Present: 18 years old
Standing on the roof of a house, everything about Trost being breached became a darker reality. Our mission is evacuation, but engaging in combat with the titans was unavoidable while we waited around for the withdrawal order. How hard could it be to kill a few titans? My question was answered with one look around me. Hard. Very hard. I'm not with the scouts. These cadets were being sent to their deaths.
I'd managed to take out a pretty good number of the titans, but they just kept pouring through the hole in the wall. Plus, all this strain on my body made me feel like I might throw up. Wiping the sweat off my brow, my hands shook from the fatigue. Laying in bed sounded pretty good right about now.
"You don't look good," Jean commented from beside me. The frown on his face deepened the longer he stared at me. Is that obvious? "Are you sick?"
"It's just a little cold. I'll be fine." I stretched my arms out in front of my body. This whole situation was messed up. If I don't die out here, Levi is definitely going to kill me for being part of this. There's no turning back now, though.
Jean didn't seem convinced but he didn't press the issue. More cadets started to gather on the rooftops as the command to withdraw had been released. "How much gas do you have left?" Jean asked sitting down. They're losing their momentum.
"Hmm?" I tapped on my tanks. Practically empty, but enough. Where the hell is the squad that is supposed to bring us more gas? It dawned on me who is behind it. That damn coward… This is not good. "Low." My answer came short. My mind reeled for a plan of what to do next.
"Why don't you sit down before you pass out," Jean commented softly so no one heard him.
It astounded me how much he sounded like Levi right now. He is right. I need to conserve my energy for getting to HQ. If the supply depot won't bring us gas, then our only option was to go to them. Unless of course we just want to sit here and become titan food. Resting my head on my knees, I tried to calm my shaky body, and rest my eyes. My head pounded from the pressure inside it.
"Hey, Jean! What are we going to do?" Connie practically yelled, desperation in his voice.
Jean sighed from beside me. "We can't do anything. They finally give us the order to withdraw but we're all out of gas, of course. I can't believe this is how it's gonna end... because of those damned cowards!"
"We're still alive. Don't start acting like a quitter now," I muttered. It seemed like no one heard me. I probably have enough gas to make it to the wall, but I can't leave these newbies out here alone. It's not that I really cared about these kids. The thing weighing on me was the fact that Levi and would probably be mad at me.
"You mean the supply depot? What is going on? Where are they?" Connie asked.
The real question is where is Woermann. He's in charge of HQ.
"They lost their will to fight, and I can understand why. But they abandoned their duty to supply us. They're hiding themselves inside HQ, and of course titans have swarmed the place, which means we can't get the gas ourselves."
As soon as Jean said that, the idea grew in my head. That's exactly what we have to do.
Connie replied to him, "Then why are we waiting'? We gotta start thinning out their numbers while we have the chance. Eventually the titans are going to come for us. We don' t have much gas left. We'll just waste what little we have if we try to run. And without out mobility we're completely screwed." He tapped his gas container. "Hell, we even have a scout with us!"
Jean sighed again. "You're using your head for once, Connie. Nice going, but I'm not sure if we have the numbers to pull this thing off. Cori is half dead and she's a scout."
At the mention of my name, I lifted my head. "Don't take my silence as me giving up. Whatever the plan is, I'll be ready to fight." I'm just tired. Exhausted. But sitting on this roof isn't doing anything. Storming HQ is the only way out of this shitty situation.
Ignoring me, Jean continued. "The veterans and the vanguard force have all been killed. How exactly are a bunch of rookies and one scout supposed to pull off a suicidal mission like this? I mean, let's assume that even half of our forces survive the initial assault. Then what? The supply room is probably crawling with titans in the 3 or 4 meter range. I don't see us accomplishing much there."
"It's hopeless," Connie muttered.
What would Levi do in this situation?
I smacked Jean on the back of his head and stood to my feet, stretching my arms over my head. My muscles ached in protest. "That sounds like the words of a man who's given up already." Turning my gaze toward him, he watched me with a confused expression. "They say you aren't really a scout until you come back alive. I know you want to join the MPs, but for today, let's all be scouts. We're going to storm HQ and get the hell out of Trost."
"Why even try? It's a suicide mission!" Someone nearby yelled.
Channeling my inner Levi, I glared at the boy. "Because we're still alive. And giving up on the battlefield is not an option, solider."
A commotion broke out from behind us. A black haired girl started barking orders. It seems everyone knows her and respects her. Marco spoke up, "There's too many of them, Mikasa, even with you on point!"
"I can do it." Her eyes met mine. Empty eyes. "We even have a real scout with us." The sarcasm in her voice wasn't missed by me. "I'm strong, real strong. None of you even come close, you hear me? I am a warrior. Know this, I have the power to slay all of the titans that block our path, even if I have to do it alone. As far as I'm concerned, I'm surrounded by a bunch of unskilled, cowardly worms." Mikasa pointed her blade at them. "You disappoint me. You can sit here and twiddle your thumbs and watch how it's done."
I folded my arms and scoffed. "Watch you die."
Murmurs broke out among the rookies. Jean grabbed arm and angrily asked, "What the hell is that supposed to mean."
Ah, I see. She's the one he was talking about earlier. This is the girl he likes. "That speech is from someone who doesn't care whether they live or die. But, we don't have much of a choice."
"If I can't beat them, then I die, but if I win, then I live. The only way to win is to fight," Mikasa said. The rookies looked to both of us, unsure of whether I'd back her up on this or not.
Sighing, I walked up next to her. "She's right about one thing. We have to fight." Lowering my voice so only she could hear me, I said, "If you want to recklessly waste your life, be my guest, but anyone who follows you, their deaths are on your hands."
Without a word, Mikasa flew off, slaughtering the nearest titan. Should I be leading a bunch of kids on a mission worthy of the scouts best squad? Probably not. There's no other option. "Try not to die, okay?" I said before following Mikasa towards headquarters. Great motivational words, Cori.
As I thought, this Mikasa girl was a mess. I don't know what happened to her… maybe she lost someone, but the time to grieve their deaths is after we make it out of here and over the wall. Glancing behind me, the cadets had rallied together and were following after us, avoiding fights as well as they could.
"Jean! You and Cori lead the rest to HQ. I'm going after Armin!" Connie yelled.
As expected, Mikasa ran out of gas and was sent tumbling to the ground. A blond haired boy stupidly went after her. They would all probably die.
"I'll go with you!" Jean replied.
"Don't be stupid. You gotta stay and help the others," Connie said.
Now that Mikasa was gone, I was the only one who could accurately kill a titan at the speed we were moving. Each time I made a kill, I could feel how slow my body moved. Keep moving. I can rest when this is over. We only stopped once to regroup. Cadets were running out of gas and being killed all around us. It was taking a toll on Jean. "Pull it together," I snapped. "We have to keep moving."
"They're all dying," he muttered.
"No one said this would be easy. People die. It's the shitty world that we live in. But you're still alive. Look behind you. There's still cadets relying on us to get them to HQ. You can morn your fallen comrades after we've completed this mission."
With a resolved look, Jean nodded. Good. He might not want to be a leader. I understand that. Hell, I don't want to be a leader either. I'm content taking orders from Levi and Erwin. But today, just today, we both have to step up and be leaders. Get as many cadets to headquarters as possible. It was almost within reach. Almost.