I sighed and shook my head, "should it really come as a surprise?" I asked. "I mean, the Scout Regiment isn't exactly the safest or most promising career a person could wish for."

"What? Are you on their side too?" snapped Eren, the usual light of anger flashing into his eyes.

"That's not what I meant," I said. "Really, I would be worried if your parents were okay with it."

"He's right you know," added Armin, staring up towards where the walls towered 50m up into the sky. "The Scouts suffer more casualties than any other group in existence; your parents don't want you to die Eren."

"Well, it isn't their choice to make is it?" muttered Eren, scowling at the dark water in the canal before us.

We were all silent for a few moments, a faint breeze wafting towards us. Four ten year old kids, sitting by the canal in Shiganshina District. Eren; short dark hair barely affected by the wind, eyes still blazing with a fire that never goes out. Armin; longer blonde hair nudged aside by the flowing air to reveal a pair of keen, yet nervous eyes. Mikasa; her long black hair practically whipped up by the slight wind, her cold hard gaze piercing the very air in front of her. And of course myself: Matthias Quinn, light sandy hair that doesn't get cut as much as I would like, sometimes producing a fringe that masks a pair of green eyes some people have called unsettling. That always made me feel upset, like I'd done something wrong.

Eventually, Armin opened his mouth to speak, but he was cut short by a massive crack and boom that shook the earth and threw me to the ground from where I'd been leaning against the wall of a house. The noise made me go slightly dizzy, so as I looked up I couldn't quite make out what was happening. Then I realised people were crowding into the streets, and my friends were headed that way as well. Picking myself up, I hurried after them, arriving just in time to hear Eren's voice cut off, as his eyes alighted on the thing everyone was looking at. I turned, and froze.

A single, massive hand, the red muscles exposed to the air with no skin drawn over it, was gripping the top of the 50m tall wall, just next to the gate. "That's impossible," I more or less heard Armin whisper, his voice was so husky, "that wall's over 50m high." But impossible or not, the hand was there, a great column of smoke rising from behind it. Then a shape loomed up and forwards out of the grey-white vapours. It was a face, a face that looked like it belonged to something dead. No skin covered it either, a kind of pale white substance forming its nose and stretched partly over its mouth.

"I-is that," I tried to ask, my heart racing inside my chest, "is that a Titan?" A Titan bigger than the wall seemed impossible, but there he was, looming above the sheer smooth surface of rock, dead eyes staring down at the city. Then there was a second great crash and a number of huge chunks of rock went flying into the air. These missiles smashed houses and crushed people in the streets, one landing only a few blocks away from where we stood.

Suddenly Eren was running away down the street, towards his house, Mikasa following him. "Eren, Mikasa, wait!" called Armin beside me, but they were already gone around the corner, out of earshot. I looked at Armin, he was trembling frantically and starring wildly at me. "This is it," he gasped, "that Titan just broke the gate open, they're going to get in. Every single one of us is going to be devoured!"

I didn't know what to say, I just stood there letting the reality of the situation sink in. Finally I said, "no, the gate in Wall Maria is still standing. We have to get out of the city though."

Armin slowed his breathing, and his eyes cleared. "Right. Eren and Mikasa will have gone to fetch Eren's mother, but it's possible that their house was hit by one of those rocks."

"If that's the case," I replied, continuing my friend's train of thought, "Eren likely won't leave until he pulls either his mother, or her body out from the wreckage."

"Neither of us would be able to pull him away by force, and I doubt Mikasa would help us; she won't want to give up on her new family so quickly."

"We need to find an adult who can make them leave, or help get Eren's mom to safety."

"Mr. Hannes!" exclaimed Armin, a new sense of purpose flooding into his eyes.

"Good idea," I agreed. "I'll head to my house and see if I can find my mom. You're family should be fine since you live further away from the gate."

"I hope so," said Armin, biting his lip. "Good luck. I'll see you at the boats all right?"

"Right!" I called out, as I began to run hurriedly through the streets towards my home.

When I got there, the front door was open and no sounds came from inside. I dashed in and up the stairs, calling out for mother, but I got no response. 'She must have already left', I concluded, heaving a sigh of relief. I turned on my heel and started heading for the door out of my room, when I was struck stiff by a great thumping boom from outside. Then another, and another, and another. "Oh no," gasped under my breath, as the thunderous footsteps of a titan pounded past outside.

As quietly as I could I moved down the stairs, and peeked out one of the windows on the ground floor. I couldn't see anything yet, so I supposed it was further away than it sounded. Taking a deep breath to try to calm my nerves, I threw the front door open and dashed out into the street. I turned to start heading for the boats, but before I did I made the terrible mistake of looking over my shoulder.

