He was low on fuel and Jean was nowhere to be seen. They were advancing on him fast. Escaping with his life seemed impossible at this point. What was he to do? How would he get back to his fellow comrades when he was surrounded without a trace of backup?

Marco backed into a corner where he was sure they'd never look. The titans were big, clumsy, and brainless. Why would they think to look in such an obscure place for just one person?

Just as his efforts to hide himself seemed useless, and there was a large hand reaching down to swat at him, it suddenly fell limp. The titan had been slain.

As the steam arose thickly into the air, Marco emerged from the corner to see his savior. It was Annie Leonhardt, the petite blonde girl who seemed to be perpetually bored with life. Not too far behind her were her close friends Reiner and Bertoldt.

Annie assessed the giant corpse before her as Reiner approached her. He looked angry. Bertoldt seemed to be very worried about something. He looked Marco up and down several times and asked him if he was okay. When Marco confirmed he was in fact okay, Bertoldt's expression became very urgent.

"You need to go," he said quietly.

"Well I would but I'm getting low on gas," Marco responded, not really catching on that something was truly and utterly wrong.

"No. Just go. Please, Marco. Go. Just go now. Just leave." Bertoldt insisted. He seemed so sad.

"Do you expect me to just run at this point?"

"Marco, please."

"Bertoldt!" both Reiner and Annie called in unison. He flinched at the sound of his name and turned around to see them both motioning for him to come to them.

He gave Marco a grave expression before turning back to his friends.

How does he expect me to get out of here at this point? Marco thought. My fuel is nearly gone. I'll either have to be carried by one of the guys or scavenge some poor soul for their gear.

As Bertoldt approached his friends he nonchalantly glanced behind him and noticed that Marco was still standing there, as if he was waiting for them.

"Bertl, you need to make up your mind quick. Whose side are you on?" said Reiner in a hushed tone.

"I already told you, I want no part in this."

"Well you really should have said that five years ago. Arguing against it now isn't gonna do you much good."

"I did say that then! I hate this! I hate doing this to them!"

"Ssshh! Keep your voices down," commanded Annie. Her glare was a mix of remorse and guilt. However she wore a mask of indifference.

"Look, if you're not gonna help us, then you're going to go stand watch. Make sure no one crosses your path. Now go over there and tell Marco we need to talk to him."

If Bertoldt would ever regret anything, it would be this very moment.

As he left, both Annie and Reiner turned to each other. Annie spoke first.

"I'm having second thoughts about this."

"Me too."

"We can always back down."

"You know we can't."

"I know..."

After they spoke, they watched Bertoldt and Marco's interaction. Marco looked very confused and Bertoldt looked simultaneously frustrated and ready to cry. Annie and Reiner knew what he was trying to do, that he was trying to get Marco out of there are soon as possible. They both understood. He was the least deserving of all the trainees, of anyone they'd ever met. But he knew too much, they told themselves.

It was never his fault. He was simply always in the wrong place at the wrong time. Reiner and Annie could never be too certain that they hadn't said anything critical in front of him. Though Bertoldt always defended him. He said he was sure Marco just let it in one ear and out the other. But they couldn't trust that. Marco could be someone else entirely. He could be putting on a show for everyone, and behind closed doors he could be telling everything he knows to the Military Police.

That is where he wanted to end up, isn't it? Doesn't it make sense for him to do anything he can to save his own skin and additionally the rest of humanity? And that was why they couldn't trust him. He could potentially blow their cover at any moment. All he had to do was be his sweet, wholesome, trusting, and strong willed self.

"He's trying so hard to give him a chance, a head start. He knows though," said Annie.

"Who's doing it?"

"I will."

"You could do it when he least expects it. There's rubble everywhere. Get him from behind while he's distracted. He won't even suffer."

"Yes he will."

"Plus if it doesn't work," Reiner continued as if he didn't hear Annie's comment. "It's not like he can fight back. You intimidate him too much."

"Let's just get this over with."

Annie walked quietly to a pile of rubble, kicking smaller pieces aside to find a piece suitable enough to do the deed. When she found one, she glanced back at Reiner and he gave her a grim smile, though he was obviously not amused by this situation.

To be completely honest, he was afraid of how this would end. He would never admit this to Annie or Bertoldt, but he felt like a coward. Having her do this was absolutely the last thing he wanted. He and Bertoldt already had blood on their hands, he didn't need to taint Annie too.

