45.
—
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE — Prey
~§~
...
The next few minutes were a blur.
As soon as the Titans caught sight of Reiner's hulking form charging their way, their vision seems to tunnel. Their attention shifts over to him and him alone, and just like that, the soldiers luring them along were completely forgotten.
Expectations met, Erwin gives a quick command to disperse. Immediately following, he and the formation veer to the right, leaving Reiner and the horde to meet in a head-on collision moments later.
To his credit, Reiner doesn't back down. Keeping his hands cupped protectively around Bertolt and Eren, he braces himself and ducks low, ramming and plowing through the first few Titans that cross his path.
Not prepared for the brute strength headed their way, the Titans are sent careening to the side. Reiner, however, has no time to mentally rejoice over the small victory as he is quickly brought down to the ground by a 5-meter classed Titan latching onto his leg.
Seeing this opportunity, other Titans of the horde begin to converge upon the small group. One even manages to close enough distance to make a grab for Historia, who was still out in the open, only to have its eyes clawed out by Ymir in retaliation.
Reiner lets out a low, guttural sound as he tries to regain his balance. However, with his hands occupied, Ymir distracted by protecting Historia, and more Titans closing in, all is for naught.
Looking for an escape, he scours the area until his eyes lock onto the small militia as they regroup a safe distance away. It's at this moment that he realizes Erwin's plan and the understanding has a surge of rage swelling in his chest, fueling his determination to finish his mission.
Raising up, the armor on his jaw cracks, breaking completely as he forces his mouth open. He then lets outs a roar and the sound carries, resonating throughout the area.
"What's going on…?! Is this hell?!" Jean questions, watching as the horde obscures Reiner and Ymir from view.
"No. But it will be!" Erwin replies as he passes. Once he reaches the front of the group, he holds up his right arm, his blade already drawn. "All soldiers, charge! The fate of humanity will be determined in this very moment!"
"You're a suicidal bastard, Erwin!" James exclaims as he approached the blond on his horse. "There's too many Titans for a group this size!" He adds before lowering his voice so only the Commander could hear. "Over half of the people here have never fought a Titan before! You'll be sending most of these soldiers to their deaths, and for what? Glory?"
Erwin turns and meets his gaze, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "You can ridicule and rebuff my decisions later, James." He replies before addressing the rest of the group behind them. "There is no future where humanity can inhabit these lands without Eren…! We'll recover Eren and immediately retreat!"
He then rides forward a bit and brings his hands up into a salute. "GIVE YOUR HEARTS!"
With the formation renewed, they charge forward, and the sound of everyone's war cries was near deafening.
As they draw closer in their approach, they notice that with some help from Ymir, Reiner was able to grapple away from most of the Titans that had a hold on him. However, he was still forced into using his hands to fend off any more attacks, leaving Bertolt and Eren vulnerable and in the open.
"It worked! His hands are down!" Jean exclaims, impressed.
Mikasa nods, not once looking away from her target: Bertolt. "Now's our chance!"
Jean looks over at her, features marred with disbelief. "Hey, Mikasa, can't you see all of those Titans?! How do you plan on getting through that mess?!"
"We'll have to force our way through!" Rosalie voices informatively.
Jean turns to her and opens his mouth to respond but doesn't get the chance as Erwin interrupts him with his right arm raised in the air.
"ADVANCE!"
Suddenly, as if time slowed to those behind him, a Titan appears to the Commander's right. It bites down on the blond's limb and jerks him off of his horse.
"COMMANDER ERWIN…!" A soldier shrieks as they pass.
Erwin, however, refused to be perturbed by the situation. An almost crazed gleam comes to his blue eyes as he brandishes his left blade with a flourish, gesturing forward once more. "ADVANCE! EREN IS JUST AHEAD! ADVANCE…!"
He continues to yell the command until they are well out of hearing range, and even then, they press on.
Drawn to the commotion, some Titans turn their focus away from Reiner and Ymir as the formation approaches.
