Chapter 6
"I'll distract them and you two take them out! Let's go!"
Marco's voice was clear, but shaking a bit. Was it the wind or fear? But I couldn't concentrate on this right now. I looked to Berthold and nodded.
"Right!"
Marco flung forwards and flew right through the gap between the two Titans that were strolling down the street. When they saw him, they stretched out their hands and something like a smile appeared on their faces. They turned towards him and approached the roof he had landed on. That was our sign: Berthold and I shot out hooks and the 3DMG pulled us forward. The Titans didn't see us coming and so we had no resistance when we struck their necks. Simultaneously we landed on the roof next do the decomposing corpses of the monsters. Marco looked at us and let out a sigh of relief.
"That was right on time, guys. If you had been just a second or two slower…" He shuddered and I felt the strength leave my legs. I thought of all the corpses we had seen. People we knew. And we could be one of them soon. Berthold's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
"Don't worry what could have happened. We need to go on."
The others agreed and we started up again.
The Commander had said that we were thrown from the frying pan right into the fire. But it didn't feel like fire. More like ice or a dark cold water surrounding you, pulling you into an abyss of despair and fear. I clung to the voices of my friends, and concentrated on everything I did. If I didn't, I wouldn't be able to move just one finger.
Our patrol had started at the rear, but we were soon sent to the middle guard. I was wondering at first. Why was there hardly anyone? Trost was big, but still, there seemed so few people. But then we passed the first squad. They had been wiped out- Titans of the 3 and 4 metre class swarming their remains. They were only five, so we took them on. Hit the nape of their neck. If you do that, you'll be fine. Just don't worry too much. Concentrate and move, like you did in training!
I killed the Titan. I had expected to feel something like pride or satisfaction, a feeling that would make me think I accomplished something. But instead there was emptiness; no feelings or emotions. Just rational thoughts. I stood next to the rotting corpse of my enemy and looked at the remains of my comrades. The upper halves of a body, too bloody too make out the features, an arm, a leg. Half of a corpse, bitten from shoulder to waist with its limbs arranged in somewhat strange angles. I wondered about it, and then I realised: The Titans that had killed it must have pulled it at the extremities too get a bite. But then I realised something. My voice was not much louder than a whisper, but the others heard it.
"We need to get on the roof as quick as possible. Hurry!" The others looked at me confused, I saw the tears in Marie's eyes and Nina was shaking. Marco was paler than usual, his freckles so clear you could count them. Jonas eyes had been shadowed by his dark brown hair up to then, but now he looked at me angry.
"Do you just want to leave them? They were your comrades! Not just some Titan's food! Are you that heartless?"
His words hurt me and I cringed and screamed on the inside, but I remained my calm façade, copying Mikasa.
"Look at this one!" I pointed at the one that had been pulled. "See the size of the bite marks? And a Titan has pulled on his limbs with a lot of strength! Do you think a 3 or 4 metre class could do that?" I stepped up to Jonas and looked into his face. "Think about it! This", I pointed at the corpses, "is not the work of these small Titans! These were bigger ones, about 8 to 10 metres! If they get us on the floor we will be helpless!" I turned to the others. "Do you really think I don't care?" I felt tears filling my eyes and rolling over my face. "They were my friends too! Do you think I wanted them to die? Or leave them here? But we can't do anything for them, so we might as well go and get revenge! We have to find these Titans and kill them. For what they have done to them, what they did to everyone… We have to… We…"
I broke down. My knees hit the ground and I grabbed my temples, my finger nails digging into my scalp. All the images from Shiganshina, the screaming and death came back. I was still weak! I hadn't been able to help anyone, I couldn't even help myself. I stared at the remains.
"She's right. We can't help them anymore, and we can as well try to find these monsters." Nina's voice was silent, shaking and filled with fear. But also there was determination. She walked up to me and gently pulled my hands from my head. "Let's get them."
We flew through Trost again. I had calmed down, but tears were still flowing from my eyes, clouding my vision. I had to stop crying, it could be dangerous if I missed a Titan. We went off our original track, but it seemed all strategy had been blown to the wind anyway. Every single one was fighting for his life. I was glad we didn't encounter anymore battlefields- or rather graves. But at the same time we didn't meet any other squads. What was happening? We should Have met at least one, but they were nowhere to be seen.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaa! No, no, nooooo!" A scream ripped through the air and startled me. I saw the others flinch too, even Berthold. This was something scarce, he was hardly ever surprised. He must be on edge too. I turned in the direction the scream had come from. About two streets away, two Titans were following a soldier on a roof. The two were 10 metre class and fast, and the soldier's 3DMG seemed to be defective. My eyes narrowed and I heard Marco gasp, when one of the Titans grabbed the soldier, holding his arm and leg. He pulled the humans limbs and held him over his opened mouth. We heard the scream, but all of us knew we would be too late. The sound of agony ended abruptly when the Titan bit down on the chest and abdomen, ripping half of the chest including the head of his victim off. Marie gasped and I heard a gagging sound.
"He has a system in his way of killing?!" I heard the shock in Jonas's voice and I could only agree. "But how? That would mean…"
"Yes." I agreed. "It must mean it possesses some form of intelligence. Or at least something similar to a lower form of consciousness! If this is possible… If they start to develop intelligence…" I looked down, my hair shadowing my face. "Then this might as well indicate that the end of humanity is closing in."
"Then let's hope it's only an Aberrant. If it is only a single one, then we can take it down and hope there are no more around. Come on, don't lose hope now!" Marco sounded awfully optimistic. I turned around to shoot a glare at him, but when I saw his face, I couldn't. He was smiling, but he was still pale, and the smile on his face was shaky and insecure. So I just nodded.
"If hope is all we have, then we can't lose it. And this will be our revenge!", I said. I looked at my squad and they all grabbed their swords harder.
"Leave them to us. We can handle it." Berthold's voice was calm as always and reassuring. "Let's use the usual formation."
"I'll distract them and you two take them out! Let's go!"
Marco's voice was clear, but shaking a bit. Was it the wind or fear? But I couldn't concentrate on this right now. I looked to Berthold and nodded.