Tanner frowned as he watched the scouts passed through the streets. His disappointment wasn't entirely fueled by the numerous protesters that had lined the streets and hurled insults at the devastated Survey Corps. No, Tanner was disappointed that he was unable to spot the woman he had been searching for his entire life. It was a major let down for Tanner, like a child refused by their mother to have another sweet before dinner. Sighing as the last cart passed, Tanner turned away from the crowd with his hands in his pockets.

Next time, surely. She'll have to return someday. Tanner thought as he walked the various alleys to return back to his family's bookstore. When it came to the mysterious woman, Tanner was rather naive. Everyone knew the dangers of titans. A titan was a monstrous being that had a huge appetite for human flesh, yet Tanner refused to accept the possibilty that a titan had devoured the woman like a polished off chicken leg. The woman's death was simply something Tanner could not fathom, or rather, something he wouldn't dare to believe.

As Tanner rounded a corner, he quickly had to raise his arms to avoid being blinded by sudden brightness. The ground had begun to shake like an earthquake. A sign fell from the hinges that held it as the earth trembled, causing Tanner to dodge the sign or otherwise face the wooden slab crash down on his head. Tanner took a quick glance at the fallen sign, and readied a sigh of relief, yet the voices of many were shouting. The screams of his neighbors telling everyone to run slowly turned into a distorted panic as another crashing, loud noise echoed through the district.

The noise forced Tanner to reflexively seek shelter behind a stack of barrels, and when the rumbling had stopped, Tanner dared a short glimpse around the corner. Houses were gone, fires had been started, blood and corpses were scattered throughout the street. The scene forced the paranoid boy to take a double take. He blinked, and blinked again, yet each time the destruction was always there. In a desperate attempt to retrieve his bearings, Tanner looked at the massive wall that protected the district from humanity's foe: the titans.

His eyes were met with pure destruction. A giant titan, doubtlessly taller than any of the titans Tanner had heard in stories, held onto the top of the wall. Below, where once was a piece of the wall was now a hole that had allowed a flood of titans to enter the district. Tanner stepped back, stunned by the events. "H-Haha, this h-has to be a p-prank, r-right?" He mumbled with frightened laughter, yet as Tanner watched a man be devoured by a titan, the boy quickly realized that the titans were in fact, real.

As if the titans and bloodshed had stirred fear in his heart, Tanner quickly rushed home to see if his parents were alive. His eyes were met with despair as the bookstore was gone, crushed by a piece of the wall. The old bookstore was no longer a building, but splintered planks and shattered stone. "Mom! Dad! Where are you?" Tanner called out despite the dangers that were lurking, yet he was only answered with silence.

He began to dig around in the debris to find his parents when Tanner realized the silence turned into shouting. It was nearby, but the screams weren't his parents. Tanner's eyes darted around the chaos, and he quickly spotted the disturbance. A large titan had a tight grip around a panicking woman, while a young child stood in fear, frozen in place to watch the titan consider her mother a snack. Tanner took a quick glance at his home, and then to the child. "I'm going to hate myself for this." Tanner gulped, swallowing his fear as he sprinted off towards the child.

Tanner swore he heard the woman shout to him, but his fear had caused his hearing to zone out. Focused on getting the child to safety, he threw himself over a crate and wrapped his arms around the child as Tanner bounced off the ground like a ragdoll. "Don't look back, don't look back..." Tanner repeated over and over to the young girl as his legs moved as fast as they could to the tune of a bone-crunching chorus behind them.

Thankfully, being paranoid is sometimes useful. Tanner began to figure out the shortest escape route, using his knowledge of the various streets that guardsmen and scouts often frequented. Sprinting down tight corridors and alleys, the two made their way to the rear of the district, while Tanner muttered his hope that the boats hadn't left or the gate was still open.

She bit into a fresh roll as she watched sweat trickle down her brothers nose as Lauren pressed her head against his. He was beyond flush at the moment, fingers digging into the dirt as he attempted to hold his composure. "Careful, Lauren. You're going to make him faint with all your fawning." she teased, sticking out her tongue as her brother shot her a murderous glare. Oh, yes. He'd make her pay for the next week but it was worth it.

Nearby Jade introduced herself to Gabriel, who had joined the group with an air of nervousness. She liked Jade for this reason. She was open and well spoken. Being around her felt no different than being in the bakery; welcoming. A voice broke through the warm air. A familiar one at that as Reese's wild haired face came into view,toying a rather heavy looking crate.

"Welcome back! There better be snacks in there!"

'What a marvelous day,' she thought, laying back across the grass. The warmth in the air rolled across her; sweet and serene. The chatter of kids around her came easy and natural. One could almost forget. Mora frowned suddenly, forget. Anger rolled back like thunder as she remembered the scouts fanfare. How could the adults treat people so callously and the look in their eyes. She sighed outwardly.

