Ace up the Sleeve

The day was quiet and boring without my usual company of Reiner and Bertholdt. Are they replacing me in the Levisquad? I mean, I'm happy for them, but...

This sucks! Even drawing couldn't get me outta my funk. What's the point of an escape if it's blocked? I was having the worst case of artist's block.

Usually my pencil would already be moving across my paper before I'd even formulated an idea. It was just that easy for me. But my pencil point stayed still on the clean paper.

Maybe I'll just draw something random. What do you thing I should do? All I can do is stare at the white sheet with irritation as my hand refuses to move.

Grr... This is fucking ridiculous! This is all that short ravenette's fault. You know what, I've got an idea! I'm gonna draw that clean freak.

My pencil moved nimbly across the page as I draw a shorter, masculine frame. Then, I drew his clothes. A classic black and white maid outfit with black boots and a duster in hand.

I took time on every little detail, letting my anger guide me. His black hair seemed to move in a light breeze, but his face was in plain sight. He had that bored look on his face, but was glaring fiercely.

Once the pencil marks were erased, I got to work on drawing the others, laughing at him. I captured Petra's kind eyes full of laughter. Eld's stone face, trying to hide a grin while Gunther elbowed him.

Oluo was blushing and waving his hands in the air. I stood to the side, watching it unfold. You could only see my back, but my body language showed that I was amused.

The piece took most of the day and made some of my anger ebb away. He's an idiot, but he's a hot idiot. Even in a maid's outfit, he looked very attractive.

"You've grown weak! The Rain boys are going to replace you if you don't do something. Fix this now!"

I look at my steaming father and laugh. Throwing my art supplies on my duffle, I stand in front of him with a cold grin.

"What will you do if I don't? You can't threaten me anymore. I outrank you!"

"I'll tell them everything if you don't do something for me. You don't want them to know, do you?"

"Ha, you're fucking stupid! They know everything. I told them everything, so you can't threaten me, but I'm curious... What do you need help with?"

"They couldn't know everything, because even you don't remember everything. I've got an ace up my sleeve that would get you a lot worse than getting exiled..."

"You do, do ya? I told them everything and they said they trust me. Nothing you say would change that nor would they believe you. I told them some of the stuff you did to me, too, so you're in more danger than me." I say with a smirk.

His jaw clenches and he throws me against the wall with my arm behind my back. I felt blood drip down my nose from the force of my face hitting the wall, but I made no move. I'm curious.

His hand pokes the middle of my spine and then he lets go.

"I have the names of the game participants and I think that'd change quite a few minds. It's easier to ignore it when they don't have names to the people you murdered..."

"What do you want?! Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"Simple. You're a killer and I need you to put that skill to use. Kill someone for me and I'll keep my mouth shut."

"Who...?"

"Kill Erwin, but don't get it tied back to either of us. You do that and I won't tell your faggot of a Captain the truth."

"You're full of shit and even if you aren't... I would rather you spill my secrets than kill a friend. I could just tell Erwin right now and you'd never get the chance to use your ace."

I start heading towards the stairs slowly, tauntingly, but his next words stop me in my tracks.

"Your pretty brunette friend.. I could make her disappear. And I won't make it quick, you know I won't." he says with an evil smirk.

My body flies at him and knocks us both to the ground, with me straddling him. A loud crunch is heard when my fist makes contact with his nose. I continue to throw punch after punch, not stopping for even a second.

He must've forgot who he was talking to... So I'm just giving him a little reminder. My fists are throbbing and covered in his blood, but he's still smirking at me. He thinks he's won.

Pulling out one of my knives, I press the sharp point against his Adams apple. His eyes widen and it gives me satisfaction knowing I'm the cause of his fear.

"You seem to have forgotten who you're talking to, so think of this as a reminder." I growl out, pressing the knife against his neck.

I receive a wince from him as a small dribble of blood goes down his neck.

"I'm ALLOWING you to live, never forget that... Next time you threaten one of MY friends, I will fucking kill you!" I whisper, emphasizing my point by pushing the knife deeper.

Arms wrap around my waist, trying to pull me off, but I swipe at their arm. A shallow cut, but it surprises them enough to let me go. I point my knife at my still shocked father and send him a deadly grin.

"Levi, next time you touch me, I'll remove your favorite part!"

