For once I thought our luck was finally turning around. I saw the sunshine bouncing off the rubble up ahead and thought finally we are out of this hell hole, but of course not. Of course, it isn't that easy. The second we had stepped foot near the end of the tunnel and our eyes started to readjust to the lighting we heard several rapidly approaching footsteps and gunshots in the distance.

I didn't even bother giving myself false hope hearing the footsteps. I knew they had to be guards. There was no way this was going to be more survivors or people from our teams coming to help.

"Be ready to fight," I said without hesitation.

"But what if they're friendly?" the lady behind me had asked. I get that she wanted to be optimistic but now isn't the time. Right now we have to expect the worst and be ready for it rather than hope for the best and be caught off guard.

"No Eren's right," Levi stepped in backing me up, "they definitely aren't friendly. "Stay behind us. I'll do what I can to stop any bullets from getting by me."

Levi looked at me and I nodded. He wanted me to make a gravity field in front of them just to be safe. I did just that. No more innocent civilians will be hurt on my watch.

We didn't have much time to get anyone else out of the line of fire. Rico was up near the front; she was still trying to get behind us when we saw the guards in front of us. Quinn and Alastair were still out in the open as well.
"These guys are really starting to piss me off," Quinn groaned.

Alastair put his wings in front of Quinn and I tried to make another gravity field in front of us but I was a second too late. They had already managed to fire a few shots before I managed to get the field up.

I winced and grabbed my arm. I'm lucky the bullet only seemed to graze my arm. I realized Xander wasn't as lucky. He fell to his knees struggling to take a deep breath in at first. I ran over and pulled him closer to me and Levi so we could defend him.

"Where was he shot?" I asked Levi and Levi pointed to his lower abdomen. "Did it hit anything major?"

"I don't know," Levi said, just worrying about keeping pressure on the wounds.

"Nanaba?" I heard Rico ask. "Nanaba?" her voice was even more desperate this time.

"I looked up to see what was wrong and saw Nanaba's Jaw nearly blown clean off. All that struggling to keep her alive was for nothing.

"Nanaba!" Rico screamed again seeing all the blood on her shoulder. She quickly laid Nanaba down to get a look but I jumped up and the second she laid Nanaba down I covered her eyes.

"Let go of me if something's wrong I have to help her I have to-."

"Rico!" I cut her off, "we did everything we could, she's gone. I'm sorry but she's gone."

"She can't be. She can't be. I'm dreaming. This is just a nightmare. I'm going to wake up and she will be okay. I just have to wake up," Rico sounded absolutely desperate. She didn't even realize her arm was bleeding. I only realized when I saw the hole in her jacket. The blood was barely noticeable on her black jacket; it just looked like a wet stain.

"Rico's been shot," I said, calling out to Levi who was still trying to keep pressure on Xander's wound. Xander was still conscious and he seemed to be breathing just fine now. I think the pain is what had him struggling to breathe.

"Bring her to me I can help," Xander wheezed out through the pain.

"I'll hold them off, just keep working on them," Quinn shouted at us when she saw my focus being split between holding off the approaching guards and tending to their injuries.

"Hold your fire," A voice in the group of guards called out. "Quinn?" the man's voice asked as he came to the front.

"Henry?" I asked recognizing that voice anywhere. The guards around him slightly lowered their weapons, not by much, but enough to give us all a moment to breathe. I felt Alastair's hands tighten on my wrist as he recognized the name.

"What the hell are you doing?" He asked me taking a few steps towards me, closing the gap between us, his men still waiting behind him. He's definitely been promoted in the few years he's been gone.

"What the hell am I doing? What the hell are you doing?" I asked back, standing my ground against him for the first time. It took everything I had not to crumble back into the safety of Alastair's arms and ignore him. "You disappear for 5 years and now this is what you're doing?" Silas would be ashamed of you."

"Ashamed of me, isn't that rich. You see this is why I left you, you became the very monster I knew you would," he gestured at me. "Don't tell me Silas followed in your footsteps? I always knew you would corrupt him one day."

