Never Say Goodbye (Levi x Reader)

Chapter 4

August 9th, 841

"After her!" the soldiers yelled. They readied their rifles and demanded that I surrender. I held the child close to my chest as I sprinted down an alley with the guards close behind. "We will not hesitate to shoot!" I need to get away from them, but there isn't anywhere to hide! We've been running for hours, and it feels like my legs are about to collapse. I knew coming in here was a bad idea, but I had no choice. It was pouring down rain and there was no way I'd let this child get sick; not after what I promised her.

Just as I was able to lose the soldiers, the child started to cry; he cried so loud that not even my hand muffling his screams could quiet him. The soldiers quickly found us, and we were back on the run. My head pounded as we raced down every alley and squeezed through every crack. One of the chasing soldiers fired a bullet and it just barely missed us. This isn't good. If I don't find someplace to shelter us soon, we'll be nothing but a blood splatter on the ground.

I turned the corner and hid behind a wall; the soldiers ran straight past us. I tried to quiet the child's cries, but they seemed to get louder with every attempt. I need- wait, what's that? Off into the distance was an overhang covering some stairs that led underground. As if on cue, the soldiers came running towards me. I cursed under my breath as my break was over and started running towards the overhand. If I can get there, then maybe I can lose these soldiers.

The child's cries grew louder with every step. If I want to ensure our safety, then I need to act fast. I quickly spun around and threw the weapon bag at one of the three soldiers. He stumbled and fell on his back; the breath ripped from his lungs. The next soldier tried to apprehend me by slamming the gun's rear against my head, but I kicked him in the side and dodged his gun. As for the last, he dropped his gun and started to flee. "You won't get away with this!" he yelled as he ran away. I took that as my chance to gather the fallen bags and continue toward the underground area, but I was forced to leave the weapons behind as multiple soldiers appeared out of nowhere; they began to chase.

I dodged their bullets by a margin as I slid down the stairs. "Don't chase after her!" one of the soldiers called out. "That place is enough of a punishment. If we're lucky, then she'll die down there." The tunnels beneath the overhang were like a maze; every turn we took we seemed to be going down the same path – I don't know if we're going in circles or not. The shadows in this labyrinth were reaching out like they were trying to pull us into them. It felt like we were trapped; trapped in a pit with no escape.

After countless turns and passing the same cracked walls for what felt like hundreds of times, I noticed a dim light not far off in the distance. I could hear chatter, and the closer I got, the light grew brighter. Maybe it was a place to stay, or maybe it was what those soldiers were referring to as 'she'll die down there'. Either way, I had no choice but to continue. I placed my back against the wall of the source as I peeked through the cracks. To my surprise, there was an entire underground city. The buildings were in awful condition and people were stealing from merchants who looked like they were struggling to make a living. I looked down, and the child had stopped crying; his beautiful green eyes were staring into mine.

Not far left of the cracks where I saw the underground city, there was a tunnel that looked, but as soon as I started to feel a sliver of faith, I could hear voices start to shout from behind me. I quickly climbed into the tunnel and began to crawl, hoping my destination was one of hope and not despair. All of a sudden, I felt someone grab my foot, so I whipped around and kicked the attacker – another soldier – in the face before speeding away. He called for reinforcements, and that was the only sign I needed to get out of there.

After constant stumbling and barely squeezing my way through ravine-tight walls and holes, I finally made it to the other side of the tunnel; the exit led me to an alley near the front of the city. I could see through the cracked windows of homes, and in every single one, families were struggling to find money to put food on their plates; mothers clung to their children with desperate eyes. I kept my head down and continued to run down the alley. Left and right, there were constant scenes of people struggling to hold onto their lives, and there was nothing they could do but hope for the best. It took all I had to not help them, but I needed to put his life first.

 Over mounds of trash and through fences of wire, and through cracked walls onto dirt paths. This place is truly a madhouse. All of the residents looked awful - is food and money that much of an issue down here? I guess housing is as well considering the number of boxes people are sleeping in. There's no way I can give this child that sort of life. I don't know where we'll be or for how long, but during that time, I must make sure this child does not end up suffering the same fate as everyone here; or even worse, the same fate we had.

It was like my prayers were suddenly answered. I stumbled over a broken pile of glass; a shard managed to lodge itself deep into my leg. I bit my lip to stay shut as I pushed through the pain and climbed through a broken window, ultimately resulting in my clothes tearing and my skin ripping. The place seemed to be completely abandoned; spiderwebs and cobwebs lurked over every surface and there was no furniture inside. The only decoration was the water-damaged wood in the floorboards and glass pieces that scattered the floor. There used to be paint on the walls, but it was pealing and rotting so badly, I couldn't tell what colour it used to be. 

 Is this where we're really going to stay...? I'm grateful for anything, but this place doesn't seem right. I don't even feel comfortable letting this child even look in this place... but I guess now we don't have a choice. Our lives have been turned upside-down, and now we have to adapt to whatever we can get our hands on.

I let out a sigh as I searched the place. The entire house was abandoned and we entered from the second floor; there were stairs that were busted, but by the looks of it, there was no coming up after you went down. Even though it was hard to see, the first floor seemed to be in better condition than the second, so I reluctantly made my way down. The moment I made it to the bottom, the entire stair system collapsed. I guess that's for the better, anyway. The windows down here are still intact, and the room was in an alright condition.

In front of the broken stairs were a couple of counters along with a single cabinet with a hanging door; a fireplace was in front of it against a wall with a shattered frame. The wood was completely burnt and was withering away with each breath we took. I guess this place has been abandoned for a long time. To the left of the cramped room, there was a door that led into a very small room. There was hay on the ground, and the floor was made out of stone; another door was attached to the current room. It led to a simple bucket... I guess that's where the business happens.

The child started to cry again, but this time it was weak; his stomach rumbled as he looked at me with pity. Alright, no more time to stand around. I need to feed this little guy as soon as possible. I left the small room and placed the food bag on the counter. Canned goods, water, money, rations, and formula. I hope this stuff lasts us a while. I'd hate to think what would happen if we ended up losing our food supply... but there seems to be plenty; that doesn't mean we shouldn't make it last. I grabbed the powdered formula from the bottom of the bag, and as I took it out, I could feel my heart drop. 

It was the picture of Lillith and I from when I was a little kid; I could feel her staring at me through the paper. But wait, didn't I leave this in the weapon bag...? Never mind. I'm just grateful something as special as this didn't get left behind. I closed my eyes and held my breath. "Lillith, I need your help..." I whispered to myself. At a time so devastating, I couldn't help but lean towards the person who shaped me into who I am today. She taught me to be a person and not a killer, and all of that is now for nothing.

No... I shouldn't think like that; thinking like that will only make her death in vain and that is precisely what it is not. It's up to me to continue her journey no matter the cost. I will ensure her son's life is remarkable compared to what ours once was – even if we have to live down here his entire life. 

I swear my life on it.