An Unexpected Turn in Fate

Chapter 25 -- Into the Forest

That night, Dimo and his son rides in a carriage with two members of the First Interior Squad sitting inside the vehicle. "Hey, how'd you find them anyway?" Sannes, a tall man with short crop dark-colored hair and brown eyes, calls.

"They found me," replies the merchant. "I promised them that I'd cooperate. For some reason, they believed me." I hold my breath, hiding in a bush alongside Mikasa and Levi. On the other side of the street, Jean, Sasha, Connie, and Armin remain in their hiding spots.

A few seconds later, the carriage comes to a complete stop in front of the cabin. "Are we there?" Sannes questions. As soon as he looks out, Jean stands there aiming a rifle directly at his face. He was about to turn back, but Jean knocks him unconscious with the hilt.

"Reeves, you piece of...!" Ralph begins. Before he could finish his sentence, Mikasa hits him with her rifle too. The rest of us approach them as Dimo and his son get out of the carriage and stare intently at the two soldiers. "Sorry, guys. That's how it is," the merchant says.

The rest of the Levi Squad brings the two interior squad members inside the cabin following right behind Levi. I sigh heavily, sitting on the porch steps and staring at the glowing lights in the night sky. "Petra, are you still watching over us from up there?" I ask to myself as tears form in my eyes. I pull my knees up to my chest and stare at the constellations in pure amazement. I hope you're in a better place now, Petra.

"Hey, look! It's Abby!" A familiar voice calls. I glance in that direction as two figures unmount from their horses and hurry towards me. Once I can see them clearly, my eyes widen in surprise. "Section Commander Hange! Molbit!" I acknowledge.

"How's everything going?"

I purse my lips, knowing that she means this in more ways than one. First, because the mission is so important, she wants to know our status and if we figured anything out. Second, she's curious if I talked to Levi yet.

"Follow me, and I'll explain on the way."

She nods, following me into the cabin. I inform her about what happened in Trost, how Eren and Historia got captured, the appearance of Kenny and his squad, and how Dimo and his son helped us ambush two members of the interior police. By the time I was finished explaining, we arrive at the torture chamber.

Hange slams the door wide open and barges into the room as Molbit and I stand right behind her. "I made it!" She exclaims in a surprisingly cheerful tone. "You haven't finished yet, have you!?"

Levi turns around. "No. I haven't even gotten my feet wet."

I furrow my eyebrows in concentration, intently staring at the man. His nose was clearly broken, having blood gushing out from it. Bruises cover his face, and he struggles to see out of one of his eyes due to his cheeks being so swollen.

"Sannes, I'm only a novice at human torture, but while I lack experience, I plan to give this job my all!" The Section Commander states. She places her hands on the chair that he's restrained to before tilting her head to the side. I can't believe I forgot how scary she can be, I think to myself.

"Hold on!" Sannes calls with wide eyes. "At least tell me what you want. Who the hell tortures someone without asking questions!?" I bite my life to prevent myself from laughing before running a hand through my hair.

"Oh yeah," Levi says. "We do have some questions. Where were Eren and Historia taken? What do you want with Historia? And, what is the Reiss family?" Molbit nods in my direction before approaching them. I take a few steps towards them, noticing the man's nervous expression.

"Come on! Can't you see that we have limited time here!?"

Hange takes the object, tearing off one of his nails. Sannes lets out a loud scream as a chill races down my spinal cord. I slowly back away from them as my mouth hangs open. The screams continue as they proceed to tear off the rest of his nails.