I had to bite back my urge to punch him. To prove his point. He wanted to see me lash out at him. Prove his point to everyone that I am a monster. I won't give him the satisfaction. "No, he didn't follow in my footsteps," I said as calmly as I could, "He died following yours. I almost did too. Killed by the very people you work with," I pointed over to the men behind him. The same uniforms that were there when my son was murdered. I leaned in to get in his face. I was going to speak my mind and he was going to listen.

"We were so brainwashed by your bullshit that we believed you without question. Even after you walked out on us without so much as a word. We were so convinced you were right, that if we just kept our heads down and complied with their every demand, obeyed their every word, sit back and watch quietly as our rights got stripped away one by one, that we would be fine because we complied. We did everything we were supposed to do according to you, and do you know what happened?" I asked. It was getting harder and harder to stay calm. I could feel my chest tightening as I talked. I wanted nothing more than to yell at him, to kill him where he stood, but he needs to listen. Need to know that he was always wrong.

"They broke into our house in the dead of night. They killed Silas. They killed my son right in front of me. They made me watch as they put a bullet through his head. Then when I cried, when I screamed out in agony, they slit my throat to keep me quiet."

Henry got quiet for a moment. I couldn't read him, then again I never could. He always kept his thoughts so guarded around me. When he smiled at me I almost lost it I almost choked him right where he stood.

"You know what? Good." He said getting back in my face. "Good riddance he's dead. You turned him into a freak, you corrupted his mind. He wasn't my son anymore, he was a monster. Just like you. I'm actually kinda glad they screwed up and left you alive. It means I can finish you off myself. You both were nothing but a bunch of mistakes and it's time I clean up my own mess."

He started to raise his gun at me when Alastair pulled me backward and stepped in front of me. He looked weird leaning to the side like that as he avoided standing on his bad ankle. The way he looked tilted almost looked menacing like a predator watching its prey. He stared Henry down for a second before speaking up, putting on a fake smile. "Geez buddy, I always knew you were quite the piece of work," he said before dropping the fake smile completely and staring him down with a cold stare. "But you're just a downright cunt."

He didn't even give Henry a chance to respond before ignoring him, completely turning his back to him and looking at me. "I know it's probably hard for you to kill him. I could do it if you want me to," he offered in a sweet voice. As satisfying as it would be to kill him where he stood Alastair was right I didn't have the heart to. His eyes looked too much like Silas's. I looked Henry straight in the eye before giving Alastair a nod.

"Oh I'm so scared," he said sarcastically, "I'd like to see you try. You won't even be able to lay a hand on me," he said, raising his gun at Alastair. He gave his men an order to all fire at us. "I want the bitch and her boy toy dead," he yelled.

Alastair's hand wrapped around my waist as he pulled me close to him. My chest flat against his, his head in the crook of my neck. His arms held me close as the bullets rained down on us. His wings completely wrapped around us keeping us perfectly safe. After another minute went by I heard him give the order to stop shooting.

Alastair moved his wings so he was face to face with Henry once again. I would pay for a picture of Henry's face right about now. The look of fear when he realized he wasn't able to shoot him and be done with it. He almost looked like he was going to piss his pants for a second until I saw him stand up tall and get in a fighting position. Oh, how cute he thinks this is going to be a fistfight.

I felt Alastair's hands slip off of me for a second. He stared down Henry with the most bone-chilling smile I've ever seen. The smile was just a tad too wide. His eyes were unblinking and wide and he laughed a little. His calm demeanor as well as the way he slightly leaned all looked like something straight out of a horror movie. "You're dead mate," is all he said. He never broke eye contact. Not even after his eyes started turning pitch black and the cracks started forming down the sides of his face.

Now Henry looked like he was absolutely shitting himself. I watched as the shadowy being appeared right before our eyes out of Alastair's shadow. Demonic and growing in size the span of its wings covering our whole team. It had horns that were thicker and longer than my arms. The bright white eyes were trained on Henry. I watched as four arms appeared out of it rather than the usual two.

Henry was hovering off the floor in the hands of the shadow before I could even blink. He started screaming as the shadow placed two of its hands around his body to hold him in place while the other two grabbed his arms. He didn't even have enough time to finish begging before his arms were ripped from his body. He was about to scream but it was silenced a few seconds later when his head came off next.

