Whooo boy, I've got to say that this was an absolute pleasure to write.
I'm not 100% certain what direction I'm taking with this story. For now, I'm just having fun with it. Usually I like to plan my stories chapter by chapter so this is new for me. It's kind of nice not having a destination, it makes me take my time a little more.
Either way, I hope that you enjoy the update. As always please leave a review if you can and let me know if you notice any errors or inconsistencies.
See you soon!
Chapter 5 – Eren
The flash of light was as blinding and as instantaneous as a supernova. Eren's hands instinctively flew to cover and protect his eyes as his shout of surprise was swallowed up by the various screams and curses of confusion that erupted from his companions. Eren's almost-empty stomach churned, bile crept up his throat as the flash made him dizzy, swirls of light danced from beyond his closed lids, making the nausea worse.
Mere seconds after the flash of light was when the resounding boom shook the very ground beneath their feet. Eren shouted again as he was thrown violently backwards into the seat Levi had been sleeping in the night before. His head collided with the wall as he fell backwards, and stars erupted from beyond his closed lids once more. Eren swallowed the vomit that wanted to escape his gullet as he gently tried to pry open his eyes.
Black stars and dots swirled in front of him. He blinked rapidly, his eyes streaming as his blurred vision came into focus once more. Much too slowly for his liking. His ears were now ringing from whatever the large boom was and he winced as he scrubbed his forearm over his eyes to clear them from water.
Armin stumbled over the tacky linoleum of the waiting room, collapsing to his knees in front of Eren. Eren could see that his mouth was moving rapidly but his ears were still ringing too much to make out what the small man was saying. Beyond Armin's blonde head he could see that Levi was also scrubbing a hand over his eyes, although Levi had managed to stumble forward and was helping Hanji and Erwin onto their feet. Ymir had stayed firmly upright with her eyes screwed shut, holding Christa up against her body. Christa was currently screaming in confusion, with her hands clasped over her ears. Mikasa had somehow managed to pick her way across as well, she reached over and shook Eren's shoulder gently.
"-ren!" Her voice was slowly coming back into focus. "-me. Eren!"
"W-What happened?" Eren shouted. He jammed a finger into his ear and wiggled it, as if he could physically dislodge the ringing that was quickly giving him a pounding headache. "Mikasa?"
She shook her head rapidly, her black hair wild and tangled around her pale face despite the fact her face remained in her usual impassive mask. She hovered her hand over her left ear, wordlessly saying that she still couldn't hear anything.
Armin looked up and suddenly went pale as he scrambled unsteadily to his feet. The blast had blown all the windows, and Eren spared a moment to be thankful that nobody had been standing too close to them as they shattered. Armin leaned over a chair and forward to look out the broken window that faced towards the courtyard.
"-ere." Eren could just make out what he was screaming as he gestured wildly at the group. "-issle. Smoke. Come over here!"
Although Mikasa could clearly still not hear properly, she wasted no time joining Armin by the window, her strides now certain and steady. Eren was quick to follow. He stumbled unsteadily to his feet; one hand clutched the spot that his head had collided with the wall as it throbbed with each beat of his heart. He grit his teeth as he stood shoulder-to-shoulder next to Mikasa. His eyes soon widened in shock as he peered through broken window.
The main building on campus was now a smoking pile of rubble, brick and splintered furniture littered the one-time impeccable lawn of the courtyard. Smoke rose in droves from its carcass, polluting the otherwise pure blue sky above them. Eren studiously ignored the copious amounts of dismembered limbs that was amongst the carnage. Although, he had to swallow bile that crept up his throat as he noticed a student had been ripped in half and was missing their legs. But the student kept crawling forward, digging their dirty hands into the scorched grass to pull their body forward as they left their severed legs behind with barely a glance. He shook his head; the ringing was still present but slowly subsiding and he could now hear the low moan of the infected that instinctively drifted towards the commotion.
"This is perfect," Eren jumped a little as Erwin's voice suddenly sounded behind him, he spoke a little louder than usual. Eren assumed that the tall blonde man's hearing was still on its way back so he didn't realise how loud he was. "They're all migrating over there, we can use this to get out of here."