Suddenly might blinded her and the heavens seemed to part as a face peered over the wall at the people of Shiganshina district. Mora froze, her mind stuttered to a stop as it tried to take in the horror that loomed above them. Red, no white. Eyes? A face. Her brain struggled to take in the information her eyes was feeding her. A face. A titan. A feeling she had never felt before pierced down into her very core and suddenly she was left feeling as if her body was made of ice. The girl watched; wide eyed with horror as the creature struck down the wall. Their safety. Their sanctuary. It came crumbling down all within a single heartbeat. That was when pandemonium erupted.

Lauren was suddenly before her, pulling on her hands in a desperate plea to bring her back to the real world. Mora looked at her blankly. Watching her mouth move but not understanding the words as the earth below them trembled as the titans poured in from the breech.

"Ma said so, to the gate or a boat, so she could fight. Please, help me get the others!"

'Ma?' her thoughts felt thick before she snapped back. "Mom! Dad!" she screamed. The others had already started taking off in various directions. Mora leapt to her feet, Cain already beside the trio. "We need to go find mom and dad!" she cried, hands flying and pelting her brother. "They're probably headed to the board we need to go."

"No!" she screeched. Mora had never heard her voice go this high but she couldn't quell the fear that had made a home inside her gut. She needed to go recuse her family. "Please. Please." she cried. Tears dripping down her face. She could feel it under her feet. The echoes of footsteps thundering their way. The screams drowned in her ears and all sense crumbled around her. She looked wildly between the two before taking off, or at least she tried to take off. Cain swooped his arms around the girl, tightening with each wild struggle. "For once in your life just listen to me, Ra!" he growled as his sister broke down into hysterics. Muttering on about how they needed to go find their mom and dad.

"Listen, Mom is smart. You don't think she hasn't got a plan? They're fine but we won't be if we don't get to the damn boats."

Mora had quieted down, letting herself be soothed by her big brother reassurance. Nodding he let her go, though with one hand around her wrist just inn are she decided to take off once more. "Lauren, lets go." he used his fee hand to pull her closer. Keeping the girls from seeing the toothy mouth of a titan bear down on the writhing body of a woman. His grip tightened on then both as he shoved them forward. They needed to go and they needed to go now.

---

Gabriel sweat heavily from the physical and mental stress that fatigued him heavily. Every step that he took towards the canal was one full of grief. His courage, no matter how great, was never enough for him to help those who cried for help, who screamed for their mother to save them. His fear was never of titans, as menacing as they were. His fesr was a lack of control - the inability to help those who could have lived full lives. This fear was what kept him going after his father had died. Every day he spent training his mind and body, honing it socthat he could be unstoppable...but it was never enough to stop the beasts that gnawed away indiscriminately.

His mind was too distracted by his fear and too concentrated on ignoring the suffering around him as a titan lumbered passed him. It's feet ravaged the buildings it walked through, sending Gabriel flying back as debris exploded around him. His vision blurred as the smoke and dust around him cleared. He didn't even notice his pierced leg and shattered ankle until he forced himself back to his. The pain was numbed from the rush of adreniline and the strong will to defeat his fear, but the severe degredation of mobility was clear as he forced himself to move. What was once a frenzied pace was now reduced to an agonizing crawl as he limped through the streets. He didn't even recognize the bruises and cuts on his body and face - he couldn't afford to check. All he knew was a small piece of wood pierced his leg and that something had broken.

When Gabriel finally turned around a corner, that was when he noticed it; his mother's wheelchair, now a broken piece of junk in the middle of the street. His limps pace began to quicken as he struggled to reach it. His mother could not have gotten far, not with her condition. Out of the corner of his, he finally saw it. His mother crawled out of an alleyway, his siblings pulling her woith a panic. Two of them dragged her and cried for her to move, the third child held in her arms tightly. Their youngest brother was merely a baby, only around the age of one year. Gabriel rushed to their aid, to which they cried out with delight and relief. "You should not have come here, Gabriel! Take your brothers and leave!" His mother begged him as he struggled against his wounds, the pain now registering as it sent shockways through his body.

"I'm not leaving any of you behind. I can't lose you, not after dad! Just hold on to me! Pierre, get Eitan and run for the canal! Lars, stay with me and help me get mother to the boats!" The brothers obeyed him without a single complaint, but their mother continued to cry out in protest. Suddenly, without warning, the large thuds of a titan in pursuit could be heard. Gabriel felt his blood rush and his muscles tense up as he quickened the pace. "Gabriel...Lars...you won't make it at this rate. You have to leave me and run." Gabriel snapped at her immediately, tears welling up in his eyes. He would have control of this situation - they would get put safely. "Don't say aomething so stupid! Lars, catch up to Pierre! RUN!" As Lars ran, the titan only inched closer and closer. His hands gripped tighter on his mother as he continued, his heart racing.

