Chagara - Chaos in the Darkness (Levi x OC Fanfic / AttackOnTitan)

72. "My condolences."

Steve checked the girth of the saddle again. "Wait any longer or ride back?" Sadly, he looked into the camp. It was as good as empty. While the soldiers of the Military Police had ridden straight back into town on the first day, the soldiers of the Garrison Regiment had been dismantling the lifts as well as the tents the last three days. The number of field hospitals that had been set up had only served to calm the ordinary citizens. Not even 200 of the 250,000 people who had been sent out had returned from the recapture.

Steve rubbed his eyes. "Wait or ride back?" Indecisively, he patted Hopper. All the other boxes around him were empty. These had been the horse stalls of his comrades. "This just can't be true," he muttered tiredly. He had barely slept for the last three days. He wanted to be ready when his comrades came back and needed him. But so far not a single one had returned. The entire team was missing. "Are you really leaving me alone?" After three days, there was little hope of survivors. In fact, none at all.

"Steve?" Lucas scratched his arm and looked down at the ground.

"Who?," asked Steve hastily.

"Can you just come with me?"

***

"Has he eaten?," asked Petra Eld, who was standing at the window. Her comrade shook his head.

"Petra!" Gunther beckoned her to join him and Oluo. "Don't you forget to eat too," he admonished the young soldier.

Without an appetite, Petra sat down with her friends. They had made it back behind Wall Rose on the day of the recapture. All of them. They were the only team that had remained complete. All the others had suffered losses. And Peter's team was completely missing. Listlessly, Petra was poking in her food. All the soldiers of the Scout Regiment had been back at headquarters since two days. Only the few injured who could not ride had stayed in the camp at the Gate of Trost.

"Shall we train without him again today?," asked Gunther.

Eld nodded. "If he's back to normal and we haven't done anything, he'll kill us."

Mike stepped outside and lit a cigarette. A few feet in front of him stood Levi. Without moving, his friend stared at the gate. Two days ago they had ridden through it. Since then, no one had come. "Like a dog waiting for its owner," Mike thought sadly, breathing out the smoke. Had Peter's entire team really passed away? Had it really been so wise to send the most experienced soldiers to the front in such an operation? Why had Erwin agreed to Peter's suggestion? Mike did not understand. "Had he been hoping that the operation might end successfully after all?"

Suddenly Levi ran to the gate. Astonished, Mike looked after him. Steve came riding in slowly. He was leading another horse alongside Hopper. "Is that Lucky?" Mike stubbed out his cigarette. Lucky was pulling a small cart behind him.

"Levi, stay away!," shouted Steve.

"Who?" The Vice-Commander walked slowly towards the cart.

"Levi!"

But Levi had already torn the tarp away. Beneath it lay the mortal remains of Ron.

"Levi!," Mike shouted. His friend had collapsed unconscious.

***

"And I thought we were friends!," Steve scolded in tears. "Friends don't leave each other in the lurch." He stuck the shovel into the pile of soil. "And now? Is this another one of your stupid jokes? Leaving me here alone?" Carefully he took the urn. No sooner had he arrived at headquarters than he had burned Ron behind the horse stables. Just as his old friend had always wished. This was how Steve wanted to pay his last respect to him. He had split the ashes in half. One part would be buried in the urn Ron had once purchased himself. The other part he would scatter. "Then this has been your worst joke," Steve shouted, sitting down in front of the hole. "What am I going to do?," he muttered, hypnotising the little wooden cross that had Ron's name written on it.