talking about me."
Levi almost jumped out of his skin at the American accent that suddenly sounded behind him. He swivelled on his heel, his gun-metal grey eyes blazing before he registered who it was. Eren's upper half was leaning out of the window, elbows resting on the windowsill as his tanned hands hung loose, relaxed. His vivid, green eyes were twinkling although he wasn't smiling. Levi didn't miss the dark bags that sagged beneath them, or the fact that his eyes were still bloodshot from tears. The young student was pale, his face lined with stress. Nevertheless, Levi thought that he looked good, despite the circumstances. They stared at each other for one moment, unmoving, before Levi broke it by taking a drag of his cigarette. The smoke curled up and dissipated harmlessly around his head as he exhaled.
"What are you doing out here?" Levi asked sharply, he was a little embarrassed he hadn't heard Eren walk into the waiting room, his hearing was usually impeccable.
"I heard a voice, got curious." Eren said simply, not batting an eye at Levi's harsh tone. "Mind if I join you?" Eren then asked, gesturing to the fire escape with one hand.
"Would you go away if I said no?" Levi asked
"Probably not." Eren said, the right side of his mouth quirked up in a wry smile.
"Do what you want." Levi grunted before he turned around, leaning onto the railing once more.
Eren wordlessly took up the space that Hanji previously occupied, mirroring Levi by leaning on the railing as well. Levi regarded him out of the corner of his eye as Eren gazed down at the infected that milled below them.
"Who were you talking to?" Eren asked, his voice low and quiet.
"My idiot uncle," Levi grunted. "He's not answering the phone."
Eren nodded, his eyes still riveted to the infected below. "My mom isn't answering either, I'm worried."
They fell into silence once more. Levi shifted from foot-to-foot as it slowly became uncomfortable and oppressive. He cleared his throat, successfully pulling Eren's attention from their audience below to himself.
"How're you holding up?" Levi asked.
"Could be better." Eren muttered, he raised one hand to cup his face with his elbow resting on the railing. "Hannes treated me a lot better than my own father did."
Levi flicked some ash over the railing. "What, he was abusive or some shit?"
"Nothing like that," Eren said before he sighed. "Absent. I didn't speak to him much after he left America when I was a kid or when I was in Thailand for a year with Mikasa. I thought it was because of the time differences, that he was busy and I kept missing him. But I've been in the UK for two years and he hasn't answered any of my texts or calls." Eren shrugged. "I don't know what I was expecting."
Levi softened slightly at his words. "Dads' aren't always what they're cracked up to be."
"You had a shitty one too?" Eren asked.
"Nah, mine dipped before I was even born. I don't even know who he was." Laughed slightly, blowing smoke out of his nose. "I was raised by my batshit uncle in London. But, that's a story for another time."
"I have a question for you."
"Fire away, brat." Levi said.
Eren scowled "Why do you call me a brat? I'm not a little kid."
"Stop doing bratty things, and I'll stop calling you a brat." Levi deadpanned. "Is that your question?" Levi asked him, slightly amused.
"What? No! Obviously not." Eren protested. "What the hell have I done that's bratty?"
Levi raised an eyebrow as he turned to look at Eren fully. "You locked yourself in a room for two days while your two friends were also grieving. You really worried them; they didn't know whether you were hurting yourself in there. You only left the room to use the bathroom. You don't think that's bratty?"
Eren visibly faltered. "Well . . . selfish and thoughtless most definitely but I don't know about bratty." Eren frowned. "I owe them an apology, I guess. Wait, hang on a second." Eren poked Levi's chest slightly. "How did you know I left to use the bathroom; I did that when everyone was asleep."
"I don't sleep much." Levi said simply as he flicked his second cigarette butt into the ether of the night. "I heard you, you're not exactly quiet."
Eren blushed and Levi had to force himself to look away, it was criminal how lovely Eren looked with a light blush dusting his cheeks. Levi shoved his hands into his pockets, suddenly wishing that he didn't have to ration his cigarettes so he could distract himself from the attractive young man at his side. Sure, he had an extra two packs in his backpack and he found one in the reception desk as well, but who knew how long they'd be stuck here.
Fuck it he thought as he lit up another one. He'd cross that bridge when he came to it.
"What was your actual question, brat?" Levi asked, blowing smoke out of his nose.
"Why did you help me with Hannes?" Eren asked, his voice soft and curious. "You didn't know him, and you didn't know me. So, why? You could've gotten hurt, you could've died."