What followed the agonizing screams was a pure silence as the men in front of us stared us down. They didn't know what to do. Their commanding officer ripped to shreds in front of their very eyes. I could tell they didn't want to surrender but they knew they had no other option. It started with one man throwing his gun to the ground. Then another, then another until there were just two standing in front of us still holding their weapons. One looked like he was on the fence about surrendering, the other was shakily pointing his gun at Alastair, too afraid to pull the trigger.

The shadow grabbed the gun and quickly bent it making it unusable. That's all it took for the last guy to drop his gun.

"I made a vow that I would never kill another human being with that power because it would just confirm to everyone that I am the monster they say I am. Today I gladly broke that vow. I've been waiting to do that since you've told me about the prick," Alastair said, wrapping his arm around me as the shadow disappeared and his eyes and face went back to normal.

"Since when could he do that?" Xander asked from the side and I nearly laughed. I forgot we never filled him in on Alastair's third power.

"Not so fast, we aren't done yet," Rico said standing up pushing Xander and Eren's hands off of her. "Which one of you mother fucker's killed her?"

There was no answer and she marched up to them. "Which one of you did it! Answer me!" She yelled and I walked over to her and put my hand on her shoulders. "There's no way of knowing," I said looking at her. I know she was desperate for revenge, but they've already surrendered, and there was no way anyone could know which bullet came from which gun. "I know it's hard to let her go, but we have to. We have to finish the mission for her, we can't wait our time dealing with these guys," I said trying to calm her down.

I didn't think it was working but she took a deep breath and nodded. "Fine," her voice sounded so shaky and broken. It was no secret that she saw Nanaba as a mother to her, but the thoughts going through her head showed just how close they were. Nanaba picked Rico up off the street, gave her a home, gave her actual love and care. She's lost right now. The first person she's ever truly considered family is dead after all she tried to do to save her.

I watched as Rico moved all the guns away from the guards before asking Alastair to break them. Alastair shrugged and had the shadow being break them all before disappearing again.

"We should get moving," Xander said and Eren and Levi both helped him to his feet.

"Before we do," Rico said, walking back over to the group of men. They all fell over within minutes.

"They are just sleeping," she reassured the citizens with us. I know she wanted to kill them, but she didn't. She actually held back and told the citizens the truth. She didn't want to scare them, they were already terrified enough after Alastair killed Henry.

"Alright, good, let's get a move on!" Xander said practically dragging Eren and Levi despite them being the ones holding him up. He sure is impatient.

Sitting here practically helpless as everyone around me was injured physically or emotionally made me feel as if I was useless. The only other person not physically injured was Christa, but she was staring at her hands that were still covered in Ymir's blood. She had taken a look at Hitch to see if she could help, but she was realizing that we alone couldn't help her. She was pinned good and dragging her out isn't an option with the glass under her back.

"Connie, we will figure something out," I heard Hitch say as she nudged my leg with her hand.

Was she seriously trying to comfort me when she was the one pinned and laying on glass? How useless am I that she feels like she has to comfort me in this situation?

"We will don't you worry about it, we will handle this," I said standing up deciding I had to figure something out. I can't just sit here staring waiting for something to happen. It's not like people are just going to drop out of the sky to help us. I heard a loud thump behind me and when I turned around Pixis, Berthold and Erwin were right there.

"Son of a bitch that actually worked," I said, staring at them in disbelief.

"Thank god you're here, Hitch needs help," Mina said, getting their attention.

Berthold' looked like he was shaking. He was covered in blood. Erwin didn't look much better. He seemed to have a lot of blood splatter on his face.

"What happened to you guys? Are you okay, that's a lot of blood," Christa asked.

"It's not theirs," Pixis answered, clearing his throat trying to change the subject Berthold and Erwin looked like they were too shocked to respond. Pixis just sat up wincing as he pushed himself off the ground. "You seem to be covered in blood too," Pixis pointed out.

"It's not mine either," she mumbled, looking away from him.

