I could hear the screams from a mile away.
Boy couldn't carry me fast enough, and my chest burned with something I wasn't all that unfamiliar with.
Fear.
"Wh..what the fuck..?!" Oluo's breath was caught in his throat as we galloped at full speed towards that giant, crumbling hole in the wall. Titans were stepping and dragging their way towards it, eyes set on their prizes, and I was terrified.
"Straight into it, all of you! Kill any titan you see!" Levi was unreadable, yet there was this strange pitch to his voice. I wouldn't exactly call it fear, but it was definitely similar.
"Boy...go!" I kicked my horse's sides as hard as I could without hurting him, and he broke out ahead of the squad. I could see something heading towards that gaping hole, and I needed to get through before it could reach it.
"(Y/N), for fucks sake, wait up!" Eld screeched after me, but I wasn't going to stop for anybody.
Come on, come on, come on..!
The closer I got, the more I began to focus on what was heading towards the ruined gate. It was a titan, and it seemed to be carrying a giant boulder. Confused, but too focused on beating it, I leaned as far as I could over the arch of Boy's neck, urging us to go faster. Weaving through titans didn't scare me, and they didn't quite seem to notice as I slipped past, almost through to where I needed to be.
I gotta beat him..! Almost...there..!
It was a close call. I could see the rounded surface of that damned boulder coming down as we passed through the jagged arch, and my heart seemed to stop as I heard it; almost felt it, crash down only a few feet behind us. I didn't even stop to look at that strange titan, nor to acknowledge Mikasa and Armin, who were directly behind.
I made sure I was a little ways into one of the narrowed streets before I made use of my odm gear, launching off of Boy and into the air.
"Home, Boy! Go home!" I shouted out, knowing he would have headed to safety even if I hadn't uttered a word. When I reached the rooftops, every muscle in my body seized up.
Buildings were destroyed, smoke and dust rose into the air in thick, spectral swirls, and I could see wood and stone alike, painted red with blood. Titans were scattered along the streets, in all ranges of height and appearance, mindlessly hunting for their victims.
The city of Trost had fallen into complete and utter chaos.
A familiar bald head came into view a few buildings away, and before I had the chance to think, I was zooming towards it. Connie shrieked as I almost slammed into him, grabbing his sleeve to gain his attention.
"(Y..Y/N)..?!" He stammered, looking shocked to see me. "I..I thought you were on an expedition?!"
"J..just got back..." I replied, trying to control my jitters. "Connie, what happened..? Where are the others..?"
The poor boy looked completely traumatised, and I couldn't blame him. He had likely never even seen a titan before this.
"W..we were all up on the wall...doing some Garrison work...when...th..the colossal titan just came out of nowhere!" He explained, and I was sure he would have been pulling at his hair if he had any. "Then Eren turned into a fucking titan, and he killed a bunch of other titans, then titans almost ate him, then he popped out of a titan, then he turned into a titan again, then he went apeshit, then he got the rock, and-"
"Connie..." I grabbed him by the shoulders to shut him up. "...did you just say Eren turned into a titan..?" He had to be joking, or suffering from one hell of a concussion, but he still nodded his head.
"I'm serious! I know it sounds totally stupid, but I know what I saw! Everyone else saw it, too!" The second he mentioned the others, my mind was on track again.
"W..where are they? Can you..you tell me where Marco is..?" My urgency was apparent, and he looked almost nervous to answer.
"Sorry...I...haven't seen him since we were getting our new orders from the Garrison...L..look, we need to move, (Y/N)...We have to regroup and get this shit sorted!" Connie took a few steps back, wanting me to follow him.
The Garrison...shit...
Shaking myself out of my personal concerns, I tagged along behind the boy, zipping after him and keeping an eye out for any familiar faces. It didn't take long for me to spot Reiner and Bertholdt, landing on a sunken roof.
"I'll meet up with you later, 'kay?!" I called out to Connie, changing course. "Oi! Reiner!" His head snapped up when he heard his name, and Bertholdt jumped a little in fright.
