Chapter 5: Making Room for Growth
"Let's go guys! We got some dead-heads to kill!" Levi yells loudly.
I groan and look at the dusty windows. Sure enough, morning light is just starting to appear. I didn't get any sleep because of those horn dogs waking me up. Let me explain something to you. Once I wake up, it is near impossible for me to fall back asleep.
After they had woke me up with their nasty noises, I had laid awake and thought about my past for the rest of the night. I'm tired as hell and if even one person approaches me, I'm going to snap. Exhaustion makes me act similarly to when I was going through caffeine withdraw, if you were wondering.
"Did you not hear me? Get up, brat!"
He makes the mistake of kicking me lightly with his foot and I grab it, making him fall to the floor. Getting up, I go sit next to his shocked form and glare at him. I get close to his ear and whisper in it.
"Next time you're going to fuck someone, please try to be quieter." I say with a dark grin.
I'm going to need caffeine if I'm going to survive today. I wasn't an early riser before the apocalypse and I'm not now, either. Then I remembered the Red Bull. You better bet your ass I drank all four of those delicious, energy-packed cans.
A hum leaves my throat as I finish the last of the fourth can. I felt the liquid course through me, giving me the energy and the buzz I desperately needed. Was it healthy to drink four all at once and so quickly, no. Did my tired and cranky mind care, also no.
"Jesus, kid! You're going to have a heart attack." Eld says, making me laugh.
If a heart attack kills me, I'd be surprised. I've survived too much to be lucky enough to die like that. Giving Eld a tired grin, I throw the empty cans away and get changed. I had given Erwin the stuff in my bag, except two books and the gun, so now it had room for more stuff.
Since we were going out anyway, I grabbed my duffle and met the group outside. Petra and Levi were talking and when Petra saw me approach, she blushed and started walking to catch up with the others. It seems they had already started walking that way. Levi walked after them with a smirk, so I figure he mentioned what I said to Petra.
I felt my knives warm my pockets and the familiar weight of the bat in my hands. This was the first time I'd gone out of my way to kill the undead. I wasn't afraid, it was just easier to avoid them and not waste time and energy.
We reached a small town after about fifteen minutes of walking. Now I see why they wanted to start clearing the zombies out. If the zombies somehow grouped up and made their way to the warehouse, we'd suffer many casualties.
"Okay, Petra, Oluo, clear the houses on the right. Gunther, Eld, clears the ones on the left. I'll take Eren farther into town to start clearing out the stores. Stay together and yell if you need help."
And with those orders, everyone broke off into their teams and got to work. They were like a shared-mind when it came to the task. I have a feeling that the orders were more for my benefit, than theirs.
I kept pace behind Levi as we walked farther into town. This town seemed about the same size as mine, so there couldn't be more than a population of 300, at the most. But still, 300 zombies outnumbered us times ten. We reached this first set of stores and started going through each one.
It was kind of a routine. He'd knock on the door then I'd open it and back off, letting him take out any zombies that came through. I don't know how he expected to determine my skill against the zombies if he didn't let me kill them, but whatever the Captain wants.
We had finished the first row of stores and were moving on to the next, when the heavy smell of rot hit me, making me gag. Think of the worst smells you can then mix them together with a sickly sweet smell, as well. That's what it smelled like.
"Get back to the others and let them know we've got a problem. I'll hold them off." he whispers quietly.
I look around the building and see about twenty of them just shuffling around in place. Twenty zombies isn't too difficult to dispatch, but one person would quickly get swamped. If he thinks I'm going to leave him to die, he's got another thing coming.
"Get out of here now!" he says harshly, pushing me in the direction of the others, right into the arms of a zombie.
Dick! Before it can sink it's teeth into me, I grab it's head and throw it down in front of me. It's a kid about my age, with patchy navy hair and milky green eyes. Slamming my bat into his head, I turn back to Levi and send him a glare, but he doesn't see it.
Seems our little scuffle had drew the attention of the others, who set their hungry sights on us. While we were walking, I hadn't seen Levi's weapon, because he was wearing a black cape. Turns out, he was hiding two fucking swords at his sides. Badass!
I rush two zombies that are coming at Levi from the side and dispatch them quickly. When the zombies see me kill their friends, a few break off from the group and head toward me. Only five, but this could still get ugly if I'm not careful.
I grab my bat on both ends and use it to push the two zombies closest to me to the ground. While they're downed I swing my bat at another and the head tears off from the force. That's disgusting, but I don't have time to think on it as a hand grabs my hair. Reaching into my pockets quickly, I grab both my knives and stab them into the head of the zombie behind me, while kicking the zombies in front of me.
Now that I'm free from the zombie's grip, I face the last three zombies. Let me tell you a lil something about these knives. In the forest games, people called me the silver devil, because I'd slice through peoples' guts with both blades. This is nothing to brag about, but I'm just saying I'm adept in dual wielding.