"Are we not going to discuss the fact that the military obviously shot a fucking missile at our school?" Yrmir growled, stomping her foot against the floor in rage. "That thing could've hit us."
"We don't have time to discuss this," Erwin turned and fixed his icy blue stare onto Ymir, who tried and failed to glare back. "We can't waste this chance. We can speculate later when we're somewhere safer. It's likely that the blast has damaged the buildings nearby more than the windows."
"We still got some freaks outside the door," Levi's even tone cut across the tension like a knife. "What are we gunna do about that? They don't seem to like the sound of their dinner bell." He grunted.
"Everyone," Erwin stood straighter as he caught everyone's eye. "Get your things and grab a weapon. I have a plan, but we've got to work together."
"Where will we go," Christa demanded. "We can't just wander around aimlessly, we'll be killed."
"What about our flat?" Hanji chirped. "We're on the top floor, the front door is on a latch that needs a fob to open. So, if it's not broken, we could clear the building and secure it." He tapped her chin with an index finger as she thought. "We have food, it's only been three days so most of it should still be good."
"Oi, Shitty Glasses. I thought you'd be raving about the lab like you were in the car." Levi said, his voice even.
"Well, as much as I'd love to go there," Hanji sighed, her eyes glistening with emotion. "The blast probably knocked out the windows on the skybridge too, it wouldn't be that much of a fortress now."
As everyone started to debate about their destination, Eren took a deep breath through his nose. Mikasa shifted beside him, he knew that she and Armin would follow whatever Eren decided. The weight of that responsibility suddenly felt like a vice around his neck. Multiple possibilities flew through Eren's mind at breakneck speed. What if they decided to stay and the infected broke in and killed them all? What if they stayed and Erwin was right, that the building was damaged from the blast and it buried them all inside? What if they got to Erwin, Hanji, and Levi's flat and it wasn't safe there either? What if they did everything they could and someone still died in the escape?
What then? What were they going to do?
Do or do not. There is no try. Eren felt inappropriate laughter begin to bubble up his throat before he swallowed it down again. Now was not the time to be freaking out and quoting freaking Yoda.
His eyes finally landed on Levi, who was still stood close to the barricaded door. His head was tilted to the side slightly as he listened to the infected that was still shuffling in the corridor beyond. Slick black hair settled over one of his eyes, but the other was fixated on Eren. It was almost as if the other man had some idea as to what was going through Eren's mind and was challenging it. Eren met his unsettling, unblinking stare and didn't look away. Suddenly, he remembered their promise on the fire escape last night. Levi had promised to back him up.
Levi had promised to help him eradicate the infected one day, and Eren was not one to declare anything lightly. Once he decided to do something, he was going to fucking do it. Even if it killed him. Eren's eyes landed on Hanji, she looked cheerful despite everything. The light glinted off her cracked glasses as she smiled at him. Eren remembered that Armin had said that she was brilliant, potentially the scientist of their generation. If anyone could figure out the disease, it would be her – right?
With that thought in mind, Eren had made his decision.
"Mikasa, Armin." Both of his friends' heads snapped to look at Eren once he finally spoke. "I think we should stick with them and go to the apartment. Any objections?"
"N-No" Armin stammered as he tucked his hair behind his ears. "Probably more safety in a group."
Mikasa opened her mouth like she was going to protest, but promptly snapped it shut as she took in Eren's steely expression. She pressed her lips together and looked at the ground as she spoke: "I go where you go."
Erwin nodded, his blue eyes lingered on Eren for a moment before they swung to Ymir and Christa. "And you two?" He asked.
Ymir groaned and scratched the back of her head roughly, causing her hair to stand up in spikes at the back. "Well," She sighed. "Fuck me sideways. Don't think we have much choice, do we hot stuff?" She smiled down at her girlfriend, her eyes soft as Christa looked up and her and nodded with adoration.
"Then it's settled, first we- "Erwin started before he was promptly interrupted by Levi.
