The Rose wall was crashing. Titans were breaking through, scrambling about as they scooped up citizens and soldiers alike, insanely drunken grins plastered on their faces. Mikasa Ackerman was tailing Armin Alert , her fellow cadet, as they sprinted across the rooftops, the shingles on the roofs making ti hard for them to keep their balance. Their maneuver gear banged against their thighs as they ran, hands hovering over the swords contained inside, ready to swiftly pull out if need be.
Screams echoed the air, followed by the gnashing of teeth, the crunching of bones. Concrete crumbled as titans forced their way through, rampaging the towns underneath their heavy feet. Mikasa scanned the area, squinting her brown eyes as best she could. Titan steam was everywhere- bodies were disintegrating.
But she couldn't find Eren.
"Where is he?!" she shouted to Armin, her throat scratchy and dry. Armin himself didn't look the best- his short blond hair was frizzed slightly, his thick bangs sticking to his forehead with sweat. Blue eyes wide, he was still getting accustomed to the dangers surrounding them.
"Armin Alert you answer me damn it!" Mikasa demanded, skidding to a stop as they neared the end of the roof. Armin let out a cry of alarm as he toppled into her, maneuver gear chaffing his skin.
"Mikasa!" he shouted, "why… why did you stop!" Tears began to bead at the corner of his eyes as he whipped his head from side to side. Two titans, seven meters tall on the left. One titan about ten meters on the right.
But where is Eren? Mikasa's mind screamed as Armin began screeching, watching with horror and shock and awe as Sasha Braus- although she had ever really known her as Potato Girl- was snatched up, pluck straight off the ground like a feather on a chicken. But that's what they were. Chickens running around blindly, trying to salvage what they could. The Titans were the same way, she guessed, just trying to survive the only way they knew how.
"Mikasa!" Armin's voice broke through her thoughts, bringing her back to reality, back to ruined buildings, broken families. Back to death and destruction.
"Where's Eren, Armin!" Mikasa asked with a cry.
"We need to get off the roof!" Armin cried, the tears flowing freely now. But that was just like Armin, to show his weakness in a troublesome situation. A situation that she and Eren could usually get him out of. But Eren wasn't there.
Gritting her teeth, Mikasa grabbed her swords, yanking them free of the scabbards. Armin flinched as she suddenly jumped, the wires on her maneuver gear slinging straight above his head. Pulling her along, Mikasa flew through the air on the wires, watching as it anchored deeply into a Titan's neck. She could hear Armin yell for her.
"Mikasa, no!" Armin protested with a strangled screech. She ignored him, narrowing her eyes at the Titan she currently stood atop. At the base of its neck. She felt her fingers twitch as she gripped the handle of her sword, her knuckles trying white.
A simple slice to the neck, Mikasa, just like you learned…..she thought to herself, trying her best to drown out her surroundings. It was better to focus at times like these, to not get distracted.
One swipe of her sword and it would be over. Just to cut out a chunk and it would die for good. Mikasa grimaced as she glared at the skin, knowing that underneath was blood, pumping and pulsating. It's body wasn't that different from hers. Of course, it didn't have reproductive organs or the proper digestive tract. But still.
It wasn't any different from herself.
Yet it wasn't Eren. With the flick of her wrist, she sent the Titan crashing to the ground, blood splashing the ground, the walls, staining her clothes, skin and hair.
"Where are you?!" she screeched, squeezing her eyes shut as she perched atop the giant corpse, watching the Titan's blood create a giant tidal wave, cleansing the streets of any animal of soldier. After a few minutes, Mikasa sheathed her swords, aiming her maneuver gear for the roof as she soared for the millionth time that day- it seemed to be all she did lately, flying like a bird as she cut down the bad guys. Like in stories her parents read to her as a child.
This wasn't a story though. This was reality. And Eren wasn't there.
There was a sharp clang as her gear bit into the structured roof, and she came to a jerking halt as she rolled onto the roof, Armin wide-eyed the entire time. Grunting, se sat up, Armin crouched next to her, eyes filled with concern. His only concern should be himself, Mikasa thought as she wiped Titan blood off her face.
"Are you alright, Mikasa?!" Armin urged, his shoulders trembling violently. Mikasa ignored his question, peering around the city. Fellow cadets were being flung about, chopping up Titans left and right. She noticed Marco Bott take down one to their left that looked to be about 12 meters high.
"Armin, you were with Eren- where did he go?!" Mikasa turned to glare at him. A Titan emitted deafening roar that warbled through the air. Armin froze.
"Armin- where did he go?" she demanded coldly. Armin opened his mouth to answer, but no sound came out. He couldn't say anything- there was no way he could exlpain, and Mikasa was definitely going to throw a fit.
"Mikasa…." he began, clearing his throat. Another scream echoed, another life lost to a Titan. Before he had the chance to even register what had happened, Mikasa grabbed him by the collar of his uniform, pulling him close. She didn't have time for his dilly-dallying.
"I need to find Eren, Armin," she hissed, "now where. Is. He." Armin gulped.
"Eren, he… he was eaten!"