As if by some cruel twist of fate, both Gabriel ans his mother were tripped by a large, yet dwar-f-like hand in titan standards. He looked back to see his mother being dragged away by a small titan. "MY BABIES!" She cried out reaching out towards Gabriel...no, not at him; his hrothers behind him. Pierre and Lars screamed as they fled from another titan. They had been cornered by the large figures, as if it was a trap. Gabriel twnsed up, unable to move as his greatest fear became reality; hopelessness. His mother cried out in pain as she was eaten from the leg up, her eyes on her children as she watched in pure terror. Lars was grabbed and was squeezed tightly, his small fists pounding away as he cried. Gabriel, stuck in his position, was handed Eitan by Pierre, who in turn picked up a hatchet. "Don't...stop fighting....just run..." Gabriel's words came out as mumbles, unheard by his brothers as they fought.

At that moment, Lars had popped from the pressure of the titan's grip. Pierre, now a heaving and mind-broken mess, turned to Gabriel. "Make it stop. Help us...help me" Gabriel stood slowly as the titan's encircled them. Something had snapped in Gabriel as he gripped onto his baby brother. He looked over to Pierre and backed away, his courage faded away. With a cry, Pierre was grabbed, and Gabriel turned to run. His limp was forgotten as he held Eitan close to his chest. His face was struck with fesr as he looked down, the titan's in hot pursuit, albeit slow to catch him due to the alleyways he took. "You're gonna be safe, you're gonna be safe. Your big brother is gonn get you out of this; I promise.". Finally reaching the canal, Gabriel noticed he was too far from any boats for safety. The crying Eitan furthered his stress as his teeth grinded against each other, his mind racing on an escape route. He looked down to the water, his mind racing as the thumps came closer.

Without a second to lose, Gabriel held onto Eitan closely, and leapt into the water...as he fell, he thought of the other kids. How would they escape? Were they safe? Would everything be different if he had just helped them? Why did he have to go back for his family? Why couldn't they have just died without him witnessing it? These thoughts leeched onto his brain like a parasite...until the cold, rushing water below took a hold of him and wrapped itself around him, carrying him and his baby brother away towards the evacuation site. Hopefully there he could get onto a boat...

All of Emil's life he had wanted nothing more than to be able to escape to the inner sanctum of his mind. To be able to drown out the bothersome people and disregard the pains of life with nothing but his mind as his weapon. Never would he had imagined he had wished for the wrong thing.

He was a prisoner in his own body, surrounded by the black. His body numb and his hearing muffled, distant. There were what sounded like screams, like desperate calls for something. What they said or where they were, he couldn't quite tell. What he could tell, was that something was horribly wrong. He remained trapped in his body for what felt like hours. The distant, muffled screams gaining clarity with every passing moment, the words becoming slightly more recognizable although still as alien as a new language to Emil. The darkness remained as well, there was no letting up in the black that was his mind, the inner sanctum was impenetrable, he screamed and screamed trying to break himself free of whatever it was that kept him confined but it was a fruitless effort. There was simply no way out. He closed his useless eyes, or at least he thought he did, and resigned to his fate, whatever exactly it was.

Then he blinked. A flash of light and scenery he couldn't quite make out. He blinked again, the same blindingly painful rush of light, the same scenery. He sat bolt upright, his eyes fully open now, all around him there were the sounds of pandemonium, of chaos. But there wasn't much going on where he was, 'What in the world is happening...?'. He reached a hand up to his head were there was a dull ache, once he connected his hand to the spot he was hit with a searing pain, he pulled his hand away from his head only to be staring at what he could only comprehend as his hand, caked in crimson. "Blood..." he said aloud, the confusion evident in his voice, in the way his train of thought trailed off at the end of the word.

He took a moment to look around once more, he was on an empty street. There was rubble and debris strewn about haphazardly, as if a barrage of cannons had struck the area.

He hoisted himself up on a knee before standing up, his entire body screaming in protest as he did. He was in pain everywhere and he couldn't quite remember why. "What is going on?" he said aloud as he stared at the roofs above. Then it hit him, he began to remember something, a massive being towering above the wall. A thunderous boom as the being destroyed the wall, sending a massive shockwave and debris off to devastate Shiganshina. He remembered watching from the roof above as debris rained down on the city, indiscriminately leveling houses and markets, churches and people. Leaving massive plumes of dust and debris wherever they struck, 'Some of the pieces must have been larger than houses...' he thought in disbelief as the memories came rushing back. Then one had struck his building, sending him tumbling through the air and to the street below.

He gave his fist a tight clench before beginning to walk toward the light and the noise of chaos. "If the wall has been destroyed then..." Emil cut his words short as a squad of Garrison soldiers hissed by over head, moving in the same direction as him. He paused, trying to figure out if he should be heading in the same direction as them, or trying to get out of the district, 'Is that the same direction as them?' he thought before stumbling down the road following the now gone squad of soldiers.

