A Different Sky (A Levi Ackerman Story)

Standing Tall

Levi's POV

          "I fashioned a tourniquet out of some fabric from your torn cloak and a stick I found. It wasn't much, but it stopped the bleeding. Markus and Hanna found us shortly after I saved you, and they brought the horses back to where we were. I went ahead with you and found Erwin and the Commander. They were already planning on heading back by the time I reached them, so we placed you in an empty cart and headed Shiganshina. I stayed close to the cart. I wanted to make sure you were okay."

          "I'm so glad you care, Levi," she says. I can see a faint smile on her face for a brief moment, but then it vanishes. She frowns and then asks, "How many casualties?"

          "Too many." I don't want to tell her that we lost over half of the soldiers we left with. It would upset her too much, and she's already on the brink of tears.

          "Markus and Hanna..."

          "They made it back okay," I tell her.

          She nods and mumbles, "That's good." She's silent for a long time, staring at her hands on the blanket. Her gaze drifts towards the end of the bed, and she slowly reaches out her hand. "It's weird. I can still feel my toes wiggling even though they're not there." I glance at her right leg. She lost everything just below the knee. I turn back to her, feeling a lump form in my throat.

          "Verena..." She looks up at me, her eyes clouded. I swallow and say, "There's something else I didn't tell you."

          Her eyes narrow slightly. "What is it?"

         I pause for a moment, not sure how to really say it. "We had originally brought you to paramedics at the base just outside Shiganshina, but we had to move you here when..." My voice trails off, and I can see the confused look on her face. I don't want to tell her. She's been through so much already.

          "Levi, what is it? What happened?" she asks, growing frantic.

          "Wall Maria was broken through."

          She gapes at me. "What?" Her voice is so small, so soft, I almost don't hear her.

          "A titan- people are calling it the Colossal Titan- broke through the gate in Shiganshina. Another titan appeared- a type we've never encountered before. They said it had something covering, protecting itself like armor. This 'Armored Titan' barreled through the inner gate, breaking through Wall Maria."

          "The titans...They'll get in..."

          "They already have. Mankind has abandoned Wall Maria."

          "No...This isn't...This isn't possible. The walls were meant to keep the titans out. How can this...." Her voice trails off and then she changes the subject, "There's not enough land or food to sustain all of the people from Wall Maria. A lot of people are going to die."

          "Don't think about that right now. You need to rest," I tell her, standing up from my seat beside the bed. I gently push her back onto the pillows, but then she looks up at me. There are tears in her eyes, and they trickle down her cheeks,

          "Levi, how is mankind going to survive? The titans are pushing us closer and closer to extinction."

          I wipe the tears away. "Don't think about it. It's time to get some rest, Verena."

          She stares up at me for a moment and then nods. "Okay." She shifts under the blankets, resting her head on the pillow. I step back from the bed as she closes her eyes. Turning around, I head for the door. I am about to leave the room when I hear her call my name, "Levi?" Glancing at her over my shoulder, I stop. Her head is still resting on the pillow, but her eyes are open. She's looking at me from across the room.