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Levi gives himself a moment to catch his breath, residing on a large sturdy branch of a tall tree. The titans below start to gather, looking up at him with blank expressions, trying and failing to climb the tree. His legs start to shake from exertion. They’ve been at this for hours and all they have to show for it are corpses squashed into the soil, bathing the grass red. He knows he must keep moving otherwise his body might just give up on him.
He looks down assessing his situation, the number of titans gathering at the base of the tree only increasing. He could just wait for reinforcements but that could be hours or even days from now. He takes a deep breath and checks his ODM gear, ensuring that he has enough gas left then he jumps off the branch.
The spear shoots out, metal anchors embedding themselves lower in the trunk, swinging him around. He slashes the back of two titans’ necks as he swings past them, zooming back towards the tree. His feet find their footing against the bark when he spots another opening. The metal anchors shoot out into the flesh of a titan, pulling Levi towards them. He slices through the flesh, blood spraying over him, his muscles burning. He knows the blood with disintegrate but the texture of it sticking his clothes to his skin makes him grimace.
As he tries to zip away into the trees the sun peaks through the canopy, blinding him. Before he can blink the floating blurs seared into his eyes away, he smacks into a tree, knocking the wind out of himself. The world around him spins, his body falling towards the ground as he gasps for air. He manages to aim his arm upwards and pulls the trigger on his weapon, the arrow shooting up without clear direction. Luckily, it lands somewhere up above, probably in the branches of a nearby tree.
Levi keeps falling until the rope goes taught and he’s yanked to a stop, the joints in his back cracking. It takes him a moment to readjust his position, still wheezing and gasping for air. While desperately trying to get air into his lungs, the ringing in his ears dull the thudding footsteps of a titan running towards him. It slaps him, the giant hand creating enough force to unhook him from the tree, sending him flying through thin branches that snap as he connects with them.
He crashes into something solid, the ringing in his ears growing louder. There’s a sickening crack that comes from within his chest, pain flaring up in his ribs and throbbing in his head. He tries to blink away the black dots from his spinning vision, the world tilting sideways as he falls from a tree.
Pain shoots through his shoulder, his vision still spinning and his body limp amongst the long grass. The ground vibrates underneath him and he knows a titan is approaching him. A haze of confusion resides over his foggy mind but he knows he needs to move. He tries to get up but his body won’t cooperate. He grits his teeth, his heart thudding in his ears and tries to roll over. His battered body protests but he manages to roll into a little hollowed out area at the base of the giant tree.
In the darkness of cavity, Levi keeps his gaze on the light streaming through the opening. Blurs of colours smearing past and fracturing into shooting pains in his skull. His chest rises and falls in uneven patterns, his ribs aching with each breath. He winces and tries to sit up, leaning back against the cool wood inside the tree. Cautiously, he rests his hand on his shoulder, the dull throbbing quickly turning into a searing hot sharp pain.
If he’s going to survive or even use his ODM gear, he’ll need both arms and in his concussed state, the only reasonable conclusion is resetting his shoulder. He grits his teeth and shuts his eyes tightly before shoving his shoulder back into its socket. A searing white hot pain flares up in the joint, his vision flashing. His stomach lurches, the pain refusing to fade. Sweat beads on his forehead and above his lip. He licks it, tasting something metallic.
Carefully, he lets go of his shoulder, giving up on trying to put it back into place a second time. His trembling fingers lightly touch the skin above his lips and shine red in the light pouring through the opening over the tree hollow. The pressure and haze in his head thicken for a moment and he presses his palm into his forehead, the pressure turning into a surface stinging sensation. He retracts his palm noticing more blood.
Against his better judgement he tries to move his right arm, more pain shooting through his shoulder. A raspy pained sound tears from his mouth, scratching the back of his throat. His pants are torn, the fabric at the bottom of his pant leg hanging on by a few threads. He rips it off and presses it into the wound on his head, trying to stop more blood from trickling down. It stings, slowly turning into a dull throbbing in time with his heart beating in his ears. His vision is still swimming and he’s still trying to gather his bearings.
“I wonder where Erwin is?” Levi thinks to himself, sinking against the cool shaded wood behind him. His limbs are still tingling and burning from overexertion, sharp pains still shooting through his throbbing shoulder.
A shadow falls over the entrance of his little hideaway. Something large moves slowly and he backs himself further against the wall. A grotesque eye peers in followed by fat stubby fingers. The titan’s entire hand doesn’t fit inside the entrance so it rams its hand into the entrance over and over again until the bark gives way. It wraps its grubby fingers around Levi’s body and he tries to thrash around to escape but it doesn’t budge.
