The Crimson Harmony (Shingeki no Kyojin/Attack on Titan fanfic)

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"Don't be ridiculous. You're making things - " Suddenly a shrieking roar erupted from deep within the forest, cutting me off. It seemed like a desperate cry from an animal on the brink of survival with nothing to lose. Every last screech resounded through the many twists and turns in the forest as it continuously went on. Everyone was shocked, afraid, and confused at what was going on. Pure panic and terror washed over many people's faces. Sasha was the most terrified, crouching near the tree trunk as she listened to the howls. However Mikasa still kept her cool façade and only looked suspicious of the noise.

I don't know what I felt at that moment. Immediately though, I felt a strong ominous feeling. Something is going to go terribly wrong. Shivers crept along my spine and hairs rose. Instinctively, I shivered and felt a wave of anxiety. What is this noise? Then, a rumbling noise was heard. In the distance was a horde of titans like Erik mentioned, but they couldn't possibly all be Aberrants. They were all frantically running like it would cost their life to stop.

"Lukas, what should we do? The horde of titans are coming directly at us!" I asked, gulping while sweat drenched my hands. At that moment was when the sun shined the brightest and I felt the heat. I could feel the sweat from nervousness and the sun, making my clothes stick tightly against my body. It almost felt like my blades were going to slip or I was going to accidently miss the trigger for the 3D Maneuver Gear. How could I fight now?

"Everyone intercept them! Grab their attention so they don't enter the forest! We must not allow any titan to go inside!" Lukas commanded forcefully.

When the titans approached, everyone intercepted them. I flew right beside the titan and dangled in front of its face but it didn't react. It was blind against my interception and kept on bolting down the forest. Confused, I continued to maneuver right in front of them but they kept on moving along and I was almost trampled. It seemed as if nothing could stop the pack of titans but I couldn't believe it. They were all Aberrants. There was only one thing we could do now.

"Begin combat!"

I hooked and grappled with Lukas and Erik while we chased the titans. However, we couldn't kill any one of them and just kept flying after them. Their movements were random so it was hard to get close or else we would get swatted away. This went on for a while but we gave up the chase. Then, a lightning struck and the forest shook. Another roar was heard, a roar filled with agony and grief.

"I think it's Eren. He must've turned into a titan already. Let's go see what's going on," Lukas considered.

"I'll lead the way," Erik responded with a serious face and for once, no smile.

Lukas and I followed Erik as he made his way through the forest, listening. I still couldn't believe that he could hear things from this far away and know exactly where to go. How did his hearing get so good? If he were to join the Survey Corps, it would be a huge help because it would be like having another Mike. Then both of them could keep on the watch for titans and locate them. In the distance, I saw Erik slow down to an abrupt halt.

"Erik, what's wrong?" I asked, but when my eyes wavered from Erik to the sight, I was mortified too. First, we saw a member of Levi's squad hung, dead. Peeking at his face, I could tell that it was Gunther. Who did this to him? A titan couldn't have killed him because it would eat him too. He was an elite on Levi's squad so how could he die with such short notice?

Later, as I continued soaring through the sky, I came to another scene. Blood was splattered on the trees and two bodies were found. Auruo was lying on the floor, dead. Averting my eyes, I saw Petra against the tree, most likely killed by being smashed into it. Horror swept through me as I realized what happened. Even though I wasn't close with them, I still felt the sadness, their pain, and their agony. How would Levi feel about this? At that thought, I felt even sadder because his squad was all gone. Where was Eld? I don't think I wanted to know. But then it came to me that if a titan killed all of Levi's elite squad members, then what we were really up against? Would I share the same fate? Would other people die from this titan too? Turning to Lukas to ask, I saw that he was still processing everything. Was he close to them?