Deluge of Desolation | l. ackerman

(2) Benighted Doctrines

"Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee."

Augustine of Hippo

(chapter ten)

My foot fell through the wood of the rotting porch. It was sudden and rather embarrassing, and upon my prior catharsis, I was about ready to cower away and never show my face to my beloved superiors again. But they ceased to make jest.

Kemmerich had grabbed ahold of my arms and pulled me back into his chest, telling me to be careful, quietly, so as not to aggravate the already tense silence that compromised our group.

With a quick thanks to my captain, I stepped around the aperture and through the rusty door of the house. Bar from the sunlight that pooled in from the cracked windows, the only illumination we had was a small match box Kemmerich always kept on him.

Upon entering, I was immediately met with a large cobweb that I had, unfortunately, walked into. A small string of curses left my lips as I swatted carelessly in the air. Hange chuckled.

"Damn spiders. Useless bastards." I uttered to myself, looking around the living room, carefully putting pressure on the floor boards before I put my full weight down.

Levi recoiled when he walked into the house. "Disgusting. Absolutely disgusting."

"What, Humanity's Strongest is afraid of a little insect?" I provoke, looking over my shoulder at his scowl. Only I stumbled into an old counter, making myself look like a fool. "God-fuckin'-damnit."

"Don't be ridiculous, I'm not afraid. This place probably holds repulsive vermin like you and I'd rather not deal with anymore than I already must." Levi said, voice laden in sarcasm.

"Delightful as ever." I roll my eyes.

Hange chuckled and heaved her arms over Levi and I's shoulders. "You two seem really tense. Loosen up, we've got the prospect of knowledge on the line!"

Levi shrugged Hange's arm off with a roll of his shoulder. "Hands to yourself, Four Eyes. I don't wanna contract any of those diseases carry."

"Where should we start looking, Captain?" I ask Kemmerich.

"Hange, look around in the kitchen, find anything you think may be of importance," Kemmerich began, "I'll take this room. You and Levi take the hallway— fight over who gets the bedroom."

"I trust you can handle the restroom, June." Levi spoke with an air of superiority, his voice echoing down the hallway he began walking.

"You made it seem like I had a choice." I said to the other captain, leaning back in vexation and following the Levi to the end of the corridor. "You're quite the advantageous officer, Captain Levi. One may even say arbitrary."

"And where might have you heard that from?" He asked, glaring at me over his shoulder.

"Oh, you know," I shrug, "The grapevine."

He rolled his eyes at my usual dismissive method and hesitantly walked into the bedroom, leaving me with the dreaded washroom.

When I, begrudgingly, entered the room, I immediately began scouring the place for any items that may prove useful as to how and why those titans had gotten in and defended the house so fervently.

I had never seen anything like their behavior before, even in my whole year of venturing outside of Wall Rose as a Scout. There was nothing written about this behavior in any of the books I read, not only on this island, but back at Marley, too. I began to wonder if those other titans were also a part of the Restorationists that Mom and Dad had been caught affiliating with.