The Path Back to You | Levi x OC

Chapter 21 - Defiance

Anastasya

Anya felt her throat tear as she screamed out her horror, frozen in place while Erwin was snatched up by an impossibly fast Abnormal. The hulking monster had appeared from nowhere and plucked him straight from his saddle, clamping its enormous teeth around his outstretched arm and hauling him away. Every single soldier paused to look on in shock and terror as their fierce commander was carried off in the jaws of death, still yelling at them all to advance. Anya had a split second to decide upon her course of action. She could seize the opportunity to grab Eren and lead the soldiers in Erwin's place, or she could attempt to save him. It was all of humanity, or one man. Her eyelids flickered shut as she made her decision. When she opened them, pure courage burned in her heart and soul.
"GO AND GET EREN! ALL OF YOU, CONTINUE ADVANCING!" she ordered, her voice cracking.
She spun her horse round and began to race to Erwin, who had fallen suspiciously silent. She prayed that she wasn't too late. She refused to lose him. She glanced back over her shoulder and realised that only the 104th had followed her orders; everyone else seemed to be debating whether or not to go after her.
"FUCKING MOVE!" she roared, releasing her frustration at them. "THAT'S A DIRECT COMMAND!"
The soldiers snapped into action and spurred their horses over to where Reiner was still fending off the swarm of Pure Titans. She narrowed her eyes and turned around to focus on reaching Erwin. Hot tears from a mixture of physical and emotional pain blurred her vision, and her heart thumped wildly in her chest. She grit her teeth, forcing a veil of ice-cold calm upon herself as she got within touching distance of the Titan, and cleared her mind of everything except for battle logic. Now was not the time for emotion. The Abnormal seemed utterly uninterested in her, and totally absorbed in trying to swallow Erwin. To her astonishment, he was still fighting back, frantically trying to free himself. She should have suspected nothing less. She whistled once to Nightmare, signalling to her horse to wait nearby, and deployed her ODM gear. She gasped as she was pulled from her saddle, and she used the momentum to soar high up above the Titan, the wind screeching in her ears. Releasing a wavering cry of agony and sheer desperation, she managed to execute her signature, twirling move. As she began to fall, she sliced deep into the Titan's neck, cleaving through its tough, steaming flesh as easily as though she were slicing butter. It died immediately, a bone-chilling shriek the last sound it ever made. She realised, then, that it had severed Erwin's arm; either that, or he'd done it to himself in order to escape the Titan's maw. As a result, he was now plummeting to the earth below, barely conscious, and she dived after him. She scooped him from the air with tremendous difficulty, almost collapsing under his weight, and whistled for Nightmare. Moments later, she landed heavily upon her ever-loyal horse, grasping Erwin with trembling muscles in order to keep him balanced in the saddle in front of her. He groaned, and she felt warm, sticky blood soaking unrestrained into her chest. Somehow, he was still lucid, and she was counting on his stubborn determination to see the mission through to the end to keep him going.
"...Anastasya..."
"Hold on!" she urged him. "Erwin, take the reins. Quickly!"
She slipped Nightmare's reins into his remaining hand, before reaching up and undoing the black ribbon she used to tie her hair back with, repurposing it to make the best tourniquet she could for his bleeding stump. She reached forward and took the reins from him, gritting her teeth as his massive frame obscured her view, his heavy body crushing her chest and ribs. She spurred Nightmare forward and, faster than ever, the horse seemed to fly straight through the forest of Titans. However, a few completely blocked their way, and so Anya once more handed the reins to Erwin and used her ODM gear to dispatch them, clinging onto the dregs of her strength. To her eternal amazement, from out of the corner of her eye, she watched as Erwin guided Nightmare closer to Reiner and, using his gear one-handed, zipped up to where Bertholdt still had Eren tied to his back. Before the dark-haired recruit could react, Erwin sliced through the restraints. Eren fell immediately, his arms still bound, but Mikasa zipped forward and grabbed him with blinding speed. Anya heard Erwin whistle as she slaughtered another Titan, and Nightmare responded. Her horse galloped over to him as Erwin toppled from the Titan. He landed squarely in the saddle.
"All soldiers! RETREAT!" he cried.
