Blood (Levi x Reader)

38. ** Conviction **

The eerie silence of the night was, oddly enough, the sound that pulled me from my accidental slumber. My stubborn ass still hadn't abandoned my post, although it seemed that I had eventually surrendered to exhaustion at some point during the night, having buckled at the knees and passed out cold on top of the wall. Rather groggily, I took a moment to find my bearings, groaning at how sore I was due to my less-than-ideal sleeping arrangement.

Once I had awkwardly fumbled my way into sitting up, I stared out into the deep black void before me, where the Survey Corps had vanished not long ago. Trost was barely visible; the only source of light being the dim, flickering flames of torches that had yet to be extinguished. Otherwise, everything was completely encased in shadow. The uneasiness that lingered from such sensory deprivation, both in sight and sound, left me feeling haunted. The New Moon promised us darkness, but somehow even the stars had run away. Not only that, but the crickets seemed to have taken an extended intermission during their nightly performance.

I shivered from the sudden insanity that inundated my mind, trying to convince me that such paranoia was justified. Cringing, I thrust my fingertips against my temples.

It's just a quiet, uneventful night...

I whispered the words to myself like a mantra, repeating them over and over again, as I fought against the overwhelming cloud of fear that hovered so menacingly above me. Why was I feeling so fucking paranoid? Why couldn't I shed the dreadful feeling that I was being watched?

There was no one around; no one I could see, at least. In fact, it was so dark and so silent, that one could honestly believe they had been swallowed up by a black hole while they slept.

Placing my hand over my belly, I breathed into my palm and chuckled awkwardly.

"Heh, your Mama's crazy. She's never alone anymore with you around, huh?"

Just as I had finally begun to settle my nerves, I spotted something disturbing out of the corner of my eye. My heart began to beat loudly against my chest, as I cautiously lead my eyes to the edge of their sockets, too paralyzed to turn my head. There, in the blurry border of my vision, were two red lights, piercing through the trees along the forest's perimeter. I felt my throat tighten as I forced myself to swallow, exhaling the breath I had been holding for far too long. There was no denying it any longer; I was being watched. Whoever or whatever it was had blazing blood-red eyes that seemed to have locked onto me while carefully scanning the walls. Gritting my teeth, I ever-so-slowly forced my chin in line with my shoulder until I had fully locked gazes with its demonic stare.

"Y/N!"

Shrieking at the sudden shout that originated from the opposite direction, I almost pissed myself from shock. Again, my name was called, the voice closer than before, as a figure approached me, running quickly along the wall. The person, who was carrying a lantern, was military in uniform, but I couldn't see their face yet. Whipping my head back toward the forest, my eyes rapidly searched for the gleaming glare of crimson orbs that had so clearly found me, but they had retreated from sight.

"Y/N! Seriously!? Have you been up here this whole damn time? We've been looking everywhere for you!"

The familiar voice finally registered with me, as Anka's features became illuminated by her lantern. She looked confused yet relieved when she finally squatted down next to me, retiring her light source from her grasp.

"Queen Historia sent one of her carriages here for you. It's not my place to ask why you're still here, being summoned by the Queen, and not out there with the Survey Corps, but I still found it rather odd for you to not show up. Did you fall asleep up here or something?"