Filthy Dog- Riren

Part 9

"Albert Yeager, Sophia Yeager, Grisha Yeager, Faye Yeager, Dina Yeager, Carla Yeager, Zeke Yeager, Eren Yeager." As Eren finishes his list of melodic names, the door emits strangled grinding and groaning before popping open enough for Eren's little arms to wiggle inside, and push the door a bit higher. Eren squirms under the door making a pained sound before I can even move to catch him.

'Eren, shit." I run forward pulling the door up fully and stepping into the now dim lit staircase, nearing the bottom is Eren who is shouting the names he had said earlier. Shit, the trapped cadets may think of him as an enemy and attempt to kill him. I clamber down the stairs grabbing Eren who was in mid-jump from the stair case to the last step.

"Levi let me gooo, I need to find my family, and you your cadets." Says Eren as he tries to squirm from my arms. I tighten my grip hoisting him onto my back like you would a piggy back ride. (The next 900 words deleted here, I wanted to quit) "No Eren, you must stay with me," I state as I let my eyes wonder around the dim-lit tunnel, "Eren, where are we?" I question the boy who is now clutching to me like roots to the ground.

"The forbidden tunnel, it will take us right to the building, I'm sure of it Levi." He answers while bouncing about. I turn my head when I hear the stairs creek behind me; it's the rest of the squad.

"What now Levi, Eren." Asks Erwin who walks down first, with a squealing Hanji beside him.

Eren pipes up to Erwin for the first time, but in a low whimpering voice, "C-c-commander Smith, we must f-follow the tunnel to my home, t-t-there is where the soldiers sh-sh-sh-should be. He finishes his fit of word stumbling and plunges his face into my neck. "Good, I'll lead with Hanji, Levi, stay close incase Eren needs to speak." Erwin stars to walk lighting a torch. Hanji smiles brightly leaping next to Erwin and speaking him up about how massive this tunnel actually is.

The tunnel is wide as if something giant burrowed in through it, but that's not what bothered me- Filth. It is everywhere, small bugs can be seen crawling around freely in their own utopia, and the air is so thick with the offending element, you can see a good amount of particles. I walk forward with Eren happily snuggling up into my neck.

A few minutes into the trek and Eren suddenly lifts his head, " Levi, I Love you." I nearly stumble upon hearing his random words of confession.

"Do you even know what that mean's Brat?"

Eren is quiet for a few seconds, "It's the happy beating of my heart for you, and the excitement of you hugging me, and always wanting to be your Brat, Right Levi?" I can't help it when my heart speeds up, crazy Brat doesn't know what he is saying.

I planned a whole speech but am interrupted by Erwin, "Eren, we need your help."

Eren jumps slightly before letting me go and falling a distance to the ground. He falls flat on his butt, but hops back up rushing towards a metal door like the one before, but it is an actual door.

He turns back to the squad, "This is the last door, and I hope my parents and Zeke are home." Again I bite my tongue, whoever this Zeke guy is, I hate him, I'm pretty sure he even mentioned him the first time upstairs.

Eren knocks twice excitedly on the door, nearly bouncing like Hanji when we catch a titan. A monitor lights up on the door, and a man with long dark hair appears on screen. "THAT'S MY DADY, THAT'S MY DADDY, HI DADDY!" The screen doesn't answer but instead ask, "Full name please."

Eren stares at the screen before giving a look of something connecting, "Eren Yeager." He says, all excitement drained from his body."

"Eren, why did you wonder beyond the walls of the castle?" The man asks.

"The residents of the castle went missing, leaving just me," Eren answers, I feel him grow sad, "I believe they are dead Computer Grisha." The man on the monitor gives a blank look before the screen switches slightly, as if to a different recording.

"Please press a hand to the highlighted mark on the door." The man asks. Eren follows the command, pressing his pointer digit to a red highlighted area. He whimpers and pulls back a bleeding finger.

I rush forward past Erwin and Hanji picking up Eren and covering his finger with my cowl, not wanting to risk the dirty air contaminating his wound.

"Welcome, Young Master Eren Yeager." Answers the monitor as the door unhinges.

Eren asks to be put down and I grant his wish, but he holds tight to my right hand with his left pulling open the door and pulling me inside a warm room. The lights soon flicker on lighting up a small room, the walls are decorated in grey stone and the flooring is a beautiful red tint wood color. Eren pulls me to a door with a delicate design on it and pulls it open as well, we are immediately met with the stressed face of a survey corps soldier.

The soldier, Nanaba, Leaps onto me in tears, sending Eren to the floor with a cry. "Dear lord, thank you, thank you so damn much," She cries out with a gush of tears down her face, she spots more cadets spilling in behind me and runs forward embracing everyone. I make a sound of disapproval picking Eren up from the ground where he is glaring at Nanaba's back. Once on his feet, Eren grasps my hand tighter than he ever has and cuddles it close to his chest.

Once Nanaba has confirmed we are all real she gasps, "The cadets, the cadets are spread out everywhere, but we must leave now, I fear the titans make break through any moment."

Eren takes this moment to speak up, "I can take us to a command room and make an announcement, everyone can meet in the library." Nanaba is shocked to see Eren but simply nods her head in reply. "All the cadets have been there, it is our camp site. Right, Lead the way, small child..." Eren purses his lips at Nanaba, "My names Eren, Eren Yeager."

Nanaba's eyes widen at this statement, "The youngest child of the owners of this palace, your Eren Yeager?" She says before her eyes grow sad. Eren nods his head before turning briskly and pulling me down a long corridor where we encounter a few more cadets, we take more twist and turns and I look back to see only Hanji, Erwin, and Nanaba have followed us.

We stop in front of a gold tinted door with a silver keyboard next to it, Eren presses in a code, "8,0,6,8,9,9,9,4,6,6,6,6,9,5,3,9." Says Eren all the while punching in the ridiculously long code, where did he even find the time to memorize this? The door unhinges with a clicking sound and Eren swings the door open like an angry little elf. The room, small but comfortable, is the same one from the monitor before we entered. Eren lifts his small body into a chair, knees resting soundly in the indents. He reaches out holding a yellow button and speaking loudly into a black stick with a foam cover, not that the cover made him any quieter. "Hello, this is Eren Yeager, you are in my castle, and I am on the mic. I am with your friend Banana, Hanji, Erwin, and Levi," Eren stand on the chair poking his butt out and getting impossibly closer to the 'mic', "Please meet at the library, so we may all leave, we will dispatch the area, in some minutes, because I don't know any." I step closer to Eren, "Eight Minutes Eren." Eren looks at me then says, "We leave in Eight Minutes Eren." mic with a mocking tone. I scoff and snatch him from the mic, before controlling it myself, "Meet at the library in eight minutes, or be left." I conclude before picking up a pouting Eren, kissing his cheek, passing him to his 'mother'.