There was nothing that Levi could see from his little corner. While others had taken places on the opposite side, Levi had settled right next to the door, his mace in his hand, eyes locked on the solid dirt floor.
His backside hurt from all the sitting, and it had only been two hours at most. With a groan, he shifted position, so his unhurt side was now on the floor while the other side healed from the dull pain.
With a sigh, he looked around. He could barely see their features; they were just dark figures in his sight. It made him wonder if the smiling creatures had some sort of night vision. While they looked human, they were anything but. For all Levi knew, they might be another type of humans. Aliens? At the thought, a small scoff left him.
He didn't believe in aliens, and he wasn't about to start now.
For now, he had to just stay awake in case of anything that might pop down from the hatch. If it were the monsters, he was confident enough to burn one to death. The thought made him tense as something whispered to him. It wouldn't be enough, and with only one exit crowded by the monster, if those things did find them, they would all die without exception.
The beginning of something began in his brain as he kept thinking. After a dozen of minutes, he sighed, looking at the ceiling in exhaustion.
The air was heavy enough that it only pushed away the rest. He could hear it as well. The shallow rhythm of a dozen lungs trying to stay quiet. Donna sat near the hatch, on the other side, her head tilted slightly as if listening for danger, even in her sleep. Father Khatri was against the opposite wall, hands clasped together loosely, lips parted just a little.
He attempted to rest, but Levi just couldn't sleep. His muscles twitched with the memory of running, his pulse drummed against the inside of his skull. His eyes wandered across the bunker, to the shapes curled on bedrolls or coats, the faint glimmer of sweat on pale faces. He counted them. Eleven figures, if he was right. Eleven people who made it through another night, barely.
Just then, above them, the world groaned. Somewhere far off, something dragged across the pavement, the sound carried through the soil like thunder underwater. The entire room tensed. Someone whimpered; someone else hushed them quickly. Then silence again, the kind that rang in his ears.
He tilted his head back, staring at the low ceiling, only seeing wooden planks that were held by dirt. 'This can't be all they do,' he thought, yet he remembered his nightmares as people just did that. Hide, sleep, wait for sunrise.
The faint rustle of movement broke his thoughts. Someone turned over. Someone sighed.
The lantern flickered again, shadows leaping across their faces. For a heartbeat, Levi could swear the dirt walls seemed to breathe. And that was another level of creepy.
Levi's eyes drifted across the room, catching a flicker of movement in the opposite corner. A figure shifted restlessly, small gasps punctuating the silence.
He squinted through the shadows. A young woman, her dark curly hair catching the lantern's light just enough to be noticed, kept adjusting the blanket over herself. Every screech from above made her flinch, her eyes wide with terror before she pressed them shut again.
Levi's chest tightened, a familiar thing tugged just a little. The same thing that tugged as Dean told him that he was going to be a dad. It was instinctive and finally, he could say that it was instinctive in nature.
The same way he wanted Dean away from his nightmares, he could feel it pushing him to protect them all. He shifted slightly, making sure the lantern didn't throw his shadow over her, the action made the figure turn to him and gestured softly to her side, a small movement of his hand: May I sit?
The girl's eyes flickered toward him. There was hesitation, and then a subtle nod. Levi lowered himself carefully beside her, keeping his mace within reach but not threatening.
He didn't speak at first, letting the quiet stretch between them, letting the room's tension settle into a fragile lull.
"What's your name?" he murmured finally, voice almost swallowed by the bunker. If you wanted to distract or make someone cooperative, always start with something they know, something they can answer without thinking, a mini Dean lectured.
She shook her head minutely, not daring to speak in fear of dooming them all, only a whisper of breath betraying her tension. Levi didn't press. Instead, he leaned back slightly, offering the faintest warmth of presence without forcing it.
The screeches continued outside, the hatch above them rattling as the monsters sometimes moved on top of it, not knowing there were survivors underneath. Every time a new sound reached them, she jerked slightly, and Levi wasn't much better than her. The metallic groan of the hatch had made him go tense and ready to swing his mace.
SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Immediately, Levi stood up, posture ready to swing the first thing that popped into the bunker. Donna and Khutri also woke up, with the older woman motioning for Levi not to move a muscle. The tension inside had skyrocketed past the moon as everyone stopped breathing, afraid that they might be the reason they and everyone inside died.
Until finally, the groan of metal lessened, a weight on it gone as the monster moved away. Not daring to speak, Donna motioned for him to sit back down as quietly as possible, and Levi followed the gesture.