He grasps the handle of his steel blade in his left hand, managing to free one arm. He raises his hand and strikes the blade into the titan’s fingers. The blade lodges itself about halfway into the flesh, blood spirting out, and he strikes again.
He’s falling. He fights himself to raise both arms just enough to shoot the grappling hooks into a nearby tree, raspy sounds leaving his mouth to combat the overbearing pain in his shoulder and ribs. He has just enough gas to propel himself into a tree and somehow manages to land on his feet.
Blood continues to trickle down his forehead as he sways on his feet. He stumbles towards the trunk and slides down to a sitting position. The sun continues to dip painting the forest in warm orange and red hues. In the distance, faint screams can be heard as comrades are slain and eaten. Levi’s right arm hangs limply, throbbing and aching. He knows not to take deep breaths, not wanting to aggravate whatever damage has been done to his ribs. He’s alive and that’s good enough for now. All he has to do is wait.
The haze of confusion slowly dissipates but the weakness and distance remain. His head still feels too light and his vision is still a little blurred, probably on account of the blood loss. The titans will sleep soon. Then he can start making his way back.
What are the chances of finding a horse? He thinks to himself. It doesn’t seem likely. Walking all the way back would take days. He doesn’t have that long. He’ll need food and water and medical treatment.
Hesitantly, his left hand moves to his shoulder once more. He steels his expression – despite no one being there – and once again tries to put his shoulder back into place. Scratchy sounds of pain claw their way up his throat as he shoves his shoulder, his eyes watering. He hears a sickening pop and the pain blinds him for a moment before fading, letting out a shuddering breath of relief. He tests his shoulder movement, careful not to push himself too far. There’s still pain but it’s nowhere near as bad as before.
Darkness envelops the forest and Levi utilises his ODM gear to scale down the tree, wary of his shoulder. The ground is solid under his boots and he knows he has a long way to go. He starts moving through the forest, using the moonlight to guide him. An endless expanse of giant trees is laid out before him, slowly cutting away at the distance on his two feet.
The trees start to thin, the sky blooming with stars. It’s a breathtaking site, one he has probably taken for granted since leaving the Underground City. The star painted sky overlooks him as he continues his journey, his joints starting to ache and fatigue weighing heavily on him. There’s a structure in the distance that marks a far way away from the wall. He doubts he can make it there before sunrise unless he keeps walking with no stops. Maybe he can rest there for a bit during the day. Unless its crawling with titans.
His gaze remains on the structure ahead, his vision starting to sway and the stars above smearing across the sky. His mind starts to wonder, snapping back into focus at any insect chirp or snap of sticks. His steps start to faulter, his legs barely holding him up but he keeps walking.
Open fields and stars are all that surround him. He looks back at the forest, his gut sinking at how little progress he has made in such a long time. It feels like he has been walking for hours and there’s no way to tell. He hasn’t been keeping track of time. There are no trees to use his ODM gear on to speed this up and he doesn’t have any gas left. All he can do is move forwards until he can't anymore.
Levi blinks slowly, trying to clear his vision to no avail. The building continues to swim in the distance and he slows down a bit, waiting for the dizziness to settle. It doesn’t. He picks up the pace once more, his legs burning and ribs throbbing in his chest. He presses a hand to his forehead. It’s still damp with blood, some of it drying into his hair. He looks down at his hand, blood coating his palm and there’s dirt caked under his fingernails.
He hates it. The dirt and the grime. He starts picking the dirt from under his fingertips, more out of compulsion than for relief.
Keep moving. It echoes in his mind. He’s not sure if he’s thinking it or not. It feels distant. Foreign.
One foot in front of the other, his boots drag against the grass wearing away at their soles. Each step takes more effort than the last. His breathing becomes laboured. The stars above him blur together, the building ahead swallowed by darkness. He looks down at his feet, his head lulling towards his chest and his eyes feeling heavy. The world tilts violently and his stomach lurches. He barely manages to catch himself as he falls, pain shooting up his arm into his shoulder, punching out a pained grunt from somewhere deep within him.
The grass imprints into his palms, his body starting to tremble with each ragged breath, his ribs protesting each one. His stomach lurches again, the blood loss fuelling the nausea brewing in his gut.
“Pathetic.” He rasps, his voice coming out hoarse and weak.
Levi’s mouth goes dry and his throat tightens. He swallows thickly, breathing through his nose. It smells like blood.
Eventually, he pushes himself to his feet, the structure still looming up ahead, now bathed in the silver moonlight. His hope extinguishing with each step. That’s not why he’s moving. It’s not hope. He’s only moving because he has to. Because there is no other choice. He either dies in this field or he dies a little closer to the walls. Then he starts thinking. It’s not like they need to find his body. It’s not like anyone is waiting there for him. It’s the thought of being eaten by a titan that fuels him forwards. He refuses to feed another one of those grotesque creatures. Maybe it’s a matter of pride or maybe it’s spite or maybe even hatred. That’s what makes him keep walking.
