𝙎𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙥𝙞𝙩𝙮 | 𝘕𝘪𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰 𝘹 𝘚𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘢

𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 14: 𝘔𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘸

Sasha's muscles flexed as she lifted the heavy crates, with Gabi and Falco following close behind, also carrying slightly smaller boxes of heavy items. Her friends were up ahead of her, doing the same. It was an early morning, and they had all been asked to clean up in the west wing of HQ by placing unnecessary furniture, old guns or weapons in boxes, and carrying them to carriages to be moved to other villages and be melted or burned. There were dozens of boxes and heavy lifting to do, but on the bright side, after lunch time they could do whatever they wished for the rest of the day.

"I bet I can carry more boxes than you Falco."

"Oh yeah?"

"Mhm, starting now! Let's see who can bring the most." Sasha looked behind her, and saw the two kids chatting away. They weren't asked to help with the cleaning, but they didn't seem to be keen on the idea of spending half a day alone, so they decided to help. With more people, the job would be done faster.

~

Sasha neared the wooden cart, and finally let go of the two heavy boxes she held in her arms, letting out a long breath.

"Phew, that was hard," Connie said, taking a sip of water from his bottle. Jean rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, but we still have a few more boxes to bring."
Sasha was about to make a comment, before she felt a sharp pain in her stomach, and reeled over, feeling as if she were going to be sick. Her throat grew dry, and she started coughing manically.

"Sasha? Are you feeling good?" Armin asked, examining her.

"Yeah, I'm fine-" Sasha's coughs got quieter as she lost her voice, and as she closed her mouth thinking that it had stopped, she coughed up large drops of bright red blood, splattering onto the ground. Her knees buckled, as she fell onto all fours. Blood continued pouring down her mouth as she coughed violently, her eyes watering.

"Oh my god, are there any medics around here?" Sasha heard Connie say, frantically running around trying to think of a solution.

"Sasha, it's okay. Don't worry. You'll be fine," Jean reassuringly whispered in her ear. He knew that after she had been shot, her health hadn't been the best. He patted her back, allowing her to get the last of the mucus and blood out. Jean brought his water bottle to her lips, letting her drink and clear her throat, and she kneeled upright, rubbing her eyes. Mikasa and Armin also kneeled next to her, giving her tissues to wipe her mouth.

"Are you okay?" Armin asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine. But, my stomach hurts, like a lot," Sasha said, clutching the spot where it was throbbing.

"Isn't that where you got shot? Shouldn't we see a doctor or something for that?" Connie commented. Sasha nodded, wondering if she wasn't fully recovered yet, or ready to carry such weight yet. She heard a loud gasp from behind her, and turned around. Gabi slapped her hand over her mouth, before giving Sasha an apologetic look and mouthing 'I'm sorry'. Sasha gave her a smile, wanting to tell her it wasn't her fault.

"I'll be fine, I'll just take some medicine when we get back. Besides, it's lunch time. We don't have to do this anymore!" Sasha energetically said to everyone. She made her way back, acting as if nothing had happened. Her friends shared a questioning and worried glance, before jogging after her.

~

Niccolo untied his apron, and shoved it back into a drawer. He had just cooked meals for over 200 people, and was extremely tired and bored. He had ran back to his room, trying to avoid any drunk soldiers, and was now lying on his bed, staring up at the blank ceiling. He didn't really know what to do. He could go and find Sasha, but he knew that she was doing some kind of work, and didn't know where she was. He felt his eyelids grow heavy, and he let his breathing steadily slow down. Any thoughts whirling around in his head faded away, and he let sleep take over him.