ARMIN
A fist connected with my face making stars explode behind my eyes as I slumped back against the wall and glared at the three animals surrounding me.
I knew I should have gone with Rian and Aurora to collect wood.
"Mm. What's the matter, heretic?!" the idiot with the spikey brown hair drawled in my face as he shoved his hand against my cheek, and I turned my face away. Heretic he called me. All because I dared to dream about the outside world, because I thought about what we could be if we actually left our gilded cage. I clenched my teeth as I tried to control my temper.
I refuse to fight like a bated dog!
"If you don't like it, let's see you hit back!" the largest boy of the gang sneered at me. I pulled myself back up into a standing position and held my head high because I was better than this, I was better than them. They were mindless idiots who don't have the intelligence to hold a single thought beyond the blooding of their fists.
"That would be stooping to your level!" I snapped.
"Say what?!" spikey said dumbfounded.
"You know I'm right! That's why you have to resort to violence! Because you can't argue back! Which means you concede defeat to me, does it not?!" I taunted as I stood tall with pride, I may not be the strongest, but I won't cower, not this time. Aurora told me once that it doesn't matter how strong or weak you are, it's about the kind of person you want to be and she was right. I wanted to be better than this!
"Shut up, smart-ass!" the bully shouted before delivering a swift kick to my gut and knocking my breath from me. My legs buckled, and I hit the ground groaning before I lifted my head to see him preparing to kick again. I gritted my teeth and stared at him as I waited for the inevitable blow.
"Stop that!" a voice screamed from my left too far away to make a difference and I scrunched my eyes closed, bracing.
"It's Eren!" spikey shouted and my eyes shot open as I saw my attackers gearing for a fight. Eren was barrelling down the street to my rescue and my heart dropped because as much as I loved him for it, if he was alone, then he was just going to get a beating right alongside me.
"That Idiot's back for more?!" Spikey's friend sneered.
"Does he want his ass kicked?!" the other bully cackled excitedly.
"They are with him!" Spikey cried out in terror. Looking past Eren I saw my cousins Aurora and Rian, their red hair quickly making them easily recognisable and Mikasa just in front of them, all hot on Eren's heels.
The odds my attackers now faced were not in their favour. Mikasa was an outstanding fighter, but the twins were exceptional. Aurora had wrenched a man's shoulder clean out of its joint once when she was 16 when he had attempted to pull Mikasa away from her at the market. Grandfather had brought me along with him when he, Grisha and Rowan went to collect Aurora and Mikasa from the garrison guard. I remember the pride on Rowan's face not at all phased by the fact his grandchild had incapacitated a grown man twice her size, not that she hadn't done worse to those that had threatened Mikasa before. A purse of coins here and a quiet word with Mr Hannes and that was that, all swept under the carpet. Rowan had nodded at his granddaughter and ruffled her hair when the guards brought her out, high praise indeed from the usual hard-faced man and Aurora's smile had been dazzling from receiving rare affection.
"S-Screw this!" spikey wailed while sprinting in the opposite direction of his coming doom and his buddies soon followed with their tails between their legs.
"Let's get outta here!" they cried and had I not just receiving the worst beating of the month, I would have found their wailing amusing, but right now the pain was at the forefront. Gritting my teeth, I blinked rapidly to keep myself from crying.
"One look at me and they ran off; I'm just that scary!" Eren boasted as he came to a skidding halt with a proud grin on his face at his imagined triumph.
"Well, at least some of you are......Oww!" I laughed, which caused pain to shoot across my chest and a low groan escaped my throat, drawing everyone's attention.
"Hey! You okay." Rian asked as he placed a hand on my shoulder, his blue eyes identical to mine looking at me in concern. In general, the twins looked nothing like me. My Grandfather said that they took after their father's side but that Rian's eyes were the same as his mother's and Aurora had her height. Aelin, my father's cousin, was the twin's mother and was said to be as intelligent as she was beautiful. Grandfather said something terrible happened to her and her husband and that twins were all that she left behind, just like my parents had left only me.
"Armin?!" Aurora fussed as she came to my side and pulled my arm up to put around her shoulders in what I can assume was to lift me up. Her green-grey mismatched eyes darting all over my body no doubt assessing every injury.
"I can get up on my own thanks," I said gently pushing Aurora's hands away. She nodded once before stepping back, never one to push unwanted help on others. Her face remained concerned though and I gave her a small smile. Looking back to Rian, I saw he had an eyebrow raised and I knew the question that was coming.
"I said humanity needs to venture into the outside world at some point and then they beat me up and called me a heretic." I shrugged and Rian gave me a stern look, he really looked like his Grandfather when he pulled that face. Sadly, we've had this conversation before when I had told him about my dream of seeing the outside world.
