Guess who couldn't sleep again last night, this guy right here.
And I've gotta say, I'm having a blast writing this!
Usual warnings, this story is for a mature audience. There's a blood/gore etc.
Also, just to say again that I'm going to Japan on Saturday so I won't be able to update for at least two weeks.
On that note, hope that you enjoy the update!
Chapter 3 – Eren
Eren's breaths were as loud as a gunshot inside the vehicle. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the man that was currently glowering at him through the windscreen. He was driving fast, taking the paths because they were empty. The panic for Hannes had overshadowed his rational thought. Thankfully, Armin had screamed a warning just in time for Eren to plunge his feet onto the clutch and break. Eren had never been more grateful that he learned to drive a stick after he moved to the UK. So close, he'd been so close to killing someone.
What about Ryan? A treacherous voice whispered into his ear. You left him in the pool, do you honestly think he won't drown? Murderer. Eren shook his head, he couldn't afford to waste time thinking about Ryan now.
"Are you both alright?" Eren asked as he turned in the driver's seat to look at the three other passengers.
Hannes was propped up between Mikasa and Armin on the back seat. Hannes' eyes were unfocused, his body limp. Armin and Mikasa both nodded jerkily, their faces pale.
Eren's attention was pulled off his friends by movement on his right side. He turned his head and his green eyes widened in shock and fear. These people were like Ryan, vacant clouded eyes set in pale pallid faces, blood dripping from their mouths. Snarling like beasts.
Eren's eyes flicked back to the man with black hair that he had almost run over. The man was cursing as he looked at the things that were slowly standing up from a plethora of gore. Eren aggressively jabbed the button to roll down the window before he stuck his head out of it.
"Get in!" He screamed. "Get in the car now!"
The black-haired man's head whipped around to stare at Eren again for a moment before he turned to his two other friends. "Erwin, get Hanji in the car now!" He barked.
The black-haired man scurried over to the passenger door. He yanked it open so aggressively that Eren was a little surprised that he didn't tear it off its hinges. As the man settled into the seat next to Eren, the two other people were at the back door. The blonde guy, Erwin, threw the girl onto the backseat. She squawked as she was sent flying into Armin's lap. As soon as Eren heard the back door thump shut, he threw the car into gear and sped off, its tires squealed in protest the paved path as they lurched forward.
"Oh shit, hey Armin! Fancy meeting you here." Hanji chirped as she scrabbled off his lap.
Eren looked in the wind mirror. It was a tight squeeze on the backseat considering there were five people in a space meant for three. Mikasa was plastered against the door behind Eren, her arms were around Hannes to keep him upright. Eren noticed with a pang of worry that the scarf Armin had wrapped around his throat was now soaked with blood. They were running out of time.
"Hanji? Thank goodness you're okay." Armin said, his face beaming at the girl next to him.
"You know them, Armin?" Eren asked as he drove, across the courtyard. He didn't dare tear his eyes away in fear of running over someone. Every now and then he swerved around more and more people.
"Well, I only know Hanji. She's the PHD student that I was assigned to shadow. Hanji, this is Mikasa, Eren, and Mr Hannes." Armin pointed to each person as he named them.
"Pleasure to meet you! This is my boyfriend, Erwin. Mr. Personality up front is Levi, our very good friend and roommate. He's scary but his bark is worse than his bite." Hanji chirped.
"Fuck off, Shitty Glasses." Levi snapped.
"Touchy!" She laughed, leaning forward between the seats to poke at his cheek.
Eren risked looking away to observe the quiet man in the front seat next to him. Levi was small, but Eren could tell that he was no pushover. The black jumper he wore was tight, so it didn't obscure the obvious muscles that laid underneath. His hair was jet black, neatly parted to the one side, and cut into an undercut at the back, silky black curtains of hair framed his face. As if he sensed he was being watched, Levi's grey eyes flicked to Eren. The corners of his mouth quirked up in a slight smile as he noticed the other man staring at him. The smile was so slight, that Eren was sure that he had imagined it. It disappeared as quickly as it came as Hanji continued to poke him. Eren tore his eyes away, thankful that his tanned skin would hide the blush he was certain was starting to stain his cheeks. Levi was Eren's type to the letter, in fact, under different circumstances, Eren would be thinking about how to ask him out. Eren shook his head harshly, his bun almost fell out of his hair tie at the movement. They had bigger problems to focus on! Like a bunch of rampaging cannibals on campus.