"Oh," he whispered. He seemed to understand right away. He cleared his throat before looking at the rest of us, "how can we help? You said Hitch needs help?" He changed the subject awfully fast.

"Yeah, she's pinned, and she's laying on a bunch of glass," I said, filling him in.

"Uh, guys, we have to move," Erwin said, his eyes snapping up straight past us.

My eyes followed his and I saw a bunch of guards start turning the corner and coming towards us. "We just can't catch a damn break," Berthold mumbled.

"We need to get Hitch out of here now!" Pixis said directing Christa Berthold and me. We were the only ones who could actually lift the rock off her leg. Amalia's hands were too burnt, Mina was busy trying to hold her eyes to stop the bleeding. Pixis and Erwin's arms were both injured; it was up to us.

"Drag me out if you have to, we will worry about the glass later," Hitch finally said, shaking her head. "Please just don't leave me here."

"No one's getting left behind," I said calmly, looking towards the others. We just need to move the giant chunk of the building enough to be able to drag her out.

Berthold wrapped his arms around her completely so that when we did drag her out her body would be lifted up and away from the glass as fast as possible. It would still have to drag a little, but it will have to do.

"Alright I'll pull you two lifts," Berthold said. We counted to three and then with all of our might I tried moving the rock. It barely moved, but it moved enough so that Berthold could drag her out.

I know she desperately tried to hold in her screams, but they still slipped out. The guards had spotted us and were running over towards us now. Pixis placed force fields over Everyone except Erwin. Instead, he stood in front of him. "Make a portal now!"

Erwin made a portal and Pixis stood directly in front of it, ushering us in one by one, not dropping our force fields until we were safely behind him. Erwin had come in last; we were just waiting on Pixis now.

"Close the portal," he said looking at Erwin.

"What? No."

"I can't go through the portal without dropping my force field. If I drop my force field there for even half a second they will shoot me dead."

"Give me a second to think about this. I'll figure something out."

"There's no time they are already walking around me to try and get an angle on you guys. It's only a matter of time before they get behind the portal and go through."

"No, we aren't leaving you behind!" Berthold yelled. He tried to come towards the portal and I watched as it all happened so quickly. Pixis placed a portal on Erwin and the portal instantly snapped closed.

"Get him back!" Berthold yelled. The force field on Erwin flickered and then disappeared. This was different; it wasn't like Pixis just dropped the force field, it was like it flickered out.

"Is he-." Berthold asked. The sound of gunshots ringing out just a little ways away told us everything we needed to know.

"His power gave out, he used it too much," Erwin answered his voice quiet. I watched him close his eyes and shake his head. "Damn it if he would have just given me a few more seconds I would have thought of something to save him. I could have placed portals all around him so he could come through."

"I thought his powers didn't work through portals?"

"They don't, but I didn't portal us very far away, his power still worked between the distance," Erwin explained. "We need to get out of here, it won't take long for guards to come search over here. "I'll make another portal and try to get us farther away."

There's no time left. I'm sure Erwin will think of a way he could have saved me after the fact, but right now I know there's no rational thinking happening. We are running out of time they are too close. They know they can't shoot the force field they aren't even trying. They are trying to get around me, but honestly, if they shoot this force field once it will probably break. I've been using my power way too much. My power is weak and it will give out at any moment. I need to get them to leave.

"I did the only thing I could do." I knew how far Erwin had made the portal. I knew my power was in range. I had to, I can feel my power giving out. This is the only thing I can do, but it will wear out the last bit of my powers. Well, at least it will be a quick death.

I placed a force field over Erwin. It should stop his power from working even if the portal only lasts for a split second. I watched as the force field appeared over him before the portal snapped shut disappearing into thin air. There was a guard standing right behind it. He had almost made it in. He didn't look too happy being stopped.

My force fields flickered for a second before disappearing. The guard standing in front of me raised his gun and I dropped to my knees knowing there was no way out of this one.

"Sorry Shadis looks like I'll be seeing you again sooner than I expected," I mumbled to myself. I felt the barrel of the gun press to the back of my head. I didn't even fight it, I just waited. I felt a quick pink and then my consciousness faded rather quickly.