As Gohan was lifted towards the mouth of a Titan, he reflected that this had not, in fact, been the greatest plan of his life. The beast stared down at him, its twisted, monstrosity of a smile still glued to its hideous face. Its hand was wrapped tightly around Gohan's body. Regardless, he began to jerk his arms with all his might to free them.
Gohan's attacker opened its mouth wide, ready to enjoy its meal. Oh no. C'mon, arms, just a little more. The Titan's mouth drew closer, until he was practically inside of it. Just a little more. The Titans jaw began to swing shut. "There!" Gohan threw his arms out with as much of his incredible speed that he could muster, blocking the Titan's jaws from clamping down on him. Gohan pushed back, slowly forcing the menacing sets of teeth away from him.
Almost. There. Just. A. Little. Arghhh! The Titan brought its other hand to bear and squeezed Gohan's body. White hot pain shooting through him as he felt his ribs being crushed. Air was being forced out of his lungs at a horrific speed.
No. This couldn't be. He wouldn't die here. What would Mr. Piccolo do?
Gohan stared deep into the monster's mouth, his eyes lighting up with energy. Despite having never performed the technique himself, he'd seen his teacher perform it several times before. White hot lasers shot out of Gohan's eyes, heading straight into the back of the smiling monstrosity's throat, exploding violently and destroying part of the beast's head.
It let out a cry of pain, only audible as an angry gurgle as smoke billowed from the hole in its throat. The Titan's grip on Gohan weakened as he slipped between its fingers and fell to the floor.
Despite his rough landing, Gohan quickly scrambled to his feet and began to run away. The smiling Titan's hand missing him by millimetres as it attempted to recapture its prey.
Gohan swung around momentarily, releasing a small ki ball into its perverse face. The Titan reeled back. The smoke clearing just long enough for Gohan to see its mutilated face. All distinguishable features burnt and melted away, revealing the blood red muscles on its skull. Patches of clean, white bone were visible in random places. Half an eye stared back at Gohan as he froze in horror. He'd seen people die before, some of them his close friends. By comparison to the horror that stared back at him, it had all been relatively clean.
Steam covered the Titan's face again as it begun to heal. Gohan turned back and began to run again. Pouring all his ki into his legs in a bid to escape from the nightmare that stomped after him.
He rounded the corner, his ki senses reassuring him that he was escaping. The others of Shiganshina were not, however. Close around him, Gohan could feel the twisted ki's of the Titans closing in on the city's surviving residents. He could feel their terror as they were plucked from the streets. Those who couldn't escape were attempting to hide in their homes, praying they would not be spotted.
Gohan could see a Titan in the distance thrust its arm into the top floor of a house. Withdrawing it a moment later, a screaming woman in its grasp. Furiously, desperately she beat against its hand with her fists, tears streaming down her face as she drew closer to its hungry mouth. Her end approaching.
Gohan looked away, wishing to whatever deity was listening that he would not bear witness to the murder. He felt her ki disappear sharply after. Gohan continued to run through the streets, tripping over and landing roughly on the floor.
He turned to see what had tripped him. It was an arm. A small one with a bracelet on it. It was the arm of a little girl, just lying in the road. Gohan was hyperventilating now. Crawling away, yet unable to avert his gaze. Tears began to stream down his face.
What was this? Some horrific nightmare? Was this what Trunks had lived through in the future? Spending years in hiding to avoid the monsters that haunted the world? He scrambled to his feet, petrified at the thought of being caught again by the Titans.
His ribs had almost been broken, he was certain. They screamed in pain for him to stop and rest, but his mind kept him going. Knowing that to stop for even a second meant being snatched up by those…things. He had escaped once, he didn't know if he could do it again.
Gohan. Eren finally stopped running. He didn't know how long he'd been running for. His mind had been plagued by the thoughts of his friend. They had left him there to die! To be eaten while they escaped!
"Eren. We have to keep going."
It was Hannes. The garrison soldier was puffing now, having carried Carla uncomfortably in his arms since picking her up at the house.
"Eren?"
It was his mother now. Her voice laced with urgency as she stared at her son. Eren gazed off into the distance, eyes wide at the sin that he'd committed. He just couldn't believe it. What they'd done. He felt dirty, like he was covered in filth. Dirt crawling up his body. Curling around his neck. Reaching around to his face. Blinding him as it covered up his eyes. The dirt crawled down into his throat, suffocating him.
He couldn't breathe.
He couldn't see.
He had to get clean.
Wipe away the dirt.
Eren wrapped his arms around himself. Trying feverishly to get warm. It was all this dirt on him. It was freezing him. Chilling him to his core.
He felt a touch. A soft hand placed on his shoulder. He could see again. It was Mikasa.
