Levi continued trudging forward, not bothering to look back at Eren as he walked at a fast pace towards City Hall. They needed to hurry and fast. Levi doesn't know why Erwin suggested City Hall specifically, but he thinks it has something to do with people in the Survey Corps escorting them to where they need to go next. It was super fucking annoying to Levi how he's the only one who is actually able to control himself around an Omega like Eren and he thought Erwin was stronger than that. But he guesses not.

Walking down the dead and abandoned streets, Levi looks back at Eren over his shoulder to make sure the kid was keeping up. He looked forward again and sighed.

"Do you have any weapons on you?" Levi asked him, still looking forward as they walked. Eren looked up from watching his feet to the back of Levi's head and hummed.

"I have a baseball bat, but that's all I have. I lost my gun when my friends and I were ambushed by the Military Police." Eren replied with a dull tone, really not wanting to talk to Levi. The Alpha gave Eren a lot of anxiety and had him on edge ever since they met so getting used to each other, Eren can tell, isn't going to be easy.

Levi let off another, yet heavier sigh and stopped in his tracks. He pulled off his back pack, unzipping it and searched the interior until he found what he was looking for. The Alpha pulled out a small handgun that the Omega can handle with his small hands. It doesn't have a very strong kick, but it's a very powerful gun and it's great for beginners. He removed the magazine and filled it up with bullets before putting it back on and slid it back to feed the bullets through the chamber. Levi then held out the gun to the Omega to take, looking up at the questioning face that Eren was giving.

"Ever fire a handgun before?" Levi asked him, watching Eren take the gun and examining it thoroughly. Eren looked back at Levi and gave a small smile.

"I fired a rifle before. Is that a huge difference? I mean, is the handgun weaker than a rifle?" Eren asked looking back down at the small gun Levi had given him. Levi chuckled a little at the Omega's ignorance, finding it somewhat adorable.

"Yeah there is a huge difference, but no. This particular handgun is a powerful thing, but it doesn't have a big kick to it like most strong handguns do so you'll be able to handle it. Actually, I think you'll like that handgun more than a rifle." Levi spoke with a smirk, watching as Eren switched the gun to safety and sticking it in his back pocket.

"Thank you." Eren spoke, feeling a little more relieved and safe now that he has a proper weapon to protect himself. He was not about to be one of those helpless, defenseless, useless Omegas who can't do jack to protect themselves and is forced to rely on an Alpha. He is not one of those Omegas and he really hopes that Levi doesn't think he is. Although, that's always the first impression he gets.

Levi nodded to Eren and threw on his back pack before turning around again. "Let's get to City Hall before it gets dark. Well...too dark." Levi spoke, before coming across a back road alleyway to his right. Knowing the area pretty well, there are Military Police patrolling the main roads right now making sure everyone takes shelter by curfew. With how dark it's getting, he could already tell they either hit curfew or it's about that time. When Levi turned into the alleyway, Eren raised an eyebrow.

"Where are we going?" He asked, walking close behind Levi as not to fall behind. Levi kept looking ahead, preparing himself to come across Hunters* or any infected that might be lurking in the alleyway at this time.

Hunters are a huge reason why Levi gave Eren the handgun. Not only are the infected a huge threat but some humans who survived the outbreak turned to murder and robbery. Anyone who enters the hunter's territory are called "tourists" and when they catch these tourists, they torture, kill, rob; and some even eat them. So hunters are definitely the last people Levi wants to run into, especially considering he has an Omega with him.

Eren frowned when Levi didn't answer his question, letting off a small groan of frustration. Once they came to a dead end at the end of the alley, Eren crossed his arms and gave Levi a skeptical look.

"Levi? What are we doing here?" He asked again, this time a little louder so Levi could definitely hear him. Levi looked up at the old brick apartment buildings, spotting drop-down ladders and a dumpster they can push underneath to get to the ladder. If they go through the buildings, then they can avoid the Military Police patrolling the streets and the Hunters that will be out later on in the night. Levi walked up to the dumpster, pushing it underneath the ladder and looking back at Eren.

