Angel With A Shotgun [Levi Ackerman x OC] / Attack on Titan / Shingeki no Kyojin

Code XXV: Under the Cover of Night

Everyone came to an agreement and met in a small clearing between a break of trees, the ground littered with decaying leaves and wood. They devised a plan to travel in a diamond formation to keep not only a peripheral view of surroundings, but detect over a larger sweep of land. Eren kept position at the very front, whereas Gunther tailed the rest, both with their glasses keeping watch on the forest. They traveled in a sprint. At this point, there was no reason to mask their movements anymore, if Eagle had been expecting them all along.

"Do you see them ahead?" Petra panted, shouting over to Eren from her spot on the right of him.

"No one in sight!" he responded, his chest heaving. "Stay close! We're going to squeeze through a few trees!" Everyone heeded his instructions and tightened formation as they slipped past a pair of thick oak trees.

"Everyone," Gunther suddenly started in a low voice. "I think we've got compa—" But his voice was cut off.

"Gunther?!" Eld cried, skidding to a stop. His team members followed suit, astonished to find Gunther was missing from his position in the formation. "...Gunther?" The five of them backtracked and were horrified when they discovered his bloody body dangling over a branch from a thick branch of a tree, several slash marks upon his body. Blood stained his clothes and skin; his arms and legs hung limp like a doll's. Petra screamed and covered her mouth, resisting the urge to vomit.

Xora felt numb.

What... just... happened?

Was he... dead?

How could she lose one of her comrades so quickly? Plainly, right in sight, she could see one of her companions dead—but only a moment ago, he was as alive as she was.

...How could this be?

"Run!" Petra screamed with all of the strength left in her, her voice jolting the rest of the team. "Everyone, our main priority will be protecting Eren! He has the last pair of night vision goggles. If we lose those, we'll be at the sake of the darkness!"

It took a split second for her stricken team members to register her instructions before they bolted off, the sour taste of regret in their mouths. They would have to come back for Gunther's body later—that is, if they made it out alive, themselves. The remaining five formed a square around Eren, his eyes frantically darting around to find Eagle.

"E—Eagle knew all along!" he despaired, choking back tears.

"Eren, focus on finding a clear path out of here!" Eld demanded. "If there's one thing I know for sure, it's that Eagle is one step ahead of us. Our best option now would be to retreat while we can!"

"Hange, our plans have been intercepted!" Xora said, but nothing came through the comm device. In fact, all the she could hear was the faint scratching of static. "No... don't tell me—! My comm's been jammed!"

"Mine, too!" Oluo grunted in distress, panicking. "Dammit...! How can one person have the upper hand?!"

"Oluo, Eld," Petra panted, rubbing her wet eyes hastily. "We have to go ahead! If there's any chance Eren's going to get out of this situation alive, we'll have to take Eagle out, ourselves."

"Let's do it," Eld agreed. "We've got no other choice!"

"What?!" Eren protested, his pace slowing. "No! I can't let you do that, I can fight, too! Please, don't throw your lives away!"

"We aren't throwing our lives away, Eren," Petra said, choking back a sob. "This is to avenge Gunther, and this is Captain Levi's order! Please... have faith in us!"

"We'll carry it out until the end," Oluo affirmed with a nod, sneering. "We'll do whatever it takes to reprimand Eagle! To avenge Gunther...!"

"I'm afraid there won't be much need for that," a garbled voice cut through the crisp air. The agents skidded to a rough stop in a wide clearing. In front of them stood the obscure figure of Eagle, only their silhouette visible against the faint, faint light of the moon.