"So," Levi spoke and Eren internally groaned. His voice was deep and smooth like silk, Eren was in trouble. "Do you guys have any idea what the fuck is going on?"
Armin hurriedly explained what happened at the pool, Erwin chimed in with their own experience. It was eerily similar, the sudden flip between people being normal and then aggressive.
"Okay, the medical centre is attached to the labs by a skybridge. I vote that we go to the labs afterwards." Hanji said cheerfully.
"What is it with you and the bloody lab? Can you think of nothing else?" Levi said, almost making Eren jump because he'd been deathly silent as the others spoke up until that point.
"Because, it's a building that's completely sealed off by electronic locks. There will be minimal people there and if the power is on, you can't get in without an ID card." Hanji said cheerfully.
"That . . . is uncharacteristically astute of you Shitty Glasses." Levi said, turning in his seat to look at Hanji.
"I have my moments darling," She blew him a kiss and Eren noticed through the mirror, Erwin roll his eyes dramatically at her antics. "Be a good little boy and get me a whisky as payment."
"Hate to interrupt you guys." Eren said, his voice was a little panicky as he slowed the car to a crawl. "But we have a major problem here."
The path that led to the medical building was crowded with a writhing mass of bodies. Eren couldn't tell if they were still sane or like Ryan. Either way, there was no way through unless Eren wanted to try and mow them all down with Hannes' car. The medical centre was one of the oldest-looking buildings on campus. It was built out of aged red-brick. It sported high arching windows and a heavy, flat roof.
"Oh man!" Hanji suddenly exclaimed, thrusting her face between the seats to look at the crowd out the windscreen. "I'd love to study them! I wonder why they're all congregating here? Oh, look we attracted some adoring fans, hello babies!"
Eren swore and threw the car into reverse as more of the crowd turned their attention to the idling car.
"Interesting, they were completely oblivious to us until they clocked the engine of the car – I'll give a gold star to anyone who can guess my theory." Hanji laughed manically again. Eren noticed Erwin gave her a withering look as Levi rolled his eyes in the front seat.
"They could be attracted to sound, given their eyes are clouded we could assume they're blind. Or they at least have limited sight." Armin muttered to himself. Hanji spun around to him, her eyes shining behind her glasses.
"Bingo! Give the man a prize! I should've expected no less from my young padwan!" She threw her arms around Armin. "Beautiful!"
"There!" Levi suddenly shouted, pointing through the windscreen. "We can make it into the building from there."
Eren followed his finger and felt a surge of hope bloom in his chest. The student union was built right next to the medical centre. The building was huge, its modern roof leaned closely next to the flat red-brick building of the medical centre. In Eren's opinion, the student union was an eyesore on the otherwise beautiful campus. It was modern, imposing, with floor to ceiling windows and metal cladding. And yet, it was going to be their salvation. Well, the fire escape that wound up the side of the ugly building would be.
"Get as close to the building as you can as soon as you see a gap. We can use the fire escape on the right to make it to the roof." Erwin said, his voice so commanding that Eren had the childish urge to salute and cry 'sir, yes, sir!'
"What about Hannes?" Mikasa suddenly said.
And just like that, the surge of hope that had bloomed in Eren's chest withered and died as quickly as it came.
"That's true, Hanji can at least use her other foot with some help. We'll need to climb on top of the car to reach the fire escape. It's impossible." Erwin said, his tone was steady but held an undercurrent of regret.
"I'll carry him." Eren stated. He only had a moment to be surprised at how calm he sounded despite how his heart was threatening to burst out of chest.
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Mikasa and Armin were protesting.
"You can't Eren! He doesn't have the strength to hold onto you and you'll fall with him!" Armin shouted.