At about 8m tall, the titan grinned stupidly down at a person clutched in its hands. It was a man I didn't recognise; he was squirming and struggling, but the grip of those long, talon like fingers was like iron. I managed to tear my eyes away as the titan opened its grinning maw, and as I ran I heard a final scream of panic, cut short by a quiet, sickening crunch. I ran and ran and ran, as fast as I could, desperately hoping to reach the boats in time, already convinced in some part of my mind that I'd never make it. Somehow I did though. I was hurriedly ushered on because of my age, and left to stand cramped amongst a mass of strangers.

I watched dumbly as more people were ushered on, then as the boat cast off to the desperate cries of the people left behind. I'd lived in Shiganshina for only the last eight months, but I'd made friends with Armin when we both found ourselves on the wrong end of the local gang. We'd been discussing how plausible the forming a second wing of the military was; one that didn't have to rely on ODM Gear in order to combat the titans. I made the mistake of mentioning their name in front of the wrong people, and Armin and I had to take the consequences. Eren arrived part way through what couldn't in fairness have been called a fight, and Mikasa of course wasn't far behind. That ended things rather quickly. I can't say that made all four of us friends immediately, but it put things on the right track.

Now, everything was over. I could see faint wisps of smoke rising from the buildings, people screaming, and of course, the faint, yet constant pounding of massive feet against the ground. My mother never liked staying in one place for too long, usually not for more than a year. As a result I'd always tried my best not to lay any roots or make any real friends where we were living, but this time I'd done it without thinking, I wasn't sure why, but for the first time I'd felt like I was actually living in a home, and now that home was being trampled under their feet.

I'd never been prone to outbursts of any kind, not sorrow, not anger or even laughter since my father left, yet just this once, I felt truly angry. The injustice of the moment flooded over me, my eyes tinted with a thin haze of tears. "Dam it!" I screamed at the top of my voice, throwing back my head and howling as loud as I could at the sky. Some people looked over at me, but I didn't care. I stared at my shaking hands before plastering them over my face. I tried to block out the world, but it just kept seeping in.

A shadow fell over me, prompting me to take my hands away and look up; we'd past under the wall, we'd be on the other side of Wall Maria in a few moments. It would all be over in just a few moments. I looked down at my hands stained with tears and grimy, with red stains on the finger tips. I ran my hand over my forehead; blood. I must have hit my head on the side of something whilst running and not noticed it. Now that I did notice it, it hurt like hell.

I began to look around, nudging my way through the tight mass of people, checking for any face that seemed familiar. It was difficult to see past all the bodies, and I almost walked clean into Armin when I found him. "Matthias, you're okay!" he gasped.

"Yeah, I think so," I said, wincing slightly as my cut stung me. "What about your family? Did they make it?"

"Yes, everyone. But Eren, his mother isn't here."

"Y-you don't mean..."

"I don't really know, but judging from the looks on his and Mikasa's faces, I can't think of any other real possibility."

"Are, are they both okay?"

"Physically, I think so. I haven't spoken to them yet though. What about your mom? Have you spoken to her yet?"

"No. She is on here then?"

"Yes. I saw her a few times when the boat was less crowded."

Suddenly, there was jolt, and the boat moved out from under the wall, into the safety of the lands behind Wall Maria. As we did I felt my legs tremble a little; we were safe, safe from the horror of the Titans. "Well then," I said, starring back through the water gate to where the buildings of Shiganshina were smashed and burning, "I guess that's it then. We're safe now, its o-" But I never got to finish. For the second time that day there was the ear-splitting crack of shattering rock and tearing metal, followed by a great crash of falling masonry. Immediately everyone threw themselves towards the side of the boat facing the gate. Armin and I were thrust forwards by the press, finding ourselves with a perfect view of the gateway.

There was huge cloud of dust billowing out from what had once been the gate of Wall Maria. Now, light flooded through the open hole, illuminating the hulking silhouette of a 15m tall titan, with massive shoulders and burning eyes. His mouth let out a rush of steam that shrouded him from view, and when it cleared he was gone. Wall Maria was breached. The Titans were truly inside the walls.

Eight months later, and the world feels like hell. After the massive flood of refugees behind Wall Rose, the government organised the largest 'armed' force in our nation's known history from those who had fled, and sent them outside of the walls to retake Wall Maria. The massacre must have been terrible. They went without any plan, without any training and in most cases without any weapons. No one really believed that the attempt at 'territory retrieval' was anything except population control. When all was said and done, about a fifth of the entire population behind the walls perished, and the famines within Wall Rose continued despite the sacrifice of so many.

The wind is cold against skin that really should have more layers of clothing surrounding it. I look up at the sky, grey and hard with a layer of clouds that passes on to the horizon. I'm sitting with my back against a cold stone wall, arms wrapped around my legs. Eren is standing, shouting about something; I'm afraid I stopped listening a few minutes back. It's not that I don't agree with most of what he's saying, it's just that he's ranted and raged about the same things over and over again for the past year month, ever since the reclamation operation. It was just after that that Armin's face turned a rather unsettling shade of grey, and it seems to be permanent. I'm not surprised to be honest, his whole family is gone now because of it. I almost wish sometimes that I could share in my friends' sorrows, but my mother's still here. 'Though of course', I remind myself, 'that may not last for much longer, with the winter hitting this hard.'

