Annie was quick on her feet, and it was incredibly difficult to keep up with her. We darted in between the various alleyways and clusters of houses. On each of our back we carried a rucksack filled with loaves of bread and flasks of water that Annie had somehow managed to snatch from the kitchens of the trainee camp.
"Annie", I wheezed, stopping to catch my breath and bracing myself against a wall, "can't we just use the 3DMG? It's much quicker."
Annie stopped and turned to face me, annoyance clear in her eyes. She pulled a flask of water from her bag and thrust it into my hands.
"Here", she said, "if you're so tired, drink a sip. And you know exactly why we can't use the 3DMG." I took a dainty sip, then Annie snatched it back.
"I'm sorry", I said, and Annie sighed, tucking the flask back in her bag.
"It's alright", she said, "I didn't mean to get upset. Let's just keep moving, alright? We have a very long way to go." She took off again, and I followed quickly after. We made nearly no noise as we ran, the only sounds being our light footsteps and our quick breaths. Annie's steps never slowed, and she had a hard, determined look in her eyes.
After we had run for a few hours, the sun started to sink down lower in the sky, and our steps slowed to a walk. The noises of battle had died down behind us, the crashes reduced to muffled thumps. We could also hear the occasional distant roar of Titan Eren. Annie and I walked along, side by side, huddled close together as the air grew colder. My stomach growled in hunger, and Annie glanced at me out of the corner of her eye, smirking.
"You're hungry, aren't you?" She said.
"No", I lied, "we should keep moving." My stomach growled again, louder this time. Annie smiled and reached into her rucksack, pulling out two flasks of water. She sat on the floor, her back against the wall, and took a sip from her flask, patting the floor next to her.
"Come on", she said, "it's a good place to stop for now anyway." I shrugged and sat down next to her, pulling two loaves of bread out of my bag. I handed her one, and in turn she handed me a flask of water. We chewed our bread in silence, watching the sun sink lower and lower behind the horizon. I glanced at her. Her blue eyes were fixed on the setting sun, and the pieces of blonde hair that had fallen out of her bun blew gently in the breeze. She glanced at me, and I quickly averted my eyes, focusing on chewing my bread thoroughly. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Annie smiling at me, and then she too lowered her eyes.
"Hey", Annie said softly.
"Hm?" I said, not looking up.
"You okay?" She put her hand on my shoulder gently, and I looked up slowly. Our eyes locked for just a moment.
"Yeah", I answered quietly, "just...just tired." Her eyes reflected the moon, and in the soft evening light, they looked incredibly beautiful. Our gaze held for just a minute longer, and then a small blush spread over Annie's cheeks, and she looked out over the darkening sky.
"Then we should rest", Annie said, and she placed her empty flask off to the side. I stretched out on the ground, staring up at the star-filled sky. Annie laid down next to me, a little close I thought, and stared up too.
"Tara", she said softly, and I turned to look at her.
"Yeah?" I said.
"We're going to be alright, aren't we?"
"We are. Once we finish what we started."
Annie didn't answer. I felt her lace her fingers through mine, and I turned to look at her, but her gaze was still focused on the stars. She finally closed her eyes and turned so she was facing me, not once letting go of my hand. I closed my eyes too, and slowly sleep overcame me.