Underground - Chapter 11: Chapter 11

The next morning, after not sleeping much the night before, I trudged along beside Hange to the mess hall.
She was chattering on like usual, stopping just for a moment to push her smudged glasses farther up the bridge of her nose, before she continued onward with her verbal tirade. Normally, I would attempt to humor her by at least listening to some of what she was saying, but this morning, I couldn't focus on her words. I had a pounding in my head and I was dreading seeing Levi at the officers' table after last night.
We entered the mess hall and I slumped down at the officers' table beside Erwin, who raised an eyebrow at me and said, "Something wrong, (L/N)?"
I straightened and took the cup of coffee Hange offered me, taking a long sip of the hot liquid. "No, sir. Just a little tired. I'm fine."
I avoided looking in Levi's direction, instead, focusing on taking measured sips of my coffee as I scanned the roomful of cadets. I spotted the cadets from my squad gathered around their usual table, joking and shoving each other as they ate. I caught sight of Johnson, seated next to Miller, and for a brief moment, I wished all of the cadets had the foresight to train and ask questions like he did. I would never admit it out loud, but that kid just kept on impressing me.
Hange flicked my arm from across the table and I brought my gaze back to her as she gave me a bright grin and said excitedly, "We should pair up our squads for today's mission, (F/N)! That would be fun." She turned quickly to Erwin, her eyes lit up with excitement behind the glass of her spectacles. "Can we, Erwin? Can we?"
Erwin didn't look up from his paperwork as he sat down his coffee cup and said matter of factly, "I'm sorry, Hange. (L/N)'s and Ackerman's squads will be paired together again today."
I couldn't help it, I groaned under my breath. "Damn it all." I let the words slip out past my lips and Erwin glanced up at me again, a stern look on his face.
"Is there something wrong with my orders, Corporal (L/N)?"
I bit my tongue and said through gritted teeth, "No, sir. I'm sorry." I clenched my fists in my lap under the cover of the table.
Levi spoke up from the other side of the commander. "Tch. If she won't say it, I will. We can't be paired together, Erwin. She's a liability and her group of brats are too inexperienced for the field. They put us all in danger last mission."
I stood up from the table so quickly that I knocked my chair to the floor behind me, but I was so mad, I didn't care. I slammed my hands down on the table and glared at Levi, who regarded me with his normal, flat, blank stare, raising his teacup to his lips. "You're an ass, you know that?" I leaned toward him, my eyes flashing with anger. "Everywhere I go, everything I do, you're always there somehow, to make fun of me, or tell me I'm not good enough, or tell me that I'm stupid."
He lowered the teacup from his lips and said in a bored tone, "I'm only trying to do you a favor, (L/N). You're going to get yourself killed if you keep up this reckless behavior."
"Well, then, You know what, Ackerman?" I straightened and stepped back from the table, my gaze still boring into his. "I'm not your little Underground pet project. I don't need you. So. Stop. Doing. Me. Favors."
I turned and stalked out of the dining hall, some of the cadets who had overheard our argument staring at me with wide eyes as I pushed past them. I marched to the stables and threw the tack on my horse, making it slightly skitterish with the force I applied to the straps as I tightened them. I clenched the reins in my fist and led the horse out into the sunshine, just as my squad exited the dining hall to hear our mission assignments for the day.
"Corporal!" Miller called out to me as I approached them all. She threw me a quick salute and then said, "What's our orders today? Are we going outside the wall again?"
I led the horse past the group of cadets, not stopping to acknowledge them as I said briskly, "Get geared up. If you're not at the gate in five minutes, ready to go, we're leaving without you and you'll do two hours of extra training tonight."
They didn't move, staring after me with slightly confused looks on their faces, so I barked back over my shoulder, "NOW IDIOTS."
They scattered to find their gear and ready their horses.
Five minutes later, they were all present at the gate, all mounted and ready for orders. I pulled my horse around to face them and stated loudly, so they could all hear, "We'll be paired with the special forces squad again today. However, remember, Corporal Ackerman does not give you orders, I do. You will listen and heed me at all times. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Corporal!"
I started to speak again, when I was cut off by Levi approaching, followed by the trio and the rest of the special forces squad. I clenched my teeth together, trying to stifle the rage that was burning in my chest, as he pulled his horse up beside me and looked out over the group, his stare emotionless. "I'll take it from here, (L/N)."
