Crumbling Walls | Erwin Smith x Reader 18+

Chapter 23

Not So Special

"You have to understand, he'll only mess up this entire operation..."

An echo of Levi's voice. Muffled words, rising and falling into comprehension. Blurry images, going in and out of focus.

"I can't have him finding out..."

A tone of panic was weaved into his voice. Not scared. Simply panicked. Overwhelmed. He was running his options in his head. Of course, looking for what's best for this mission. What's best for his commander.

"I will come back for you, just hold on a bit longer..."

He was repeating these words. He will be back. Another promise he made. One he has to keep this time. But he was also running out of time. As the blood kept on seeping, as the situation they're in was still unknown. He had to go, he was needed.

"Stay here..." Was the last thing he said, before numbness and darkness took over. And his words echoed, and echoed, and sank you deeper into your fears.

"He can't know you've been injured..."

•••

Noise.

So much noise.

A sudden, harsh light.

Then it's a familiar view...

The brick walls. The cold, shiny tiled floors. The wooden ceiling and the many beds surrounding you. Except this time, none of them were empty. They were filled with many sleeping bodies. Obvious injuries and broken limbs hanging. Agony moans and coughs and screams were echoing inside the hall. Bouncing off the walls, and splitting your head in a deep headache the second your eyes fluttered open.

I'm at the infirmary...

You're not one bit lost on what had brought you here. As you lay on your stiff back, your leg in a cast, and your arm wrapped in gauze and bandages. There's an excruciating pain coming now the more seconds pass and you regain your senses. A flood of images, whispers, cries and screams come surging more inside your head. The breach night and what happened there. What you saw, what you heard, and what you felt in those few seconds that almost separated you from life.

So much pain...

More than physical, somehow, you could feel it inside you. There's an ache, pounding, with every beat your heart is doing. As if there's an opened wound inside of you that's still bleeding. A wound none of them saw, or sensed, and no one attended to. It's still bleeding and it hurts. So much. As if something had been ripped out and away from you. Something you've been holding...

You gasp, trying to take deep breaths, but you're almost panicking now. The more reality settles, the more seconds pass of you fathoming it. Your body jolts and kicks up, but another pain shoots right up your system. Your back and sides are sore. All of your body bones, broken and unbroken, are all aching. Your fingers and knuckles are stiff and your throat is dry.

Why do I always end up like this?

You ask yourself, still pulling yourself up now as slowly as you could. Relying on your left side because your right one is completely useless to you. You don't have to ask to know, that your leg is broken, your right shoulder was dislocated and you have deep wounds in your thighs. After all, you saw it yourself that night. As Levi tried his hardest to stop the bleeding, as he helped you! Now your eyes are widening.