angelic | jean kirstein

chapter twenty four

ANGELIC – CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

"It makes me sick. Nobody knows a thing about this world. Not us or anyone else, except for the bastards at the centre of it all." Levi sighed. "We're letting you go. But we need to give ourselves a head start on you."

Hitch dropped her head, eyes wide. Isabel felt sorry for the woman, she had also been fooled by Annie once, she knew exactly what she was going through - getting close to someone, letting them in, then being betrayed when you didn't expect it. A part of her felt sad thinking about it, but another part of her screamed how wrong Annie did her - how wrong she did everyone.

"Annie..."

"Hey, Captain Levi!" Marlow exclaimed, "please, let me join your cause. I believe the Military Police are in the wrong here. If there is any way I could fight this world's injustice, then that's what I want to do!"

Something about Marlow was so familiar to Jean, maybe it was his sense of justice or maybe it was the way he just wanted everything to be made right. Marco, he thought somberly. He even sort of looked like him - his dark hair, pale skin. The only thing missing was the freckles, though now he was starting to forget what he even looked like.

"Easy, calm down."

"I swear I won't let you down, sir."

"No." Levi sheathed his blades. "I have no way of knowing if you have the resolve to be an enemy of the state." He turned his attention back to the squad. "Let's go. Lead them deeper into the woods, Sasha."

"Hey, Captain." Jean finally spoke up, "would you let me do it instead?"

-

Isabel sat uncomfortably in the tree, silently watching the scene below her. She had gathered what Jean was planning when he volunteered to take the two deeper into the woods, she wasn't sure if she knew because she knew him so well or if he was just that easy to read - either way, she was his backup.

She watched as Jean held a gun to Marlow's chin, a knife in Marlow's hand - though she couldn't hear what they were talking about. Jade eyes shot to the right to see Hitch with a large tree branch in her hands, her eyes narrowed. She waited to pounce to see if Hitch would actually hit him - she did.

Jean fell to the ground instantly, "horse face jerk!"

Isabel jumped from the tree and landed on Hitch's back, knocking the branch out of her hand. Her hands quickly moved to restrict Hitch's movement. "Stop it! He was just trying to test us!" Marlow yelled as he looked down at the squirming Hitch.

"Not so tough are you now, princess?" Isabel mocked as she got off of Hitch, wiping her hands on her pants. Marlow helped Hitch to her feet, the latter fearfully eyeing Isabel. Scary, where did she even come from? she thought.

Isabel lent a hand down to help pull Jean up, her eyes carefully checking him for any serious injuries. "Are you crazy?" Marlow asked. "Even with my hands bound I could've took a swing at you with that knife and done some real damage. How did you know I wouldn't do it?"

"I wouldn't have let it get that far." Isabel turned to face him.

"Where did you even come from?" Jean asked as he rubbed the back of his head. Isabel shrugged and folded her arms, refusing to give up her secret spot. He rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to Marlow. "Don't ask me how, but you remind me of this annoying guy. An idiot."

"He's not that bad." Isabel shrugged.

Marlow paused. "Makes me wonder. Was he one of the idiots Annie told me about?"

Jean noticed how Isabel tensed up slightly, anytime Annie was mentioned out of the blue she always tensed up. He brushed his hand against hers, letting her know he was there.

-

"Screw you."

Levi kicked the soldier before kneeling down to him, his face eerily calm. "Where'd they take Eren and Christa?"

"You bastards." The man panted, trying to regain his breath. "You think you're so brave. That post was manned by recruits, they barely knew how to wipe their own asses. No one's going to think you're heros for beating them down."

Levi stood. "Yeah, the guilt is tearing me apart." He kicked his foot straight into the soldier's mouth, teeth falling and blood spewing out his mouth, he tried to groan but it came out muffled due to the boot obstructing his words. "But what really gets at me is that mouth of yours. I'm going to suggest you start talking whilst you're still able to use it. Now where are Eren and Christa?"

He finally removed his foot and watched as the soldier gasped for air, choking slightly on his own blood. Isabel felt repulsed, watching the red liquid ooze out his mouth like a river. Disgusting, she thought and turned her nose up.

"You can't win." He sputtered out. "All that's left to you now is to find some filthy corner to hide in! Covered in mud and shit! If you don't turn yourselves in, then every last scout we captured will get the noose!" He turned his attention to the blonde, a small smirk on his lips. "Starting with the guiltiest of all, your daddy!"

Seething rage consumed her, it bubbled and finally passed the brim, she shoved past Levi and grabbed the man's hair, and slammed his head into the tree with a force so harsh that another one of his teeth fell out. She grabbed the knife from her waist and held it to the man's throat, she pressed it harshly into his neck starting to draw blood. With one of her legs she stamped hard on his right knee, a loud crack echoing around the small group.

"Oh, I'm sorry, does that hurt?" She mocked, a look so terrifying in her eyes even Levi's expression faltered for a second. "Answer his question." She growled as she pressed her foot harder into his already broken leg.

Levi didn't dare to stop her, he folded his arms and simply watched, his composure regained. "Some scouts' lives are more valuable than others, only those dumb enough to agree, join us. Again, where'd they take Eren and Christa?"

"I suggest you answer." Isabel warned as she pushed the knife slightly deeper.

His eyes were brimming with tears, "I-I don't know, nobody told me! I Swear! Kenny Ackerman doesn't like to make his business known!"

"Ackerman?" Levi asked, Mikasa's head darted up. "I know Kenny, that his last name?"

"It is, but -"

"He never was much of one for sharing information. Not important stuff, anyway. But I bet you have a rough idea. You best try to remember, you still have plenty of bones left for her to break."

The soldier looked to Isabel, his eyes almost bulging out of the sockets when he saw the grin on her face. "Damn it. Are you guys insane?!"

"Maybe." Levi's words were steadily calm.

Isabel leant down to his ear, "you'll have to find out." She whispered.

"Somebody's coming towards us." Sasha alerted, her bow and arrow already facing the potential danger. Isabel discarded the knife and flung the man to the floor, her hand gripping his hair to stop him from moving and her other covering his blood stained mouth. "And there's more than one."

Everyone got in position and lay low, awaiting the imminent danger. "Told you, you're beat." His words were muffled through Isabel's palm and she simply just hit his head off the ground - not hard enough to knock him out but hard enough for him to get the message to shut up.

Isabel watched as two figures wandered through the tall grass, their identities covered by their cloaks and guns pointed. Adrenaline raced around her body, her teeth peeling loose skin from her bottom lip. Her eyes flickered over to Sasha and Connie, the two by neighbouring trees watching and waiting, Sasha turned her head and gave Isabel a quick reassuring nod that if they were military police, she'd handle them quickly.