"Bertl, I don't see why we can't just go together. You'd be helping your friend. I mean, the whole point of us being in the military is to help humanity survive, isn't it?"

As Marco spoke, Bertoldt saw Annie approach him from behind. His expression became less urgent and more terrified. And that unfortunately is when Marco caught on that no, things were not okay.

The moment Marco noticed Bertoldt's expression change, he turned around to see why. As he turned he was met with a sharp, throbbing pain on the right side of his head. Annie had not expected Marco to turn his head when she swung the large rock at him.

He went down quick but reacted slow. It was an effort for him to lift his head. But when he did he looked Annie directly in the eyes, as if he was pleading for her not to continue, and then to Bertoldt, as if to ask for help. When Bertoldt hung his head in shame, covered his mouth, and backed away, he knew he was done for. He knew they hadn't come to help him.

Speaking was as difficult as trying to back away from the girl with the large bloody rock. He wanted to ask her why she'd just struck him, but his words came out as choked sobs.

Annie realized what she'd done once she saw his big brown eyes stare up at her. She felt sick when he opened his mouth but couldn't say anything. Her hands shook as she watched him try to stand back up. She let go of the rock when he drew a sword on her but promptly dropped it.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered to him. Her eyes stung as tears threatened to escape against her will.

She pushed him back with one hand and he fell back down next to his sword.

Why is she doing this to me? he thought. Weren't we friends? And why isn't Bertl doing anything to help me? We're supposed to have each others backs!

"I-I... don't understn-" he managed to choke out.

Suddenly Reiner came into the picture. Finally someone who would help him. Someone who-Why is he picking up that rock?!

Reiner swung as hard as he could, hitting the same side of Marco's head from before. His body flopped to the left, landing haphazardly on top of his sword. He tried to pick it up again but found it incredibly more difficult that the time before. When he finally managed to wrap his hand around the handle, he heard Reiner curse under his breath before grabbing it from him.

Marco found himself unable to speak at this point, as well as unable to control even basic motor skills. All he could do was feel the immense pain on the side of his head, and feel the thick, sticky blood drip down his face and onto his shirt.

As he cowered in the very corner he started off in, he found his current situation quite ironic. He was trapped in a corner again, hoping and praying that these monsters wouldn't kill him here. But he knew now that this was his end.

If no one's going to help me, I might as well die thinking of the one person who would have had he been here. My comrade, my best friend... Jean. He would have carried me on his back the moment he found me.

When Marco lifted his heavy head to peer at the traitors before him, now fully understanding why they were doing this, recognizing who they really were and the risk he represented if he lived through this, he exhaled a shallow breath and nodded once, accepting his ultimate demise.

Bertoldt was leaning by a wall at this point, trying and failing to hold down his nerves and lunch. Annie stood before him, red faced and teary eyed, holding his own sword.

Last but certainly not least, Reiner crouched behind him, holding him down by his shoulders. He lowered his head to Marco's left ear and whispered, "I'm sorry it came down to this... You should not have had to die like this..."

Annie drove the blade deep into his abdomen, sobbing and trying not to let his blood splash on her.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she repeated as it plunged deeper and deeper.

Reiner's level of guilt rose when he realized that he wasn't even struggling against his grip. He just laid there, teary eyes and motionless, internally pleading for them to stop.

I hope Jean is okay!

A while after it ended, Reiner approached Annie and Bertoldt, who both were still in shock from what they'd done.

"We can't leave him like this," said Reiner calmly. The others looked up at him slowly. "In a couple of days when they come around to pick up all the bodies, they're gonna find him and know that this wasn't a titan's doing. They're gonna find out-"

"No they won't," said Bertoldt sharply. He stood up, shoved past Reiner, and headed for the corpse laying in the middle of the cobble stone road. He glanced at the blood pooled around the body as he picked up the sword and went to work, propping one foot onto the body's abdomen for better leverage.

When he was finished he walked back to Reiner, still holding the sword in one hand and now Marco's 3D maneuvering gear in the other. He glared at Reiner and handed him the sword. "Live with it," he said sourly. He approached Annie slowly, crouched in front of her and gave her Marco's gear. "There's no backing out of this now. You're going to use this when the time is right."