The walls cradling humanity stood firm. Sina, Rose, and Maria were the protectors, spaced miles apart with grooves between them. Within each wall had its own populace, trade, production, and other services that spawn in modernization. The domestication of these caged humans would soon come to a close.
"Oi, Eren! Make sure not to drop that cargo, yeah?" A Garrison Corps officer nagged, whilst enjoying a cool beverage.
"You could be helping you know-" Eren's eyes challenged the dark hazel of the blond man, Hannes.
Mikasa tugged Eren's sleeve. "Forget it Eren, keep moving." She gave him a slight nudge, and he continued onward.
"Man, why do we have to do this, Mikasa? This is do dumb, and boring. Y'know?"
"It's called community service for a reason, can't you just do what you're told for once? It'd do you some good." She chirped.
"Yeah right…" His mind trailed off. He could do the work, but that didn't mean he'd have to enjoy it.
"Maybe we can go find Armin afterward?" She poked him again.
"That's the best idea you've had in weeks. That's more like it." Eren fumbled the containers, nearly dropping them.
"You're going to make Hannes mad, be careful." She corrected him once more, pinching a nerve.
"Don't you ever give it a rest? I don't need you narrating my life!" Ah, forget it. Why is Hannes so comfortable anyway? He should be getting ready in case of an emergency, and being battle ready. Just like the Survey Corps."
"He's with the Garrison." She simply responded.
"Forget it." He growled. "Let's just finish."
Despite Eren's annoyance with his adopted sister, he never stayed annoyed at her long
, only giving justice equivalent to her nags. Aside from condescending his ways, she was nice to have around.
The cargo Mikasa had been carrying fell limp from her arms, crashing to the ground. Eren's ears jumped, and he saw the horrified look on her face.
Her head, along with everyone behind him gazed in horror at the top of wall Maria. A crimson, flesh stripped head was glaring over the confines of the peak of Maria. Steam erupted from its nostrils, and its piercing gaze seemed to target everything and everyone inside. Frantic shouts and cries emerged in Shiganshina. The Titan roared, and thunderous pounds began hammering the structure,
Mikasa, still frozen, was trapped in fear. Eren's shouts were mute, the other citizens shouts were mute. Everything was mute. Silence. The titan continued battering the wall, her hand was shook by Eren, but she felt nothing. She was moving now. She was holding Eren's hand. Were they going to die? Why were they running?
"Come on, snap out of it, we need to go!" Eren squeezed her arm, and light returned to her eyes. "I said run with me, damn it!"
Boulders crashed into homes and shops around them, and colliding with citizens fleeing. People were still yelling, Mikasa could hear her mother's screams amongst the crowds of women, the same way she had been butchered when she was a little girl. Why was she in her head now? Why now?
"We're almost there, just a bit further!" Eren wheeled around the corner, Mikasa still linked to him.
His home was partially destroyed, the front door still intact. He barreled inside, and found his mother hiding under the counter.
Another boom shook the house, and the madness outside escalated. Various other pounds soon followed. They were coming.
"Eren, come here now! Get your sister and get down!"
His mother snatched him by the shirt and flung him to the floor, and held him.
"We need to go! The titans are inside the wall!." Eren's voice cracked, tears now forming at his eyes.
"Shut up and do as you're told!" She grabbed him more firmly, Mikasa still limp on his other side.
Eren's panic and frustration combined as he began to sob. Before he could wallow in grief, a sinister ripping and tearing sound punctured his ears. The sun beamed in his eyes, as a smiling face tossed the roof of his home to the side. The titan gazed at his meal, smile unwavering.
Eren now froze, he was doomed. The shrill cry of his mother broke him, no longer of any use. Mikasa, also frozen.
A figure zipped behind the haunting creature, and sliced its neck with one clean swipe. It roared and, whined, reaching for the human on his 3 Dimensional Maneuver Gear.
A spark lit within Eren. There was a hero. They could survive. It wasn't over yet.
The man landed, as the titan howled in pain.
"I told you not to drop that cargo, Eren. Good work. Now let me do the rest, yeah?" Hannes drew fresh blades, and looked into the boys stagnant eyes. "Protect your family boy!" He drew his blades once more, and vanished into the sky, to finish what he started.
Eren grabbed his mother as well as Mikasa, and violently forced them to their feet, and mushed them to the door.
"Don't say a word, and just run! Just go!" Carla gained confidence, and held her children as they retreated towards wall Rose. Cannons, screams, and thumps burdened their ears for hours, as Eren forced them to run, onward for more than an hour. The forces of humanity held the first wave of titans barely, but as they seeped in through the hole in the wall, they were gradually routed. Wall Maria was lost. The titans advanced, in attempts to expose Shinganshino's gate into the human's lands. Troops that had never seen an inch of combat deserted, the few that remained were overwhelmed, and eaten. Civilians ignorant to the incoming slaughter were abandoned, the elderly too slow to run, families hiding were uprooted, chaos was born.
The ferry evacuating citizens mushed people on-board, more trying to fit inside. Eren and Mikasa were pushed on-board, finally feeling relief. Hell was here, but not today. They would be safe behind wall Rose. The gates shut, and the vessel departed land.
"Eren, be safe. I have to make sure the Arlerts made it out." Carla assured her son, as he felt the arm on his shoulder vanish.
He turned around, in horror, to see that his mother had remained on the dock, smiling. Before he could yell to protest the boat was already ten feet away, and gaining fast.
"Mother!" As he yelled, the gate lying between Shiganshina and the rest of humanities lands was blown open, by another massively armored titan. Eren's final sight of his mother was her vanishing back into the crowd of fear.
A few hours of sailing had gone by, and the chatter and panic had ceased to a very somber whisper amongst the boat. Mikasa hadn't let go of Eren's hand, and finally made her first gesture.
A small sniffle escaped her nose, making Eren jump. His puffy and swollen eyes looked over to see that she had finally started crying, as shock morphed into grief. He could only watch as she slowly broke down, her cries escalating.
He grabbed her scarf, and wrapped it more securely around her, muffling the sounds she was making. She briefly glanced at him, where she was met with the young boy's hug in embrace. He had nothing to say to her, or anyone. Some things are best left unsaid.