For another three dozen minutes, no one exhaled loudly, everyone tense. The girl's family had also woken up and were vigilant with everyone else. After another hour, slowly, everyone's eyes were heavy once more, going back to sleep as Levi tried to control his breathing and beating heart.
Inhale… one, two, three, hold, one, two, three, exhale, one, two, three.
He repeated the cycle dozens of times, his muscles still tense and aching now. "Ariana." Came a whisper that made him almost jump scare. He turned to the source, finding the taller girl looking at the hatch.
"Levi." He whispered back just as quietly. For a few minutes, the screeches no longer seemed as loud, the lantern's flicker less threatening. Time stretched, unmeasured. For the first time that night, he let his own muscles loosen slightly, feeling the small human connection as a fragile anchor against the darkness.
She gave a tiny nod, barely perceptible, and he let that be enough. There was no need for words yet. Levi leaned back, letting the lantern's warmth brush over them both, and tried to focus on the rise and fall of her chest and trying to subconsciously make her match his.
From what he noticed, she was almost on the verge of a panic attack, which he wasn't far off from as well. Whatever courage and bravery he had last night, it looked like that thing took some time off.
Was he claustrophobic without realizing it until now?
"You've been here long?" he whispered finally. Trying his best to distract himself and her.
She shifted slightly, and her voice was just a breath: "Three weeks… with my family. Came from… far."
Levi nodded in understanding. "We'll be fine." He whispered back, trying to sound as confident as possible and hoping that she didn't notice the crack and shiver in his voice.
She hesitated, then finally let out a shaky laugh, almost inaudible. "Right…"
Safe to say, she did notice. But it made her laugh, and that was enough of a distraction that her breathing had slowed down just a little. Controlled.
The lantern flickered again, and for a heartbeat, he thought there was a figure behind the light; he was ready to jump and swing, only to realize it was his imagination. His muscles relaxed a fraction in relief.
"I'm scared…" He admitted, shaky voice, out in the open for all to see. "Want… to talk?" he asked gently. "About… anything?"
Her shoulders stiffened for a moment, then slowly, she leaned her head on his shoulder. Not in demand, not in expectation, just seeking a small comfort. Levi froze, stiff and unsure, his own instinct fighting with the unfamiliarity of closeness. And yet… he stayed still, letting her rest, letting the warmth sink in.
Because it was affecting him as well. His inwards were trembling with the force of an earthquake. Then the smell hit him, and a sense of normalcy blew up in his mind, destroying all the unease.
It was flowers and wind and… And vanilla…
He couldn't stop himself as his face turned just a little to smell it deeper, and a heavy sigh left him. He was calm, yet his hand was still on his mace.
He wasn't shaking anymore. He wasn't feeling the unfamiliar cold that was on his skin just a short moment ago. Levi felt warmth, and another exhale left him. His calm hadn't gone unnoticed, as it also impacted Ariana, her body curling up just a little more and leaning further into him.
As if she had also found something warm to deflect the cause of her nightmares. She whispered something under her breath, a fragment of her life before this nightmare: "I used to… study biology. Wanted to… be a lawyer…"
Levi raised an eyebrow in the dark, leaning just a little into her as well. "Thought you… had to study law…" He whispered as softly and as quietly as he could.
"Legal specialist… In biology…" She whispered back and though he didn't understand how a lawyer could come from biology instead of law, he didn't counter. "Wow… Must be… a genius…" He told her genuinely. A smile bloomed on her face before it disappeared just as quickly.
"Doesn't matter now."
"Does to me," he murmured softly, moving his shoulder just enough to tell her how important it was. "Does to anyone who… wants to survive this." Not to give up on their life. To have hope.
"You?" She softly asked, and Levi grinned. "Blacksmith." He told her with pride, his whisper just a little louder than the barely audible ones. And it had the intended effect as Ariana let go of his shoulder, looking up at him in surprise. A snort escaped her, and when he nodded, she rested her head back on his shoulder, curling up even further.
"You… made it…?" She asked, pointing to the mace, and Levi nodded. "Yeah… First masterpiece…"
Time stretched. Minutes, maybe an hour, marked only by the steady rhythm of breaths and the occasional flicker of the lantern. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, her head relaxed further, settling comfortably against his shoulder. He stayed still, rigid at first, then gradually let himself relax.
When she finally slipped into sleep, Levi exhaled quietly. The screeches outside seemed to fade, reduced to background noise. He stayed awake, vigil intact, but allowed himself the smallest smile. A small, human moment.
Across the dugout, Donna watched from her corner, quiet amusement softening her usually hard expression. She allowed herself the tiniest smile, pushing back the undercurrent of sadness that came with witnessing such fleeting warmth in a world gone wrong.