hopeless | jean kirstein

24 | deep within

Riding through the night, the Levi Squad began to head towards where they assumed Eren and Historia were being held—the Reiss Chapel that was located within the innermost parts of Wall Rose. Torches in hand, they rode through the night, their pace fast and hurried as they raced against time. They knew it was only a matter of time before Eren was to be eaten, and the thought only succeeded in making them want to rescue him, as quick as possible.

"Understand?" They heard Captain Levi say from behind them, seated in the wagon. His voice was firm and his gaze serious as he talked with Mikasa, warning them of who exactly they were up against. "He's Kenny the Ripper. If he's there, he'll be our biggest obstacle."

He leaned back against the wagon, his hands clasped together in thought. "In terms of how much of a threat he is, equate him to me as an enemy," He paused momentarily, before adding to his sentence. "No...with those weapons of his, he's even deadlier than me."

Blinking in disbelief, Taryn chewed on her bottom lip nervously. She could see Sasha on horseback right beside her, the girl's mouth hung open slightly. Sasha frowned, tightening her grip around her horse reins. "Then, he's unbeatable, at least for us."

Connie nodded in agreement with her before ducking his head, his expression weary. "If we could meet up with the other troops..."

"Absolutely not." Mikasa snapped.

"Yes! Of course not!" He laughed nervously. "If we wait until morning, Eren might end up getting eaten!"

Finally, they reached their destination and spotted an old building concealed deep within the woods. The Captain ordered them to halt, the group stopping in their tracks. They studied the structure, and from the big wooden doors to the majestic stone structures, its appearance matched what they were told, confirming the building as the Reiss Chapel.

Without any second thought, they got down from their horses and prepared themselves, strapping on their gear, readying their weapons. "Careful," Came Levi's usual monotone voice, his arms crossed as he watched over them. "Bring the supplies."

They hauled the supplies, often going in groups of two to carry them all, following Hange and the Captain as they made their way towards the building. Kicking open the huge doors, they were greeted by the sight of what appeared to be a normal chapel—rows of long wooden chairs, an elevated surface at the front to represent some kind of altar. Though the normalcy of it all only seemed to raise suspicion among them, and Hange ordered them to search the premises.

They began to search every corner, every nook and cranny for anything that they deemed unusual. It wasn't long until Armin let out a small gasp, his hands pulling back a carpet to reveal a secret trapdoor. "Found it!" He exclaimed, garnering everyone's attention. "A hidden door."

Crouching down, Levi smoothed over the surface, dusting off the dust that had accumulated over the years. Hange knelt down beside him, narrowing their eyes at the door. "Eren's gotta be in there with the enemy. Hopefully the layout is like I predicted."

"These presents better pay off, considering we went out of our way to prepare them." The Captain muttered before turning to Armin, who was fixing up the load of supplies they brought.

Securing the knots and making sure everything was in place, he glanced back at the man and flashed him a determined smile. "All right, we're good to go."

"Are we?" Levi raised a brow. "Is everyone ready to get their hands dirty?"

He glanced at the group, their bodies stiff and posture upright, clutching unto their weapons so tight to the point their knuckles were turning white. They were all visibly nervous and unprepared for what was waiting for them beyond that small trapdoor. They'd have to kill people, and the same people were trying to kill them, there was so much uncertainty in the air and the lack of knowledge they had didn't help at all.