"I won't let you do it Eren." Mikasa said, she didn't shout but she was stern, leaving no room for discussion.
Even Hanji and Erwin were protesting the decision, which made Eren white-knuckle the steering wheel in anger.
Suddenly, all the days that Eren spent with Hannes flashed before his eyes. The way he had laughed and poked fun at Eren to cheer him up on his worst days. How Hannes sat with him when he turned up at his office, tears of frustration stinging his eyes as he struggled with assignments. At those times, Hannes would laugh and pat the seat next to him, taking his time to explain things so Eren could understand and complete the papers himself.
Eren then thought about how Hannes got hurt doing what he did best, helping a student who was clearly in trouble. He couldn't let him die here, he just couldn't.
Eren was currently circling the courtyard, which was attracting more of the gaggle of people around the medical centre. He bit his lip and his eyes slid to the only person who had been quiet throughout the whole discussion. If Levi was concerned about anything, the man certainly didn't show it. In fact, Eren could almost imagine Levi was on a leisurely road trip rather than in a car being pursued by cannibals. He was leaned back in his seat, one leg tossed over the other. His arms were loosely crossed over his chest, both of his wooden swords loosely held in one hand. Levi caught Eren's eye and nodded brusquely before his eyes slid to the backseat.
Eren read him loud and clear, he'd back him up. Eren felt the prick of grateful tears before he determinedly blinked them away. He didn't know why the other man was willing to help save Hannes, but Eren was certainly not going to complain. Armin and Mikasa were still protesting loudly, and for the first time in his life, Eren felt white hot rage snake through him at his friends. His hands shook and he gripped the wheel tightly again as his eyes blazed with his fury.
"Enough!" Eren suddenly exploded, Armin's and Mikasa's mouths immediately snapped shut. "I'm going to try and save him, and you won't change my mind. So, you either help me try or we're fucked."
It was dead silent for a couple of seconds, before Erwin broke it. "Circle a couple more times, pull more of them away from the building to make a gap. Open the sunroof, it'll be safer to get to the roof of the car and up the fire escape."
Eren nodded jerkily and flicked the switch to open the sunroof. He marvelled as with each pass, more and more of them started to lope after the vehicle. By the second pass, they had their plan of action solidified. By the fourth pass, Eren saw an opportunity.
"Hold on!" He shouted as he twirled the wheel, spinning the car violently until it was facing the student union. He then slammed the car into first gear and his foot onto the accelerator at the same time. Hanji was whooping as they careened towards the side of the building, pumping a fist in the air in excitement. Levi uncrossed his arms as he sat up straight, his eyes forward and determined. Everyone else's faces were set in stone as they braced themselves to go.
Eren pulled the handbrake and hit the brake pedal. The car swung to the left, throwing Levi and Erwin into their car doors as the car squealed in protest at the harsh treatment. Eren turned the wheel into the spin to control their slide towards the building. The left side of the car hit the side of the student union, thankfully Eren had controlled the vehicle just enough that the impact wasn't too jarring to its occupants. The parking sensors were screaming in protest at the impact. Before the vehicle ground to a halt, Erwin was on his feet and pulling himself onto the roof. He reached in to grab Hanji by her forearms and he yanked her out. She quickly resumed her previous position on Erwin's back, wrapping her legs around his waist as the tall man jumped and pulled down the ladder to the fire escape on the first try.
Armin was next, the small man scurried out of the car and up the ladder behind Erwin as quick as a snake. Levi slipped out of the sunroof next, but he didn't go up the ladder. He turned around as Mikasa held up Hannes from underneath his armpits. Eren had thought earlier that Levi looked ripped, but the way he pulled Hannes' dead weight from the car only solidified that theory. As soon as Hannes was out of the way, Mikasa scurried out and up the ladder. At the same time, Eren pulled the lever to throw the driver's seat backwards before he climbed through the sunroof.
"Take him, brat. We have disgusting company." Levi barked as soon as Eren emerged from the car.
Levi thrust Hannes at Eren before he leaned down to retrieve his swords that he left on the passenger seat.
