Connie sat on a box around the fire. The warehouse was mostly quiet, except for the conversation the Captain was having with his subordinates. But Connie wasn't listening. Once again, he was lost in his thoughts. Berthold, Reiner and Annie's betrayal. Ymir's actions and Historia's reaction. And most of all Ragako. His family was gone. But his mother was still there… in a way.
The rain took him out of his thoughts. He looked up. The window that Mikasa and the stranger broke into earlier today was letting in rain. Connie's farming instincts kicked in. We're in the middle of the dry season. It shouldn't be raining this hard.
The strange boy consumed his thoughts. The kid who supposedly had amnesia, was now a part of their squad. With no training or prior experience on how to deal with titans. Why everyone was fooled by his act, he couldn't say. For all Connie knew, he was another traitor sent to betray them.
But if he was a traitor, wouldn't he have run away with Berthold and Reiner? And why would he risk his life going into titan infested territory to save Eren? But then Connie remembered Reiner risking his life to save him from a titan. I can't trust anything anymore, can I?. He thought glumly.
None of that mattered anymore. Only the Captain survived the encounter with the Interior. Connie was a little relieved at the news. He wouldn't have to worry about the stranger anymore.
The Captain had been interrogating their captors when Sasha burst through the warehouse door. "Someone's coming!"
Levi acted fast, "Jean, Mikasa, watch the captors. Armin, Connie, with me."
Connie and Armin followed the Captain outside the warehouse. They wore their hoods to avoid the heavy rain. Sasha, holding her bow in one hand, pointed to the figure approaching them. The rain made it hard to see, but it seemed like whatever was approaching them was carrying something. They were limping.
"Who's there!" The Captain yelled. With no cloak, the rain dampened his clothes. He narrowed his eyes. As the figure came closer, Levi's eyes widened. The rest of them followed suit. "Jason!" Armin yelled in elation. The blond haired boy approached the stranger.
The boy looked horrible. Dried blood was splattered on his face. His right shoulder didn't look like it was in the correct position. One of his wirers was lagging behind him. A hood covered the head of the person he was carrying. The body on the stranger's back wasn't moving.
"What… happened?" Armin's eyes slowly noticed the unmoving body.
The boy fell to his knees. His eyes were glazed over, empty. Connie felt like he was looking in a mirror.
"I didn't know what to do with her body." He said. There was no emotion in his voice.
No one said a word. They all stood there, soaking in the rain.
Captain Levi broke the silence, "Armin, Connie, take the body inside. Sasha, take Jason inside to get looked at, then return to your post." Everyone gave a quiet, "Yes, sir."
Armin and Connie carried the limp body off of the stranger while Sasha helped him into the warehouse. With the body face up, the two finally saw who the boy had been carrying. The Captain grimaced at the face.
Half of Nifa's head had been blown off. The only reason they could tell it was her was because of her peach colored hair. Her left eye, still intact, had dilated, leaving none of its yellow color.
Connie stared at the body. He remembered the stranger's empty face. A thought reverberated in his mind. Would Reiner have brought back a corpse?