Since all three zombies are close to each other, I do a leg sweep and knock two, out of the three, down. While sliding my leg, I slice my blades through the other zombie's knees, disabling it. I stomp on the leg-less zombie's head with my boots and stab the others with my knives.
After the fight, I look over at an impassive-faced Levi, watching me fight. If he was already done, why didn't he come and help?! For all he knew, I would get overtaken and be zombie fodder. I wipe the blood from my knives on one of the zombie's clothes and then walk over to him. They were right about him being skilled. He had killed fourteen by himself, while I'd killed eight.
Pocketing my knives, I wipe my bat and walk over to the bookstore I'd seen before. I open the door quickly and walk inside. Who'd go in a bookstore during the apocalypse, you ask. Me, I would. When Marco was talking about that book the other day, it made me really want to read it.
Now all I have to do is find it. I grab a few manga graphic novels, including my favorite, Attack on Titan, then head to the Young Adult section. Ah ha, there it is. It was a parody of a very dark series that takes place in the medieval times. Only people with a cynical sense of humor would truly appreciate the book.
I grabbed it and a three-book saga that caught my attention and put them in my duffel, before turning to leave.
"Only a brat like you would go in a book store during the zombie apocalypse."
"Actually, I think the word you're looking for is nerd." I say before leaving the bookstore.
After that, there were no more incidents and we managed to clear the town. Where all the zombies disappeared to is beyond me, but it was a bit worrying. There was barely any zombies in my town either, nor did I see many in my travels, so where are they?
"What's with the constipated look, Jaeger?" Oluo asks before biting his tongue.
I swear that's the fifth time I've seen him bite his tongue since I found the settlement. Was no one else the least bit worried about the lack of zombie activity? Maybe I'd talk to Erwin about it once we return. Armin's the brains in our friend group, so I'd learned quite a lot from his constant random bits of information.
"Ok, spread out and loot what you can. I know it was only supposed to be a clear and leave mission, but might as well get some supplies while we're here." Levi orders before walking off.
Don't gotta tell me twice. I go straight to the nearest gas station and head to the fridges that usually hold soda. With my flashlight on, I'm able to find some Monsters but no Red Bull. Well energy drinks are better than none at all. I then jump over the counter and grab a few packs of Menthols and two lighters.
I'm not a fan of cigarettes, but Jean asked if I'd look out for some. He already snatched the bottle of vodka from my bag. The damn alcoholic has the gall to call me suicidal while he's drinking and smoking. What a hypocrite.
My head is starting to throb with my constant whirring thoughts, so I open a pack of the menthols and light one, taking a long drag. Yup, as disgusting as ever, though I do like the minty taste of these. Honestly, I prefer weed to tobacco products, but it's going to be impossible to find now. Stoner and a nerd, that's me.
Bet you weren't expecting that, were ya? Shoving everything in my bag, except the open pack and lighter, I turn to leave and am stopped by Levi... Again!
"You know smoking is bad for you, right kid? Didn't think you were that stupid.."
"On please, you don't know anything about me. And stop following me! As you saw before, I can take care of myself." I say before pushing past him.
A warm hand grabs my wrist, stopping me in my tracks. What is with people and grabbing my wrist? Do they have a wrist fetish or something? Is that even a thing? While thinking about that weird notion, I don't notice Levi take the cancer stick from between my lips. He sticks it between his own and walks out.
All I can do is sigh, while I search a few more stores. There was no more luck in the energy drink department, but I got some cans of food and jerky. I also found some warm cans of root beer, but let's just keep that between us. That's Armin's favorite.
Oh shit! Hell yeah! Remember when I said I was a stoner? Well I was digging through a filing cabinet, out of sheer boredom, and stumbled upon a little black bong and a small Ziploc of weed. I always promised myself that'd I'd get Armin to try it with me and here's my chance.
Why a business office would be holding weed is a mystery, but I wouldn't complain. Maybe they needed to liven up their boring desk job. I know that's how I'd feel if I was stuck doing paperwork my whole life.
I rush back to the gas station and grab a family-sized bag of Cool Ranch Doritos, along with some boxes of candy. Before Levi can catch me, I shove everything in my bag. I put the bong and Ziploc in my hoodie pocket, so I'm not caught if they do a bag search.
"You ready to go, Eren? It's starting to get dark." Petra asks quietly.
I can hear the embarrassment clearly in her voice. I wish Levi wouldn't have told her what I said. But, this can be fixed. Avoiding the problem will just create more awkwardness, so it's best to just throw it all out there. Logic, am I right?
"There's no need to feel so embarrassed around me, Petra. First off, I'm gay. Secondly, being intimate isn't embarrassing, it's natural." I state monotonously, patting her head, then walking out.
When she followed me out, I noticed that her blush was gone and she just smiled at me shyly. That's progress. She's not a slut for getting intimate with Levi, so her embarrassment is misplaced. Though, getting caught in the act would embarrass most people.