"Listen, kid. I don't know if you're stupid and not aware of this, but there's a curfew that every survivor must follow or else they get shot down or arrested. If we go through alleyways and buildings then we can avoid the Military Police and the Hunters that will be out later tonight. There's no way we can make it to City Hall before nightfall so just follow me, obey me, and climb that damn ladder." Levi spoke in irritation towards the boy's ignorance, gesturing to the ladder just underneath the dumpster. Eren narrowed his eyes at the Alpha before rolling his eyes and walking up to the dumpster. Levi bent down a little, cupping his hands together prepared to give Eren a boost up. Eren understood the gesture and placed his foot in the man's hands, holding onto the ledge of the dumpster while Levi lifted Eren up with ease. Eren pulled himself up onto the dumpster before turning towards Levi again.

"Do you need help up?" Eren asked Levi with bored expression, trying to pretend he didn't care whether or not Levi could climb up by himself. However, considering the fact that this one Alpha pushed a gigantic dumpster all by himself, he's pretty sure Levi can climb things easily with that much upper body strength. Just as Eren predicted, Levi shook his head, taking off his backpack and handing it to Eren.

"No, I can climb up." He spoke as Eren took the backpack. Levi stood back, getting a running start before he jumped up on to the edge of the dumpster and climbing up with ease. He stood up straight and took the backpack from Eren's hands before he looked up at the drop down ladder that still needs to be dropped. Eren followed the Alpha's gaze and sighed again, knowing very well that Levi is going to have to boost Eren up again so he can grab the ladder.

Levi hunkered down again with his hands together as Eren placed his foot back into his hands, keeping his balance with the old mossy brick wall and Levi's shoulder. Levi, again, easily lifted Eren into the air and the Omega grabbed the ladder. He pulled the rusted red ladder and Levi set Eren back down on his own two feet. Levi swears he can continuously lift this kid all day and never get tired considering how light he is. He gestured for the Omega to climb up first, looking behind him to make sure there weren't anybody behind them and then looked back up at the Omega making his way up the ladder. Levi couldn't help but stare at his ass as he climbed up behind Eren, feeling his face grow hot. Sure, Levi is unaffected by Omegan pheromones, but with an Omega as attractive as Eren and his ass in his face he can't help but appreciate the view.

Once they made it to the first platform, they made their way up the steps and to an open window. They crawled through the window and made their way into what used to be a bedroom. Eren looked around the room, looking at old family photos and trinkets while Levi searched for anything useful such as weapons, ammunition, food; anything. Eren picked up one of the photos, noticing a young looking married couple with a son and daughter on a beach together. He couldn't help but feel a pain in his chest, reminded of his mom and Mikasa before the outbreak. He set the photo back down carefully and turned to Levi who was going through drawers before exiting the room close behind him. Eren was reminded of something, however, and cleared his throat.

"Umm...back there, you said something about Hunters? What are Hunters?" Eren asked the man as they made their way to the front door of the apartment. Levi looked around the corner, making sure there aren't any lurking infected or other people before continuing and considering Eren's question.

"Hunters are survivors who kill and rob other humans to survive. They're not people you want to run into, especially considering you're an Omega." He spoke with seriousness, looking back at Eren briefly and looking forward again. Eren groaned and rolled his eyes.

"Why does being me being an Omega automatically mean that I'm weak?" Eren spoke with irritation, completely misunderstanding what Levi was saying. Levi turned around and faced Eren, stepping towards him and pushing him against the nearest wall with annoyance.

"Listen, brat. I never said you're weak. What I'm telling you is that since Omegas are rare and sought after, you're not safe. Those assholes will gang rape you until you're dead and who the fuck knows what they would do with your dead body. Do you think one Omega has a chance against a gang of Alphas?" Levi spoke with seriousness. He hates this attitude Eren has, thinking everyone looks at him as a weakling when in reality there are people out there wanting to hurt him for specific reasons regarding his sex. Levi knows he's not weak, but there's no way this small teenager has a chance against fifteen or more Alpha's. Eren looked down at the ground in embarrassment, realizing what Levi was saying. He sighed and slumped back against the wall.

"Um...I..." Eren had no words. Levi telling him that he has no chance against a gang of Alpha's made him rethink what he had said. It isn't that Eren is weak, he just can't handle that situation by himself and get out of it alive. Levi cupped Eren's chin, lifting his head up to look him in the eyes.

"I have no doubt you're a strong person, Eren. All I'm saying is one versus twenty is an unthinkable match, okay?" Levi spoke a little more gently, dropping his hand to his side again. Eren furrowed his eyebrows at the man for a second before he spoke again quietly.