I wanted to land a punch right in the middle of his stupid, arrogant, blank face, but instead, I clenched my fists harder around the reins in my hands until my knuckles were white. He studied the group before us for a moment and then I noticed that he furrowed his brow just a bit and ground his teeth, a dark look coming over his face as if he didn't want to say what he had to next. "Tch. I've just received news from Commander Smith that the titans have once again somehow breached Wall Maria." Anger washed across his normally expressionless face for a brief second and then it was gone just as quickly. "It's our job to head to the south and see how many have breached the wall and do what we can to stop it. We will be accompanied by other squads, but they will be performing their own objectives separate of ours. We are essentially on our own, so watch each other's backs. Have I made myself clear?"
"Yes, Corporal."
I glanced over at my squad and noted that Johnson had gone pale during Levi's speech and his forehead was suddenly covered with a fine sheen of sweat.
Levi motioned for all of us to move out as the gate was lifted for us, and as everyone spurred their horses forward and through the gate, I pulled back to ride beside Johnson, who still looked as if he was going to be sick at any moment.
We rode in silence for a few moments, our gazes kept straight ahead as we exited through the gate and into the countryside beyond. When we were outside, I glanced over at Johnson and commanded, "All right, Johnson. What happened back there? You went white as a ghost."
He swallowed hard. "The titans. They came in through the south...."
I flicked my gaze down to his hands, which had tightened on the reins as he spoke. He was visibly upset. I let out a long breath and then said, "Your village. It's in the southeast then?" He nodded silently and I asked, "Your family? They're still there?"
I glanced to the front of the group, where Levi led the cadets, and then back to Johnson. I looked over my shoulder to the cadets behind us and then jerked my horse closer to Johnson's, so our legs were practically touching. I leaned over to him and said quietly, "Okay, listen to me closely. We're headed to the Southeast for the mission anyway. I'll go ahead with you, maybe if we hurry, we can warn everyone and get them out before the titans hit the villages. We'll take Miller with us. A smaller group will move more quickly. And then hopefully, by the time we've cleared everyone out, Ackerman will be there with the rest of the forces to help us take down the incoming titans."
Johnson glanced over at me, his eyes wide in his white face, and whispered back, "But.....why would you do that for me?"
I scoffed and straightened back on my horse, pulling away from him again as I glanced back to Levi, who hadn't turned once to look at us. "I'm not doing it for you, idiot. I just don't like to see innocent people die if I can help it." I flicked my fingers at him. "Now, come on. Move it. Drop back and tell Miller she's to accompany us. That's an order."
Johnson hesitated for a moment and then pulled back on his mount, falling back through the ranks to ride beside Miller, who had brought up the rear of the group. I kicked my horse forward and trotted up to take my place back beside Levi at the head of the group.
As I fell in beside him, he shot me a glance out of the corner of his eye and then said, "Oi, (L/N). What were you and that cadet talking about?"
I didn't look at him, I was still too angry with what he had said earlier, but I snapped back a reply, keeping my gaze ahead of us. "Not that it's any of your business, Ackerman, but his village is located to the southeast." I glanced over my shoulder and saw Miller and Johnson approaching, riding along the side of the group to reach me.
I finally looked over at Levi, who had noticed the two cadets fall in behind me, and noted that it seemed as if a flash of anger broke through the emotionless sea of his eyes, but it was gone before I could be sure. He scoffed. "Tch. Don't tell me you told them they could go and warn the village ahead of us. This is exactly what I meant earlier when I said you were reckless, (L/N)."
"That's exactly what I told them." I stated confidently, giving him a glare. "With one exception-I told them I'd accompany them."
He jerked back on his mount, causing the animal to slide to an abrupt stop in the mud under its feet and the rest of our party almost crashed into us as they pulled back their animals, some letting out snorts of annoyance at the sudden stop.
He turned to me and this time there was indeed anger in his dark eyes as he addressed me in a dangerous voice. "You told them what?"
The anger in his normally flat voice sent a shiver down my spine, but I steeled myself and returned his gaze, saying in a strong voice, "I told them I would go with them to warn and evacuate the villages. And we're wasting time talking about it. So we need to leave now." I motioned Miller and Johnson to come up beside me. I raised an eyebrow at Levi and said, "There's nothing you can do to stop me. We're equal in this world."
His lips pressed into a thin displeased line. "Tch." He pulled the black stallion's head around to face the group of cadets behind us. "Corporal (L/N) will be leaving us to ride ahead to warn and evacuate the villages. That means that I expect you brats to all listen to me and do what I say. Is that clear?"
My cadets all looked to me hesitantly, remembering the speech I had given them before we had left the city. I gave them a slight nod and then glanced over at Levi, who was watching me. I flicked my fingers across my forehead in a slight, quick salute to him, knowing he'd understand the gratitude I was trying to get across with the small gesture, and then turned to Miller and Johnson, who stood at the ready.
"Miller, Johnson. We need to stay ahead of those bastards. Let's go."