I'll Make You Bleed

Just Stop (Sasha POV)

**written by: thesketchytepe**

12:33 AM 

As their feet pounded against the forest floor and the chilly night wind whipped at their skin, Sasha couldn't get the sound of that distant shot out of her head. That was Jean and Marco and the killer. They were out there somewhere, fighting for their lives. Her stomach ached at all the possibilities that could've happened just then. Marco was carrying the rifle when they left—did he shoot the killer? Was he dead? Did the shot go up in the air or in the trees and didn't hit anything at all? What if something got mixed up and now the killer had the gun? Was Jean or Marco—?

She slapped a hand to her mouth and swallowed a painful groan. No, God, please no. Historia was already dead and Ymir was still missing. No more can happen tonight; she couldn't handle another drop of blood. She didn't know what she'd do if something were to happen to anyone else.

The same thing started to happen when she found Eren stumble through the door with Historia in his arms: reminiscences crashed against her mind like the waves of a hurricane, overwhelming her senses and drowning her in fear and mourning. Memories of Marco's smiling face and kind promises and helping hands made her eyes water, but the recollections of Jean made her chest crack and a sob escape her throat.

She didn't have anything against Marco, of course not. She loved him with all her heart and thought he was a literal angel that she had the honor to meet, but she'd known Jean longer, had more memories with him. They went to the same school together along with Connie, Eren, Mikasa, and Armin. She remembered the several trips to the mall she took with Connie and Jean, munching on giant pretzels while copying poses the mannequins made in each store window. She recalled that time Jean spent the night at Connie and Sasha's apartment and he mistakenly fell asleep before them—Connie had placed large googly eyes on his closed eyelids while she snapped a few pictures, holding back her giggles as much as she could. She treasured the times they'd pick up fast-food and then go to the park or their apartment or even just sit in the middle of a parking lot. They'd talk about everything and anything as they nibbled on their burgers and the feeling of complete ease and happiness that'd sat in her chest couldn't compete with anything else.

All these memories weighed heavily in her stomach and she gripped at her sweater, feeling the unbearable pain that sat there and the loss of oxygen to her brain. She slowed her pace to try and catch her breath, but Connie tugged on her hand harder.

"C'mon, Sash," he whispered. "C'mon, we're almost there."

She huffed and began running again.

I can't do this, she whimpered to herself. I can't keep going. We've been running forever; I feel like I'm gonna pass out. I can't even tell where we're going.

She peered into the blackness. She could see Connie dragging her behind him and the faint outlines of Reiner and Berthold ahead. Her eyes flew around them wildly to catch anything else besides the dark pine trees or crumpled leaves beneath her feet. But it somehow made her head swirl even more, twirling into an oblivion that punctured her stomach and made her limbs twitch toward safety, wherever that may be.

A sudden flash of heat swiped across her face and her left leg grew a mind of its own and jerked to the side. She tripped over her own foot and she fell forward, collapsing onto Connie's lower back. He crashed onto the muddy ground and she landed on the back of his short legs. A grunt left Connie's lips and Sasha could hear Reiner and Berthold stop dead in their tracks before running their way back to them.

"You guys okay?" Berthold whispered at the same time Reiner muttered, "Get up, you two."

Sasha's hands trembled as she weakly grabbed at Connie's legs. He attempted to get back up, but was pulled back each time he tried.