Rounding a corner and entering the light of day Emil was struck with a sight that would never leave him. The four man squad that had only just shot by him was engaged with three massive figures, "Titans..." he said in awe under his breath. He watched as the Garrison soldiers circled around the group of 10 meter tall titans attempting to get to an angle that they could take them down. As he watched a fourth titan appeared, smaller than the other three leaped from another road catching one of the soldiers unaware. Emil couldn't help but watch as the man was torn in half by the titans massive jaws, his upper body connecting with the ground in a sickening smack.

The other three soldiers tried to readjust to their new found foe, speeding away in separate directions , but it wasn't enough. The slight distraction that their allies death had warranted was enough to spell doom for two more of the soldiers. One was caught by on of the original ten meter tall titans, like a bug in a hand he was crushed to death before being eaten. The other soldier had his wire stepped on in what could only have been described as bad luck, sending the man pivoting over the tops of the titans and, with double the speed as he had going up, directly into ground with a single solid thud.

The final member of the team did seem to be lucky though, Pulling away from the grasp of one of the titans just in time before quickly pulling back down the street the way that him and his squad had originally come, back towards Emil.

Emil stood in the road, watching in disbelief as human beings were eaten just blocks away. Torn apart and feasted upon by titans. He had the urge to vomit, but found that nothing came up when he finally did wretch. As he tried to throw up there was a hissing sound and the reeling of a wire followed by the skidding landing of the lone survivor of the squad up ahead.

"Kid! Kid look at me! I need you to look at me!" the Garrison soldier yelled, now shaking Emil at his shoulders. Emil looked up, tears welling in his eyes and spit from his attempted vomiting dripping off the corner of his mouth. The soldier didn't care, his eyes were wide with fear, frantic animalistic fear, and yet somehow he had decided to stop for the kid in the middle of the road rather than continue to safety alone. "Hold on tight kid we're getting out of here!" he yelled to Emil before scooping him up in his arms.

In a flash they were airborne, heading down the road and toward what Emil was sure was the exit from Shiganshina into the open land between it and Wall Rose. The sound was deafening, the wind whirring by and the sound of the constant stream of gas leaving the soldiers equipment. There was a brief moment of weightlessness as the soldier disconnected his wires from their anchor points and fell beneath a bridge connecting two buildings together before he shot his wires once more and they were off again.

Emil stayed quiet, watching as the true carnage of what had happened simply whizzed past him. Destroyed homes and buildings were everywhere, there was blood and bits of meat strewn around every corner they passed, and above it all there was the constant sight of titans lumbering between buildings on either side of them.

"Hold on tight kid, you definitely don't want to get dropped now!" the soldier yelled as the swung around the corner of a building, now traveling parallel to Wall Maria. The soldier fired his wires at the wall, pulling them up the side of in a bone crushingly tight arc. Emil tried to keep his eyes open as they rose high above Shiganshina, high into the sky were he could watch the fires in the city rage, and even the titans were a small after thought. But he wasn't able to against the crushing force of the soldiers speed combined with their climb.

He awoke in a bout of curses and screaming, the ground beneath him was cold and hard, and most of all it was unsafe. He had to get moving, get somewhere that the titans couldn't reach.

"Kid! Stop it!" came the voice of the soldier who had taken him earlier.

Emil shook his head, his vision blurred by tears and his voice cracking as he screamed, "We've got to get out of here! We have to get somewhere safe!"

The soldier hoisted Emil to his feet and wiped the tears from his eyes, "We are kid, we are." he said, the relief in the mans voice so apparent that Emil himself found his fit of terror creeping back down his throat. He looked around him and in every direction the sky and the land stretched, the very ground he stood upon was grey and strange, like the walls he had grown up surrounded by. There were more soldiers here too, wounded being tended to and others simply staring down in disbelief. He edged forward toward a group that was look down at something.

He inched toward the edge of the ground, and found himself look some fifty meters to the ground, toward Shiganshina and the destruction below. He felt sick, his head spun as he stared at the city in ruins. His legs gave out and he fell to his knees, staring in disbelief at what was once his home.

[center]

Had she really seen her parents die right in front of her eyes? Had she been the reason for the Titan to change its course of action and head towards Jade, who stood a ways away and the bakery lay dead in between the two?

Throughout her reverie she seemed to have let herself be taken away by someone that shouted at her but it never registered with Jade. Her vision remained blurred and her senses numb. She heard a female's voice, then a male's voice, then the clatter of a horse's gallop. 'What's going on? Why am I alive? Why am I surviving while they died a sudden death?' Jade's thoughts kept circling her head as her guilt grew. "It's ... my fault." Her voice came out as a soft whisper as she started to acknowledge that if weren't for her, her family and Mora's could've survived. Or at least had more options towards surviving. "It's my fault!" Her voice came out louder and louder as she soon started to scream and cry over the horse's gallop.

Through the tears she could see them arrive at the boats. The horse naturally began to slow down but she couldn't get herself to find the want or feeling of needing to get on the boats.

"No!"