"Grisha, leave us. Now!" Levi orders before dragging me to a corner.

"What did I say about touching me?!"

I jerk my arm from his grip and tuck the precious blade back into my pant pocket. He's glaring at me while holding his bleeding arm. Serves him right for being an idiot!

"I leave you for one day and you try to kill someone! You can't just do that! And on top of that, you attacked me when I tried to separate you!"

"Yeah, I meant to. And I wasn't going to kill him, I was just giving him a reminder. You should've known better than to grab an armed person, so I feel no sympathy!"

"Go outside now! You wanna attack people so bad then we'll do it... Outside." he says lowly before walking outside.

I follow him quickly to where he is talking to Erwin in hushed tones. Fuck their secrets! If Levi wants to defend my father, then he can be my guest. I walk over to them and face Erwin.

"I don't feel bad and I'd do it again in a heartbeat, so take that how you will. He threatened Petra." I mutter before walking off.

There's no point in telling Erwin or Levi anything else. I'm not going to kill Erwin, so he has no reason to worry about it. I let Levi drag me to the side of the building without another word between us.

"You wanna attack a defenseless person? Why don't I give you a taste of your own medicine. Throw your weapons to the side and get into position. I won't tolerate cadets getting out of line..."

"You aren't my Captain and you sure as hell aren't my boss. I answer to Erwin only, sorry to disappoint." I say cheekily.

His eye twitches as I throw my weapons to the side. He's irritated, good! Welcome to the club asshat! He throws his cape behind him and draws his swords.

This wasn't anything unusual for me, so I hope he wasn't disappointed in my lack of reaction. I've seen him use those weapons and I know his skill now. He moves his whole body with his swords in a fluid motion.

I always thought it was kind of beautiful the way he merged with his weapons. But, now he wasn't my friend, he was a threat. My survival instincts kicked in and I rushed him while he was lost in thought.

His eyes widened slightly, but he was quick to spin and slice both swords at my right side. Jumping over the blades, I throw a side kick at his temple, while he's in mid-swing.

The one thing I noticed about his fighting is that he moves with his swords, leaving him wide open. He's fast, but his attacks can be countered.

He swung one sword at my knees and the other at my chest. Shit! I flipped backward, but he still managed to cut into my shin. A growl leaves my mouth as I kick one of the swords out of his hand and into my own.

"You're an ass, you know that! You know what type of person Grisha is! Even unarmed, he's dangerous."

"So are you, brat! What makes you any different?" Levi says angrily.

I halt my movements and glare at him. This is the second time he's compared me to his father! The cold rage slides along my skin and makes me shiver.

"Eren, I'm—"

Before he can finish, I swipe his legs out from under him and point the sword at his chest.

"I'm not like my father. He wouldn't have played around like I was. He would have went straight in for the kill..." I whisper before throwing his sword off to the side.

I pick up and pocket my knives, before heading off into the forest to bathe. I quickly strip and jump in the cool water, not surfacing until my lungs screamed. After the fight, my wound had started throbbing painfully.

I know, I'm skinny dipping, but I didn't want to run into Levi while grabbing clothes. When I'm done scrubbing myself down, I just relax in the gently lapping waves. This is nice...

Why does everyone compare me to that hell spawn? Am I really like my father..? I mean, people call me the Silver Devil, so maybe I am. But I'm a demon in a different sense.

He is the demon that hides in the shadows, waiting for his time to strike and kill. I'm a killer and good at it, but I wasn't a demon by choice. Demons don't feel guilt for their actions, but I do.

When I told you about my first kill, I left so much out. Her name was Abigail Cross and she was my friend in kindergarten. We were both at the top of our class, so we spent a lot of time getting to know each other.

I called her Abbycat and she called me... Don't laugh. Renny the Pooh... Guh, but it was so cute when she said it. We didn't know who we'd be fighting in the forest, so we were shocked to see each other.

In school, she was always shy and too sweet for her own good. She knew she couldn't survive the games, so she didn't fight back. It took everything in me to end her, without caving.

I didn't want to kill my friend, but she understood what had to happen. After I won the games, I threw up everything, all over the forest floor. It took days to be able to eat again.

So Levi was right when he said my tattoo was a memorial. I needed to remember her and I wanted her to always be with me. She loved roses, so it was an easy choice.