The walk back is full of laughter and jokes from the others. I stay a ways away from them and just watch. It would feel like an intrusion if I got anywhere close to the close friends. Even the, usually impassive, Levi was smiling.
It honestly made me envious of them. I was still happy for them and harbored no ill will towards them, but I wanted that. I used to have that, with Armin. Until, my father made me cut ties with everyone.
Pulling out another cigarette, I light in and take a long drag. That man really did ruin my life, didn't he? There were so many times I thought about letting myself get killed, but something in me made me keep fighting.
While living with Grisha, I adopted some very harmful habits. In school, I never understood the people labeled as emo. They wore black and listened to people scream lyrics, but one thing they did stuck.
I know it isn't right and I shouldn't have done it, but it became a good escape. Some of my scars were my doing, not Grisha's, and he even encouraged it. Some father he was, but I already knew that.
Don't take this as me encouraging you, because that isn't what I'm doing. If you're going through that, this is my way of saying I understand what you're going or went through. I don't regret it though, because I learned from it.
Destroying myself was letting my demons win, whether it be my father or my own insecurities. That's when I found the will to stop. I wanted, no needed, to be strong, so they would feel the helplessness I constantly battled.
Sorry to go off on a tangent like that, but you're just really nice to talk to. You're always here and listening, which is more than I can say for others in my life.
"Didn't I tell you smoking was bad for you, brat?"
"Yes, but do I care? No, no I don't..."
This time I was ready for his grab and twisted his arm behind his back. He could have gotten out of my grip easily, but he didn't. He stilled and looked forward at the others, who were still laughing.
Feeling a bout of confidence, I whisper in his ear,
"If you want to kiss me, all you have to do is ask."
I let him go and give him a little push. Though he is a few inches shorter than me, I know that wouldn't stop him from kicking my ass if I tried his patience, but it was fun.
"Also, next time you push me, look behind you. I fell right into the arms of a zombie." I say before catching up with the others.
By now, the cigarette had burned out, so I tossed it to the ground and stomped on it. When I look at my boot, a gag leaves my throat. There was blood and bits of brain all over my boot. That must have happened when I stomped on that zombie's head.
Then, I remembered the zombie's head that I hit a homerun with. I'm no wimp, but that was disgusting. With the others still farther ahead, I brace my hands on my knees and gag again.
"Don't tell me you're gagging about that zombie you beheaded. It was kinda funny seeing you hit it out of the park. Home run." he says.
With that, bile rises up in my throat and I empty my stomach of the energy drinks from this morning. I hear a grunt of disgust from the man behind me. Good, I hope he's disgusted.
"You're an ass! If you didn't want to see me puke, you should've kept your damn mouth shut." I grumble, while wiping my mouth.
I had forgotten to eat breakfast, so not much came up, but it was still disgusting. The energy drinks had burned coming back up, so I got a bottle of water from my bag and took a swig, swishing it around my mouth and spitting it out on the road.
I'll just eat later when I drag Armin away to get high. This is going to be so fun! Chugging the rest of my water, I put the empty bottle back in my bag and catch up with the others.
Levi's still walking behind me slightly, but I couldn't care less. Why does he have to be such a grade-A pain in my ass? We make it back and the rest of them go inside, while Levi and I are pulled away by Erwin.
"Did you guys run into any trouble?"
"Yeah, but the brat refused to leave and helped me fight off the twenty, or so, dead-heads. I'm going to talk to Grisha about transferring him to our squad. We'll talk later, Erwin." Levi says before walking off.
"I knew from that first day I saw you looking through that window, that you'd make a great asset and I was right."
"Thank you, sir, but we have bigger problems." I say quietly.
I was flattered, but I couldn't care for complements at the moment. The zombie problem was still on my mind and I needed to share my concerns. Pointing my head to the side of the building, we walk silently to the secluded area.
"What is it, Eren?"
"Back when I was on my own, I saw very few zombies in my town and even less on my travels. There couldn't have been more than a dozen. Then today, in the town, there was only about forty zombies in total. It may have been a small town, but I'm betting it had at least a population of 300."
"That does sound odd. And, now that I think about it, once we'd cleared this place out, we haven't had an incident since."
"That's what I'm saying. I have a very bad feeling about this. Where are all the zombies at? I know I'm not in any position—"
"Speak your mind. You've proven yourself."
"Well, I think the elites should go and scout out the surrounding areas in a few days. If they're holding out somewhere, we need to know and plan accordingly."
"I'll broach the subject with Levi tonight. As a part of his squad, you would be going with them. Are you ready for that? If you go, there is no guarantee that you guys will make it back."
"That's how it always has been. No one knows the set date and time of their death or how it will even happen. It's always been a risk, but we need to know. If they're all grouped up and manage to somehow stumble upon this place, everyone would die." I say quietly.
He nods and we both go our separate ways. Well, if I'm gonna die in a few days, I'm gonna make the most of the days I have left. Finding Armin and bribing him with root beer, is going to be my first objective and you're coming with us!
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
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