"(Y/N)..?" They both looked shocked to see me, but Reiner looked almost concerned.
"Got back just now...I heard what happened from Connie...That big ass colossal cunt booted the wall, right..? And Eren..." Bertholdt shrunk down, rubbing his face with his large hand.
"Yeah...it was insane...I still can't wrap my head around it..." Reiner mumbled, tapping his gas canister with a closed fist. "We don't have enough gas left to get up the damn wall, either. Gotta work with the Garrison to clear the rest of the titans while we can, now that the hole is closed..."
He sounded more tense than I had expected. I supposed fear could dig under the skin of even the toughest recruits.
"You guys haven't seen any of the others, have you? Marco, Sasha...even Jean? I wanna make sure they're okay..." I readied my gear, preparing to shoot off in any direction they suggested.
"Uh...well..." Bertholdt was a complete mess. Sweat dripped down the side of his face, and he looked like he was going to vomit.
"No, sorry...we haven't seen them since we met up for directions..." Reiner cut in, saving his friend from trying to speak. "We've been worried...So many people have already been killed..." I didn't like hearing that, but I knew it was true. I'd seen remnants of the carnage for myself.
"They're...all okay...I know it..." I muttered, choosing to remain as positive as I possibly could in such a situation. "C..can I stick with you two..? I kind of ditched Levi and the squad, and I'll probably just panic on my own..."
I'll panic either way, but I'd rather freak out with company...
Reiner nodded, elbowing Bertholdt to make him stand up straight and prepare to move.
"I wouldn't have let you run off on your own, anyway. Not in a mess like this." He gave me a weak, comforting smile, but, try as a might, I couldn't return it. Not when I knew what was happening around us.
We set off, searching for the rest of the cadets. The entire city felt like it was boiling, and I chose to ditch my cape mid-air, letting it dance off into the wreckage. The boys flanked me, and I noticed that I kept stealing quick glances over at the sturdy blond. I felt safe around him, and I wasn't sure whether it was due to his size, or the fact that he was kind to me. Either way, I was glad that I'd found him in the fray.
"H..HEEEEELP! G..GET OFF'A ME..!" A loud shriek sounded off to the east, and before I even registered the sound, my body was veering in that direction. A butt-ugly looking titan; one of the big ones, was slowly pulling some poor soldier up towards its jaws.
"I've got i-" Reiner couldn't even complete his sentence before I was up and over the nape of the hulking brute, swooping in and taking aim.
Okay...let's try not to get splattered this time..!
I totally got splattered, but the itching was a small price to pay when it meant a life was saved. Bertholdt managed to grab the man in time before he hit the ground, and swung him up to a neighbouring rooftop. Spitting out a scalding clot of blood, I followed them, nearly slipping off the tiles thanks to the crimson slick. Reiner grabbed me by the scruff of the jacket, moving me to the inner part of the roof with ease.
"Uh, thanks..." I chuckled in embarrassment.
"That was incredible..." He hummed, scanning me with deep golden eyes. "You've grown up overnight..." I decided to take it as a compliment, then I directed my attention to the shaken man, who was hunched over beside a concerned looking Bertholdt.
"You okay..? Anything hurting..?" The brunet shook his head, slowly bringing himself to a stand.
"Uh, no, just my pride..." He sighed, finally lifting his head.
No...No fucking way...Not now...
I dropped my trigger grips, letting them fall to my sides and clack against my calves. Taking a step back, I began to shake my head and try to form some kind of word. Anything.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Reiner was the first to notice, being right next to me, but then the man I had saved gave me his attention.
"Thanks for saving m..." His blue eyes widened when they met mine, and his jaw became awfully slack. "..me...You...There's no way...you're..?"
Why did it have to be you..? If I'd have known...I wouldn't have...
"Y..yeah...It's me...What was your name again..? Oh, yeah...that's right...Wilbur (L/N)..."
.
.
.
.
.
***👀☕***