ONE ʙʏ ONE 𝟸 : ᗩᗷᑌᔕᗴ ᗩᔕƳᒪᑌᗰ

ғɪᴠᴇ

The lights went out, and multiple machines crossed a power-off chime. The only noise left was the frantic staff outside. Eren paused, snapping back to reality.

"Zeke? What's happening?" Eren wondered, looking around frantically.

Zeke let Eren go, releasing a long-held breath. "The power went out."

"The power is out?"

Jean had a split thought and suggested, "We should get out of here! The staff is gone, and so is the electricity to the locks!"

Zeke argued, "Levi is out there!"

Hearing Levi's name, Eren bolted for the door to the main facility. It felt amazing ripping open the door and walking out of that small, confining unit. Nurse flew left and right, but none of them cared about Eren being out.

Zeke grabbed Eren's arm, warning, "You're going to get in trouble! Let's just stay inside and wait for Levi to be caught."

Eren looked around at the swarming people, panicking and some crying in fear. Suddenly, a pain shot through his head as a memory came back to him. It was a memory of light going dark, and Jean was there too...holding Eren.

"Do you want me to distract you until the lights come back on?"

Eren gaped, remembering what he shared with Jean. It wasn't the entire story, but he then knew Jean wasn't lying when he said they made up. But before the memory ended, a horrifying image of his hand covered in blood flashed and disappeared.

"Eren's right!" Jean exasperated. "I can't stay in this hell hole much longer!"

Eren stared at the floor in shock, and quietly he muttered, "Jean kissed me."

Zeke looked over to Jean, who began smiling from ear to ear. The three stood for a moment, not being able to break the silence.

"You remember me?" Jean asked, hopefulness piping in his tone.

"I remember everything going dark, and you were there holding me. Then, you kissed me. When the light came back, my hand was dripping with blood."

Jean's smile lightly faded hearing about the blood, knowing who that meant. He remembered how he was close to kissing Eren before Levi snuck up behind him a jabbed a needle in his neck. The next time he woke up, he was in the red room. Jean wanted to tell him the truth, but he wanted Eren to his more.

"You remember our first kiss." Jean sighed happily. "Levi pretty much ruined it. When the lights came back on, he attacked me with a knife, and I guess my blood got on you."

Zeke wasn't there, so he didn't know Jean was lying. Though there was an ocean of doubt, Eren nodded and said he believed him.

Out of the blue, a nurse slammed into Zeke's shoulder, nearly knocking him over. Eren gave Zeke a begging look. The man cursed under his breath before darting off towards the entrance. Jean pointed towards Christa's door, but Eren shrugged and ran off without her. Just as Eren's fingers brushed the main entrance, an alarm went off.

The entire building went silent and shot their focus towards the three. A nurse at reception stood, pointing her index at them. "Three patients are escaping!"

The group of boys looked between each other before Eren yelled, "Run!"

They fled the building with a horde of nurses following after them. Security took their place once they made it off the asylum grounds. They weaved through busy city streets, and civilians screamed and panicked, seeing their uniforms.

"We gotta split up!" Zeke announced to his group.

Eren growled, "Are you crazy?"

"It'll work! Split up and when you lose them, let's meet back up at the center of town!" Zeke looked back at Eren. "I've lived here before. There should be a fountain there. Trust me, let's split up!"

Eren was huffing out air, and his muscles were growing weak. He nodded, and Zeke sped off into a subway system. Jean dove for an alley. Eren slid into a run-down apartment complex with little people. He hid behind the door, carefully peering out the window and watching the security guards run past the building.

"Oi, kid!" A husky voice yelled. "What the hell are you doing in my complex? You have a death wish?"

Eren spun around, forgetting about his uniform that clearly stated 'Rose Wall Patient'. The two men standing there rose their eyebrows, and the teen quickly covered the lettering.

"From Rose Wall Asylum, huh?" The gruff man chortled. He sighed and gestured for Eren to follow him. "Come on, kid. They'll easily catch you with that uniform. I might have something for you."

Eren hesitated going with a stranger, but his mom was a stranger to him now. He lost all sense of judgment and entered the man's apartment.

"You're Levi's boy, aren't you?" The man hollered from a distance. He came back with some simple clothes and handed them to Eren.

"W-What do you mean by 'Levi's boy'? Wait, how do you know Levi?"

The man clarified, crossing his arms, "I worked for his uncle for a while. You're his boyfriend, aren't you?"

Eren's face lit up bright red. "N-No! W-Were just friends."

"Yeah, sure. The bathroom is behind that door if you want to change." He gestured to a nearby door, and Eren left to take off his asylum uniform.

After sliding on black pants and a white tee, the teen made his way back to the living room. The tv was playing the news, and to no one's surprise, they were talking about Levi. Eren sat down and watched the screen. The headline made Eren's heart drop.

"Maria Hospital burns down! Patient records stolen!"

╰ ─┉─¡! • !¡─┉─ ╯

Levi's hunting Eren! Will he catch him? Will Eren stay free from the asylum?

Toodles~