Petrichor

Chapter 2 - Rory

"Prove You Wrong" by HOLLYWOOD MANNEQUIN

"Great," Levi scoffed, turning away from the blonde woman I caught.

I sighed, looking down at her for a brief moment. "Bound to happen, right?" With a shrug, I readjusted my position to be more comfortable for her and I. Flipping her over to reveal her face, her blonde hair still cascaded onto the filthy ground. Hange stepped forward and squatted beside me, surveying her features carefully.

    "She could be a useful asset, Rory." Hange remarked, but a frown graced her features. "She looks awful. I mean, like, boney sort of." She cleared her throat, rubbing the back of her neck thoughtfully.

    I nodded, leaning back a bit. "She's fast though, especially with broken and outdated gear. She can definitely be useful. The hard part is convincing her." I shifted my gaze to where Levi stood impatiently, whistling to earn his attention. "Captain," I waved my hand. "You tired?"

    "No."

    I grinned, gesturing to the woman. "That makes one of us. Carry her." I practically demanded this of him, and to the remark he feigned disgust. Though, the more I stared, I realized he wasn't faking it.

    "Don't order me." He set his mouth in a thin line with an almost unrecognizable expression.

    "I just did. Come on, I'm beat."

    Erwin audibly sighed, crossing his arms as he watched the two of us. "One of you do it already, let's just go." He raised a brow, taking a step in the direction to leave.

    Levi, with great disdain, stepped forward. He bent over and I helped heave her onto his back. When he gave the all clear, we got our gear together and took off. It was much quicker using our ODM gear, though the rundown buildings were difficult to maneuver through. The trip was relatively short on the way back, no chasing or fighting, less adrenaline, less exhausting work. When we reached the surface Erwin promptly redirected us to an awaiting carriage.

Levi set the woman on a bench in the carriage, and I followed in suit, sitting beside her. Erwin and Levi sat across from us, while Hange took lead of the horses. The ride was silent at first, I could tell they were both tired from the last mission. Neither of them were big talkers anyhow, though Erwin could go on for hours on a good day.

    I noticed the subtle shift of the woman beside me, and out of curiosity, I looked at her. Her hands were subconsciously pressed against her abdomen. I shifted to check what she covered, but spotted a trickle of blood seeping between her fingers. Gingerly, I reached for her hands and removed them from the area, to which she had no strength to resist. With caution, I peeled her shirt up to reveal a pitifully wrapped bandage around her waist. It was filthy and clearly needed a change, but what struck me was the wound underneath it, not even fully covered. I lifted the bandages, eyeing a deep laceration spanning roughly two inches. It was oozing a clear liquid accompanied by the blood, swollen around the skin. Time wouldn't heal this right, medicine would. She was on a fast path to infection. And infection meant death.

    I stood and pivoted to bang my fist on the panel, and when Hange briefly turned, I yelled for her to move with urgency. Levi and Erwin stared in my direction, confused.

    I began to work on the bandage, but made it a point to explain the situation. "She's, uh, got a little cut. Well, not so little I guess," I muttered, pinpointing my gaze on the bandages as I re-tied it to be tighter. I pressed my hands against the wound firmly, putting as much pressure on it as I could. It earned a wince from the woman, but she remained unconscious.

"Do you think she's in critical condition?" Erwin asked, gripping onto his seat as we sped up.

"She needs immediate medical attention," I glanced back to where my hands lay, "the wound has opened back up. Probably my fault." I think previously to when I unbalanced her mid-flight, causing her to fall twenty or so feet.

"Let's just focus on getting the problem fixed," Erwin gave me a firm nod, and I reciprocated. Levi failed to pretend any kind of concern. He seemed annoyed with the whole situation, but understandably so.

Hange was steadfast in her approach to the infirmary, getting us there in record timing. She turned sharply, which almost knocked me off balance, but I was relieved when we arrived. Erwin and Levi hastily opened the carriage door, stepping out onto the grassy field. I aided in handing her off to Erwin, who immediately stepped forward. He didn't wait for me, rather he turned and sped into the building, Hange following in suit. I jumped out of the carriage, but took a minute to collect my thoughts. Alright, I got put on a small hush-hush mission to collect a potential Scout - from the underground of all places. We start the chase and she's fast as hell, but I'm faster. Of course I catch her, but it's just our luck we get nothing out of her before she goes and passes out. Typical. Though I don't believe the fall helped.

    "Long day, huh?" I comment, leaning against the carriage and giving a small smile to Levi. "You should really up my pay, I mean, this is just exhausting." I'm half joking, but he doesn't seem amused.

    "I'm not able to," he responded quietly, and when I stared for a minute, he looked like he was in deep thought. It had always been hard for me to read his emotions, but now it was even harder. He stared at the ground, eyes squinted, brows knitted together. Since I'm not going to get anything else out of him, I languidly walked over to the horses. They've always provided me with some sort of comfort. I rest in knowing they're some of the most innocent creatures we still have in this wretched place. And yet, we still put them through knowing fear, the chase, and the sound of death. No one on a mission has fun.

    Maybe, if they lived outside the walls and away from our reach, they'd have a more peaceful life. But that's wishful thinking. Maybe we're the horses in someone else's story, forcing us to face those mindless creatures. Setting us up for failure, creating the enemy. That would be funny. Twisted, but funny.