Merde (Levi x OC)

Chapter 2: Éveillé

Pain. There was so much pain.

It was rare when I felt pain. I had always been so guarded and pampered that pain was a feeble reminder of my humanity. I recall scraping my knees from running as a young child and falling in the courtyard, getting small headaches and migraines, even occasional cramps. But all it took was a little bit of medicine from the doctor and I was fine.

But this...this was enough pain to send me into shock. Perhaps I was overexaggerating. But I had only ever known...easy.

The pain was blossoming from the sides of my head, my lower lip, and scattered down my arms and legs. I felt as if I had fallen down a staircase. Aside from the pain, I dirty and wet, and wherever I was it was cold. Fighting through the pain, I struggled to open my eyes feeling a stickiness running down my face.

Grunting and groaning, my eyelids, at last, pried apart. I was startled to see an eerie ceiling hanging above me. Stalagtites, sharp, dark protruding structures hung from the rooftop that seemed towering miles away from me. Sitting up, I let out a small whimper as I feebly clutched my head, the pain blinding my vision.

When, at last, I could see again, what I saw was a vast city full of glimmering lights nestled within the plethora of cave work. It was almost like a beaming ray of sunlight attracting me like a moth to a flame. Where am I? I wondered to myself, staring down at my lap. My dress was dirtied and smudged with mud and blood. Am I...underground?

"'ngh," I grunted as I shakily tried to stand, swaying ever so slightly. My memory was fuzzy, in fact there were gaps in what I could even recall. I could remember Dabney, how quickly I was to reject him...but the rest was indistinguishable. All I could recall was than angst. I had run away and something back had happened both before and after.

There was one more thing I knew just as certain as the people that were watching me from little ways away.... I sure as hell wasn't going back. Trusting my instincts, I felt every muscle in my body coil and tighten, my body readying itself for flight.

"There's no use picking off a dead corpse if it's alive," A voice sighed, not too far off. I went stiff and spun around carefully to see two men staring at me. I felt like a trapped snake. I was scared, yet coiled and ready to strike.

"Who are you," I rattled weakly, giving a slight cough. My eyes were still adjusting, but I could see one of them was ridiculously short compared to his tall friend, probably even in comparison to me. Don't underestimate them, no matter their size! Tall height is direct, but short is quick and unpredictable! My instinct shouted at me and I narrowed my eyes.

"We should be asking you the same question, outsider," The tall one spoke.

"Outsider? W-Where am I?" I asked shakily, my eyes darting away for a quick second before attaching back onto the situation at hand with these two strangers. I then noticed the strange gear that hung by their hips. It looked devilishly similar to the omnidirectional gear that the military police in my home wore.

"Tch, you don't know? Idiot. This is the underground. I wouldn't expect a groomed, noble like you to know about this place," The shorter man scoffed and I glared at him.

"D-Don't call me an idiot," I spoke firmly. "Look, I'll be out of your hair now,"

"Say, that's a nice gold necklace you've got," The taller man noted and I gritted my teeth as thousands of strategies came pouring into my head at one time. It was unnerving, thinking like this when I had never thought of (nor needed to) fight a day in my life. I could now tell out their details. The taller one was rather boyish looking with dark blonde hair that fell down to his pale blue eyes.