To this day, I still remember her chubby cheeks that would spread into a toothy grin when she saw me. She was smart beyond her years and outshined me easily, but she played it down so we could stay together.

That's why I didn't flinch when Krista touched my shoulder. She looks just like Abby and it makes me let my guard down, but she has her secrets. The small diamond seal tattoo on her wrist gave her away.

That seal is only worn by members of the Reise family. I don't know if she even knew about the forest games, but the Reise family founded them. I feel no ill will toward her for keeping it a secret.

That'd be pretty hypocritical, especially since I kept my relation to Grisha a secret. Grisha talked about Mr. Reise's youngest daughter being around my age, but I don't remember what he called her. Ria or something like that.

Looking up at the sky, I notice how late it's gotten and change quickly. When I get to the entrance, Erwin sends me a relieved smile and lets me inside. At least he actually cares...

"You'll regret not helping me.." Grisha says quietly with a cold grin.

He walks back to Squad A and sits down, staring me down until I disappear upstairs. What is he planning? You and I are gonna have to keep an eye on him.. I'm tackled in a hug, shocking me out of my thoughts.

The person is squeezing me tightly and it puts pressure on my tender wound, making me whimper. Petra pulls away quickly and looks me over. She lifts my shirt up a bit and gasps.

"Eren, what happened? There's a shallow wound right above where you were stabbed."

My eyes find Levi, before I turn away. How could I not notice he had cut me? Petra comes back over with antibiotic cream and a large bandaid to patch me up. Just the thought of Grisha laying his grubby hands on this sweet woman makes my blood boil.

What ace was he talking about? He said that I wouldn't remember until he said it.. Small hands rub my shoulders and push me toward my sleeping bag.

"Get some sleep, sweetie. You and I are going to train tomorrow. I know you want to get back to how things were so I'll help, okay?" Petra asks quietly.

Finally, someone who understands the struggle! I mean, you understand, but now she does too... Nevermind it's time to sleep. Sleep had finally started to drag me under when I heard a cut-off scream.

Jumping up, I grab my knives and run downstairs with the others. It's utter chaos! There are so many of our own who had turned and were attacking everyone else. How did they even turn?

Looking over, I see Squad A getting cornered by most of the zombies. Other than them, it was just us and Erwin. How did this happen so fast and without us knowing? I jump into battle, killing zombies as fast as I could.

I wouldn't let my friends be taken too. The Levisquad made quick work disposing of them, but I was stopped when I went for the last zombie. Jean was protecting the zombie, holding its arms behind its back.

"Ple.. Please Eren, don't! Just help me tie him up!" Jean says while crying hysterically.

My heart stutters when I see who he's holding. The same man I had teased him about liking, was struggling in his grip and growling. I saw Levi make a swipe with his sword, but kick it out of his hand.

I point the sword at him and shake my head. Turning back to Marco, I take in his zombified features. His skin is so pale that each freckle stands out and his eyes are a pale, muddy brown color. He looked human aside from the blood splattered across his lower face.

I grab some rope from the storage room and wrap it around Marco, tying him to a pillar downstairs. Blood is splattered all over the tile and bodies are everywhere. We were the only survivors....

The elites and Squad A were all that remained of the 30 or so members of this settlement. How did this even happen?! I searched Marco for bites, but there were none at all.

"Jean, this isn't Marco anymore... He'd kill me if I let you get killed by something walking around with his face.." I say, my voice cracking.

Tears were silently going down my cheeks as I watched my nerdy friend struggle in his restraints. He was twisting so much that I caught sight of something when he was turned.

Rushing to him, I push his head forward, so I can see the deep slash running across the nape of his neck. His shirt collar covered it, but that must have been what turned him. He wasn't turned from a bite, he was killed and reanimated.

The theory I have on what is happening isn't good and I hope I'm wrong... I go from body to body and search their napes. Yep, some of them have the same mark as Marco. I'm guessing the ones with the marks turned the others with bites.

This happened in the dead of night and our gates hadn't been breached. Why would he do something so obvious? There is no way he can explain his way out of this.

From the corner of my eye, I can see him leaning against the wall with a smirk. God fucking damnit!! My knives are embedded in his forearms before anyone can react. Now the only way to escape would be for someone to remove those knives.