"Whilst I'm all for this valiant charge to our likely deaths, aren't we forgetting something? How in the ever-loving fuck are we going to get there?" He sighed heavily; the action blew the greasy hair that hung in front of his eyes skyward for a few moments. "It's suicide to go by foot."
Eren felt a little unsettled by the slow smile that crept over Erwin's face as he stood up straighter. Eren thought that his whole posture, shoulders back and chin high with his legs a foot apart, screamed of a military man, not an aspiring psychologist.
"I've got a plan," Erwin repeated. The morning sun beamed through the windows and made his blue eyes almost piercing as they glittered with determination and confidence. "Everything fell apart on Monday and the Student Union next door gets their delivery around midday on the first day of the week."
"How do you know that?" Ymir demanded.
"No, it's true. I've seen the vans pull up behind the building when I was working." Christa said, laying a calming hand on Ymir's arm.
"I worked there, first year, so that's how I know." Erwin met each of their eyes. "We run like hell to the van and hijack it. Anyone here know how to hotwire a car if the keys aren't there?"
Ymir sighed and raised a hand. "I'm a mechanical engineering student, so I know how."
"Fantastic. Ymir hotwires the car, the rest of us take care of any infected until we can get out of here. That sound good?" Erwin rolled his shoulders, his eyes hard and serious. "Well come on then, guys. Grab some weapons, we have a ship to abandon."
The next couple of minutes were a whirlwind for Eren, he had left his trusty duffle in favour of carrying Hannes from the sports village so he didn't have a bag to pack. Instead, Eren busied himself looking for an appropriate weapon. He almost reached for an IV drip stand but his hand froze in place before it could curl around the cool metal. Visions of the stand cracking against Hannes' skull, the sound and feel of it . . . Eren couldn't bring himself to use it again. So here he was, rooting around in a storage closet, looking for something, anything. He growled in annoyance, using one hand to push his hair out of his eyes as it kept falling in front of them whenever he bent over. He'd lost his hair tie at some point last night. Eren cringed as he felt the greasy strands slide through his fingers, a shower sounded like heaven right about now.
"Oi brat," Levi's voice sounded in from the doorway. "You find anything?"
Eren straightened, an involuntary grin spread across his face as he spied the older man. Levi was leaning against the doorway, his swords in one hand and his backpack neatly slung over his shoulders - ready to go.
"No, although it would go a little quicker if my hair would stop blinding me. Maybe I should cut it or something." One of Eren's hands absently rose to stroke the strands. "It's getting in the way."
Levi snorted and strode forward, his free palm open and extended towards Eren. Eren stared at him wide-eyed as he noted there was an elastic band in Levi's hand. Briefly, Eren cringed, thinking of how hard the thing would be to get out later with the rubber clinging to his hair, but he didn't have the luxury of being picky right now. He took the band from Levi, not allowing himself to enjoy the way his fingers brushed against Levi's warm palm, before he hurriedly tied up his hair with the offered elastic.
"Thank you," Eren said, extremely grateful. "That was . . . nice of you."
Levi shrugged, averting his gaze as if he was embarrassed. He cleared his throat before he pivoted on his heel to walk out of the room. He stopped at the doorway before he looked at Eren over his shoulder. Eren wasn't sure if it was the dim light of the storage closet but he was almost certain that Levi's cheeks were slightly pinker than usual.
"Um," Levi said, clearing his throat again. "Don't cut it. It . . . looks nice like that. Long hair suits you." Levi then swept out of the room, leaving Eren to gape after him, a light blush dusting his nose.
Eren then shook his head harshly, they didn't have much time and he had to move. Quickly. He hastily tied up his hair with the rubber band before he continued to dig around a little longer. Before long, he let out a cry of triumph. In the back corner of the storage closet, he found an abandoned toolbox. He rooted inside of it before he found a heavy hammer, the light wooden handle was split with age but it would still work for him. Before he turned to leave, he paused to grab a pair of small pliers and stuffed them into his jacket pocket. He felt in his gut that they might be useful.