And utter chaos ensued.
...
...
It was horrifying.
The heavy, coppery scent of iron permeated the humid air as blood and other viscera puddled and saturated the once-dusty ground.
Terrified, horror-struck screams resonated throughout the field as the group was picked off one by one. They were in the thick of it now, and it seemed that when one soldier's voice came to a terrifying halt, another was quick to take its place.
Some were swatted from their horses or squashed under gargantuan feet. Others were yanked from their steeds only to be devoured thereafter. Few were killed by friendly fire, trampled in the panic.
Rosalie couldn't look away as complete havoc erupted from all around. And in her mind's eye, she wondered ifthiswas what Erwin Smith would consider hell.
"ROSIE…!"
At the sound of Armin's voice, the brunette snapped to and looked ahead, her eyes widening slightly at the sight of the large hand coming her way.
Weaving around the offending limb, she urges her horse to go faster, speeding between the monstrosities legs and sending Armin a nod of thanks as she catches up to their small group.
It's then that Mikasa makes her move. Having been somewhat in the lead, she jumps off her horse and grapples her way up towards Bertolt and Eren. Drawing her blades, she makes a swipe at the former— who dodges to the side.
Looking back, she glowers at the taller male before her attention is grabbed by a panicked Eren as he begins screaming through the cloth gag in his mouth.
Not understanding his sudden terror, Mikasa is given no time to react as a Titan grabs her from behind and squeezes. Immediately, her ribs crack at the sudden pressure— some even snapping under the force— and Mikasa howls in pain at the sensation.
"MIKASA!" Rosalie shrieks, her tone shrill and hair-raising.
"YOU PIECE OF SHIT, LET HER GO…!" Jean yells as he leaps from his horse, surging forward with a burst of gas. Maneuvering upwards, he swings his arms as he approaches the Titan's face, gouging out its eyes.
The Titan lets out a pain-filled roar, letting Mikasa go as it begins to blindly swat at the male as he moves to catch the girl.
Rosalie appears then, severing four of its fingers with her blades before carving up its arm in quick succession. She then swoops around its shoulder and hooks into the side of its neck. Swinging out in a wide arch, she uses a burst of gas to retract herself inwards, ruthlessly slashing into the Titan's nape.
As it falls, defeated, she backtracks and hooks into the underside of Reiner's jaw; twisting around to hang at an angle from his chin, her sole focus now on Bertolt and Eren.
"R-Rosie…" Bertolt stammers at her arrival, fidgeting slightly when the girl adjusts her grip on her blades.
"Eren are you alright?" She questions, and at his mute nod, she turns to Bertolt. "One last chance, Bertolt. Let him go… Don't make this harder than it has to be."
Bertolt shakes his head, his eyes welling up with tears of guilty frustration. "No. We've come this far already… We're taking Eren home with us. We're going back to our hometown!"
"You're stupid to think that I'll just let that happen!" Rosalie snipes, her eyes glinting menacingly as she tilts her head to the side. "Do you think your hometown will protect you? That it'll keep us from getting him back?"
Her expression darkens when he stays quiet. "If it comes down to it, I'll burn every forest to the ground. I'll rip every house and building apart brick by brick, plank by plank… Hell, if you hide behind walls like we do, I'll follow your example and tear those down too…! I don't care what I'll have to do, Bertolt. But I'll do whatever it takes. And when Idofind you, you'll wish that you took me up on this offer."
Bertolt swallows thickly as Eren— still bound to his back— shudders at the girl's proclamation.
It's then that Armin appears, also hooking into the side of Reiner's face as he balances himself above Rosalie with ease. "Bertolt!"
A second passes of neither boy saying a word, and eventually, Armin meets Bertolt's gaze with a wide, crazed smile that takes everyone aback. "Are you two okay with this? Leaving behind a comrade and returning home?" He inquires.
Reiner's shoulders seem to stiffen at the question while Bertolt's breath audibly hitches in his throat.
