Chapter 4*

Desperation.

It was present in the absence of birds and clouds in the clear grey sky, the absence of wind to blow over our shoulders, or the trees and the grass, and instead it was the shuffling of feet that shook the earth. The universe and everything around it was submerged with this desperation. It consumed those who were incapable, weak, but very much alive. Yet here I was staring at those helpless eyes which shone like the dead as I stood above them.

How, after all that happened to wall Maria, would anyone dismiss the possibility at hand? Have they forgotten about it? Were they not looking hard enough?

It was silly enough to predict the Colossal titan's reappearance. Silly enough, for such a strange and rare event, to expect it to happen again. No one knew where he came from, where he escaped. He wasn't even like the other titans. He was different, more gigantic, and, dare I say it, naked. Endless questions filled my head since that day, and even though the people of Maria have been relocated and the quality of life have been rising up again, I assume it was only normal to dread like this.

I caught sight of the commander not a few minutes later who assigned me to squad twenty-eight before he motioned me to Ymir, Krista, Franz, Samuel, and Hannah. I sighed a breath of relief as I saw my blonde friend, a top soldier here. Everyone stopped their discussion as soon as they caught me.

"The commander said I was in your team…"

"It's about damn time.", Ymir commented.

We surfaced the rooftop to get a better view to see the titans roam the streets of Rose. They were the bigger, creepier versions of cannibalistic men whose origins remained a mystery to us. They varied in size, some taller than chapels, others only slightly bigger than a door. My heart leaped so suddenly that it almost hurt as I recalled their faces, as clear as day.

"Whoever thought that we'd come to this?", I said. "It's too early! I'm not even sure if I- I…"

"Cheer up, y/n. Sure, we've only been fresh out of training, but this is exactly what everyone's prepared us for. There's no backing out now, and as soldiers, it is our job to face the reality of the situation and head on!" It was Franz, the quiet guy who sat at the back of the class with Hannah. It surprised me to hear him talk for a while, let alone, give words of wisdom.

"Franz is right. This is a battle to be won!", said Hannah.

After a beat, Samuel said, "So, we'll just go right ahead?"

"Sure,", said Ymir, then with a smirk, she added, "Care to lead the way?"

"Wait a minute, what about Krista? She's top ten!"

"I better take a look… " I said as I ventured towards the edge.

I held my breath. I didn't know whether it was the height of the house that led to this effect or the situation before us. But looking back to what Franz had said, maybe he was right. Something has to be done. I signed up for this, might as well get what I asked for. Who cares if I survive- if we survive this battle? We are soldiers who dedicate our hearts for the sake of humankind. If anyone here dies today, at least, we die protecting.

"Y/n…", someone touched my shoulder.

I turned around but it was only Krista. Ymir, Hannah, and everyone else had gone, and we were the only people left on the roof. Everyone but us had left to fight the battle, and I already felt guilty for waiting.

"We better move."

Krista was the first to take off, and I followed behind her. I pressed a little too hard for the gas, and drifted higher than necessary. It hurt when I made my first landing, hitting a little too rough against my toes and slipped slightly downwards. Not two seconds later, concrete exploded behind me, and several clumps of rock flew over my head, sometimes hitting me on the back and legs. But I pursued and took off once more. This time, I landed on my knees. The impact had caused me to roll before I shortly took control and sped off towards another edge. My first titan popped out of nowhere towards the clearing. So I turned the other way and took off there instead. Although it was scary, the adrenaline kept pumping in. The good type. I have dodged four obstacles in a row, yet I felt lighter than air. Like I could do anything.

Until a barrier of flesh smacked me in the midst of my flight. Plunging into a brick wall, the gates of hell opened. A slight concussion took place as I began to lose breath. My arm dropped from the side of my head, and all I felt there was complete numbness. Then the titan grabbed me with both hands and started to squeeze. At first, my ribs pressed against my sensitive organs until no oxygen gave out. Then, tighter and tighter, an almost audible cracking come about as the bones began to slowly penetrate. Between my legs and hip, joints were compressed so tightly they could blend into one. How awkward they would look once it's all done, overlapped to their new strange design. My arms too weak to fight back had slowly turned to purple as the numbness spread over from my chest to my limbs and face. Everywhere I felt was pain like fire eating away my insides all at once. For the first time in a while, I wanted to die.

Oh, please God, please let me die. Everything hurts. Oh, please, pleasee…

Swish!

Blood rushed into my system again. In my peripheral vision, Ymir glided onto a roof nearby. The titan finally let go, and I slipped away. Her first kill. As I landed, the air crept in again but with a little restriction, followed by an unfamiliar pain I hadn't noticed before. I slowly regained consciousness.

"Quick," it was Samuel this time, right in front of me. He offered his back. "climb unto my back."

I crawled but stopped to wince. Samuel carried me instead. It was surprising how strong he was, considering I was only a few centimeters shorter than him. But he managed with ease, and once again, we were back to safety once more.

"Are you okay?", said Krista, hesitating to come forward. It seemed as if she wanted to embrace me.

"I think my rib's a bit broken…"

"Oh, we can fix that in no time. I'm so happy you're alive."

She cried, and I swore a patch of sunlight dawned upon her shining like an angel sent from heaven. I noticed Hannah from a distance by the roof ridge. She scanned the whole of Rose with her head turning left to right with an utmost attention. Not once had her mouth moved, and not once had she turned her head towards us.

"Franz is still somewhere. We haven't heard from him since.", began Samuel.

"He could be in trouble.", said Ymir. "Five minutes in, y/n was crushed to death by a titan. Who knows? And if it wasn't for my sweet sweet Krista, our little sunshine would be dead by now!" She had gone a little flirtatious once she said the word 'sweet'. Even going so far to pull her closer.

"Th-This is why we have to keep searching. We can still save him like we did for y/n!" said Krista.

We heard an ear-splitting scream, or maybe two screams. It sounded to me like a combination of two different voices. So we climbed up the ridge, and our eyes bulged in unison. I could no longer move at the scene of the horror before me.

Franz?

Author's note: everything's practically made-up at this point. Enjoy! :D