Levi pondered the question for a moment before he looked up at Eren's earnest face. "I admired your conviction." Levi said simply. "You made your decision and you were willing to follow it through, even if your friends were disagreeing with you." Levi shrugged. "I like that. You should always make the decision that you would regret the least, I felt that I would regret helping you the least."
Eren looked a little teary at his words, he bit his lip and looked away. "Well, thank you."
"You're welcome, brat." Levi paused for a second. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry . . . about Hannes."
"Thanks, that means a lot." Eren sighed. "After some reflection, I'm glad it was me that stopped him from hurting Armin. I'm not sure I could've looked at anyone else the same if they did it."
Levi hummed in agreement. "Yeah, I know what you mean."
"So," Eren started again. "I was listening to the broadcasts on this old radio while I was in the nurse's office." Eren turned to look at him once more. "We're screwed, aren't we?"
Levi was shocked, he was expecting the little shit to have unending positivity. "Well, in my opinion – yeah." Levi exhaled more smoke. "The government doesn't really care about the working class. They're probably working on evacuating the higher-ups, the rich and famous. But us? No, I don't think they're coming for us. And that's all depending on whether they survive as well, this could be the way things are from now on."
Eren's hands balled into fists where they rested on the cold railing. His eyes blazed in rage so brightly that Levi almost expected them to glow in their intensity. "I'm going to kill them."
Levi snorted. "What, you're going to kill the government?"
"No," Eren snapped. "I'm going to kill all of them," he gestured to the infected below his feet. "I'll exterminate every single one of them off of this planet." He turned to face Levi again, his face determined.
And it sent a shiver down Levi's spine. The conviction behind Eren's words were no joke. The way the young man's face twisted in determination and confidence . . . Levi felt that he was looking at a beautiful monster in the making. A monster that wouldn't give up until his words were true. Levi felt his gut churn with some emotion that he couldn't identify as he stared at the handsome young man next to him. He shook his head and pressed his lips together before he spoke again.
"Well, if that's what you want . . . I'm with you the whole way, brat." Levi flicked his third cigarette off the side of the railing. Eren's face morphed from angry to shocked.
"What?" He breathed. "Just like that?"
"Just like that." Levi agreed as he shoved his cold hands into the pockets of his checkered jacket. "I hate wasting human life, and these disgusting fuckers are certainly doing that." Levi kept his face in its usual impassive mask even though his heart was hammering against his chest. He thought of Hanji's distraught face as she said that she missed the way things were and felt resolve harden his heart. He'd make things safe for her again, he swore it on everything that he had.
"Okay," Eren breathed. "It's a deal."
They fell into silence once more for a few minutes. Except this time, it was comfortable. Levi wasn't particularly chatty at the best of times, and it felt good that he could relax in Eren's presence without the need of filling the silence. Their peace was broken by Eren's stomach rumbling loudly. Levi bit back a laugh at the blush that once again dusted Eren's tanned cheeks.
"Sorry," Eren mumbled, one of his large hands released the railing to lay upon his stomach. "I haven't eaten in two days."
"Whose fault is that, you fucking idiot." Levi chuckled and secretly delighted in the way Eren's eyes lit up at the sound. "Follow me."
Levi turned on his heel and ducked back inside the waiting room. He heard Eren scrabble after him and close the window to keep the chill out the best that they could. The first day that they were trapped here, Ymir had broken the glass of the vending machine that sat in the waiting room. Now, Levi crossed the space and retrieved a packet of crisps from its carcass. He turned and threw it to Eren who deftly caught them midair.
"Sorry, all we have are snack foods." Levi grunted as he threw himself into one of the horrid chairs. "Another reason why I think we'll have to move on soon."
Eren nodded and crossed the room to settle into the chair next to Levi before he opened the packet. The small of artificial cheddar permeated the room as Eren retrieved a crisp and shoved it into his mouth, chewing slowly.
"So," Eren asked as he swallowed. "You said you were calling your uncle. Is there anyone else you'd want to look for? Family . . . or a girlfriend?"
Levi barked a laugh as he waved a dismissive hand in front of his face. "Hell no. My mum died when I was a kid and I'm gay as fuck, so no girlfriend." Levi frowned and looked at Eren from the corner of his eye as Eren shoved another crisp into his mouth. "I don't really give a fuck if that bothers you."
Eren swallowed thickly before he shook his head rapidly. "Absolutely not, I'm Pan, so it would be really fucking weird if it did."
