Stunned {A Levi X Oc}

18: Rescue?

When Levi finally arrived at his quarters that night, all was silent. There was not a soul in sight, not even pages running the halls in mad dashes to get information transferred. It was like the world stood still.

Levi felt a pressure on his body, like something was weighing him down. The high from his earlier revelations was almost gone, though the feeling of joy was still faintly present. He felt like something was going to happen. He'd gotten the feeling a day before Tay was taken, and then before the Beast Titan lay waste to the interior of the walls without breaking them.

Now it was back, but stronger. The strange weight he had come to relate to responsibility. Responsibility to his regiment, troops, the people within the walls, and above all, Taylor. He hated the feeling, but it kept him alive more than once.

So he slept fitfully, nightmares and the fanged face of the beast titan covered in blood haunting his dreams.

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Tay woke from her dozing just when the sun rose above the walls.

She didn't move from her position, keeping her eyes closed and breathing even as she took in the space around her. She waited until her mind slowly came back into focus, and she had a grasp of her immediate surroundings. There wasn't anyone nearby, so she let her eyes flutter open.

Tay blinked, looking around her little hiding spot. There was a small house she hadn't noticed before, hunched over and abandoned. It was jammed between the two walls of the alley, and it looked like there was an opening behind it. She wondered what was actually in there.

Curiosity got the best of her, and she shuffled closer. Her eyes scanned for movement, her senses on high alert as she moved closer. She heard footsteps and soft talking, coming closer to a little door on the left side of the dilapidated hut.

Tay crouched behind a stack of mystery substance and waited, listening.

"...two more! We don't....too many....food...."

"No!" Another voice retorted, sounding frustrated. "We have room! I can't just.... hunting..."

Tay sighed in relief. It sounded like a couple having a fight over rations or food. Tay waited until their footsteps faded to stand once more, creeping closer.

She peered inside gaping holes where glass windows used to be, and what she saw sent her reeling. There were around twenty people inside the broken down hut, huddled around several different stoves. The hut was much bigger than it looked on the outside; in fact, it looked massive on the inside.

There were people of different colors, ages, and genders, the only thing linking them being the state of their belongings. They all looked bedraggled and worn. Tay assumed she had found a homeless shelter or something of the like.

And considering her own circumstances, it was probably the best thing she could find. Tay knocked softly, and the entire room went silent. Children huddled close together, adults grabbed whatever was closest like they were weapons, and older men and women were herded to the center of the room. It was extremely organized.

She ducked away from the window when someone began stomping towards the door. She was lucky she did, as the door was violently flung outward. If she was any closer, Tay would have been hit. As it was, she was standing just outside the door with her hands up.

Tay stumbled backwards as a short, wide man took a menacing step forward. He glared down at her, holding a thick club of wood in both hands. He had a massive grey beard, and dark hair graying at the temples. His eyes were sharp and green.