Dangerous Territory

Unneeded Tools

"Do you have his key?"

Eren looked over sharply as Krista said those words and exclaimed, "Wait, you speak English as well?"

"Little. Enough," she said, her accent thick and her grammar unsteady. "Safer to speak English than German. Capitaine Ackerman, he is stuck."

"Verdammt, I still have his key," he muttered, realizing he never put it back away. The metal key now weighed heavily on the chain around his neck.

"Must hurry," she said.

Eren heard her panting hard, and as he glanced over, he saw that Krista struggled to run on the wet pathway with her heeled shoes.

"I'll run ahead," he offered.

Suddenly, from the direction of the castle, they heard a gunshot.

"Non," Krista whispered in dread. "Sasha! Ymir! Capitaine Ackerman!"

She began to run, but Eren grabbed her shoulders.

"Wait! It's dangerous."

She pulled against him. "Nous devons les sauver." We must save them.

Three more gunshots came in rapid succession. Eren was torn between racing to the castle and keeping Krista back for her own safety. He could feel by the way she pulled, if he released her, she would run right toward the sound of gunfire.

"Please, promise you will stay here."

She still pulled. "Non! Je dois sauver le capitaine!" No! I have to save the captain.

There was another explosion, and seconds later Ymir fled out of the castle. She was holding her side in pain and breathing hard from a wild sprint as she raced right up to Krista.

"Pull her back," Eren warned

He tugged both Ymir and Krista behind a store wall, out of view of the castle, just in case she was being chased. Ymir collapsed against the brick wall, her face in agony, and Eren saw blood starting to seep between her fingers.

"Let me see," he said, and he carefully pulled back her hand. He tore open a bullet hole in her dress and found the wound. "The bullet struck her waist and passed straight through. It's too far over to have hit any organs, but she will need a doctor. Do you have a handkerchief?" he asked Krista.

"A what?"

"A cloth? Fabric? Tissue?"

"Tissu!" She knew that word and tore some of her petticoat.

"Front and back," Eren said, helping Ymir to staunch the bleeding.

Krista tore another strip of petticoat to put on the back side. Ymir cried out as Eren pressed on the exit wound on her back.

"Le capitaine ... le capitaine allemand." She gritted her teeth against the pain.

Krista looked up. "Que se passe-t-il?" What is going on?

Ymir flinched as she ground her fist into her waist to stop herself from bleeding out. "Il a débarqué à l'improviste, et Sasha ... elle est toujours dans le cachot."

Krista gasped and looked up at Eren. "She says, your captain showed up out of nowhere, and Sasha is still down there."

"Scheiße!" They heard another gunshot, and Eren bolted off. "Stay with her. You, hold her back," he yelled at Ymir.

The Romani woman squinted her eyes in confusion. "Qu'est ce que le mignon lieutenant a dit?" What did the cute lieutenant say?

Krista tried to run after Eren, but Ymir quickly hugged her around the chest to stop her.