A Touch Of Hate

Chapter 13

Verity

"Gate opens in thirty seconds!" The garrison commander yelled, seizing all talk among the ranks.

No matter the sunny day, I shivered, images of Harold's death playing in my mind on repeat. I could practically feel his warm blood coating my face as that titan chewed on him, splashing the buildings with crimson red.

"Almost there, kids. Try not to get killed," Oluo smirked at Eren, and Petra groaned, turning away from him. His arrogance was starting to play on everyone's nerves lately.

He was right, though. The time has come. We were getting ready to exit the safety of the Walls yet again. I couldn't tell what it was exactly, but I felt even more nervous about this mission than the first one. Something about it just didn't add up. All that recon bullshit they tried to shove down our throats sounded more and more hollow with each day of the practice runs. All the newbies thrown inside the ranks, the weirdly placed formation, and all those questions about who the enemy truly is... I could not tell what Commander Erwin was playing at, but I could smell a rat miles away from this mission. Which only made me jumpier.

The ominous creek of the chains laboring to lift the enormous wooden gate scratched painfully at my nerves. "Scouts, move out!" yelled Commander Erwin, sprinting through the entrance first, like a proper leader destined to lead humanity's quickly vanning armies.

A drop of cold sweat ran down the back of my neck, and I gripped the reins, kicking at the horse's sides and making it match the speed of my team. The wind picked up, whistling in my ears as we crossed the gates, entering the ruins of the surrounding villages and the open fields stretching far out of eye's reach.

We were positioned in the middle of the Commander's formation; however, it didn't bring any consolation to the worry roaring inside my chest harder with each passing minute. The formation dispersed, and the Captain led us forward as calmly and assured of his actions as ever. His back was straight, and his movements deliberate. He truly seemed unconcerned that we had just left the safety of the Walls. He looked as though he was taking another boresome stroll with some people whose company he didn't particularly enjoy yet found manageable.

That last thought infuriated me. And for a second there, I forgot about that spiky ball of unease in the bottom of my stomach.

"You think my friends have a shot at taking down a Titan?" Eren asked all of a sudden, bringing me out of my thoughts with his question.

I had barely opened my mouth to reply when Oluo beat me to it: "Really? I should certainly hope so; otherwise, what the hell have they been training for?" His indignant voice would have made me angry in the past had I not known him better. So instead of taking offense in Eren's stead, I chuckled, gaining a questioning look from Oluo. "Now listen and listen well. Prepared or not, you're all Scouts, which means the time is nigh to choke back those fears and...." He choked on his words and curled forward in his saddle, clenching a hand around his mouth.

"Not again!" Petra practically screamed, laughing so hard I was a little afraid she would fall out of her saddle. She was one of those people whose laughter was so infectious that once they found something funny, the whole room would follow suit. Her personality, no matter that I'd found it annoying at first, grew on me. In the past weeks, I couldn't stop but find myself more and more affectionate toward her, relaxing in her presence as though nothing could have hurt me when she was around. I also felt laughter build up in my chest, and when Petra glanced at me, I joined in, laughing my ass off. Hysterically so.

Captain glanced at us from behind his shoulder, scowling as though at misbehaving children. He turned away, clocking his tongue loudly. "Get your wits together. There are enemies around."