Levi relaxed a little at those words. He was just starting to be comfortable with the brat, so it would've sucked ass if there was some sort of issue with his sexuality. Then, a traitorous thought drifted through Levi's mind.
Well, you know now that you have a chance. Levi shoved it away viciously. The kid was distressed, they were possibly living through the apocalypse and here Levi was, thinking with his dick.
"There's nobody for me either," Eren said suddenly, successfully pulling Levi's out of his thoughts.
"Funny, I thought that dark-haired chick was your girlfriend." Levi leaned back in his chair, crossing one leg over the other and his arms over his chest.
Eren gagged a little and laughed. "Mikasa? Hell no. I love her to death but she's like my sister."
Levi frowned at his words. He wasn't stupid, he saw the way that Mikasa looked at Eren and he knew that she had feelings for the young man next to him. Eren was either blissfully unaware of it or purposely ignoring it for the sake of their friendship. As Levi watched Eren squawk in distress as he dropped a crisp on the floor, Levi decided that it was probably the former. Eren was a beautiful monster in the making, but the brat was clearly not the most intuitive tool in the shed. Levi placed both of his arms behind his head and closed his eyes. With his legs still crossed, the sound of Eren's crunching soothed his racing mind enough to drift off to a light sleep.
Levi awoke a couple of hours later to the sound of hushed voices. He shifted slightly but kept his eyes closed, he felt that something was draped over him. He cracked open an eye and found that he had a navy jacket covering him, he recognised that it was the one that Eren was wearing. As he moved, the whispered voices died down so Levi schooled his face into an impassive mask and closed his eyes once more, feigning sleep.
"Mikasa, you can't baby me forever." Eren's voice was low and stern.
"I don't trust him Eren." Mikasa hissed, "you've only known him for two days and you spent the majority of that time locked in a room."
"Because I had just caved Hannes' skull in," Eren growled. Levi heard a thump and imagined that Eren stomped his foot in rage, only containing himself to not wake Levi up. "Stop treating me like a fucking child."
Levi heard Mikasa sigh. "I'm just worried about you." Levi heard Mikasa's footsteps tap lightly across the linoleum floor as she approached Eren. "You know why."
"Mikasa," Eren replied, his tone surprisingly gentle. "I gave you my answer years ago."
"But I thought after a couple of years- "She was cut off by Eren.
"I gave you my answer years ago." Eren repeated himself, more firmly now. "I really treasure our friendship, Mikasa. You need to let this go." It was Eren's turn to sigh. "I can't see you that way, I love you, but like a sister."
It was silent, and it took every ounce of self-control that Levi had to keep up the charade of pretending to be asleep. Levi was shocked that the brat was not living in blissful ignorance like he had previously thought. By the sound of the conversation, Mikasa was pushing for a relationship and Eren kept batting her back. Seconds turned into minutes and Levi's stomach twisted at the awkward silence. Mikasa's footsteps finally retreated and Eren flopped heavily into the seat next to Levi once more. Levi risked cracking open an eye again. Eren was sat forward, his elbows resting on his knees with his head cradled in his hands.
"Do you wanna talk about it?" Levi asked suddenly.
Eren jumped, letting out a yelp as his head whipped around to look at Levi who was still buried under his jacket. His ocean green eyes softened slightly as he released a breath out of his nose. "No," Eren mumbled as he sunk back into the chair.
"Fair enough, I won't push it." Levi whispered.
Levi stood and draped Eren's jacket over him like a blanket before he sat back in the chair he had previously dozed off in. Levi then gently pulled Eren's head onto his shoulder. Eren stiffened slightly before he settled on Levi's shoulder.
"What are you doing?" Eren asked, his voice soft in the dim room.
"What does it look like, brat?" Levi grunted. "You need rest."
"So do you," Eren shot back. "You only slept like three hours."
"That's a good night for me, trust me." Levi pressed his lips into a thin line. "Just . . . go to sleep."
Eren must've felt that it was fruitless to argue further. After a few more minutes, his breath began to even out as he drifted off into dreamland. Levi stared at his hands; he wasn't sure what he was doing. But there was two things that he was sure of.
He was sure that he enjoyed Eren snuggling into his shoulder, and he was sure that seeing the brat get some well-needed rest made him happy. Levi guessed that that was all that mattered for the time being. There was something else that was bothering Levi a lot.
For the first time, in a long time, as he slept next to Eren earlier – he didn't have any nightmares. And that, in Levi's opinion, was a fucking miracle.