It's like pin the tail on the donkey, but better! I like to call it pin the murder on Grisha, ya feel me! He cries out in pain when the knives connect and everyone stares at me with wide eyes when I approach him.

"Now I thought you were stupid, but this... This is below even you. You hate getting your hands dirty so you must've been pretty desperate."

"What are you talking about, brat? You think he did this?!" Levi asks incredulously.

I grip the hilts of my knives and twist, making Grisha scream in pain. Good, I hope he's in pain! A small hand I recognize as Petra, pulls me back and I let her. My gaze never leaves my father's triumphant eyes.

"No Levi, I don't think he did it. I KNOW he did! Half of these people have slices on their nape that killed them instantly. Then, the rest he left up to his zombies."

"That's crazy brat why—"

"Levi, think about it. Our gates weren't breached and those cuts are very precise. Only a doctor could do that!"

"Yeah, or a professional killer. Stop pointing fingers and let's just start burying our loved ones." Levi says harshly.

I look at him incredulously and take a step back. He.. He thinks I did this? You were with me the whole time so you know I didn't do it, right? Jean's sobs reach my ears and I pull him into a hug.

I don't really like Jean, but losing his lover must have been hard. When I pull away, I grab both sides of his head and force him to look at me.

"Jean, I am so so sorry, but I can't leave him like this. Please, let me mercy him, so we can lay him to rest and bury him.." I whisper quietly.

His eyes look behind me at Marco, before he nods at me and pushes me away. I watch as he pulls Marco into his arms carefully and whispers something to him. Then, Jean plunges a knife into Marco's skull, making him slump instantly.

Jean unties Marco and picks him up over his shoulder, before walking outside. I look around the room and see people in different stages of grief. Ymir is hugging a crying Krista, while Mikasa is doing the same to Armin.

The elites are all looking around, stone-faced, at the carnage. We're used to death and losing people, so this doesn't really faze us. It never gets easier, you just get used to it.

I'm the closest to Grisha when it happens. A throat clears and the safety of a gun clicks, making everyone's attention turn toward the sound. Reiner was aiming a gun at my head with an impassive face.

It didn't surprise me that him and Bertholdt would do this. They're survivors and if Grisha threatened me, he could've done the same to them. The others are staring at the scene in shock, while we stare each other down.

"Who did he threaten, Reiner? Bertholdt?" I ask softly.

Bertholdt is looking at me with wide, tear-filled eyes, but I knew he'd stick by Reiner's side. I don't fault them, so I stand my ground and give them a sad smile. I'm not letting Grisha get away with this, so he's going to have to shoot me.

Levi must have figured out what was going on, because his eyes tried to meet mine. I'm not going to look at him, though.

"Eren, move out of the way, now!" he yells.

When I look into his eyes, I see all the fear and desperation swirling around in his irises. He knows that I'm willing to die to keep Grisha from them.

"Eren, please... I don't want to have to shoot you."

"Then don't! Whatever threat he's made, he can't do anything if he's dead!"

"This is so much bigger than him, Eren. They want him back and they want us, too. You know they'll kill us all if we don't listen." Bertholdt whispers quietly.

The blood freezes in my veins at their implications. There's no way the corporation survived and is still hosting forest games. They can't...

"Yeah, boy, they're alive! Shocking, huh? Told ya you should've just done what I asked." Grisha says cockily.

I turn and twist the knives in his forearms again, taking satisfaction in the scream I got in return. A gunshot echoes in the room and a bullet embedded in the wall next to my head.

"That's a warning. Let him go with us and get the hell outta here! They're sending a huge horde this way and I'd rather not be zombie fodder."

The missing zombies, Grisha being here, the Rain boys... It all made sense now. This was a new variation of the forest games. The gas leaking from the lab wasn't an accident! I can't believe it took this long to piece it together.

A loud droaning was heard from a distance away and Erwin rushed outside to check. He came back inside with a face drained of color and nodded his head. Shit, we gotta go!

"Levi, take the others and pack what you can, then throw it in the truck. Eren and I will meet you outside." Erwin orders in a strong voice.

I'm quick to rip my knives from his arms, before pushing him to land at the Rain boys' feet. I nod at them and run to help pack everything. Jean! Where did Jean go?!