Behind Closed Doors, Something Else Goes On

🚪 Chapter Eighteen

Armin's POV:

I wonder what's going on with Eren today. One second, his face's filled with sunshine the next, he's back to his grumpy old self again. Well, forgive me for noticing.

"What happened to the two of you? Lovers quarrel? C'mon, it ain't even lunch yet and you're already gay-ing around?", Jean blurted out. Neither of us gave him a reply and just focused on working for the day.

"Hey, Armin...", I heard Jean call, from his desk across to mine. "Can you lend me some cash, today?"

"I can, but I may not.", I replied, without bothering to look away from the monitor.

"Ugh. C'mon, you're my wing man!", I don't even know why Jean would bring that up now.

"What does that have to do with lending you my money?", I think I might have raised my voice a little.

"Well...you see, I just wanted to buy s-supplies. That's right, office supplies.", I furrowed my eyebrows with how he sounded not sure of what he was saying. He's probably lying about this, but I won't burst his bubble yet.

I decided to go with the flow, "If I remember it correctly, Miss Hanji was doing the inventory."

"So?", Eren asked, tilting his head.

"So maybe, she have a complete set of office supplies inside her office. She has to have at least one, what do you say?"

"You mean, we're going to trespass that Hell's kitchen?", Jean asked.

"Hell's kitchen?", Eren asked with a confused look.

Pfft. New talent for Mr. Kirstein, giving names. Hell's kitchen is hilarious, I give him that.

"Why not? We could just tell her when she arrives.", I nodded, giving them a reassuring smile.

"O-okay, I'm in.", Jean said.

"I'm still not sure about this...", Eren whispered, uncertain went along anyway.

I turned the door knob and let myself in. I was expecting a whole lot of creepy jars and all, but her office looked quite decent for someone rumored to be peculiar.

I asked Jean to look at the notes on the table and for Eren, I asked him to go and check the Hell's kitchen for us.

Much to my disappointment, there wasn't much in her office. Jean said that the notes were indeed the inventory, but the location wasn't written.

"What's taking Eren so long?", Jean wondered.

"I do not know. I should go check on him...", I patted Jean's back before entering the lab.

I called out for Eren about three times, but there was no response.

Just like the office, I was expecting a 'Hell's kitchen' when I took a step inside, but only a normal lab welcomed my eyes. It was one messy laboratory though.

"Armin! Mind helping me a bit here?", Eren called from somewhere.

"I'm coming. Now, wha--wow is that?", I went to the corner, where Eren presumably was.

"I'm stuck.", well, he literally was. If my deduction is right, he probably opened the cabinet and went to look inside, but a chair must've slid and locked him up.

I removed the said chair and pulled his arm, helping him get out.

However, just when I was about to close the cabinet... I heard a crack from somewhere.

"Eren, did you hear--crack...splash!

"Armin? What's happening to you? Armin!", I heard Eren scream out of his lungs.

What's happening to me? I feel kind of dizzy. My vision's getting blurry...

"Armiiiin!" was the last thing that registered from my ears before everything turned into a total darkness...