Eren then strode back into the reception area, where the rest of the group were waiting for him. Mikasa had snapped off the end of a broom, leaving a jagged piece of metal poking at the end of it that made the makeshift weapon look like a rudimentary spear. Ymir and Christa were both wielding IV drip stands like bats, Eren almost made a joke about the bright yellow Marigold gloves that Ymir was wearing before thinking better of it. Levi was leaning against the wall casually, holding his wooden swords at the ready. Armin and Erwin were both gripping pieces of wood, clearly torn off of one unfortunate chair in the waiting room. Hanji stood, bouncing from foot to foot in her impatience with her puffy jacket on and backpack across her shoulders, Eren couldn't see a weapon in her hands and he raised an eyebrow at her inquisitively. She merely waggled her eyebrows back, waving enthusiastically before Erwin began to lay out his plan.
Eren didn't like it. He didn't like it one bit. But he also couldn't think of an alternative to properly protest Erwin's plan too much. He had asked why they couldn't use the elevator but Erwin had made a very good point, if the doors opened and there was a swarm of infected, they were screwed in such a small place. At least on the stairs they had a chance to fight or run.
As much as it annoyed Eren to agree, he had to admit that after that, the stairs were the better choice.
Eren and Erwin were now stood either side of the door. All the chairs had now been moved aside and the IV stand removed from the handles. The noise of the impromptu barrier being removed caused their unwitting guests to go wild on the other side of the door. Eren grit his teeth and braced the door closed with his shoulder as one shoved particularly forcefully. His hands were sweaty against the cool metal of the handle, and he could see Erwin was also straining with effort.
Levi and Mikasa stood in front of them. Levi nodded brusquely to Erwin and Eren before he readied his swords, his feet inched a foot apart in a fighting stance. Erwin smiled wildly again, which made the hairs on the back of Eren's neck stand up.
"Now!" Erwin shouted at Eren.
Simultaneously, Eren and Erwin yanked open the doors. A low moan drifted through the room before one of the infected moved to dive through the gap. As soon as it crossed the threshold, Eren and Erwin slammed the doors shut, wedging the infected between the doors.
The thing hissed and spat, twisting with madness in its eyes to get free and feast. Congealed blood, along with spit, dribbled down its chin in waves. Eren shuddered when its white eyes landed on him.
Suddenly, Mikasa darted forward with a war cry. Her makeshift javelin pierced the thing through its eye. It gave one last shudder before it slumped forward, finally dead. With surprisingly little resistance, the weapon pulled free from its skull before the body thumped wetly to the ground. Armin darted forward, pulling the body out of the way by its pallid hands before another shadow made itself known. Eren grunted with effort as himself and Erwin shoved the doors closed once more, wedging a small female in the gap. She had a lot more vitality than her predecessor. She snarled, twisted, and turned in the vice-like grip of the doorway as she gnashed her teeth at air. Sweat broke across Eren's brow as he strained to keep it closed.
The last guy was ten times bigger than this girl, what the hell? Eren thought viciously.
He would soon get his answer. The girl's screeches hid the low undercurrent of moans that drifted through the door's opening. Eren's eyes widened in horror as a second infected started to force itself through the door, just above where the girl was trapped. Eren swore he saw the peek of bloodied fingers wrapping against the wood, between her legs. A third one.
"Push harder," Erwin said firmly, his voice remained steady even as his face was etched with strain. "If they all burst through now, we're in trouble."
Eren grit his teeth and pushed as hard as he could. He felt more than witnessed Levi move. The small man darted forward, his footsteps light as a feather despite the heavy boots he wore. Eren turned his head to the right just in time to see it clearly.
Levi held both of his wooden swords in reverse, his knuckles startingly white with how tightly he was gripping the handles. His eyes almost blazed with rage as he swung the longest sword, cracking the writhing girl in the temple. The hit made her head to snap to the right with so much force that Eren heard her skull crunch against the sharp wooden edge of the open door. Blood splattered against the pale grain and started to drip slowly downwards as she slumped. Although she didn't go very far with Eren and Erwin still pushing against the doors.