"Eren."
Her voice was soft. Not demanding like Hannes or confused like his mother. He looked over to them. Hannes' face red with the exertion of carrying Carla as they raced through the city to escape.
It was his fault. His fault that Gohan was dead! Eren let out an animalistic scream and charged at him.
"Eren!"
Hannes stumbled back in surprise at the boy's charge, turning away so as to protect Carla. Mikasa wrapped her arms around Eren quickly, stopping him before he could throw any punches.
"It's your fault! It's your fault he's dead!"
Realisation began to dawn on Hannes' horrified face.
"We should have saved him! We could have helped him escape!"
Eren's fight energy seemed to drain from his body. Collapsing into Mikasa's arms. His eyes stinging with unshed tears. Hannes stared in silence. Carla's eyes tearing up in pain. Not of her body, but for her son. As the silence dragged on, Hannes opened his mouth to speak again.
"Eren. There wasn't anything we could do."
"There wasn't anything we could do!? Gohan managed to free my mom!"
Carla bowed her head in shame.
"He shouldn't have been able to do that! But he found a way. We should have done something. We should have found a way too!"
"There wasn't any time! I'm sorry, Eren. I didn't know what to do."
"You didn't know what to do? You're a soldier! Gohan did more than you! It should have been you back there, not him!"
"I know!"
Hannes' voice caught in his throat, the wave of tears flooding down his cheeks making it difficult to speak. He forced the words out regardless.
"You're right! I failed! I'm a soldier, and it's my duty to protect people. But I can't! When the time came, I couldn't do it!"
"Then let me do it! I'll go back! I'll save him!"
"NO!"
It was his mother now. Her voice hard, but laced with fear.
"You aren't strong enough, Eren. None of us are. You're a child, you're weak. Only Gohan could save me. Do you remember what he said?"
Eren hung his head in shame. He did remember. He just hadn't wanted to accept it as truth.
"He said to run."
The words that came from his mouth sounded more like a whisper than his previous hate filled speech.
"Run. And that's what we did. We did what he told us to do. What he wanted us to do. Eren, look at me. I'm sorry for what happened. Believe me, if there was any way that I could save him, I would. But there isn't. And damn it all, I don't want you to die!"
She tried to hold in her sobbing for Eren, to try and seem strong for him. It didn't work. She was openly weeping onto Hannes now. Burying herself in his arms in a desperate bid to escape view. Hannes held her carefully. Stroking her hair as she cried.
Eren looked away in shame. How could he have been so selfish? Only caring about how HE felt about what they had just done. Of course everyone else felt atrocious. What they had done was unforgiveable. Leaving a friend to die in their place was practically murder.
Of course his mother felt the worst. In her mind, it was her fault. If it wasn't for her, then Gohan would have escaped. It wasn't her fault, of course. But Eren could say the same about himself. In his mind, he knew that Gohan had told them to go. Ordered them to leave him. But in his heart...
Why did it hurt so much?
"Eren."
There was Mikasa again. The only one who hadn't shed a tear. She was still diligently holding Eren in place.
"There is something we can do. Your mom is injured. We can get her on the boat. We escape, and we live. That's what Gohan wanted."
It was. In his final moment, Gohan had cared for them. Wanted them to survive. And he'd be damned if he would disappoint his friend's final request.
"Yeah. Okay. Let's go."
Carla looked up at her son, his face morphed into one of begrudging determination. Hannes picked up Carla again.
"C'mon, lets go. Hey! Give me a hand over here! I've got injured."
With a quick leap through the air, Gohan nimbly dodged the Titan's hand. Its hungry eyes following him as he ran. They were everywhere. Literally, everywhere. Their vile ki signatures were constantly breathing down Gohan's neck, sending shivers down his spine.
He could feel the survivors as well, however. The survivors and the soldiers were all gathered near the gate. Either holding off the Titans or attempting to flee. He must be close to feel them so vividly.
Another Titan stepped out in front of him, forcing Gohan through an alley. He had to get to those people. He had to get out of there. He stepped out onto the main road, twisting around to get his bearings. There! He could see the soldiers by the gate, diligently reloading their cannons. Gohan took down the street, pumping more and more ki into his legs for the final stretch. He was almost there, he was almost free.
Then he felt it. Like someone had dropped a weight on him, a pit formed in his stomach. Just behind him was a Titan. But it was no ordinary Titan. Its ki was…overwhelming. Frozen to the spot, Gohan turned to see the towering behemoth.
It was a 15 metre tall Titan. But unlike the others, its body was covered in yellow-golden plates of hardened skin. Its short hair was a grey-white colour, and its golden eyes were fixated on the gate.