Time blurs and stretches with the stars and Levi’s body starts to give up. He stumbles once. Then again. Taking each step with increasingly less control like a puppet whose strings are being cut off one by one. Until he can’t take another step and collapses into the grass.
He hits the ground hard enough to knock the remaining wind out of his lungs, a hoarse wheezing sound leaving him, absorbed by the cover of night. Panic floods his system, unable to get enough air into his lungs. Logically he knows that he’s winded but his body keeps firing adrenaline around that could’ve helped him keep walking moments earlier. Sharp pains shoot through his chest each time he gasps for air in a cycle that feels like it’ll never end. Each breath squeaking in his throat producing a pathetic raspy sound of struggle.
He finally manages to take a breath, pain igniting once more in his ribs, blooming across his chest. The panic ebbs into nothingness. A cool breeze rustles the grass around him and he rolls onto his back, staring up at the stars and clouds, wincing with each inhale. The stars above him are swallowed by clouds and a light rain sprinkles down, speckling his bloody uniform. The droplets dot his face, trickling down his temples along with the sweat and grime and blood. He trembles, the breeze sinking through his damp uniform into his bones. Tears start to gather in his eyes despite feeling nothing. He’s going to die. It’s pathetic.
Droplets roll down his cheeks or maybe they are tears, his eyes drooping shut. He tries to wipe them away but his arm flops back down to the ground beside him, his muscles cramping. The rain pours harder, sounding like the hooves of horses. He almost laughs at his mind’s pitiful attempt to create hope. He doesn’t. He just lays there, fighting to keep his eyes open for just a bit longer. If only the stars could come out again. If he’s going to die, he might as well have something nice to look at.
Blood and rain sink into the dirt surrounding him, his breathing shallow and shaky. His brain continues to torment him with distant shouting, his gaze darting in that direction only to find more sky. He opens his mouth, letting the rain droplets fall onto his tongue. He’s never done that before but he’s seen others do it before. Mostly kids but still. It doesn’t bring him any comfort or relief.
Shame brews in his gut and starts to spread through his veins. Dying here is not only pathetic but is letting down the Survey Corps. Letting down all the people that died on this mission. Letting down Hange. Letting down Erwin. He can’t do that.
He tries to roll over onto his side. It takes much more effort than it should. He pushes himself to sit up with one hand, his body hunching over limply. Rain seeps into his hair and jacket, rolling down his face. He tries to get to his feet to no avail, trying over and over again. He finally manages to get to his feet but the rain spins and tilts. The thick rain has lessened his visibility to the point where he can’t see his landmark. He doesn’t even know which direction to head.
His feet start moving before he tells them to, clumsily swaying towards the sound of yelling muffled by the pelting rain. He staggers and sways, his arm wrapping around himself for warmth. The ODM gear weighs him down but he can’t bring himself to take it off. He needs it to fight if he comes across a titan. Not that he’ll be able to fight. He pushes that possibility away. At this point, he yearns to lay down on the grass, but his body won’t stop moving. He needs to make it back. He can’t let Erwin down.
Shadowy forms move in the rain and he reaches for his blade. As they grow closer, his brain fights to process their words but they’re muddled and interrupted by the rain.
“I see someone!”
Levi freezes up, horses coming into view through the rain. They sway and tilt in his black spotted vision. His knees buckle and something catches him, pain shooting through his right shoulder. He inhales sharply and flinches away.
“Easy.”
A different voice this time. Familiar.
More hands guide him towards a wooden cart with a tarp over the top.
“Try not to yank him around too much.” He hears Hange instruct as he’s lifted into the cart.
He lays down on the wood, the area lit by a candle. It’s warmer in here, especially when the tarp doors are shut, but he’s still shivering.
“Let’s take a look at ya.”
Levi’s pretty sure Hange has a stupid grin on her face but he can’t bring himself to check. Voices fade in and out, sounding like they’re muffled by water. He catches bits and pieces, mostly just Hange ranting about her new titan research.
“How is he?”
That’s Erwin’s voice. He knows that one.
“Not great but he’s still alive.”
Hange responds as she bandages up the wound on Levi’s head.
Levi cracks his eyes open, his vision still blurred and spotty. His gaze drifts around lazily, settling on the faces that loom over him. Hands fumble over his clothes and rest on his chest making him wince. Distant voices tell him to keep still. Pain flairs up in his chest and he tries his best to stay still, his fingers curling into the base of his palm, nails imprinting in his skin, as they reset his ribs. Bandages are wrapped around him and most of the pain radiating through his body numbs into a dull throb.