Once the horse slowed to a stop, Jade slid off of it and began to run back towards the village marketplace. Or at least she tried. A man that was a regular at the bakery managed to get a hold of her and wrap his arms around Jade's tiny body so that she wouldn't be able to fight back.

"You can't go back! Jade, stop! What would your family want?!"

The words rang in the young girl's ears. Her family was dead now. Did it truly matter what they wanted?

Even with her using all of her strength, the attempts seemed futile against the large man. "My parents bodies are back there! I can't leave them!" Although Jade's mind was still set on going back, her body had given up the fight. She was exhausted to say the least, which let the man pick her up before walking over to the horse.

There was another girl there that Jade hadn't really taken much time to figure out who she was. She was the one that saved her. Jade looked at her with tears in her eyes as the man let her down next to the other girl. "Thank you," was all she could really manage to say before falling silent. The man who had carried Jade over urged the two girls to get on the boat, taking their hands and pulling them along.

She let Cain take control after Mora's outburst, finding it hard to retain her own self-control; it was only her mother's words, an insistence on being obeyed, which echoed around her head, forcing her to turn her back on the destruction behind them. The elder boy had sensibly caught Mora before she could be lost to the Titans, wrapping his muscled arm around her and turning them all in the direction of the boats, the screams behind them fading but still impossible to ignore.

The town was in chaos, everyone was fleeing with no care for who they pushed over in their terror at being caught by a Titan. The monsters weren't far behind, smaller ones who weren't quite big enough to rip cowering humans out of their homes hunting down those in the streets instead. It was a feast with no one to moderate, the humans sacrificing one another so that someone, anyone, might survive the onslaught.

"This way, Ma showed me the safest route to the boats." Lauren tugged on Cain's arm, directing him towards the river where she knew boats would be waiting. A few members of the Garrison were dancing around and above them, hisses of ejected gas and the whirring of cables being reeled in the only sound besides that of panicked and screaming refugees. For that was what they were now, there was no home to return to. Not anymore.

They were ahead enough of the others that the Titans were a few streets away from them with plenty of prey to satisfy themselves without having to move further in, at least for now. Moving quickly but always looking around, waiting for the first sign of the death to show itself, they shot through side streets and avoiding the crushing press of the main paths. Where there were more humans fleeing, the Titans descended in the greatest numbers; Ma had told her that the Titans were attracted by the presence of humans and that was why it would be important to stay away from crowds if the worst happened.

However quick they were, it wasn't fast enough. Word had got out that the boats were taking people beyond the next Wall, to safety, and people were turning towards the river rather than the gates, inevitably bringing Titans closer and choking the available safe paths to the waiting vessels. She could hear the heavy thudding of massive feet all around, screaming louder than they had heard it until now, as the noose tightened.

Until, inevitably, their path was blocked. Just as they were emerging out of a side street onto a wider path a woman fled past, a young child in her arms, but the trio were stopped short as a massive hand blocked the exit and then pulled back with the woman grasped firmly. The screams were so loud, so soul shredding, that Lauren wanted to just kneel down and block out the sounds; it was almost as painful to continue as it was to just let death come.

There was a dull clunk from out in the street, metal striking stone, a hiss and a roar of defiance. Blood sprayed across the end of the street and for a moment, all was still. Then the manically grinning face of the Titan feel forwards to block their path but its eyes were unfocused, its blood stained mouth hanging open slackly, and its skin began to burn as its body crumbled. Crying, relieved crying coming in huge sobs, sounded from round the corner and Lauren rushed forwards through the disintegrating Titan to see the mother collapsed on the floor and hugging her child, shoulders heaving as the fear and relief battled for control.

"Lauren! Why are you dawdling here?"

A commanding tone, one that demanded immediate adherence to its every whim, snapped her name and she spun so fast that she made herself dizzy, looking for the voice's owner. They stood there, dressed in the uniform of the Garrison, steam rising from her body as the Titan blood now covering her disappeared.

"Ma!" Lauren cried in relief, running towards her mother with tears falling freely down her cheeks. Her expression softening a little, her mother embraced her daughter briefly before pulling back with her face once again an unreadable mask.

"You need to head to the boats. The Titans are breaking through everyone and there aren't many of us left. At least, those of us still fighting." Steam ceased to rise from her mother's body but Lauren could still see the heavy raid staining on her shirt and jacket, dripping down the side of her face and off her chin; she only then noticed the unusual paleness of her mother's skin and the slight glazing of her eyes and recognised it in some of the patients her father had treated over the years: the slow diminishing of life.

"Ma, you're hurt! We need to get you to Pa, he can fix you up!"

Lauren's mother pushed her daughter hard in the chest, sending her reeling back into Mora and Cain. Then she pointed to a figure no one had noticed, assuming it to be a corpse, slumped in the alleyway opposite them and leading to the river. They were big, brawny and bearded but covered in blood with their arm lost, torn away by a Titan's gnashing teeth.