With the girl taken out, Eren could really appreciate how many infected were behind the door. He could pick out five separate moans, at least.
"Open them, we don't have much time before the horde are disinterested with that burning building." Levi said. His voice deadly and calm.
Eren's eyes snapped to Levi in surprise. The other man looked sure of himself as he nodded brusquely to Eren, he was confident. Mikasa stood next to Levi, her makeshift spear at the ready and her face set in determination. The others all nodded as well except for Hanji, who merely grinned wildly. Finally, Eren landed on Erwin who sighed like they'd run out of potato chips during movie night.
"You're right." Erwin braced his shoulder against the door, pushing his weight against it as he hefted his broken chair leg in one hand. "Get ready Eren, let it go."
Eren's heart was in his throat as he mirrored Erwin, readying his hammer as he braced his shoulder against the door. The pressure ached as Eren forced all his bodyweight against the wood to keep it closed, but he did his best to ignore it. Erwin nodded wordlessly and Eren dove backwards, allowing the door to swing open. The air rushed out of his lungs as his back collided with the rounded wood of the desk, and for the second time that hour, stars swam in front of his vision as the impact jarred his sore head once more.
It was eight infected. They all trampled their only female comrade whose body fell limply to the ground as they streamed into the waiting room that had been their sanctuary for the past three days. Erwin was already on his feet, his broken chair leg mid-swing to collide with one. Mikasa span her 'spear' expertly in her hands, getting ready to bury it in another's skull. Ymir and Armin ran forward, their weapons poised as Christa stood shell-shocked behind them. Levi knocked one to the ground so he could take another one down as he savagely barked at Hanji to move back. The prospective PHD seemed insistent on hovering by her friend's shoulder. It was then that Eren noticed the last infected was charging towards Hanji as Levi was distracted by the other three.
Hanji, who still didn't have a weapon in her hand. Levi was taking them down with little trouble, but not fast enough.
Eren grit his teeth and stumbled to his feet, charging forward as he brought his hammer down into the back of the student's head that was charging towards Hanji. Dark blood sprayed in an arc, thankfully only splattering the front of Eren's navy jacket. He panted and shot Hanji a grin, who happily returned it before her smile began to fall.
"Look out!" She shouted, shoving both Eren and Levi out of the way as a ninth infected sprinted through the door.
Eren would never forget it. The scientist moved to meet the infected with no hesitation, producing something that Eren couldn't identify from her cream coat pocket. She cackled as he flipped a switch on the device and thrust it towards the neck of the infected student. It instantly jerked, letting out a garbled cry as it twitched wildly for a few precious moments before slumping backwards. It hit the floor with a solid thump, unmoving. Its clothes smouldered as blood steadily leaked from its ears, mouth, and nose. Hanji turned back to Eren with a grin of triumph and a thumbs up as he merely gaped at her.
He was dimly aware of Mikasa and Levi dispatching the last two infected as he stammered; "W-What the hell was that?"
"Taser that I had in my backpack, I tweaked it to a higher voltage and hooked up spare batteries I found behind reception to give it some extra juice," She held up the small silver device that was messy with convoluted wires and had multiple batteries taped around the outside. "Neat, huh?"
"That's . . . one word for it." Eren managed to choke out, a little wary of the wild glint in her eyes as she showed off her new toy.
"Hanji, that's incredible!" Armin gushed.
Erwin merely grinned at her as he approached, beaming with pride as he gently touched her shoulder.
"Thanks sweetie pie! Although I don't know how much power it uses per go so, I was kind of saving it for a tough spot outside." She looked sheepish at that but Armin didn't notice as he continued to praise her.
"Jesus Christ Coconut Head, don't encourage it." Levi muttered as he shouldered past them to peer into the corridor. "It's clear, by the way – if you're all done gawking at Shitty Glasses' shit."
The way through the corridor and down the stairs were relatively clear with only three infected that were quickly dispatched by Eren, Mikasa, and Levi. Clearly their uninvited guests were called away by the noise of the exploding building. Eren immediately compared it to the Siren's who would lure sailors into the sea, for the men to only be met with disappointment.
