Chapter 7
We continued our patrol and slowly moved towards the Vanguard. We took out two more 6 metre class Titans but that was about it. I knew our gas had to be refilled sooner or later, so we wouldn't be trapped on the roofs. If that happened… I didn't want to think about it. Think of the movements. Hook, a little gas, momentum, unhook, shoot, momentum, gas,… Like a dance, a dance I had trained for. But then I saw something in the corner of my eyes, the shadow of a street. It seemed to be moving, and it had eyes…
"Titan!" I screamed. And the others reacted. But too late. A hand stretched out and hit Nina mid-air. I heard a sickening cracking sound and landed on the next roof. The girls limb body was in the fist of a 12m class, her eyes wide open but empty, horror still sealed on her face. Marie screamed and Jonas turned around and attacked the monster, Marie following him. That was when a second Titan came out of the street, jumping up and biting Jonas' arm off. He lost balance and collided with the wall, only to be caught by the titan. It moved him towards its mouth and closed its jaws. "NOOOOOOO!" My voice was almost shrieking and I snapped out of my shock. I used more gas to move quicker, and so did Berthold and Marco. Berthold hit the one that had killed Jonas, whilst Marco aimed for the one still holding Nina. But Marie was faster. Suddenly everything was slow and I saw all of it clear. Marie was fast, too fast and the Titan was standing at the wall. With the angle of her 3DMG right now and the speed she wouldn't be able to re-hook and collide with the wall! And the force of her impact would…
Marco seemed to have thought the same thing: "Marie! Don't do it! Stop!" But she didn't listen. With a clean slash she killed the Titan in an instant and then the wall was there. She crashed against it. I was close and I heard her bones break, saw how her body was deformed to strange angles and she fell off it. I rushed after her, but I couldn't catch her in time. She was too far away for all of us.
I landed next to her. "They are dead…" Her voice was a hoarse whisper, it almost didn't sound like a voice anymore. She coughed as the blood started to fill her lungs. One of her broken ribs had pierced through the skin and shone white in the light. It was strange, this white in all the red around it… I started crying again, and saw Berthold and Marco approach us quickly, kneeling down next to me and the dying Marie.
"I will see them again." She smiled. "Yes you will. You will see…" I broke down, unable to continue. I felt Marco's hand on my shoulder, as I started sobbing. Maria breathed in and out heavily for a few times, then it was over. The last air inside her escaped with a soft his and her eyes became unfocused, staring somewhere wide away. But strangely enough she seemed so happy and tranquil at the same time, as if she really was in a better place now. Her nightmare had ended, whilst for us it would continue.
"We… We have to go… meet up with the others. Remember, the Captain said to join another squad if we get down to 3 people. And we're not safe here either, the shadows are ideal for Titans to hide…" Berthold kept rambling, when we slowly got on our feet, but when he turned away, I could see a tear glisten in the sunlight. I had a last look on the others: Jonas' lower half, that no one but us could identify, Nina's limb body in the disintegrating hand of the 12m titan, the shock on her face not even lifted by death, and Marie, broken physically and mentally, but so ever so peaceful. It had only taken seconds to wipe out those life's, mere seconds to destroy whole worlds. They all had families and friends that would mourn them, question why they had to die, and what for. Mere seconds to wipe their existence from this world, not giving them the chance to be remembered the way they deserved it, to be remembered as heroes that gave their lives for humanity. But soon, no one would remember them anymore. I promised myself to carve their faces into my heart, Nina's laugh, Jonas' attitude, Marie's gentleness. I wouldn't forget them, but do my best to keep them alive in me. I wouldn't let them be forgotten. This silent vow I made, as I turned my gaze away from them, and back to the sky, its blue seemingly endless, dotted with some clouds and promising freedom. I flew into it, leaving the dark street behind me, looking forward, for all I could do now was trying to keep others from dying too.