Lara (Long-Fic Levihan | Armin Arlert X OC)

Chapter 56 - Massacre

BOOM!!! BOOM!!! BOOM!!!

The Beast Titan threw another hail of boulders.

"He knows where we are," Levi told the Commander. "This place is about to be attacked. Erwin, if there's really no chance for a counterattack, let's get ready to flee."

Levi pointed at the passed-out Eren on top of the Wall.

"Go up there and wake him up. Make him run away with as many people as he can carry... This way, we can at least save some..."

Then, they both heard a buzz coming from the recruits.

"Hey!" said a soldier with a bowl haircut, called Marlowe. "The horse got away!"

Marlowe grabbed the red-haired soldier that Levi had tried to pull by his cloak, who was called Floch.

"Why didn't you stop it?!" exclaimed Marlowe.

"Shut up!" replied Floch. "Like it matters!"

"Excuse me?!"

"All those soldiers were slaughtered as if their strength meant nothing!" Floch was now crying. "Do not pretend you don't understand! It's no use protecting the horses if there's no one alive to ride them home!!!"

The recruits looked at him in fright. Many were already crying, too.

Marlowe released him. Floch sat on the ground, clutching his hair in anguish.

"I used to think that everything made sense..." he said, between tears. "If humanity just hid behind the Walls, someday, the Titans would come in and kill us all... But, someone had to take the risk and act. To prevent people from becoming victims, someone had to stay and volunteer to be the victim. But... Who could be this brave soldier? When I was asked that, I believed I could be a hero!"

Marlowe was in shock, tears in his eyes as well.

"If only I knew that I was being sent here to die and that it would be totally meaningless!" continued Floch, with the images of his friends who died recently in his mind. "When I think about it, I'm sure more people feel this way... Why did I think I would be any different?!"

Floch buried his face in his knees, crying. The other recruits looked at each other, thinking exactly the same thing.

Levi watched him, serious. Then, he turned to Erwin.

"Perhaps you should ride home with the recruits and the others who are on the other side of the Wall. Take my girls and go... While the Titans focus on me, you can escape with Eren."

"What are you planning?" asked Erwin.

Levi closed his eyes.

He thought about Hange and Lara.

He thought about them going home, completely safe and sound from this hell.

"I'll... Face the Beast Titan," answered Levi, looking up. "I'll draw him away--"

"Impossible," Erwin cut it short. "You won't even get close."

Levi looked at the Beast Titan.

"Probably not..." he replied, then took a deep breath. "But if it helps the soldiers, you, Eren, and my girls to return home alive, there's still hope." Levi squeezed his hands and swallowed hard. "Even if it costs me to stay behind."

Levi looked at his friend.

"Isn't that the best we can do at this point? We're being massacred..." he wiped the sweat from his forehead. "I hate to say this, but to be quite honest, I doubt a single one of us is making it back alive..."