Well, that, and a watery grave.
Eren felt a little unsettled at how easily he dispatched these unknown students. It made his gut twist with disgust at himself when he thought of Hannes, and his reaction to it.
And yet, to these faceless infected students, they were nothing to him. An obstacle in the way to freedom and safety for his friends. He felt a bloom of noble pride blossom in his chest before he had to sink his hammer into the skull of another infected, that bloom soon withered and died.
And all that remained, was the haunting feeling that he was a monster.
He could feel it. The pleasure when one would crumple to the ground after one swing of his hammer. Yes, it came from noble intentions, to protect his friends. To want to live. To fight and destroy them all so everyone could live normally again. And yet . . . he should feel something – shouldn't he? They were living, breathing people three days ago, before their lives were snatched so cruelly from them.
To Eren, the fight down the stairs and to the back door of the medical building felt like hours. In reality, it was probably only five minutes. There weren't that many of them milling about the dark, windowless staircase. He presumed that they were all lured away by the explosion. Eren couldn't help but marvel at their luck, if this staircase was packed with infected – they probably wouldn't have had the chance to make it out. He didn't know whether that missile was a misfire or a targeted attack on a large congregation of infected, but he was still kind of thankful for it. The fire escape didn't reach down beyond the first floor, so they would've always had to have taken the stairs.
A twist of fate, that Eren was all too happy to take advantage of.
"Keep moving, don't stop!" Erwin shouted as he ran ahead to the fire exit that led to the back of the building.
Eren had a moment of panic that an alarm would start to blare as Erwin pushed the long silver handle and shoved it open with no hesitation. Unfettered sunlight streamed into the dark staircase, turning Erwin's retreating back into a vague silhouette. Unwilling to waste the time rounding the corner, Levi and Eren jumped over the railing to skip the last few stairs. Emerging into the sunlight with the comforting sound of the others' feet pounding behind them as they followed.
Eren blinked harshly to adjust his vision to the sudden brightness, the shadow cast by the skybridge above them made the action easier. Erwin was a couple of steps in front of them, dispatching a stray infected with his broken chair leg. Levi darted forward, recovering quicker than Eren to take down two others that were shuffling towards them.
We're in hell. Was the first thing that ran through Eren's mind.
There were bodies and pools of dark blood everywhere. Thankfully, there were only a few stray infected but the evidence of the horde that trampled through the back area remained. The sweet smell of rotting meat accompanied by smoke assaulted him. One hand involuntarily raised to cover his mouth and nose. His eyes stung from the smoke in the air and he blinked back tears as he looked around. Glass crunched under his trainers as he walked forward and Eren squinted at the skybridge above him. It was three stories up and the bottom was solid so he couldn't see the walkway. But, Hanji was right, the blast must've taken all the windows out of the structure that led to the lab. The building was nestled snugly against the base of the valley. Even from this distance he could see the keypad that kept the ground-level entrance was still intact but with the destroyed windows, it was a fortress no longer.
Eren cast his eyes to the right and immediately spied the delivery van that was still parked innocently next to the open delivery bay behind the student union. He turned his head to call out to Ymir. However, the tall brunette was already sprinting to the vehicle with Christa following closely behind. Suddenly, something occurred to Eren, although he wasn't sure if she needed it.
"Ymir!" He called.
As she turned mid-run, Eren yanked the pliers he'd found out of the folds of his pocket and threw them to her. She caught the tool easily and nodded to Eren wordlessly, respect shining out of her eyes before she swivelled to continue her run.
They all collapsed around the van as Ymir threw herself behind the driver's wheel, Christa threw herself into the passenger seat next to her. "Oi guys, no keys, and no delivery driver in sight. I'll have to do it the hard way."
Erwin nodded as he flicked his blue eyes around the now-empty area, his body tense as a bow. "Do it, but hurry. I've got a bad feeling."
Eren wordlessly agreed with him. There was a tension in the air that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. It was too easy, too quiet. Sure, he could hear the distant moans of the infected that congregated towards the recently exploded building on campus. But he couldn't help but think that something was going to happen soon.