Eren wordlessly draped Hannes over his shoulders once more. He almost wept with joy when he felt the man weakly grip his neck. They could do this; they could make it!
"Oi!" Levi suddenly shoved past him to kick one of their pursuers in the face that had started to scale the car for a nice, hot meal. The person was sent sailing through the air and hit the ground with a sickening thud. "Don't just stand there daydreaming, brat! Get fucking moving!"
Levi then turned and tucked his swords securely underneath his armpit before he started to scale the ladder. His black leather backpack jingled as he hurriedly climbed. Eren was quick to scurry after him. Hannes's breath was hot and heavy on his neck and Eren felt beads of sweat bloom on his forehead. As soon as Eren's foot hit the third rung of the ladder, he felt a hand grab his ankle. Eren let out a cry as he almost lost his grip. The hand pulled at his ankle again, at the same time he felt Hannes' grip around his neck weaken and Eren panicked. He looped one arm around the rung he was holding as he grabbed onto both of Hannes' arms with the other. Fear closed his throat as he felt the ghost of hot breath over the bit of exposed flesh between his joggers and his trainers. He kicked out blindly, letting out a cry of triumph and fear as he felt one of his trainers connect with a face. His ankle was freed and Eren awkwardly climbed up the ladder one-handed as he used the other to keep his grip on Hannes.
Eren gasped with relief as he approached the first grated platform that lined the first floor of the student union. Hands reached down and lifted Hannes from Eren's back and the young student ungracefully hauled himself up and flopped down onto the freezing cold metal, gasping for air.
"You're a suicidal bastard, you know that?" Levi's voice sounded from just above his head.
Eren cracked open his eyes and grinned at the man who was currently glowering down at him. "I've been told that a couple of times in the past. Did it impress you?"
Levi rolled his eyes and straightened up from his crouched position by Eren's head. He offered a hand to Eren and helped haul the tall man to his feet. Eren was sure that he imagined it but he thought he heard the smaller man mutter a "A little bit." Before he stalked away. Despite everything, Eren felt a smile spread across his face.
Eren's grin fell away and his victory tasted like ash in his mouth as he cast a glance over the railing. The car was now swarmed with those crazy people. He noticed one of them was on all fours, licking up a few fresh drops of Hannes' blood that had splattered onto the roof of the car. The bright crimson looked stark against the white paint. A couple of the people below were gazing up at their lost prey, swaying and moaning in disappointment. Eren let out an involuntary shudder, he'd been so close to death, and he almost took Levi and Hannes with him. He could picture it in his minds eye, all three of them being torn apart, blood everywhere, screaming . . .
"Eren." Armin's voice broke him out of his misery. "We've got to move; Hannes isn't in a good way."
Erwin and Hanji were already starting to make their way up the ladder to the second floor. Eren grabbed Armin's arm as the small blonde man moved to go past him. He was dimly aware of Levi throwing the three of them an unreadable look before he started to climb up after his friends.
"Armin, I'm sorry for getting angry before. I know you were just looking out for me. I just . . . I just couldn't let him die like that; you know?"
Armin gave him a watery smile and gently patted Eren's hand that was still resting on his arm. "I know, you've always been like that. Ready to throw yourself into danger for the sake of your friends. Thank you for apologising."
"We just wish that you'd be a little more selfish." Mikasa said as she came up behind Armin. "I don't know what I'd do if we lost you. You're both like my brothers."
"I know, and I'd probably be the same if it was you. You're my annoying kid sister." Eren joked.
"I'm only a month younger than you, you idiot." Mikasa snapped, the ghost of a smile on her lips.
Eren laughed as Armin and Mikasa both helped situate Hannes on Eren's back once more. An unspoken agreement that Eren was probably the strongest one to carry the man to the roof. The rest of their ascension went smoothly, with the group taking two more breaks between floors considering Eren's cargo. Once they had made it, they picked their way across the roof carefully, considering it was relatively smooth and it sloped dangerously. Eren cursed whatever asshole had designed the artsy-fartsy monstrosity. Eren had visions of one of them slipping down the slick surface and into the waiting arms of their pursuers below, that is if the fall itself didn't splatter them over the pavement first. Thankfully they reached the edge of the roof that bordered the medical centre without incident.
