Will of the Broken (Levi x OC)

Chapter 84: Change

I don't know what I was expecting for the return of my comrades, but it wasn't this.

The sun had almost completely set when I spotted horses in the distance, much fewer in number than at the beginning of this mission.

It was expected seeing as the Military Police joined this outing, and didn't know what it was truly like beyond the walls. If any of them had survived, surely they'd be traumatized for the rest of their lives.

It didn't matter.

They weren't people I cared about. Talk about selfless now huh?

"Hanji!" I shouted, rising to my feet and pointing down to the approaching group. "They're back."

In a heartbeat, she was at my side, looking down at them. My heart jumped at her speed, but that was just Hanji.

She never slowed down. Neither did I to be fair.

"They've reduced substantially in size." I commented again, and Hanji let out a deep breath she had probably been holding since after my discovery.

"So it seems. Get ready, Olivia, your job has just begun." She answered warily, her brown eyes focused intently on the group below.

* * * * *

I'm not one to hesitate with my duties, especially when there is someone in dire need of assistance.

However, the condition everyone was in made me think the dead had come back to life. Pale, and defeated faces with cold, distant made me hesitant to ask a single question or utter a single word.

Tension was so thick, I could cut it with a butter knife and it would knit back together again.

I spotted Armin, Mikasa, Eren, and Historia a little ways away where everyone remaining was gathering.

Under Eren's eyes were deep marks which I took a guess were some sort of new development from his Titan form or abilities.

All of them looked lost and defeated, which made my heart ache for them. They had been through so much already, how much more would they need to endure.

"Olivia! It's Erwin!" Hanji's panicked voice hit my ears like the giant church bells they ring once every week, making my head snap further to the right and my eyes to frantically search the crowd.

I didn't have to search long. The crowd parted - almost in sync - wide enough for me to lay eyes on Erwin's extremely pale form.

Without so much as a thought, my feet carried me to him in a few swift steps, nearly floating with my speed.

He was kneeling on the ground with his head down. Upon closer inspection, I noticed, much to my horror, that most of his right arm was missing. Luckily someone had tied a belt tightly above the damaged, bleeding area.

"Erwin, can you hear me?" I asked worriedly, grabbing his chin and lifting it upwards to see his eyes.

They were blank, and nearly lifeless which struck me to the core of my being with absolute fear.

A small hum came from him, but it was weak.

"Get me one of our stretchers and move him to the emergency section of the wall over there!" I pointed to my left, hoping they would go far enough that we could access everyone without a problem. "I need bandages, another belt, alcohol, and a heated blade! Get it done now, or so help me by whatever God exists, you will be at my mercy!"