A Soldier's Tale
I didn't want to die…
The thought echoed through my head as I looked into the ravenous cavern in front of me. Helplessly, I struggled against the burning, crushing grip that suspended me in the air in front of the moist and tortuous cave that would soon become my tomb. Around my waist the manoeuvre gear let out a dying scream as I tried the gas once again in a hope of escape, but that too was futile and my captor's grin widened and twisted as if it knew something I didn't. But that was ridiculous; Titans weren't intelligent. But then again, I was caught by the strange way its eyes glowed and sparkled as if it was pleased by a secret that it had hidden away; it regarded me as an interest for a moment and I felt the tough sinew in its fingers tense and flex around me, enclosing my core from my chest to my knees in it immense reach. I kicked out the best I could against the burning skin and screamed in anguish at the situation that I had found myself in.
My voice faltered down to a sob as I felt the shadow of death pass over me. I crossed my right hand over my heart in the symbol of a soldier swearing his life and soul to the cause of humanity as my mind shifted through my training for any clue that will help me survive.
I don't want to die…
Then you should have never have become a soldier.
A small, insignificant voice whispered through my thoughts, a parental sound that symbolised reason and it echoed through my mind.
Soldiers are nothing but food for the Titans.
I shook my head to no resolve and remembered my goal to join the military police, safe inside the inner wall but I had missed the top ten and was now relegated to the Garrison, the Stationary Troops and from there it was my job to guard and maintain the walls. Of course the walls should never have been breached, it was supposed to be impossible and the Stationary Troops were rarely ever called up to fight real Titans, that was the Scouts job outside of the wall. The training however prepared us all for the crooked battle between man and Titan but it all relied on teamwork and the manoeuvre gear but I was alone, immobile. My death had been set.
Half of me was ready to give in, already acknowledging my fate but the primal drive kept reaching for every glimmer of hope even when logic fought against it. When I screamed again I was surprised by an answer. The Titan, my captor, threw back its head and screamed with me, a deep resonating roar of regret and anguish and for a second I felt something new. A strange empathy for the mysterious creature before me and I could tell that it too could feel my pain. Our screams petered together and fell like a crescendo into hushed. This Titan was different from the others, everything about it pointed to an abnormal and I relaxed with an unsteady security that if it was going to eat me it should have done it already.
This safety was short lived when a blood-curdling scream cut through the air like a blade. I whipped my body around frantically trying to spot the source of the terrific noise only to find all of the things I had forgotten about in my own distress. Destruction, Death and Dismay surrounded me as I surveyed the aftermath of the breach. The town and district of Shiganshina was now painted red with blood and orange with spreading flames and now it bared more resemblance to Hell than of a small, sleepy outer town on the side of Wall Maria. My eyes caught the sight of the great wall that we were fighting to protect, I drew my eyes away looking for what first drew my attention. The ungodly scream had come from a fellow soldier whose upper half was now hanging forlornly out of a Titan's mouth his face frozen into a picture of fear and pain, now streaked with blood and the dark, lifelessly eyes stared straight at me with a sad sympathy and knowing that I had to turn my head away from the grotesque image and ended up meeting face to face with the Titan who had yet to eat me; and who I doubt would be able to.
We held each others gaze in silence until I turned away to see what had happened to the city we were sworn to protect. My eyes fell first on the "Unbreakable" wall, 50 meters tall and supposedly Titan proof, but then it had only taken one special Titan to break it, a Titan that nobody had seen before and was now nicknamed the "Colossal Titan" it had become the destroyer of our world. After 100 years of peace the Titans had once again been given access to the humans they craved but didn't need. The large hole in the wall right where the gate used to be was now swarming with Titans that licked their lips as they started their search for humans to eat. I shuddered knowing that it was going to be impossible to win back this town now, we just weren't prepared, we were never prepared, and now there were too many of them to fend off. This town was now part of Titan territory and all of the soldiers sent to control the threat were now all bait to keep the Titans away from the inner gate but each one would gracefully fulfil their sworn oath and pay the ultimate price for humanity. Many, I thought, would be grateful to end it after the horror of this worthless war. All of our efforts seemed to be in vain. Many of the buildings and homes that were built up over the years in the comfort and safety that this town promised were all but crushed under the touch of the Titans leaving indistinguishable piles of rubble strewn with the dead and everything that mankind fought for was left in pieces by the Titans.
I kicked out against the heated fist that had burned my body in its grip and I felt the cool sting of tears fall across my tears as I wept for our inevitable defeat. My Titan, I don't know if it was right to call him that but after the connection I had felt earlier this seemed an appropriate title for the creature that held my life in balance, was still watching me intrigued and leaned in closer to peer at my face. Its mouth widened as if to offer some comfort but of course Titan's couldn't talk and no sounds came from its large, bloodied throat. It lifted me higher, high above the rubble and destruction for being a 15 metre class it towered higher than most of the man made dwellings. Deluded and shocked I was uplifted by this gesture believe I was to be released by this strange Titan and that I would live to see another day. I blinked away tears of blind relief and saw the sun beginning to set a blaze of reds and orange that was crudely mimicked by the raging fires on the right side of town, the celestial eye dipped below the wall and left us with a dying glow. As if this was the cue my Titan raised me higher as if I was an injured bird that it was going to release back into the wild and as hope faded I tried to fly away but its iron grip did not loosen until I was directly above its head, then as it slowly craned its head back and its wide grin looked at me mockingly, its eyes jumped and laughed as it opened its hand. It was over before I could come to terms with it all and I dropped from the stone-like fingers into the cavern below. I was enveloped in darkness that reached inside of me and as I slid down the constricting throat I knew that it was all over.
Author's note
This is my first solo fanfic and thank you for reading it and hoped you enjoyed I hope to do more (and hopefully longer ones) in the future. Comments and reviews will be much appreciated.
Also a thank you to my friend who kindly became a beta to help me edit the story.