It bent its knee, digging its foot into the ground. No! It's going to charge the gate! He could feel its ki rising, charging as it prepared itself. No! It couldn't! With its power level there was no way that the gate would stop it. Gohan could feel its ki level out. It was ready.
"NO!"
It took off sprinting. Charging towards the gate with single minded determination. A small, nearby Titan was knocked off its feet as it ran past. As it approached Gohan, a cannonball struck its chest. Disintegrating into nothing, its charge not even slowed by the attack.
No. It's going to hit them! A ki ball formed in Gohans hand. It was the largest he'd made since arriving, all that he could spare. The Titan was closing in on the garrison who had now turned tail and ran. He had to stop it. He couldn't allow it to breach the gate! He screamed passionately as he released the attack. The ball of yellow light streamed down the road towards its victim. The Titan never slowed down as the ball grew closer. And then…it struck.
The ball exploded violently against the Titan's back, sending up smoke that blocked it from view. Gohan could sense it though, its ki had…dipped. Slightly. No! The Titan was almost upon the soldiers. He couldn't believe it! He'd failed! The Titan barrelled through the gate. Its stone construction providing no resistance as it was torn apart.
Gohan stared in horror at the new hole in wall Maria. They…they were all going to die. The Titans were going to kill them all! He broke out of his entrancement as a Titan lumbered behind him, stretching its hand out to grab him. He hopped away, noticeably slower with his ki drained. He fled down the road, frantic for safety.
Eren sat shaking on the boat. Reality slowing sinking in for him. I'll...never see that house...ever again…Why?! Why'd I argue for no reason like that?! Why was that all I could do?! And now Gohan's gone! He's never coming back! Why…?! It's because I'm weak...Because humans are weak...Is crying the only thing the weak can do?! I'm...going to…
Mikasa watched as Eren walked to the edge of the boat. "Eren."
Armin grabbed him by the shoulder. "What's gotten into you? Eren?" He shoved Armin away. "Eren..."
"...drive them out!" Eren clenched his fists, raising one into the air as he screamed in rage. "I'm going to drive out...every last Titan from this world!"
"Eren…"
Gohan sprinted through the gate, Titans hot on his heel. The Titan covered in armour was simply standing around in the open, just watching the panic ensue. As Gohan crossed the open ground between himself and the fleeing residents of Shiganshina, the Titan stared down at Gohan. He returned eye contact as he ran past, engrossed in wonder as to why he wasn't being attacked. When he had finally made it past, the Titan turned to walk off, and Gohan turned his attention back to the people who remained.
A soldier from the garrison noticed him and grabbed him.
"Hey! What are you doing?"
Too tired and stunned to effectively fight the man off, he was helpless as he was dragged off the road and away to the side.
"What the hell were you thinking, kid? Running past a Titan? Are you asking to be killed? Here." The soldier swung Gohan around and lifted him up, planting him firmly on a horse. "Go on! Ride out of here!"
"What? B-but, what about you?"
"I'm here to hold them off kid, now go!"
Before he could argue any more, the soldier slapped the horse's ass and sent him galloping. Holding on tightly for dear life.
A carriage raced recklessly through the forest. Its occupant deep in thought. Eren...Carla...Mikasa…Gohan...Please be alright!
Gohan didn't know how long he'd been riding. It had taken him some time to control the horse, it having been fixated entirely on running. Eventually though, he'd gotten it under control and changed its course. They were too far out to save anyone. Everyone having either escaped on their own horse by the time Gohan had arrived, or been too slow to leave, and were eaten by the Titans. He felt horrid, knowingly changing course. But he could do nothing for them. He was neither strong enough to kill a Titan with ki alone, nor fast enough to rescue anyone on their own.
So he rode. He rode to the one place he could hope to get answers. The place where he had been found. Hannes had never gotten the chance to investigate the forest. His job as garrison making it difficult to secure permission. He had been ready to leave when Gohan had first woken up, but his superiors hadn't been notified. When they had been, they'd furiously denied him. He was to defend Shiganshina. An investigation like that was best left up to the military police. A load of help they had been.
The forest was in sight now. A small dirt road leading through it. There. That must have been the route Dr. Jaeger had taken when he'd saved Gohan. He'd simply follow that path and try to find where he had arrived.
He hoped that Eren and his family had made it. He'd told them to run, and thankfully they had. That at least gave them a chance. And Dr. Jaeger himself had a patient in the inner wall, apparently. The two had talked briefly that morning, just before he'd left with Hannes to meet the MP's.
It was an hour later that Gohan found the site. It was surprisingly undamaged, his outline and the carriage tracks still visible in the dirt. It was faded though, having been a week and all. Gohan climbed down from his horse, surveying the scene with his scientific mind. This is where he'd turned up. There was no sign of drag marks, even faded ones. So he couldn't have been dumped here by someone. Yet there was no sign of Cell, thankfully. The sludge that had remained of him must have destroyed itself through whatever had happened to bring him here.
