Loyalty | Levi x OC

4. Defeat

The sound of Eren's signal flare cracked into the air with a loud pop. My eyes remained focused ahead as we kept our pace. The approach of tall trees in the near distance caught my eye, earning gasps from the squad.

"We're completely off course!" Oluo grunted. "What the hell does the Commander think he's doing? Where is he taking us?"

"I don't know... We're going to run into a big detour if we keep this course up," Eld replied.

Petra made her way back to our squad, resuming her spot behind me to my left. "Sir! I've notified the others," she called out.

I exchanged a glance to her in acknowledgement before turning to face forward. The forest ahead of us quickly approached.

"You really can't expect us to actually go in there, right, Captain?" Oluo shouted.

I let out a groan of annoyance. "Just keep following the course set by Erwin."

Sputters left Oluo as I spoke before he fell silent. As we breached the opening of the forest, the sunlight dimmed significantly. The thick brush ahead of us barely allowed any sunlight to shine through. Thick ass trees surrounded us, allowing an eerie feeling to settle in my stomach. Should any Titan attack us from the sides - it'll happen nearly instantly.

"Captain! Captain Levi!" Eren shouted.

"What?" I replied in an annoyed tone.

"C'mon, sir! We're in a forest! We won't see a Titan 'til it's right on top of us! The center rank's totally cut off! Something's coming up on the right, isn't it? So what are we supposed to do? Avoid Titans or defend the wagons?" Eren pressed.

A sigh left my nostrils, closing my eyes briefly before returning my focus back to the road ahead. This kid... always asking questions. "Quit whining and move on from the obvious already. Neither of those is an option anymore."

Eren let out a gasp. "What--? What are you talking about?"

Looks like I have to spell it out for him. Never mind the fact that he keeps questioning my orders. Brat...

"Haven't you noticed what's around you? Take a look at these big ass trees. Perfect environment for ODM gear, wouldn't you say? Take my advice, Eren. Calm down and use your head. The best survival tool is your brain."

"Yes, sir!"

The squad fell silent collectively, leaving me in some peace. I have to keep biting my tongue to keep from revealing the plan to them. I could sense the thick tension from the others behind me. Murmurs and grumbles being drowned out by the horse hooves filled my ears. Ignoring it, I continued to push forward. We continued to ride in silence for several minutes. Suddenly, the crack of a signal flare echoed in our vicinity and a streak of black smoke ascended quickly into the sky behind us.

Just according to plan...

"Black smoke?!" Eren shrieked.

"It's right behind us!" Oluo added.

"Damn thing's been on our ass since we came in here," Eld observed.

A low growl left me as I grabbed my blade with my left hand, glancing back to my team. "Blades drawn. Now. It'll happen in the blink of an eye. Be ready."

An eerie silence fell over us as the team nervously readied their blades.

My eyes narrowed as the apparent thuds of a Titan grew closer at a rapid speed. The sudden crashing sound of a body being slammed into a tree reverberated followed by the pounding footsteps of the abnormal Titan in question.