Levi leapt across the small gap with ease. He turned to Erwin who jumped the gap afterwards, albeit a little shakily considering he had Hanji still on his back. She whooped with glee after they had safely landed on the flat roof on the other side. Mikasa and Armin made the jump next, which left Eren to go last.
Eren took a deep breath as he backed up a few paces. He readjusted Hannes to have a firmer grip before he ran and leapt. His heart seized with fear as one of his feet slipped off the edge of the roof as he landed and he felt nothing but air. One of his arms pinwheeled as he felt the weight of Hannes on his back begin to drag him backwards. Suddenly, a pale hand shot out and grabbed Eren by his shirt before it yanked him to the safety of the roof. Eren stumbled a few steps as he felt solid ground beneath his feet once more.
"I swear to god, it's like you wanna fucking die, brat." Levi panted, as he glared at Eren. "That's the second time I've saved your ass today. After you almost fucking run me over as well." Levi took a deep breath as Eren looked at him. Eren opened his mouth to thank the smaller man before Levi held up a hand. "Just . . . be careful, alright?" He muttered before he stalked back over to Hanji and Erwin.
Hanji was looking at her friend with a raised eyebrow, her wide brown eyes twinkling before she winked playfully at Eren from over Erwin's shoulder. Erwin looked equally as puzzled before he smoothed his face over into an impassive mask once more.
The group crossed the flat roof quickly before they started to climb down the fire escape on the opposite side. Eren hoped beyond hope that there was an unlocked window they could climb through. However, the writhing mass of bodies below also made him nervous that the medical centre was not safe on the inside. Towards the back of the medical building, the lab was connected by a skybridge that was made completely out of glass. The smaller building that housed the lab looked similar in appearance to the medical centre. Eren noticed with relief that the lab itself looked relatively unscathed for the time being.
They got lucky, extremely lucky. The second-floor window by the fire escape was unlocked. All seven of them climbed through the small window, Eren having to leave Hannes slumped outside before pulling him in gently afterwards to squeeze through.
They were now stood inside of one of the waiting rooms. It was dark and empty; all the lights were turned off and the reception desk stood menacingly surrounded by Perspex glass in the far-right corner. The chairs that lined the walls looked unfathomably sad. The red material that clothed them was faded and threadbare from years of abuse. Eren felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise, why was it so dead in here? Surely there should be unwell students or the on-campus medical team around?
Levi took point, he tightly held both his bamboo swords within one hand once again. His boots surprisingly made no noise as he stalked across the hideous linoleum towards a set of double doors. From what Eren remembered, those doors led to a corridor of small medical bays. The doors on the opposite side led to a short corridor of offices that were usually inhabited by admin staff. Eren's stomach twisted as he noticed why Levi had chosen the other set of doors to approach. The doors that led to the offices were barricaded; a metal IV drip stand was slid through the handles to stop the doors from opening outwards. A couple of the withered waiting room chairs were stacked against them as well. Who had done that, and why? Eren wouldn't have enough time to truly ponder these questions.
As Levi reached forward with one hand to open the other doors, they swung open. Levi jumped backwards just in time to avoid being hit by the swinging slab of wood. Out of the darkness of the corridor, someone swung another IV drip stand. Levi ducked, the force of the metal pole swinging over his head blew his hair to one side. The IV drip stand collided with the Perspex surrounding the reception desk with an almighty twang as it thankfully missed its target. Eren flinched and felt his stomach clench with worry as he helplessly watched the events unfold.
Wait, why was he worried?
Levi acted immediately. He lunged forward and grabbed the IV drip with his free hand, he yanked it towards himself harshly. Whoever had swung the thing let out a startled cry as they were easily disarmed. Levi threw the IV drip stand and his swords to one side before he darted forward once more, he grabbed his would-be assailant and jerked them forward by their shirt before he thrust them against the cracked wall beside the reception desk. It was a tall woman with brown hair that was cut short and matched her olive skin perfectly. A cluster of freckles dusted her nose. She was clad in dark jeans, biker boots and a leather jacket. She sneered down at Levi even as the shorter man pressed his forearm threateningly at her throat to keep her in place.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing you crazy bitch." Levi snarled as he held her. "You almost took my head off with that fucking thing."
