Happy Halloween! Alt title: Wood II: Electric Spookaloo
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Growing up, Levi had learned to be wary of strangers. The only person you could trust on the streets was yourself, and what little family you had. Even after he'd gotten off the streets, and learned to live a semi-normal life, he'd never really learned to let go of his distrust of new people. Erwin had the exact opposite problem; he was far too trusting. He'd be friendly with a workmate and it wasn't until he introduced them to Levi that he realised his new friend wanted him dead and/or thought their kids shouldn't exist.
He'd guessed that the lily-white weirdo hippy commune was danger from the very beginning, and it wasn't just his trauma speaking. They'd felt wrong - their smiles obviously fake, feeling reluctantly tolerant rather than genuinely welcoming.
He just wished he'd done more about it then, so he didn't end up in this situation.
Levi was finding it harder and harder to breathe as he ran. Normally, he wouldn't be so exhausted, but this was far from normal. He didn't want to stop, though, because he was certain that would be when he'd get jumped by whoever - or whatever - the cult had sent after him.
His vision was starting to blur. Maybe the poison in his veins was finally getting to him. Maybe he was just exhausted. It was difficult to differentiate at the moment.
His footfalls were still frequent, twigs and leaves cracking under his feet. One step. Another. Take a short and scratchy breath. Hold back the urge to cough.
Levi's heart nearly stopped when his foot didn't land on solid ground.
With his blurred vision, he hadn't seen where the land dropped away. He stumbled, and fell down the slope.
Shit. Shit fuck fuck.
He grabbed onto a nearby tree branch, halting his descent. Levi stood in place as he caught his breath, heart rate slowing down to a realistic speed.
"Fuck," Levi tried to say, but all that came out was a scratchy moan.
"So, this is the great and terrible Ackerman?"
Shit.
Levi didn't need to turn around to know that it was that bastard cultist kid behind him, with that awful smug grin on his face.
"You know, he talked about you," Zeke said. "Your man. He really seemed to be in love. Shame he didn't want to cooperate with us."
Levi could feel rage filling his entire body. How dare he talk about Erwin? Especially after what the cult had done to him. To both of them. Levi wanted to shout at the brat, but his voice wasn't working.
"It's setting in, isn't it?" Zeke's tone changed. He sounded worried. "The curse."
Levi looked down at his arms, and closed his eyes. He didn't want to look.
"You know, I could help you," Zeke said. His tone had changed yet again, teasing this time, and he stepped closer.
Shut up.
"But I don't think I want to." He was close to Levi now. He could almost feel his breath on the back of his neck. "I mean, you can't help our family. And you did take my little brother away."
Levi opened his eyes again. His heart froze. Was he talking about-
"Your man talked a lot about those kids, too," Zeke said. "Did you know that the boy was my father's son? Well, his and that whore's. He's my brother, and I think I have a right to see him."
There were so many things Levi wanted to say. Stay away from him, or over my dead body, or maybe just curse Erwin for telling this obviously evil cult about their children. But he couldn't speak. All that he could manage was an even more pathetic gasp, raspy and wooden.