"But..." Eren started, still looking at the Alpha before he shut his mouth again, deciding to just drop the subject. "...okay. I'm sorry." he said, staring down at the floor again. Levi was about to say something when he heard a group of men down the hall way bust through a door laughing. Reacting quickly, he grabbed the startled Omega by the waist and guided him to a toppled over table to hide behind. Levi hunkered down, arms boxing Eren in against the desk to further protect the Omega or at least keep the Omega from trying to play hero considering he seems like that type of careless kid. Eren reached down to his gun, pulling it out and switching it off safety as Levi did the same. The Alpha sat up to look of the edge of the table before he noticed four men carrying burlap sacks filled with either stolen items or body parts. Noticing the dark clothing and gruff appearances, Levi gritted his teeth in anger.

"Damn Hunters." Levi whispered in annoyance, hunkering down again and leaning in close to Eren's ear so the Hunters don't hear him.

"I'm gonna gradually make my way down the hallway. When it's safe, I'll gesture you to follow, okay? So just stay put for now." Eren nodded in understanding as Levi looked around the table, noticing some boxes further down the hallway to hide behind. When he noticed the coast was clear, he made his way quickly behind the boxes still in his crouched form. He looked back at Eren, noticing him still behind the table when a couple men came back into the hallway.

"Well" one started, taking a swig of what looked like beer "today wasn't too bad. We got some pretty nice stuff from that couple we killed. Too bad they were both kind of old so we can't do anything with the bodies." He spoke, leaning against the door way. Levi cursed as he noticed they weren't moving, so he has to stay put until he can be sure it's safe for Eren to follow. One of the men laughed and sighed, taking the beer from his friend to drink.

"Yeah well, we need to find a good slut to use because I'm getting really lethargic." the man spoke, taking a swig of beer as his friend laughed in agreement. Levi grimaced, balling up his fists and getting angry just hearing these bastards talk.

I can't believe I used to be one of them...

They then turned in the direction they came from upon hearing someone else coming into the entrance, going in the direction of the door they came from to greet whoever else came to meet them here. Levi turned towards Eren, waving him over quickly. Eren looked at him with worry, peaking his head around the side of the table before he quietly ran over to Levi in a crouched form still holding the gun to his chest. Once Levi had Eren with him again, he looked over the box and noticed there were now about seven men in the shambled apartment.

"Tch...that's our way out." He growled lowly. Levi didn't know what to do other than wait for the opportunity to sneak into the room. However, that's a risky thing to do and he doubts they'll leave without putting up a fight. Eren looked at him with more worry.

"Is there no way through the rubble in the staircase? Maybe we can climb over it." Eren suggested, although, it was a stupid idea and he knew it. There's no way they can get over the rubble in the stairwell without seriously injuring themselves. Levi shook his head.

"No there's no way. We need to climb out that window or go out the front door, so we need to sneak in there and try our best to crawl out the fucking window without being seen." Eren gasped a little, knowing it's highly unlikely they'll remain unnoticed. Levi sighed heavily, looking at Eren again with sincerity.

"I doubt will get out of here without putting up a fight, so whatever you do, in an emergency, don't hesitate to shoot those people, okay?" Levi spoke, knowing fully well that Eren won't hesitate given the fact that he stabbed a fucking Military Police officer. Eren nodded his head and gave Levi a determined look.

"Don't worry. I won't. I'll back you up, Levi." He spoke with confidence and determination. Levi rose his eyebrows at the attitude the Omega was giving, and damn if Levi didn't like it. No too often will he meet an Omega as determined and confident to fight as him and gave Levi a fluttering feeling in his chest. Pushing it aside, he placed a firm hand on the younger ones slim shoulder with a smirk.

"Good." He spoke, looking back at doorway, noticing the seven men weren't anywhere to be seen. However, he could still hear them going through their stolen items. Levi looked at the old bookshelf sitting behind the couch with a little path behind it that led to more hiding spots such as a desk, fallen end tables, and chairs that sat directly in front of the window they needed to aim for for escape.

"Okay." Levi spoke, keeping his hand on his shoulder. "Follow close behind me, okay? We're going to hide behind that bookshelf. Now is our only chance so let's go." Levi spoke, moving out from behind the box to run into the room. Once he made it to the bookshelf with Eren, he saw one of the men had just turned to walk towards the couch before sitting down with a heavy sigh.