"He'll need you to fix himself up. Go to the boats and take your father. You two are from the Kingsly clan, aren't you? Take Law and her father and get to the boats, all of you. The soldiers will know to make sure you get on." Titans were edging close all around them, heads clearly visible above the rooftops and smaller Titans emerging into the street on which they stood, further down and chasing down those few stragglers.

Before Lauren could protest further, her mother leaned forwards and pressed her forehead against her daughter's. She could feel the blood from her mother's head, still warm and wet, had it really been such a little time since the attack began? She closes her eyes, feeling the power and control she always felt when near her mother; it lent her a clarity of thought and strength she would think impossible in their current situation.

"You need to fight, Law. You'll do me proud, I know it. Come back here one day and retake our home, give me a grave next to your grandpa's, you hear? Now go, girl, protect your Pa and your friends. Get them to safety, that's your duty. I can't do mine if I have to worry about you. You understand, don't you? Go, my girl. Look after your Pa for me."

Her mother withdrew, drawing fresh blades as she turned away and began walking back into the town proper, towards the approaching Titans. Swallowing her resistance, Lauren grabbed Mora and Cain and dragged them into the alleyway where her father slumped against the wall. He was semi-conscious and recognised her when she knelt down to get a better look at him.

It was clear that he had been caught by a Titan, his left arm had been torn away rather than cut off or crushed, ending at the upper arm in a bloody stump. A rough dressing had been applied and a piece of rope tied tightly around the arm to cut off the circulation and slow the bleeding. It was perhaps only through his sheer size and strength that her Pa was still conscious. With help he struggled to his feet, standing in the end of the alleyway and watching his wife spin up onto a rooftop and ready her blades, before turning away.

"Ra, help me with him." Lauren urged, taking some of her Pa's wait to steady him. They trudged down the alleyway, much more slowly than they had gone before, but they weren't now far from their destination and a few more Garrison soldiers were running along the rooftops above them, distracting and holding off most of the Titans.

Once again they emerged into a wider street, several buildings crushed but with no Titans immediately visible. As they shuffled out Lauren could hear cries of panic nearby. They weren't of abject fear, the screams of one who was facing an inevitable death and railed against their fate; they were pained and calling for help. All of them could hear the cries now, stopping and looking around until movement caught her Pa's attention.

"Over there." He grunted, nodding towards a crushed shell of a house where a small child, barely a toddler, was struggling to free themselves from some of the wreckage. Further down the street a few Titans were searching through houses, far enough away that they hadn't noticed the small group or the child yet, and the temptation to help the child was strong. Lauren couldn't leave her Pa though, she sensed that if they stopped then he would pass out and there would be no getting him to the boats then. She made to move on, trying to block out the child's cries. She could see the boat at the end of the next alleyway, they were so close. She promised herself that they would tell the Garrison soldiers, they could come back and help.

---

Gabriel struggled in the water, holding Eitan above the water as he took in water himself. His will to live was strong, almost as strong as his will to keep his baby brother from drowning. Eitan wailed loudly as Gabriel struggled, his legs squirming to kick. How long had he been in the water? Minutes? Hours? Gabriel could not tell, but one thing was for certain; he would keep struggling until he died. Unknown to himself however, he was already beginning to sink. His body was beginning to give way under the constant fatigue that overtook his body. The baby continued to cry out, until the only sound that remained was the rushing water around him. He noticed finally that he was beginning to give up...perhaps he was supposed to, he thought. There was no way he could have survived this incident. It would be far easier to just let the rapid waters take him away and let the chilling liquid embrace him into death.

As if by luck or perhaps a miracle, a hand grabbed Gabriel by the back of his collar, and dragged him out of the water. He gasped for air, holding Eitan close to him as he began to swing. The figure grabbed his wrist, yelling down at him. "Are you crazy, kid!? Relax! I'm going to get you to safety!" Everything afterwards seemed to happen without him even realizing it. He recalled the baby wailing more, the soldier picking him up, and a brief sprint down to the boat. "I got two kids here. Place them in the back and get this kid some first aid - his leg is messed up bad. I'm going to continue looking for anymore survivors and try to hold off any titans that come this way!" Gabriel was dragged, his face showing a permanent state of shock as he clutched Eitan close to his chest. Before he knew it, he was resting on a small cot, awaiting first aid...but it never really came; the soldiers were too busy dealing with loading the boats and escorting the civilians. He looked around him, faintly noticing a few other kids that he saw earlier, but was unable to call out to them. Was he afraid? Yes...he was a coward. He left his family to die. Yet, he could not cry. He rested there silently, staring up at the orange sky...the wooden shrapnel still pierced in his thigh and his ankle still shattered. All that mattered was that Eitan was safe...they both were.