"I want to go to the sea Rian, I don't want my parents accident to be in vain. Is that such a bad thing?" I had said and he had given me a strange look before taking my hands and looking me in the eye.
"There is nothing wrong with that Armin. I dream of it too but my Grandfather... he told me bad things happen to people in these walls that challenge the order that's been established. They end up like my parents ... they have accidents ." he had given me a pointed look. "I don't want that to happen to you. You and your Grandfather are the only blood family we have left besides Rowan. I just... Your smart Armin, I think you know what I'm trying to say". I had known precisely what he had meant. I just couldn't bring myself to think about it. I didn't want to. Even after all this time, it was still too hard to bear.
"Why does everyone look down on people just for wanting to go outside?" Eren grumbled, bringing my thoughts back to the present and I thought about the answer before replying.
"Well, because we've had a hundred years of peace by staying inside the walls" I began, "They're worried that going outside carelessly will invite them inside the walls. The royal government's policies have made having any interest in the outside world a taboo."
"It's our lives! We can risk 'em if we want!" Eren said somewhat missing the point and I smiled. His singlemindedness was truly impressive and had gotten him into trouble more often than not.
"Absolutely not. Forget about it." Mikasa snapped as she was stared at Eren, her face deadly serious. Clearly, the topic wasn't up for further discussion, though looking back at Eren I could see he was far from done.
"Which reminds me, I can't believe you told my parents!" Eren retorted throwing his hands in the air before setting off down the street, no doubt heading down to the canal.
What were they talking about?
Looking over to Rian, my face must have shown my confusion because he gestured to Mikasa with his thumb.
"She ratted him out about the scouts," Rian told me and I rolled my eyes, I imagine that went down well.
We followed Eren to the Canalside and took our usual seats on the steps as Aurora sat down next to Eren, who leaned in her side. Rian stretched out on the level below them, popping his joints with a lazy smile on his face with Mikasa by his long legs as she glared at Eren. I'd lost the count of how many times we had sat here in these exact same positions, talking about nothing and everything.
Taking my seat on the step above Aurora's head I looked at my family and friends wondering how long would this last because make no mistake this peace that we felt was absolutely fleeting, the Titans would break through one day; it was only a matter of time.
"I never agreed to help" Mikasa muttered, interrupting my dark thoughts of our inevitable fate, arms crossed over her chest with her back to Eren and I internally sighed. That was going to need some smoothing over.
"So, what did they say?" I asked, I don't imagine his mother would have found the topic thrilling.
"They're less than pleased. It figures" Eren grumbled and Aurora ruffled his hair, making him smile.
"Indeed. I think people are crazy if they think we'll be safe inside these walls forever" Rian said as he playfully pushed Mikasa with his feet who in turn batted him away with her hands, still visibly vexed.
"Just because the walls haven't fallen for a hundred years doesn't guarantee that they won't fall today and yet..." I stopped in shock as Aurora shot to her feet, knocking Eren over in the process. Face pale as snow and her body shaking, Aurora's eyes widened as her chest began to rise and fall rapidly. Immediately getting to his feet, Rian reached out for her with his face drawn in worry as she grabbed his arm, her eyes wide in fear.
I have never seen her afraid of anything.
"Something's wrong" she choked out and I stood up meaning to go to her when a bright orange light almost blinding filled the sky followed by a loud thunder-like crash, shaking the earth. Hot wind rushed over us and ended as quickly as it began to be followed by an eerie silence.
How did she know?
I looked back to Aurora to see both her and Rian staring towards the south transfixed and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Aurora was right, something was very very wrong.
"Wh-What was that?!" Eren shouted as he grabbed the back of Aurora's green skirt, tugging on it to get her attention.
"An explosion?!" Mikasa shouted back.
The look of fear that was in Aurora's eyes was now in Rian's as he turned back to look at his sister before looking back in the south, his body was starting to quake too. What was going on?
"That way!" Aurora pointed to where she had been staring and I took off in that direction as the voices of the townsfolk began to heighten. Panic was catching, people were shouting to each other and moving in the same direction I was running. A strange sensation was burning in my gut telling me to run away, but I had to know. I had to see it.
Is this what it felt like for my parents before they...?
"Did something fall?" a woman clutching her babe asked as I ran past her. Weaving through the throngs of people I turned the corner of the street and entered the old town Square before skidding to halt, my eyes widened in disbelief.
No, it can't be!
"Hey, Armin! What is it?! What do you see?!" Rian shouted from behind me. They must have followed me from the canal side, and by walls, I wish they hadn't, we were all in great danger.