Levi didn't fall back asleep that night, but he didn't move for the first couple of hours either. He was concerned about lowering Eren to the chair and inadvertently waking him up. However, after the first two hours, his shoulder began to cramp up. He ignored it for a while, jiggling his leg up and down in agitation before he had no choice but to move. It turned out that he didn't have to worry about waking Eren by moving him slightly. The brat slept like a fucking rock as Levi gently cradled his head and lowered him so he was spread out across four of the chairs. His hair had fallen out of his hair-tie and draped over his face. Almost instinctively, Levi reached forward and brushed the strands out of his eyes before he snatched his hand back as if he had been burned. Levi stared at his pale hands as if they belonged to someone else, what in the ever-loving fuck was that about?
There was a soft thump, and Levi jumped slightly at the noise. His brows furrowed in concern as he tilted his head and listened intently.
Thump. Swish. Thump. Levi stalked across the waiting room, hoping against hope that the noise was not what he thought it was. He purposely kept his footsteps light so the thump of his heavy leather boots didn't wake Eren who remained blissfully asleep. Levi cautiously placed his ear against the barricaded doors that led to the admin area and the stairs and closed his eyes to listen intently.
Thump. Swish. Thump. Except this time, the noises were accompanied by the low groan of the infected. Levi stumbled back from the door as one began to scratch at the door, pushing it gently. He wiped a shaking hand across his mouth, his gun-metal grey eyes riveted to the door as if it was a bomb ready to explode at any moment.
In some ways that analogy was accurate. Levi couldn't tell how many were beyond the closed door, there were no little windows for Levi to peek through to get more information. But how long would it take for them to break through once they figured out there was live pray beyond the barricade? Levi guessed that it wasn't long and they now had no choice but to expedite their escape plan.
Levi then retreated to the fire escape, in desperate need of some fresh air to clear his head. The freezing cold winds that whipped through campus certainly achieved that. Levi watched the sun peak over the emerald green hills that lined Rhosyn Wal, the rays bleaching the sun white and pink. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't feel the need to smoke. His fingers tapped impatiently against the railing as the minutes dragged into hours. What were they going to do? How long did they have?
Levi had left the window open so he could listen to the infected beyond the door, and to keep an eye on Eren's sleeping form. Not that Levi would fucking admit that to himself. The sun was now fully over the hills, bathing the valley in light, when the others had emerged from the medical bays. He could hear them all joking and laughing together as they entered the waiting area. Levi let out a hissing breath from between his teeth as he scrabbled back through the window. He waved his arms in warning, to quiet the babble of voices, but it was too late.
They all looked at Levi in shock as the thumps began in earnest, the moaning increased in intensity like a sinuous symphony.
"We have fucking company," Levi hissed. He was vaguely aware of Eren lifting his head as he awoke, yawning and rubbing his eyes.
"Well, shit." Yrmir whispered back, following Levi's lead to be quiet.
"Well, if they hunt by following noise, maybe if we're quiet for long enough they'll move somewhere else?" Armin whispered hopefully.
"We can't bank on that." Hanji replied. "They could hang around one place for a long time. A lot of the ones that followed us in the car are still wandering about down there."
"We need an escape plan." Eren muttered as he shrugged his jacket back on. "We can't sit here and wait for them to break through." Levi nodded curtly, in complete agreement.
"Well, what's your plan, genius? You've been moping in a locked room for two fucking days." Yrmir snapped.
"Oi freckles, that's not exactly fucking helpful." Levi barked. Levi noticed Eren's eyes blazing as he opened his mouth to snap at Ymir as well.
"Enough." Erwin snapped, slicing his hand through the air. "We need to work together, arguing will not help things. I know we're all tired and hungry-"
"And in desperate need of a fucking shower," Levi muttered. Levi smothered a smile as Eren snorted in amusement.
Erwin continued as if Levi didn't say anything "-However if we dissolve into anarchy then we're all going to die. No doubt about it."
The thumps began to quicken in succession and Levi watched with slight panic as the door parted slightly and pale, bloodied fingers poked through the gap and curled around the wood before they snapped shut once more.
"We're running out of time," Mikasa said softly from where she was leaning against the wall across the room.
Levi's lips pressed into a thin line as the group began to discuss a plan in hurried whispers. His eyes drifted to Eren who was watching the group with the same look of worry as Levi. At the same time, a bright flash of light illuminated the waiting room, blinding Levi and everyone else inside with it's intensity.