The ground was shaking with each step of the numerous titans now within the district walls, yet Tanner didn't look behind, nor did he allow the girl to look either. Only despair and death was behind Tanner and the child in his arms, coating the district with a gloomy outlook. The district was lost, and Tanner's legs would only move forward as they tried to evade the monstrous titans munching on humanity like an afternoon snack. Danger lurked every corner, and the thought made the boy run as fast as he could.

His legs were growing tired, but there was no time to rest lest a titan corner them. The girl in his arms was crying for her mother, and Tanner tried his best to comfort the child. By no means was Tanner experienced with children, but he remembered that his mother used to embrace him tightly whenever Tanner had a nightmare. "Shh, now. Just think it as a bad dream, alright? I'll keep you safe, don't worry." He whispered to the girl, his voice ragged and harsh as Tanner tried catching his breath to speak.

It felt odd to Tanner that he was playing the hero. Normally, he would've ignored someone in danger, but this time Tanner felt like something was telling him to save this child. Perhaps it was his will to survive, or maybe it was a deeper spiritual calling, but Tanner had no time to think by the time they reached the boats. The scene was a disaster as people were fighting their neighbors, pushing and shoving to get their place on a boat in order to get out of the district.

Alright, Tanner. You can do this. Tanner swallowed his fear, and began to trudge forward through the tight crowd. People he personally knew were hurling insults at him as he pushed deeper, bumping against his neighbors and other citizens. A few had even pushed back, forcing Tanner to use his body to shield the child until they made their way to the front of the crowd. Met with a grizzly solider, Tanner pleaded with him to let them on the boat, especially because of the child in his arms.

Seconds passed by that felt like an eternity before the man had agreed to let them on the boat to the chorus of outrage from those still trying to flee. Tanner didn't have the heart to face those he knew, and quickly searched for a place for himself and the child to sit down. It didn't take him long to find a place, and Tanner sat down on the floor with the child still in his arms. She appeared to be a shaken mess, and Tanner refused to let her go until he could somehow calm the child down.

Mora had forgotten that Lauren's mother was in the military. The sight of her bloodied and battle weary sent another cold shock a realization into her core. This was probably the last time Lauren would ever get to see her mother. She turned her head as the two shared a solemn moment between each other while her mind danced around the thoughts of her own parents. 'What if?' the words kept bubbling to the surface no matter how many times she tried to squash them down with the reassurance Cain had given her.

"Ra, help me with him." Lauren's voice snapped her back and she rushed over to help heft the girls father off the ground. Cain moved around them nervously, keeping an eye out for the danger that loomed around them. They shuffled through the alleyways, the cries and sounds of death bounced off every rock. Mora did her best to grit her teeth and push past it. They couldn't save everyone. Not like this at least. That was until something caught the old man's attention.

"Over there." He grunted, nodding towards a crushed shell of a house where a small child, barely a toddler, was struggling to free themselves from some of the wreckage. Further down the street a few Titans were searching through houses, far enough away that they hadn't noticed the small group or the child yet. A rock dropped in the pit of her stomach but Lauren pressed on, forcing her to keep up the pace and leaving the tot behind. "Cain." she whispered, Mora's voice trembled with fear as she nodded to the child. She couldn't just walk away and his arms were free.

He looked at the child and then back towards the titans. It was a risk. One wrong sound and they'd spot the whole group but his sisters words rang in his head from earlier, "If you can't even stand up to bullies, then what good are you?" The statement had stung his pride. The Kingsly men were anything but cowards but more importantly; they were not without compassion.

Breaking away his picked his way through the rubble. "Hush. Shh, it's going to be ok. Just just got to calm down." he spoke in low hushed tones as he tried to quell the boys loud wailing. He'd need to move some of the debris that had blocked the toddler inside. Cain silently thanked God for his upbringing as his arms held the strength to quickly move the larger stones. The toddlers wail had lessened to whimpering as he watched Cain clear the path. Mora, too, watched her brother intently as they strode further and further away.

It was a sudden flood of relief that filled her as he suddenly rose up with the boy tucked safely to his side. His face glowing with pride as he started towards them but Mora's face soon crumpled with fear. Behind him a hand began its descent, the disproportionate body of a Titan sat squat with it's eyes trained on her brother. Cain noticed the look to horror that filled his sisters face and chanced a look behind him. There was no escape. The fingers shadow cascaded over him as he let out a fear filled cry.

"Cain!"

She screamed, shrugging off the body of Laurens father as she ran to save her brother. Though no matter how quick she was; there was just no time. Cain had thrown the toddler towards his sister as the fingers plucked him into the air. Mora froze in abject horror as the newly sobbing toddler scrambled to his feet and ran to cling to her legs.

"Get to the boats!" Cain screamed, tears falling down his cheeks as he pounded his fists against his captor.