"That was close..." Eren whispered to me. I nodded in agreement before turning to him, putting a finger against my lips to signal him to remain quiet. Eren gently put the tips of his own fingers against his mouth, eyes wide at the realization that he could have blown their cover and nodded. I look back into the living room that was completely lit by the orange glow of the sunset streaming into the busted windows, watching as others walked towards the couch.

"So what next?" The one sitting first asked, propping his feet up on the old and dusty coffee table. Levi's grip tightened when he noticed they were getting comfortable. Dammit, how long are these bastards going to just sit there? He thought, growing impatient and frustrated. Eren sensed the frustration, looking up at him before looking back down at his surroundings for any ideas. His large green eyes noticed a glass beer bottle lying on the ground next to him, and that gave him an idea. He quietly grabbed the bottle in his hands, holding it to his chest and waiting for the right opportunity.

"Well" the one started, going through jewelry from the woman they robbed and killed earlier "we could always go out and try to find a prostitute or something? You know, since John was bitching about being lethargic."

"I wasn't bitching, I was just-"

CRASH

They seven men shot up, looking towards the door and holding their weapons up.

"What the fuck was that?"

Eren had thrown the glass bottle out the door and into the hallway with ease. He sat stock still, heart pounding in his chest while Levi stared at Eren wide eyed and horrified.

What the fuck is the damn brat doing?!

"Come on. Let's go look. It's probably a damn Clicker or something." They spoke, heading out the door. When they left the apartment, Levi realized that Eren could have very well saved them from disaster. Not wasting the opportunity, he grabbed Eren's wrist and pulled him towards the window. They crawled out and made their way to the fire escape ladder while Levi looked down to the ground below. He was about to climb down when he noticed a large modified vehicle that probably was a tank at some point. Levi recognized the ammo-heavy vehicle and cursed before climbing up towards the roof.

"Come on. We can't go down there. We need to go up or else we'll be skinned alive by those animals." Levi spoke, looking down to notice Eren still tailing close behind him. They made it to the top of the roof and ran across to the half of the building that had been caved in, looking down at the large slope of rubble they could slide down to get to the ground below. Knowing what to do next, Eren slid down first, making it to the ground below with ease. Levi couldn't stop Eren in time, frustrated the brat went down first without knowing what could be down there. However, Levi pushed it aside and slid down to Eren. Once they were in the alley behind the apartment, Levi punched Eren in the arm making the boy grab his shoulder in pain and confusion.

"What did I do?" Eren asked him, looking at the Alpha in frustration.

"What did you do?! Not only did you just slide down first without knowing what could be down here, you threw that fucking bottle and could have had us killed!" Levi harshly spoke to him, not shouting just in case Hunters were near by. Eren's face grew red with anger, not believing Levi was so overprotective he couldn't acknowledge the fact that Eren had helped them escape.

"If I hadn't thrown that bottle, who knows how long we'd be hiding in that room! I SAVED us! If we waited any longer our cover would have been-MMMPHH?!" Eren was cut off by a hand covering his mouth by one Hunter while another kicked Levi in the stomach, sending him to the ground.

"So YOU were the ones who made that noise!" The one that kicked Levi exclaimed, getting ready to kick Levi again when the one holding Eren, the one named John, put his nose to his scent gland and inhaling Eren's sweet scent. His pupils dialated and his grip tightened on Eren, making him wince in pain.

"Omega! Damion, this kid is an Omega!" He spoke with excitement, trying to drag Eren back with him. That got Damion's attention as he stopped kicking Levi to look at John with amazement. Levi looked up with pain, seeing this bastard John dragging Eren away as he struggled.

He didn't get too far when Eren lifted his leg and kicked him right in the balls and biting his hand, making him pull away from Eren who was furious.

"YOU SICK FUCKER!" Eren yelled at him, and Levi grabbed his gun from his pocket. He pointed the gun at Damion's head and pulled the trigger, causing the man to drop dead in front of him. Eren tried to do the same, but John punched the young Omega, making him fall to the ground. Levi growled and let off an extremely threatening scent, standing up and punching the bastard in the face himself. John fell to the ground and tried to get up again when Levi put a bullet in his head as well. Levi spat on the dead body, still angry that an Alpha punched a young Omega in the face.