"Well, I would've succeeded if you were a foot taller, you fucking short-ass." The woman spat. "Let me go."
Levi's eyes blazed and he pressed his forearm tighter to her throat, which caused her to gasp. "Call me short again, and I cut off your air supply." He hissed.
"Ymir!" A voice suddenly shouted.
Eren saw a blur of blonde and purple dart out from the darkness of the medical bays. It was a tiny woman, pale with bright blue eyes. Her blonde hair was plaited into a neat French braid that ended mid-way down her back. She was clad in light violet scrubs, an ID card adorned with a floral lanyard dangled from her neck.
"Stay out of this, Christa." Ymir choked out; Levi's arm was still firmly against her neck.
"Levi," Erwin called as he settled Hanji onto one of the hideous chairs in the waiting room. His tone was gentle but firm. "Considering the circumstances, I think we can explain ourselves without violence, hm?"
Eren noticed Levi flinch and suck in air harshly through his teeth. His eyes narrowed and he pressed his forearm harder against her throat before he released her, shoving her slightly against the wall again. "This isn't over." He spat before he scooped up his swords once more. He then stalked over to the seat next to Hanji. Levi threw himself onto the seat, crossing one leg over the other, his grey eyes never left Ymir the whole time. Hanji reached over without looking and gently patted his shoulder. Eren was a little shocked when his eyes lost a little of their hardness when she did that. A bolt of jealously streaked through him that Hanji could calm him so quickly.
Wait, why was he jealous?
Hanji caught Eren's eye once more and gave him a knowing wink. What was that about? Eren thought before his attention was pulled back to the conversation.
"So," Erwin started again. "Christa and Ymir, right?"
Christa nodded and stepped forward to rest her hand against Ymir's arm who was slightly slumped against the wall. Eren noticed that she was putting on a brave face, but her eyes betrayed wariness as she scanned them all, especially Levi.
"That's right," Christa said, her voice soft and sweet. "I'm a student nurse, Ymir is my girlfriend. She was visiting me during my lunch break when everything went crazy." Christa shivered slightly; one small hand crept up to grip the floral lanyard around her neck.
"I'm Erwin. This is Armin, Mikasa, Eren, my girlfriend Hanji, and my friend Levi." Erwin said, pointing at each person respectively.
"We're really sorry, we have two people who are hurt and we weren't sure where to go." Eren said as he stepped forward.
Christa gasped and dodged Ymir as she attempted to stop her from darting forward. "Wait, is that Mr Hannes? Oh, my!" Christa's hands fluttered over the man slumped over Eren's shoulder before her eyes grew hard with determination. "Follow me, what happened to him?"
Christa wheeled on her heel and disappeared through the doors. Eren immediately followed, accompanied by everyone else apart from Levi and Hanji who remained on the chairs. Eren cast a glance over his shoulder and saw that Hanji's head was bent close to Levi as they whispered furiously to each other.
He shook his head and turned forward once more just in time to see Christa disappear in one door to the left that had lights on.
It was a small medical bay consisting of three beds. There were curtain rails attached to the ceiling that allowed the nurses to pull a curtain around each bed to give occupants the illusion of privacy. Eren gently settled Hannes onto one of the beds and scrambled to move out of the way as Christa shouldered her way past him. Eren felt a fond smile begin to grace his face. He could tell that although sweet, when it came to her work Christa was clearly fierce. Ymir hovered over Christa as she worked; she looked ready to attack anyone who came close to her girlfriend. Eren found that extremely sweet and felt another pang of jealousy pierce his heart. He hadn't had anyone care about him like that, ever.
Sure, he had dated a lot of people, but it never got past the fourth date. Eren wasn't certain whether he had bad taste in partners or extremely bad luck. Either way, he longed for someone to love him like that. He had a new respect for the tall, intimidating girl.