She allowed herself a moment to breathe a wheezing sigh of relief. Erwin was alive, he had regained some vitality, and Eren had been rescued. It was enough. It was time to go home. She glanced down from the Titan she was on the verge of killing, searching for a horse she could use to make her escape. However, there were none to be seen.
"Shit..." she muttered.
The Titan beneath her started to growl and thrash around in an attempt to throw her off. She had no choice but to execute it, despite not having a safe mount to land upon. She braced herself for falling and tumbled through the sky, accepting that at last, after everything she'd been through, it was time to die. Now that she was clear of the Titans, who were still harassing Reiner, she had absolutely nothing to slow her descent, and the injuries to her body had finally breached her pain threshold. She slipped in and out of consciousness as the world spun around her, snatching the final whispers of breath from her lungs. Somewhere far, far away, she heard Erwin call Jean's name, and she wondered what else had gone wrong. She was vaguely aware of two, strong arms encircling her, and then she landed with a loud thud upon the back of a horse. She cracked open an eye to see Jean staring down at her as he directed his steed to catch up with everyone else.
"Oh," she rasped. "Thanks."
"We're not clear yet," he said, clenching his teeth.
Far too close for comfort, a huge Titan smashed into the earth. It seemed that Reiner had resorted to tossing them at the retreating Scouts in a last-ditch attempt to stop them.
"Where's Erwin?!" she asked, her eyes suddenly shooting open.
"He's up ahead! A Titan's after him! Damnit!"
She watched in dismay as Ymir leapt at the Titan in question, accidentally causing Erwin to topple from Nightmare and come to an abrupt halt right in the middle of the battleground. Soldiers rushed to help him, but they were simply devoured before they could even get close.
"Fuck!"
Anya was aware that breathing was becoming nigh on impossible, but she gathered the very last of her power and whistled, long and low. Nightmare turned and began speeding towards them.
"Jean! Find Eren and keep him safe!"
"Captain Anya! You're too hurt to ride! The commander told me to keep you safe!"
Before he could stop her, she grabbed onto Nightmare's reins and swung herself up. She howled in agony, spat out a huge glob of blood, and raced over to where Erwin crouched on the ground. He was clutching the stump of his arm, not daring to move as Titans tottered towards him.
"Anastasya! What are you doing?!" he demanded. "I can be replaced! Find Eren! Time is of the essence!"
She ignored him. To hell with humanity. She stood over him protectively, readying herself to attack.
"Anastasya..." he gasped. "You'll die. Please..."
She leapt at the nearest Titan and destroyed it, her usual grace and precision all but gone. It fell with incredible speed, and she had no choice but to grab onto its fast-evaporating hair, unable to summon Nightmare in time. The sheer force of the impact as it hit the ground dislodged her immediately, along with one of her shoulders, and she rolled straight to Erwin's feet. Her whole body quaked as she tried to stand again, but Erwin dropped his sword and grabbed her with his remaining arm.
"Anastasya! I forbid you from sacrificing yourself for me!" he shouted, his eyes soaked with terror. "Get on a horse and run."
"I will not leave you!" she gasped. "We either both make it or we both die, right here, right now!"
Grief and understanding flickered across his face, and he pulled her closer to him, trying to shield her from the advancing monsters, despite the futility of it all.
"Thank you," she choked. "For everything."
As Erwin was about to reply, all of the Titans stopped dead in their tracks. They turned away from them and suddenly charged straight towards a huge, female-looking Titan that was on the verge of devouring Eren. They swarmed it, tearing it to shreds without mercy, while everyone froze to watch. It was utterly astounding. It was also the perfect opportunity to escape. Erwin half dragged, half lifted Anya onto Nightmare, and then climbed up behind her in the saddle.
"TO THE WALL!" he cried. "FULL RETREAT!"
However, Reiner was not quite done. He lunged for Eren, but the young Scout turned back and  roared out his defiance. Nearly straight after, the Pure Titans lost interest in their prey and instead ran to attack the Armoured Titan once more, almost as though Eren was controlling them. It was their final chance to get away, and they took it. Anya let silent tears drip from her scorched, stinging cheeks as Erwin rode hard for Wall Rose through the gathering dusk. Although she did her best to stay awake, it wasn't long before looming darkness came to embrace her.
The last thought she had was whether or not she'd ever see Levi again.