"It can't be!" Aurora gasped in horror as she came to stand next to me and saw what I could not tear my gaze from. There, on top of the south wall, a giant steaming hand was latched on. My heart began to race, sweat trickled down my back. Screams began to erupt when a large skinless head began to rise from beyond the wall, peering down at us all. Muscles and teeth exposed; it was the very thing that haunted our nightmares.
"Th-That wall is fifty meters high! How!" I stuttered. It mattered little. They were here. This was it. This was where we saw if the walls would really save us all or if I was right.
Please let me be wrong.
A loud explosion followed by a hurricane of wind rushed through the streets and Aurora flung herself in front of me and pushed me to the floor, shielding my body with her own from debris that was flying around us. I looked back and saw Rian had done the same for Eren and Mikasa before I was Suddenly rolled rapidly to the side and pinned again as a large chunk of rock landed where I had just been. I stared up at Aurora, who was panting and staring in the direction the wind had come from as a large bead of blood rolled down her face from a slash that had opened across her cheekbone.
How did she move in time?
"It opened a hole in the wall!" Rian screamed from above us as he pulled me up and shoved me behind him towards Eren, who was covered in dust and grime, a strange faraway look on his face. Looking back, I saw Rian and Mikasa trying to pull a dazed Aurora who was starting to panic to her feet.
"They're inside; The Titans have gotten inside!" Aurora clutched her head screaming. Rian slapped her hard, smearing blood across her face before he crouched to look her in the eyes, grabbing both sides of her face.
"I need you with me!" he pleaded. Aurora stared back at him for a moment and then nodded before looking over to me, and her eyes blew wide.
"EREN!" she shouted and I spun around to see Eren running in the direction of the Titans coming path. Aurora gave chase, Mikasa just behind her as Rian rushed over to me and shoved me in the opposite direction.
"ARMIN GO NOW!" Rian commanded before taking off after the others.
No! They are all going to die! What do I do?! what do I do!?
I screamed in frustration before running for the only person I knew could help me now.
Aurora
Over a hundred years ago, beings that preyed upon humans suddenly appeared, their overwhelming size and strength quickly pushed humanity to the brink of extinction. The surviving humans constructed three walls named Maria, Rose, and Sheena and Mankind retreated behind them, which brought them a century of peace. I grew up in that peace, for almost 18 years I had lived in the shadows of Wall Maria, ignorant of the outside world, always fearful but safe. No more.
Running now through the cobbled streets, I finally understood what Armin had meant all those times he talked of fleeting security. I should have listened more. I should have prepared. I should have done something because now as I run all I can see is my home being destroyed by monsters.
Is this hell?
Districts like Shiganshina stick out in vital spots along the wall and serve to attract the Titans to help troop numbers concentrate their areas of attack. The only flaw in its role as a Titan target is that Shiganshina has but one inner Gate through which its citizens can flee and if we didn't make ways there soon, we would be trapped in a killing pen.
Eren and Mikasa ran just ahead of me and running as fast as I could, I was quickly gaining on them. We weren't far from our homes when my ears pricked as I heard footsteps running behind me and I knew on an instinct that it was Rian. I pushed my legs harder till I was right behind Eren, his sobs got louder when we turned up the street where our families lived.
Please be okay please be okay please be okay .
"It's all over! Countless Titans are going to overrun the city! We need to get Grandfather and Carla; Armin lives closer to the inner Gate so uncle should already be there! Aurora are you listening to me!?!" Rian shouted, coming up on my right. I looked at him and could see the fear on his face as his eyes darted between me, Eren and Mikasa and I realised then that Armin was not with him.
He must have gone to the Inner Gate. At least he might survive. STOP IT! We are all going to make it!
"It couldn't have hit our home! Just around this corner, our house is standing there, like always! Mom!" Eren's breath was becoming ragged and I looked up the street for icy cold hit my heart. A giant chunk of the wall had fallen on the Yaeger home completely destroying it and had collapsed half of my house too.
Grandfather.... Carla ....
I glimpsed movement in the rubble by what would have been the front steps of my house. Rushing over, I tried to push the debris away only to be blocked by a heavy beam. Grasping the exposed wood, I groaned and pushed as the splintered wood cut deep into my palms.
MOVE!
Suddenly something seemed to click into place as time itself slowed, everything became sharper and more precise and my body went into overdrive. I felt strong, like I knew I could do this. I don't know how but all my nerve endings were on fire and I felt alive. Pushing again with a scream tearing from my throat, I lifted the large beam as blood poured from my palms where the wood had split the skin. I could feel my grip beginning to slip when Rian was suddenly next to me, pushing with all his strength too. With a mighty groan, the beam rolled back and the falling impact pushed up dust and smoke, obscuring my vision.