Something big. Something bad.
Eren stood at the front of the van, with Erwin and Hanji to his left and Levi, Mikasa, and Armin to his right. He cast a quick glance to Levi and Mikasa and saw the same tense wariness on their faces that he felt on his own.
Eren will soon marvel at the fact that his gut feelings always seemed fucking right.
Armin's eyes bugged out of his head as his hands tightened dangerously on his broken chair leg. He pried one hand away from the wood to point one shaking finger upwards. "G-Guys we have big trouble."
Eren followed his finger and felt his heart drop painfully to his stomach. Eren wasn't sure how many infected there were, and he didn't care enough to count them. All he was certain of was that they were royally screwed.
They teetered precariously on the edge of the various broken windows of the skybridge, moaning in harmony as they registered the probability of a fresh meal. It was then that the first infected swayed and threw himself out of the gaping maw of a broken window. Eren cringed as the rest began to follow his example, hitting the concrete in quick succession with sickening thuds. Eren wanted to turn his eyes away, his mind was screaming at him to do it. Yet, there he stood. Watching gore spray in an arc like a sick parody of a piñata. Bones snapped and cracked, poking through flesh with little resistance. And yet, they still moved.
Levi let out a string of profanity that could've made a sailor blush as he readied his swords. Mikasa twirled her spear once more, lowering herself into an impressive fighting stance.
Erwin swore as well, which made Eren raise an eyebrow in surprise despite the situation. "Ymir, how are you getting on? We have company."
Eren looked back to see her head peek over the wheel briefly. "Fuck! I need a little bit longer. I've almost got it."
"How long is 'a little bit,' Freckles?" Levi barked.
The first infected that fell began to lurch to his feet, a low moan of triumph oozing out from its bloodied lips. Unaffected by the fall that would've ended anyone else. It didn't care about its droves of comrades that rained down all around him. Eren noticed that some of them didn't get up, their sculls colliding against the ground and successfully silencing them forever. But it didn't matter, there were enough infected that for the many that died from the fall. There were plenty to take their place in the horde.
"Three minutes!" Ymir shouted back; her voice uncharacteristically high.
"Half it!" Levi snapped. "Otherwise, we're all dead."
A couple of paces away, they were only a couple of paces away now. Eren grit his teeth and launched himself forward, cracking the first infected that fell across the jaw with his hammer and successfully sending him crashing to the ground. Eren didn't even look at him as he hit the floor, pulling his arm into a backswing to knock the next infected backwards.
Eren didn't notice the one infected that was way too close for comfort until it was cracked across the temple by one of Levi's bamboo swords.
"You stupid," Levi growled cracking another one with his backswing. "Fucking." Another one fell. "BRAT! Do you want to die?" He shouted.
A wild grin spread across Eren's face as he caught Levi's eye before he turned his attention back to the fight. Maybe he did want to die. Maybe he was just reckless. Maybe he was just stupid like all his teachers thought he was. But the fact of the matter was they needed to keep some space around the van. If it ran too many infected over it could break down. If there wasn't enough space, they could be overwhelmed and unable to get in the back before Ymir sped off.
It was a race against time.
Mikasa, Armin, Erwin, and Hanji joined the fight. The six of them determined to hold the line and give the van some space for whenever Ymir got it running.
You mean, If. If she gets it running. The intrusive thought drifted through Eren's mind as he took another infected crumpled beneath his hammer.
I DON'T NEED THIS RIGHT NOW! SHUT IT! Eren mentally screeched at his subconscious.
Sweat dampened his brow and trickled down the back of his neck. His jacket was uncomfortably warm as he panted with exertion. Warm breath fogged harmlessly into the cold morning air in droves. Eren was all-too aware that none of the infected were giving off any of their own. The realisation caused icy fingers to inch their way up his spine.
