Freefall | Eren x OC

*Chapter 88: The Shoppe Girl and the Attack Titan

⚠️TW: HEAVY MATURE SUBJECT MATTER, PLZ READ A/N SPECIFIC TW TAGS ⚠️

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Isn't anyone trying to find me?

Won't somebody come take me home?

'I'm With You' by Avril Lavigne

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Lightning flashes across the sky as you run back the way you came, running as fast as you can. You don't look back when you hear Eren call out your name desperately, his voice already filled with regret. You just keep moving forward. Once you know you're out of earshot, you run and collapse into a tree bark, holding it and holding your chest as you shake and sob violently. You'll hold onto this tree for dear life as you sob for letting him go, letting yourself go... you'll never see him again. You know that for sure now.

But this was always meant to happen to you, with or without Eren. You realize now that you meant the words you just said. Eren gave you a second chance at life, he gave you a reason to keep going. But he can't be your second chance if he dies in a hail of gunfire. You're never meant to survive this, how could you? Uzui's obsession with you has gone to deadly lengths, his thread and yours are tied together, and he won't stop till one of the threads is cut. If you hadn't fallen in love, you would have died months ago one way or another to finally be free of him...

The words, that voice that has haunted you for months since you first heard it in your dreams now comes back to you as you shake and cry. You hold onto that tree, deep in the pitch-black forest, sobbing with all your might.

No matter what happens, you will fall.

You hold the bark tight to give yourself strength and out of the corner of your stinging tear-soaked eyes, you see a young girl watching you. You blink and wipe your eyes to see her better, but she's gone.

The lightning stops and the world lights up around you in a calmer bluish glow. You see the beauty of the forest around you. You look around at the wonder that is nature and turn your head skyward as the noises of the world fall away from you. It's a cloud filled night, but they've dispersed to give way to a bright and beautiful blue moon. Despite the unfairness, the utter cruelty of this world, there's still true beauty to it. What you and Eren had was true beauty.

You heave heavily and wipe your eyes as you let go of the tree and slowly, bravely walk back to the parking lot. The sounds of dogs and Tengen on his bullhorn, quiet in your haze as you walk, grow louder and louder as you draw closer. You see the parking lot clearing, see the bright headlights of SUVs and take a deep breath as if you're about to go underwater.

"DON'T SHOOT!" You shout calmly as you walk closer. "I'M HERE, DON'T SHOOT!"

You emerge from the woods, raising your hands as you do. Tengen and a round of armed Uzui guards stand in the otherwise empty lot. Uzui's holding some chain leashes connected to the necks of barking and vicious guard dogs and he grins widely when he sees you. Your eyes narrow from the blinding lights of the SUV headlights and a dozen light scopes of semi-automatics pointing right at you.

"Ahh Kitten, so glad you came back out here!" Tengen says acidly. "Now then... what are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry Te—Tengen, I—I didn't mean to... I—I needed the fresh air..." you say meekly, stalling as your eyes dart to the dogs barking at you.

"Hmm... and where's Dietrich?"

"He's not here, I st—stole his car in the confusion at the recep—reception..."