Something grab a hold of ankle and a broken scream escaped my lips before I looked down to see my Grandfather staring up at me in pained awe, his face a mask of blood and dust buried in the debris. Letting out a cry of relief, I dropped to my knees and began to dig him out but my relief was short-lived when I saw that his waist was pinned by a larger beam cutting into his lower half, blood pooling beneath him, coating the rubble with a deep red. I looked up to Rian in fear as he too stared at our Grandfather in shock.
"We have to get him out" I panted as I began to move the rocks to free Grandfather when his hand snaked out grabbing my wrist.
"I'm done. No coming back from this..." Rowan groaned. "Listen to me both of you. You need to protect each other. I won't be able to keep them away, and they will come for you" he coughed, and blood smeared his mouth.
What was he talking about? He chooses now to not make any sense! We have to move quickly, we can puzzle it all out later.
"Sssh stop talking we will get you out! We can do it! We lifted the first beam we can lift this one!" I cried in defiance, I was not leaving him hear.
"Listen to me, you stupid girl! The truth is with Grisha. The truth of our blood. The truth about your parents. We are special. Do not let all that we are die here. Remember we light the way! Now go!" he screamed and bloody spittle hit my face. I shook my head in denial, refusing to listen.
"NO! You old bastard! I'm not leaving you! You can tell us this truth yourself, but first I need you to get on your feet!" I screamed as I grabbed the beam and began to heave with little success, my hands were too slippery from the blood, and I cried out in frustration as I struggled to get a firm grip.
"Rian! Take her and go!" Grandfather pleaded, "Do this last thing for me, boy. Remember what I taught you. Now go and live!"
Suddenly, I felt myself being lifted by the waist and was thrown over Rian's shoulder. I cried out and screamed, hitting his back as Rian ran over to what was left of the Yaeger home.
What was he doing? We couldn't leave him; we couldn't abandon him here!
I could hear Carla shouting and screaming as I struggled to break free of Rian's hold, but instead of relenting, he only tightened his grip, the strength of which threatened to break a bone.
Rian, please! We have to save at least one of them!
"The Titans have gotten inside, haven't they? Eren! Take Mikasa and run away!" I could hear Carla plead as my ears suddenly pricked. In the distance, I could make out a lone solider zipping through the rooftops and hope blossomed in my chest.
Hurry, please!
"I want to more than anything! So hurry and get out of there!" Eren begged.
Why wasn't Rian helping him? I could feel his chest hiccupping beneath my stomach, was he crying? Pain suddenly laced across my scalp making me wince and I reached up to touch the back of my head before pulling my hand back. Fresh blood stained my fingertips as I realised I must have struck the back of my head when that boulder fell from the sky and being held as I was now was causing the blood to rush towards my head.
A sudden sickening feeling of sheer terror hit my stomach like a falling hammer, and my senses blew wide open as my instincts to fight kicked in. Flailing around in my brother's arms, my hearing zeroed in on the hear heavy footsteps that vibrated through the stone street as it grew louder and louder.
They are coming.
"The debris has crushed my legs. Even if I could get out, I wouldn't be able to run" Carla cried and I sobbed harder understanding what that meant.
Please no, please get up.
"I'll carry you then!" Eren wailed and I tried to struggle again, but my strength was failing, I was losing too much blood.
"Will you listen to me for once in your life?! You can at least do this one last thing! Mikasa! Rian! Aurora! If you don't go, all five of us will die! Rian please! Take them and leave" Carla begged but Rian did not move and I began to fear he had lost his mind. I tried kicking him to force him to act, but he remained like a stone.
Come on Rian move!
The solider I had heard earlier flew down to land just behind us and I had never been happier to see Hannes in my life, but that happiness quickly died when he looked at me with wide eyes before running around us.
"Hannes! Take the children and get out of here!" Carla begged.
"Don't go underestimatin' me, Carla. I'm gonna slaughter these Titans and save all five of ya!" Hannes declared and I could hear his footsteps race away from us as he went to do his duty.
"Wait!" Rian cried, snapping out of his trance. I heard the sound of drawing of blades and then all too quickly Hannes' footsteps were heading back towards us.
"Hey! What are you doing?!" Eren screamed as Hannes ran past with Eren over his shoulder like I was over Rian's and Mikasa under his other arm. Spinning around, Rian ran after him and I looked back to where our Grandfather lay, a broken sob escaping my lips as I saw his head facing us with eyes wide and unseeing as his grandchildren left him to rot in the street.