'Annie…' Rosalie realizes after a tense moment of consideration as she gages Bertolt's reaction.
If possible, Armin's smile grows wider, making him look almost unhinged in its wickedness. And not once does he look away from Bertolt, having found the perfect weak spot to prod. "You know where she's at? Far up north, deep underground in the Utopia District being tortured." He informs deceptively, "It was her screams that taught us something…! That even with her body's healing, you can never get rid of the pain. They're taking special care to ensure she doesn't die. And as we speak, they're not giving her body any rest! They're torturing her in every way they know how—!"
Bertolt jolts forward, drawing his blades threateningly. "You spawn of the devil! I'll pulverize you!"
Rosalie braces herself, preparing to defend Armin should the taller male come any closer— which he does, prompting Reiner to intervene by grabbing hold of Bertolt's legs with his large hand to keep the boy cemented in place.
Suddenly, at that exact moment, Erwin— now missing an arm— appears in a flourish and cuts the binding keeping Eren detained. In the process, his blades dig deep into Bertolt's torso, leaving behind a considerable wound spanning across the boy's chest and abdomen.
As he falls, Erwin doesn't bother to hide his pleased expression from a shell-shocked Reiner and Bertolt. His blue eyes gleamed up at the two Shifters as if to say "checkmate".
Seemingly impaired by their bewilderment, neither noticed Mikasa making her reappearance until it was too late. She roughly shoves Bertolt aside and— despite her injuries— heaves Eren into her arms before making a run for it.
Rosalie and Armin— once they compose themselves— are quick to follow the fleeing duo as Erwin's voice bellows out like a foghorn over the roaring commotion.
"ALL SOLDIERS, RETREAT!"
At the order, the remaining soldiers left alive began to withdraw, leaving the horde for the three Shifters to deal with.
…
Reiner, finally realizing what just happened, growls and widens his stance. He then reaches out, grabbing one of the offending Titans by the neck before punting it in the retreating militia's direction.
…
As a large shadow flies overhead, Rosalie, Mikasa, and Eren are forced to change course as a sudden airborne Titan makes its crash landing; crushing the multiple soldiers riding ahead of them in one fell swoop.
Breath hitching, Rosalie glances back and watches as a wrathful Reiner picks up and heaves another Titan their way. "HE'S THROWING THEM?!" She shrieks, panicked in the way she turns to look at her siblings— finding them both equally pressed.
Another shadow overcomes their small group, and the next airborne Titan sent their way hits the ground faster than they could avoid. The shockwave of the attack hits them all full force and sends them all flying from their horses.
Rosalie yelps as she tumbles across the ground, and as she rolls, her head slams against something sharp and hard. White hot, searing pain erupts from her temple as stars cloud her vision.
Then, before the dust could even settle, her world goes black.
…
At the sound of the two spooked horses running away, Mikasa opens her eyes and slowly raises herself from the ground, and the action does nothing to quell the dull pain pulsing from her sides as it grows in intensity by the second.
"Eren…? Rosie…?" She calls out weakly, earning a muffled grunt from the male in return from where he lay on her right.
Sighing in relief, Mikasa nods to herself in reassurance. That is until her eyes catch sight of Rosalie's unconscious form a few feet away. "Rosie—!" She yelps with a start, immediately wheezing and curling in on herself as pain shot through her abdomen from the sudden movement.
Unable to move properly, she tries again. "R-Rosalie!" She calls once more, only receiving a slight twitch in return and nothing else.
Hands still bound, Eren grunts as he heaves himself up from the ground and onto his knees; awkwardly shuffling along as he begins to crawl over to the unconscious girl. However, the sound of approaching, gigantic footsteps stops him in his tracks.
Time seems to slow as Eren and Mikasa look up at the Titan. Their eyes growing wide at its familiar appearance.
The Titan slows to a stop before them. Its wide and permanent cheshire smile of red gums and blunt, yellowed teeth on full display as it stares back hungrily.
Just like it did nearly six years ago.
~§~