Hanji was cackling madly as infected fell to her modified taser. She was directly behind Erwin and she darted forward to use it when one got too close before dancing behind her boyfriend once more. Levi and Mikasa were demons, taking down any that dared to get close to them. Armin was holding his own as well. And Eren, was at the helm of their rudimentary line of defence, his hammer offering a short reach and little technique that was only saved by pure brute strength. And yet, they kept coming. As unrelenting as the tide. As persistent as the Earth. Dictated by the need to feed and spread the deadly virus that squirmed in their brains.
The infected didn't tire. They didn't get sick, or slowed. They just kept coming.
Eren could feel that they were being pushed back, despite their Herculean efforts. His swings were becoming more languid, his breath puffing in quicker succession. The furrow in his brow deepened in effort as he swung over and over.
Just as Eren was about to give way to despair. There was a sudden roar of an engine behind them as the van stuttered to life. Christa and Ymir's whoops of triumph were almost drowned out by the deafening sound.
"GO TO THE BACK!" Erwin shouted over the noise, turning briefly to shove Hanji to the safety of the van by the shoulder. "MOVE!"
Hanji swivelled into a dead sprint, followed closely by Erwin, Mikasa, and Armin. Eren sunk his hammer into another infected before he noticed that Levi was being delayed by three of them. Without thinking, he sprinted forward and plunged the hammer into one on Levi's left. Eren's stomach twisted when the hammer didn't come free, firmly wedged into bone. He grit his teeth and released the split wood; it wasn't worth it and there were too many. He raised a leg and kicked one in the stomach, successfully sending the fomer student sailing into his friends, and giving Levi and Eren enough room to escape.
"Move, brat!" Levi barked, shoving Eren by the shoulder towards the van in a similar way that Erwin did to Hanji precious moments before. "GO!"
Eren had never been so thankful to be athletic in his life. Adrenaline pumped through his veins and fuelled his long legs as he ran around the van. He could hear Levi's faint footfalls behind him and it gave him comfort that the smaller man was following him. Just before they rounded the back of the vehicle, it started to roll forward. Eren let out an involuntary cry of panic.
We're going to be left behind! Eren internally screamed.
He could hear Mikasa and Armin shouting his name and he clenched his jaw as he determined to move faster. The doors were still wide open, and he could see the panicked expressions of his friends in the shadowed interior of the van. Recklessly, he threw himself forward.
Eren sailed through the air before he landed against congregated metal with a loud thump. He gasped as the sharp edge of a box dug painfully into his back. Then, a thought occurred to him, as quick and devastating as lightening.
There was no second thump.
He sat up as mechanically and purposely as a Barbie being folded in half. He could see Levi running behind the van, his dark eyes determined as he panted for breath.
Eren scrambled to his feet before anyone else could move. He gripped one side of the opening with one hand and reached out with the other, leaning as far as he could go.
Levi looked up and his eyes sparked with an intense emotion that Eren couldn't identify. Yet, it was as if seeing Eren extending a hand, his eyes pleading and expression desperate, spurred him on. His legs pumped quicker and before Eren knew it, Levi's warm palm was secured within his grasp.
Eren clenched his jaw again as he pulled with all his strength, throwing himself backwards in the process for extra leverage. He hit the metal floor painfully and cried out as all the air was knocked out of him by Levi impacting his stomach.
Eren gasped for air and pried one of his eyes open as their whole group cheered. Levi was currently straddling Eren's stomach as he looked down at Eren. The colour in his cheeks was high as he panted from the sprint and presumably, fear. It was close, way too close.
"Full speed ahead, Ymir!" Hanji crowed from the background; her voice suspiciously thick with tears.
"We good?" Ymir called back.
"Yeah, we're all on board." Hanji croaked.
Eren was only dimly aware of it. He was too focussed on Levi on top of him and his aching diaphragm from the impact of a grown man landing heavily onto his stomach. Yet Eren couldn't bring himself to care. Levi was still looking down at him, his eyes still sparking with that inscrutable emotion that Eren couldn't identify. But Eren was certain of one thing even as his friend's voices still buzzed around them.
Levi's right hand was still holding his swords, but the left was still gripping his hand tightly. As if it was the only thing holding him down to Earth.