Christa had now unwrapped Armin's bloodied scarf from around Hannes' neck and thrown it in the yellow bin in the corner of the room. Eren took note that it had 'biohazardous waste' emblazoned on the side of it. She was gently cleaning Hannes' neck with disinfectant, her eyebrows drawn downwards in concentration. The silence was starting the press in on Eren and he shuffled from foot to foot, it was driving him crazy!
"I'm still training," Christa whispered, her quiet voice sounding like a gunshot in the vacuum of the room. "I'll do my best for Mr Hannes but all of the trained nurses left the medical centre when we had reports of what was going on."
"A couple of the psychos managed to get up the stairs that connects to the admin corridor." Ymir said flatly, she leaned against one of the gleaming cabinets on the right side of the room. "That's why we barricaded the other doors. The elevators that lead to the waiting room still work so we're not completely trapped, but there's loads of the fucker's downstairs."
Ah, that explained the haphazard barricade. Eren watched as Christa gently wrapped gauze around Hannes' neck before taping it off to hold it in place. She stepped back, nodded slightly before grabbing an IV stand, she then stuck a cannula in his hand before hooking it up to a bag of something that Eren couldn't identify.
"Will he be okay?" Eren asked.
Christa sighed and rubbed the space between her eyebrows with her fingertips. "I don't know. The dressing will stop the bleeding and the IV will help keep him hydrated, but I don't have any blood here to replace what he's lost. All we can do now is keep it clean and hope he can pull through."
"Thank you, for your help." Eren said sincerely. He was still insanely worried about Hannes, but he had a fighting chance now, and Eren was grateful.
Christa looked shocked before a small smile began to spread over her face. She nodded, her French braid bobbing with the movement as her eyes shone.
Ymir opened her mouth to say something before in quick succession, everyone's phones began to ping for attention. Eren reached into his pocket to retrieve his own. He tapped the slick glass with his thumb to bring the thing to life. There was an emergency text from the government.
"We are in a state of emergency. Please stay quiet and within your homes. For further instructions please visit .uk. An emergency broadcast will take place at 12:45. Please do not attempt to leave your homes until instructed otherwise."
Eren was shocked when he noticed it was 12:42, the broadcast was happening in three minutes. He had a slight out of body experience as he considered that all the crazy shit that had happened had happened in just over an hour.
"What the hell is this?" Eren muttered. "Is this happening over the whole country?"
"Oh god no," Armin muttered, his small face pale and fearful. "What are we going to do?"
"What if it's not just this country?" Mikasa stated, her face unreadable and her body still. "What if this is happening everywhere?"
He felt like he had swallowed a cannonball and that the world had spun from beneath his feet. What if Mikasa was right? How many people were dying out there, screaming and torn to pieces? Why was this happening?
What about his parents? Grisha may have been an absent piece of shit, but he was still his father. What if both of his parents were already dead?
"There's a TV in the waiting room," Christa said.
The group all scrambled out of the medical bay and back into the waiting room. Levi was already on his feet, his own phone in his hand. Hanji was still sat in the chair, the TV remote in her hand as she flicked through the channels.
"Did you see this shit?" Levi said, waving his hand that held his phone. "Hanji's trying to find the broadcast now."
Everyone held their breath as Hanji let out a cry of triumph as she finally found the BBC on the TV. Eren sank into one of the dilapidated waiting room chairs, his green eyes riveted on the TV that was mounted on the wall.
Suddenly, the image switched to the Prime Minister sat behind a large mahogany desk. He was an older man with silver hair, perfectly combed to one side. He usually wore an impeccable suit but now, he sat there with just a white shirt on that was rolled up to his elbows. A red tie was around his neck but it had been loosened. Eren felt like his bright blue eyes were staring into his soul through the camera and the young student was barely aware that he was holding his breath in anticipation. The Prime Minister had both elbows resting on the desk as he rested his chin on the back of his interlinked hands. Then, the man started to speak.
