Spotter

Captured

As Y/N regained consciousness, her brain was flooded with pain. Her arm ached, and she could only take shallow breaths without pain. She realized she was sitting up against something with her arms tied around it. When she tried to lift her chin off her chest, she winced and let it fall again. The slight movement set off a ringing in her ears.

Erwin?

Y/N focused on lifting her heavy eyelids. The world spun, and she saw two sets of her legs. A bright strip of sun shone across her thighs. She noticed her pants were no longer white, but instead smeared in dirt and blood.

"Fuck," Y/N groaned and squeezed her eyes shut again.

Sleep pulled her back under. She had no idea how much time had passed, but when she peaked her eyes open again, the beam of sunlight had crawled off her legs. Tension reached from her jaw up to her temples, and the image of that man's foot flying at her face flashed in her mind. The other events of the day followed close behind.

Was that today? How long have I been asleep? Where am I? Who was that? The questions skittered around her mind, but she couldn't even focus on answering any of them. Panic rose in her throat. How did it all go so wrong?

Y/N thought back through the mission. She remembered seeing Reiner just before she was taken. The moment he turned away to dispose of a Titan, that man snatched Y/N out of the tree. His hand covered her nose and mouth, and his other arm tightened around her throat. Y/N shuddered as she remembered the feeling of his arm restricting her airflow. He carried her like this through the air until he landed in the grass.

He dropped her to the ground where she gasped for breath, but she didn't get a chance to recover before he picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder. She had no memory after he kicked her in the jaw.

The memories alone scared Y/N. Her heart was racing, and she thought she would vomit if she kept thinking about it.

You don't have time for that now. You have to figure out where you are, who has you, and how to escape. That's all you can do.

Y/N closed her eyes, and she took a deep breath in through her nose and out of her mouth. Her eyes moved from object to object in the room. She repeated this until the bile in her throat settled back down.

The wood of the pillar she was tied to was smooth against her arms, and the rope scratched her wrist. She looked down at her body to inspect her wounds. The gash on her arm had stopped bleeding, but she could see dirt and blades of grass stuck in the dried blood. It needed to be cleaned soon. When she lifted her eyebrows, she felt the crunch of dried blood being disturbed on her skin. She noticed that most of her face felt tight, so she assumed face was probably caked in blood. Every injury she had was at risk of infection.

Y/N moved on from herself and back to the room. The dirt floor and stone walls were illuminated by a single, thin window near the ceiling. A staircase to her right led up to a wooden door. Y/N could only see the bottom of the door, and, as far as she could tell, it was the only exit. There's no way I'm fitting through that window.

Scattered around the room were various pieces of furniture, including a wooden crib, a dresser, and a pile of dirty linen. The furniture was dull and coated in dust from a lack of use.

Probably a basement. Most likely a residence. She looked back at the window, and she waited to hear any sign of life. A child crying, people talking, even just footsteps, but there was nothing. Where the fuck did they bring me that's this quiet?

The silence continued for so long that Y/N winced when a door slammed shut somewhere above her. Dirt sprinkled down from the ceiling with every step the person took. She followed the path they walked across the room to the basement door. Her wrists burned as she tugged against her restraints. The door opened and a pair of brown boots stepped down onto the top stair. Y/N held her breath.

Step by step, the person was revealed. The boots stretched into white pants, then the tan jacket adorned with the Scouts symbol she knew all too well. A tiny part of her hoped that she was already being rescued. Reality stomped on that hope when a familiar face was revealed.

"Hello, sweetheart," Ryker leered at her.

No, no, no, no, Y/N thought she would absolutely vomit now.

He sauntered across the room and stopped at her feet.

"Speechless?" He snickered.

Y/N had so many questions, but she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of flustering her. She just glared at him and breathed through her nose. Her muscles screamed from how tense her whole body was.

"Mmm," he hummed as he leaned forward.

Ryker gripped her chin and snatched her head to the side. Y/N gritted her teeth to hold back a sob and her vomit.

"Looks like Stefan did a number on you. It almost makes up for what your little boyfriend did to me," he squeezed her jaw with so much force, she thought he might crush it. "Not quite though."

Ryker shoved her face to the side as he let go of her. Y/N was panting through her nose, doing her best to stay quiet. He stood up and straightened his jacket.

"How do I look? A little small, I know, but that's what I get for stealing it off that tiny Scout."

Y/N cut her eyes up at him.

"Maybe you know him. Short, bald, easily surprised."

No. No.

"Not ringing a bell? I believe I heard him called 'Springer.'"

No... Y/N let her eyes close. He's fine. Connie can't be dead.

"Mmm, I thought that was his name. Now," he clapped his hands together. "You have two options: you can answer my questions without resisting, or I get my payback on Levi and Erwin through you, and you answer my questions. Either way, you die in the end, so your choice is as trivial as your relationship with Smith."

Y/N scoffed. "Fuck you," she spit at his feet. "I'm a scientist. I don't deal with the inner workings of the Scouts, you idiot." She leaned her head back against the wood. "If this is your plan, I won't be able to answer your questions anyways."

"Oh," he chuckled. "No, sweetheart. I want you to tell me every single detail about the great Commander himself."