"Eren! You have to survive! All of you have to survive!" Carla screamed. My gaze zeroed in on her trapped by her own home and looking up, my eyes widened as I saw what had caused Hannes to run. A towering titan with a chilling smile stood over where Carla lay, reaching down it pulled her from the rubble and raised her to its mouth and I began screaming and reaching out for her with Eren's screams blended into mine.
Please... she's my mother.
Carla was fighting the smiling titan with all her might pounding her fists against it uselessly as its other hand grabbed her and twisted with a the sickening snap echoing down the otherwise deserted street. I watched numb as the smiling Titan lifted Carla's lifeless body into its mouth and bit down, sending blood cascading through the air. Darkness took over my vision as I the helplessness of another part of my world being destroyed crushed my soul, and I welcomed it.
Armin
I stood on the side of the emergency escape boats and scanned the crowd of the terrified faces of the people of Shiganshina but failed to see the faces I desperately wanted.
Please, Hannes. Please make it on time.
"Hurry! To the inner Gate! Escape aboard the boats! Hurry! Before you get eaten!" I heard someone shout in the crowd.
Time was passing by, and I was beginning to feel desperation eating at my calm. I had told Hannes where the others had gone and run like a coward to ensure my own survival all the while praying that the soldier would make it one time to do what I could not.
What if I'm the only one left? Did I just leave my friends to die? Did I abandon my family?
"You should take your seat" my Grandfather said softly as he was stared at a small wood carving of a bird that Rian had made for him for his last birthday, tears falling from his eyes.
"I'm looking for them." I insisted, not ready to give up on them just yet.
"Discard your belongings! Let as many people on as possible!" a soldier shouted and I looked over to the boarding bridge, my heart soaring. Standing on the deck ready to board was Eren and Mikasa their faces masks of horror with Rian behind them, carrying an unconscious Aurora in his arms.
Is she? No, they wouldn't let her take up room if she was dead.
"Grandfather look. They made it!" I cried in happiness, I hadn't left them to die!
"I wouldn't call out to them just now; Walls only know what they have seen" he replied before putting the little carving away and wiping his eyes. I watched Eren and Mikasa help Rian put Aurora down on the deck before Rian left them to go inside the boat. It was then I noticed that Eren's mother and Rowan were not with them.
Does that mean they were too late?
Rian returned with a large brown bag and knelt beside his sister before he began pulling out long white cloth and tying them around Aurora's hands.
Bandages? She must have been injured.
Getting to my feet, I ignored my Grandfather's advice and went over to them. Kneeling beside Rian, I handed him some more bandages from the bag as I peered up at his tormented expression as his eyes found mine and widened. Streaked with blood and dust, Rian stared at my face for a few seconds before launching himself towards me, pulling me tight into his chest.
"You're here" Rian wept, "You're alright".
Grabbing my face with his hands, Rian rested his forehead on mine briefly before looking back down at Aurora, sniffling.
"My grandfather is at the front of the boat" I whispered and Rian gave me a small smile of relief.
"How is she?" I asked. Looking over Aurora, I cringed as I saw her usual smiling face pale and smeared with blood and dirt, giving her a corpse-like appearance, with her shirt and skirt torn. The worst injuries were her hands, her blood was already seeping through her hand wraps, suggesting deep wounds, and the deep cut on her face that would surely scar.
"She will be fine. Our Grandfather and Carla... we watched them.... they didn't make it" Rian said, face twisting in heartbreak as he hung his head down and began to weep. I felt my mouth fall open in shock as I tried to find the words but I couldn't, What could I say that would make a difference? Nothing was the answer.
"They're closing in! This can't be for real! Please, God Please!" a woman wailed as shouting from the waterside began to turn into screams. Orders were given and the boat bridge was pulled up, and the mechanism began to work as people started jumping to grab onto the sides of the boat with most missing and hitting the water.
A loud crash rang through the air and smoke and debris began to fly everywhere as my breath caught in my throat in horror. A massive fifteen-meter titan with what looked like plating emerged from the smoke, behind him a giant hole in the wall that Titans had already begun to emerge from it.
"It's over. The Titans are going to devour humanity. This is the end!" a woman cried in terror as Eren stood up from Aurora's side and watched the nightmare unfold, his face twisting in rage.
"I'm gonna drive them out! I'm going to drive out every last one from this world! I'm gonna kill them all!" he snarled as his clenched fists shook. Screams began to erupt all around, and I couldn't bear it anymore. I buried my head into Rian's chest and clamped my hands down over my ears to drown out the sound of my countrymen being devoured, the woman was right, this is it.
Shinganshina was gone. Wall Maria had fallen.