"Only cowards hit Omegas." He grumbled before making his way to the shaken boy on the ground holding cheek. Levi took Eren's hand away from his cheek, noticing a growing purple welt.

"Let's get out of here before more of them show up." Levi spoke, forcing Eren up onto his feet before they took off down the now dark alley. They ran for awhile before they came up to the front of City Hall which had a growing lake surrounding it as well as broken down cars. They heard cries of Runners nearby, so Levi quickly opened up the door and then shut it behind him before barricading the large door. He turned to Eren who was panting and sat down on his butt to collect himself.

"Shit." Eren spoke into his hands, voice echoing throughout the marble room. Levi crouched down in front of him, taking Eren's cheek into his hand and lifting his head.

"Are you okay? That coward punched you pretty hard." Levi spoke, looking at the welt on the poor Omega's face again. Eren turned his face away from the Alpha's touch, not wanting to appear to be weak at all in front of him.

"I'm fine. I'm just happy we made it here right when it got dark." He said, looking up at Levi and giving him a small smile. "Thank you for saving me from being kidnapped." Eren spoke, shuddering at the memory of the disgusting Alpha burying his nose into his neck. Levi returned the small smile, patting the Omega on the thigh in a friendly manner.

"Of course. And...sorry I yelled at you back there. I just don't want you to do anything reckless that could essentially get us both killed. You did good, kid." Levi spoke, trying to be as supportive as possible. Eren gave him a large smile, making his eyes shimmer with pride. Levi hated to admit it, but...

That smile melted his heart a little bit.

Levi sighed, standing up a little and extending a hand down towards the boy to help him up.

"Come on" he spoke as Eren grabbed his hand "let's go before we run into anymore trouble, okay? You're probably tired." Eren nodded, standing up again as they made their way up the stairs. There should be people here to escort them to the correct side of town so they can leave, but Levi isn't seeing any signs of other people. If anything, there was blood on the walls...

Fresh blood.

"Shit..." Levi muttered in frustration. Eren walked closer to Levi, feeling a bit uneasy seeing fresh blood splattered across the walls. As they made their way down the cold and dark hallway, they heard crying and moaning that sounded a lot like a runner, coming from one of the offices on either side of the hallway. Levi stopped, putting a hand up to Eren signaling him to remain still and quiet. They couldn't see anything, not even a hand in front of their faces. Levi grabbed a flashlight from the side pocket of his backpack, feeling a hand brush against his own knowing it was the Omega's. He accepted the trembling hand into his own before turning it on. Eren had to cover his mouth with his free hand to suppress a cry.

Right in front of them was a female Runner standing with her face against the wall moaning and crying. Levi's eyes grew large when he saw three others in the hallway, walking in and out of the offices. They took a step back to try and regress down the hallway. Shooting them will just send others into a frenzy to attack them all at once, and who knew how many there are?

As they took slow and quiet steps back, Eren accidentally steps on a bottle, making it slide from his heal and crash into the wall next to them, shattering into pieces.

It was like a switch was flipped when they all came at them at once, running towards them down the hallway.

xXxXxXx

VOCABULARY

Hunters*- distinguished from other hostile survivors (like Bandits) in that their ranks are made up of former citizens of Quarantined Zones by the Military Police.

Runners*- the first and weakest stage of the Infected who have just recently entered their transformation. People who have been infected will enter this stage within 1-2 days with increased irritability and hostility towards others being a key symptom. Since the eyes are first targeted by the fungus, Runners have poor eyesight, but maintain some human characteristics. For example, their moans are still human, just like their overall appearance. A way to tell them apart from normal survivors is their glowing orange eyes. They also stay in a hunched position when motionless or when moving around passively, unlike normal survivors. Their body language is sluggish while they are passive, suggesting they are resisting the fungus's influence. Sometimes they do not attack at all, even when non-infected individuals are right in front of them. These non-aggressive Runners will only attack if attacked first or when an object is thrown at or near them, thus losing control. They will also become aggressive if a non-infected individual is extremely close in front of them. Much like sneezing, the urge to attack after such interactions happens involuntarily and unwillingly by the host. Runners are confirmed to be able to attack in packs, flailing their arms in attempts to trample the survivor.