"I bring grave news." His voice was deep and powerful and Eren felt himself sit up straighter. "Today, our nation has been brought to its knees. But with God as my witness, we will not fall. We will not break." He took a deep breath. "A deadly virus has been spreading worldwide, until this point, we were preparing to attack it head on, quietly and effectively. And I can only apologise and beg for your forgiveness for not warning you of it before today. However, the disease has had . . . unforeseen side effects. This Government strongly suggests that, if possible, you stay indoors. We will have a solution for you as soon as possible. Stay safe, protect your families. Be wary of flu-like symptoms and immediately quarantine those who have suffered with a bite from the infected." He stared into the camera once more. "Above all else, stay strong and await further instructions from The Government. We will broadcast again once we have more information. The military has been dispatched to help protect citizens and are authorised to use maximum force. Our best scientists are working around the clock for a solution. As of now, our country is in lockdown. May God look over us all."
Eren's phone slipped out of his hands and skittered across the linoleum as the emergency broadcast winked out and back to some shit rerun that Eren couldn't identify. Everyone was looking at each other as they came to the same conclusion. Hannes was going to be like the infected outside. Hannes was dangerous.
"We need to get rid of him." Ymir suddenly blurted out.
Eren couldn't breathe, the walls were closing in on him as his hands curled into fists on top of his thighs. He shot up to his feet as Erwin took a step towards the double doors. "Don't you dare touch him!" Eren shouted, his eyes blazing. Erwin stepped back, holding his hands up in surrender.
"Eren," Mikasa called softly before she crossed the room and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder that he promptly shook off. "The people outside . . . they're dangerous. We need to protect ourselves."
"Hannes won't be like them," His hands flexed at his sides at Mikasa's doubtful look. "He won't."
"We don't know that," Erwin said. His expression calm and voice even. "We don't know anything yet."
Eren felt like he was going to faint. The anger at this whole situation whipped through his body like a snake. Black danced around the corners of his vision as his breaths came out in quick gasps. Just as Eren felt like he was going to lose his shit, someone that he didn't expect pulled him back from the brink with two words.
"Oi brat," Levi called, his face calm and tone soft. "What if we tied him to the bed? That way he's secure and nobody will need to hurt him."
Eren had never felt so grateful to someone before. He felt tears of relief gather in his eyes as he looked at the other man. Once again, Levi didn't know Hannes and for the second time today, he was sticking his neck out for him. What was he getting out of it? Eren didn't know and for now, he couldn't bring himself to care. Eren opened his mouth to speak, to express gratitude to Levi.
And then, Eren's whole argument was about to come spectacularly crashing down.
The sound of metal crashing against the floor had the ghost of panic encircling their hands around Eren's throat.
A gentle shuffle of shoes against the linoleum had everyone in the waiting room stiffening.
The whisper of clothes had everyone slowly turning to the open door that led to the medical bays.
The low moan that drifted from the open maw of the doorway had Eren almost vibrating with two emotions. Fear and dread.
Armin screamed as Hannes suddenly darted out from the dim corridor and grabbed him. Armin threw up two hands to hold Hannes back as the teacher snarled and lunged forward, his eyes white. Saliva bubbled from between his pallid lips and dripped grotesquely down his chin. The cannula was still embedded in his hand which forced Hannes to drag the IV stand with him down the corridor. Hannes now pinned Armin against the reception desk and the small blonde man managed to move his head back just in time for Hannes' jaws to close around air instead of flesh. Although he did smack his blonde head against the glass as he jerked backwards.
Eren moved with frightening efficiency. He shoved Mikasa out of his way and scooped up the IV stand that Levi had yanked from Ymir's hands earlier. He raised it above his head, feeling tears start to stream down his face as he swung.
Eren felt the impact vibrate down his arms so violently that his teeth rattled. Blood spattered over the Perspex that encircled the reception desk just above Armin's head. Hannes shuddered as the sound of his skull breaking echoed throughout the room.
Hannes dropped to the ground with a wet thud, his arms and legs twitched violently before becoming forever still.
And Eren sunk to his knees and wailed in his grief, his green eyes riveted to the blood of the man that he admired as it spread inhibited across the tacky linoleum floor.