Slowly, I begin to drift off to sleep, my mind slipping into unconsciousness as if into a bath. Part of me hopes to find some level of relief, but the rest of me knows better. Sleep hasn't been peaceful for me since before I can remember. I have an unpleasant capacity for nightmares.

Everything is dark, but at least it's no longer cold. No, it's stifling hot and stuffy, so hot that I ought to be sweating profusely, but I'm not. My eyes are closed I realise, 'am I awake again already?' I wonder. I open my eyes to see a forest surrounding me. 'These are remarkably small trees', I try to say to myself, but the words won't come. Oh no. Not this one again. My body moves all of its own accord, all I can do is watch. I look up at the sun and sniff. I can't recognise any of the odours, but my body certainly can. I turn my head sharply in the direction that one of the smells appears to be coming from and despite my best efforts to stop them, my legs begin to move.

I know this dream far too well; I know where I'm going. Strange how I always forget about these dreams until I'm having them again, then they come back with terrifying clarity. At first I'm walking, but as one of the smells grows stronger, my pace increases until I'm running. I emerge from the forest and out onto a flat grassy plain. In the distance is a group of tiny people on equally tiny horses, green cloaks billowing out behind them. I'm more than running, I'm sprinting now, the landscape flying past me.

The group of four horsemen turn their heads and urge their mounts harder in an effort to get away, but they won't escape; they never do. A voice, deep and guttural speaks inside my head, each word drawn out as if it hurts the speaker to use their vocal cords. "Prey, hunt, DEVOUR!"

'No, no stop!' I try to cry out, but I've been silenced.

I'm right on top of the horsemen now; one of them looks up at me, his eyes filled with a mixture of terror and hatred. One of my hands reaches out, larger than his entire body. The man lashes out with what looks like a pair of swords, and a searing pain lances through me. But this time, just like every other time, the attack doesn't stop me, it doesn't save him. I grab him and pull him out of his saddle. On the edge of my vision I can see one of the remaining three flying into the air somehow, but my body doesn't seem to care.

My mouth opens, and I want to scream, want to shut my eyes, but all I can do is watch, as the man gives one final desperate slash at my face with his one free arm. I try desperately to wretch, as the taste of blood and flesh washes over my tongue.

I wake up with a start, my breathing sporadic. 'I was having a nightmare right?' I wonder silently to myself, 'but what happened?' I strain as I try to remember, but all that will come is a sense of brooding horror, and a strange bitter taste in my mouth, a bit like blood.

"Hey Matthias, are you all right?" asks Armin looking worriedly at me from the other side of the alleyway we're all crouching in.

"I suppose so," I reply, conscious of all three sets of eyes now trained on me. "Yes, I'm fine. Don't worry about it."

"Are you sure?" he persists, "you went really pale for a few moments there, and you're sweating."

I put a hand to my forehead and wipe off the droplets from my already perfectly cool skin. 'Why would I be sweating in this kind of weather?' I ponder. 'I guess it must have been a bad one.' "Yes," I say out loud, "I'm sure. Just a rather nasty daydream; something about the Titans I think."

"When is something about them ever good?" hisses Eren. He turns on his foot and looks at all three of us in turn. "Guys, I've been thinking about things, and I've made a choice: I'm going to join the Cadets next year."

I sit bolt upright and stare at him. "Are you serious?" I gasp. "After what you saw in Shiganshina, you want to go back?"

"The only way this nightmare ends is if we win," he responds through gritted teeth, "and we can only win if we fight."

"Then I'm with you," says Mikasa, rising to her feet. Now why doesn't that surprise me? I've never been totally comfortable with Mikasa, I know she's been through two traumatic experiences now, but still I won't deny she frightens me sometimes. Her devotion to Eren borderlines on an obsession, and I suppose that when she gets a bit older she'll realise she's in love with him. Of course Eren doesn't see it, I don't think he ever has. Oh well, give him time.

Armin sighs and stands up as well, "I don't have anyone left besides you guys. So I guess I'll follow you."

I look between all three of them, all clearly resolved in their joint decision. My mind suddenly flashes back to rage I felt watching my home burn, and back to something else, something I can only half remember. Whatever it is, it makes me angry, and that's enough. "Oh what the hell," I sigh as I push myself up to my feet as well, "this life isn't exactly what I'd call luxury; I can't see it getting much worse. I'm in."

"All right then," says Eren, excitement flickering through his green eyes, "the four of us then. We're going to give those titans hell!"