So he looked around the area. There must have been some sort of sign. If he was here, then couldn't his friends be there, too? He looked feverishly through the entire night, combing the entire forest for answers. Yet finding none.
Two Years Later…
My name is Ilse Langnar.
The woman scribbled furiously in her book as she ran across the open field. Her green cloak of the survey corps fluttering heavily around her neck.
I was part of the 34th expedition. 2nd brigade. In charge of the west column. We encountered Titans on our return.
The woman's mind flashed back to her comrades, the ones she'd seen eaten as she lay helplessly in the river.
I lost both my squad mates and my horse. I abandoned my 3D-Maneuver Gear. I'll run. Heading north. I've lost my horse in Titan-controlled lands outside the walls. It's impossible to escape Titans on foot.
She'd made it to one of the giant tree forests now. She steadied herself against one of the trees, her hood over her head to protect her from the rain, yet she still wrote furiously in her book.
No comrades I can rely on. The return to the city… Survival is almost hopeless. But, I may be able to reach the wall without encountering any Titans. That's right. Right now, I must not allow fear to overcome me. The situation is one that I've been prepared for since the day I chose the Survey Corps.
She headed deeper into the forest. The bright light of the full moon illuminating her pages as she continued.
I am humanities' Wings of Freedom. I do not fear death. A member of the Survey Corps. I will fight to my last breath, even if it means the end of me.
The sun was up as she continued through the forest. Silence all around her except for the crashing of water in a small, nearby waterfall.
I have no weapons, but I can still fight. I will mark my words on this paper, to do whatever I can with all my strength.
She burst into a small clearing.
I will not be defeated.
As she ran past a tree, she turned to see the gaze of a Titan fall upon her. She continued to run, too aghast to change her movements. The titan leapt at her, almost catching her in its jaws before she dived out of the way, taking refuge by the foot of a tree.
The titan advanced upon her, herself paralysed in fear. It came close, its face almost pressed against hers. But it did not attack. A tear trickled down her cheek.
"I…will not be defeated."
Hands shaking, she put her hand back to the notebook.
Encountered a Titan. 7… No, 6 metre class. It won't eat me right away… An abnormal?
She turned her head away to look at the titan. It was still gazing at her. The sound of its breathing still echoing through her ears. She turned back.
My time has finally come. This is it. I've been doing whatever I want. I haven't even given anything back to my parents. I'm so unsatisfied! It ends…
"Ymir's…"
Ilse looked away from the notebook. The Titan's lips moving uncoordinatedly.
"People…"
She saw the way its mouth moved. It had spoken. The Titan had spoken to her!
Just now… It talked.
She refused to avert her eyes from the Titan. Her hands moving mechanically across her book.
That's not possible.
"Ymir."
It spoke again. Bowing after it finished.
"Greetings."
It spoke words with meaning. Ymir. Greetings. There's no doubt about it. The Titan changed its expression. It bowed towards me, like it respected me. I can't believe it.
She wiped away the tear that she had cried.
For the first time ever. I, a human, spoke with a Titan?
"What...are you?"
I enquire him of their existence. Moaning sounds. Not words.
"Where did you come from?"
I enquire him of their origin. No response.
"Why…do you eat us?"
I enquire him of their objective.
The Titan refused to answer, its moaning only increasing in volume. Ilse snapped.
"Why do you eat us!? You wouldn't die even if you didn't eat anything! Why!? You guys are meaningless chunks of meat! Disappear from this world!"
The Titan looked up at her. Its moaning now a cacophony of wailing. Blood dripped down its face as it furiously gripped at its cheeks, nails digging into its skin.
"What the…"
It ripped the skin from its cheeks. Blood spattering the ground all around it.
Ilse turned and ran, taking any opportunity to escape.
The Titan's gaze followed her, watching as she bolted.
"Why… What is…?"
The Titan pounced, seizing her tightly in its grasp. She screamed as she was lifted to its jaws.
It's grabbed me! It has a big mouth.
The Titan placed her head inside its mouth.
Lots of teeth, but not sharp. Its breath stinks, but isn't moi-
She was thrown to the ground. The Titan wailing as steam hissed from the back of its neck. She dodged out of the way as it stumbled around, screaming incoherently before it finally collapsed.
There was something on its back. A sharp stick embedded into its neck, straight into its weak spot. Ilse turned her attention to the being holding the stick.
It was a boy! No older than 13, perhaps. Dressed in nothing, but fur rags, a green Survey Corps cloak, and a white band wrapped around his head.
I'm saved.