"Cain..." she managed to squeak out as a lump of emotions caught in her throat. Mora scooped up the boy and began to stumbled backwards as she watched her brother struggle against the titans grip. Her face paled as she watched it open its gaping maw and drop his body inside. She didn't want to watch it. She wanted to close her eyes and shut everything out. Mora tried to turn, turn away from the scene and flee but even as her body moved she could still hear it. Hear the crunch of Cain's bones as they snapped inside the monsters jaws. His screaming drowning in her ears as his death cry finally melted into silence. Inside, she could feel herself go numb. Her heart wanted to break. It wanted to scream and cry but no tears came. She didn't even notice the trembling of the tiny body pressed against her. Instead she ran.

Mora ran back to Lauren and her father. She slipped the tot to one hip and wrapped her free arm around the old man's body and moved them forward with a newfound strength. Lips set in a grim determination. Luckily they weren't too far away from the rescue boats as Mora picked up the pace. There was a good chance the titan would come after them once it was done with Cain. There was no way it didn't take notice of her.

With every step that Grant took, he could feel his body grow weaker and weaker. There was a sound in the sky, the eerie screams of residents that he did not know, nor would he ever know, filled the air like a virus infestation. It was still a fresh sound. In the short space of time that Grant felt had ticked away, there was no cease to the screams and death heard in the distance. Grant was lucky to have a horse in the first place, let alone almost end his life to save some random individuals. Why had he done that? He wasn't against living, as he'd more likely benefit more if he did, but that was something different...

As he continued his run, the crowds of people seemed to be thinning by the boat. Less and less seemed to be heading over, which probably meant there were Titans nearby. It was likely that most of the people who tried going for the boat either went for the gate or died trying to do either. Grant felt lucky; he felt blessed for what had happened. The soldiers, right on time, saved him from something that nearly tore him to pieces. Any second later, and the chances of Grant's survival would have been minimal, if they weren't small enough already. A boy of his age...Against a Titan that size. Even for a slow titan, it would have caught up eventually. The sight of it chasing behind him left him worried, almost completely frightened of what he'd witnessed.

His eyes rolled within their sockets, where his lens focused slowly onto the sights around. Amongst the sounds of hell, Shiganshina had buildings that looked much like the ancients' own. There were natural pieces of shrapnel, where mud, rock, concrete and blood all formed a compound so disgusting and discomforting that Grant could almost feel himself throw up inside his own neck. It was vile. The world was vile. He had lived outside the walls all his life, and upon visiting these districts, he felt even more isolated. Trapped within what seemed to be a feeding cage, there couldn't be a worse area for someone who valued space and freedom.

Eventually, he came to a halt, panting for air to reach his lungs. Grant was exhausted, but he was there. The boat, large in its size, stared down at where he was. It's hull felt daunting, almost terrifying. But as he approached, there was no sign of anyone really. Luca must have been cut off from his journey to the Boat, and there was no doubt that Mateo would have ran for the Headquarters. Whether or not either of them were stupid for doing so, it couldn't matter to Grant. He had no say in it, nor did he have the power to change anything that might happen. Slowly, he approached the boarding ramp, where children were being prioritised in loading aboard.

A man tried pushing past Grant, as he panicked to get a-front of the line and onto the boat. Everyone was like that, but Grant simply persevered onwards. He was guided by a member with the Military Police insignia embedded onto his chest. There, he could see more and more people on the Boat, begging for either loved ones to make it on-board or for the boat to actually start moving. Everyone was on edge, there was no denying it. No one could keep calm, and no one should keep calm. It was like the apocalypse, only more gruesome to every teeth, bone and muscle crushed beneath the skin or teeth of humanity's greatest predator. A slaughter, fit for the Titans. Today's big game hunt...The rest of humanity as anyone knew it.

Eventually, Grant felt his feet level off, as he ascended onto the boat's deck. Here, people were sitting down, stood up or running around in sheer panic. No one knew how to react. No one knew how to cope with their losses. Grant felt guilty. He hadn't lost anyone, at least not from his knowledge. Providing Mateo would survive, and that Luca had made a B-line straight for Trost, no one in his family were dead. Well...He didn't know about his parents...Or his brothers and sisters...

Grant went near a bench, where a couple of people were sitting. From there, he leaned against the wooden railings of the boat, feeling his eyes cloud up greatly. The sorrow of everyone around him was starting to get to him. He couldn't watch people suffer like this. Those who were put out of their misery could have passed as the lucky ones. They didn't have to witness what Grant was seeing. The sufferig for them had ended, but it caused more suffering for those still left. And now, all Grant could think about was his home. The titans were breaching a district...A full district. His family and birthplace was outside...It was there, unprotected and unknown to most. What if the Titans had reached there? What if they were still there, unknowing of what had happened? But what if they knew what was happening? They must be worried, they couldn't sit idle and wait for their son to die. Or could they? Were they already dead?

So many questions caused for Grant to shed a tear. He'd never been emotional in his life, it just wasn't his character. But today had gotten the worst out of him, or at least the worst so far. There was nothing he could do to help these individuals. There wouldn't be any way to help them, not from what he could tell. There was no one aboard to comfort him, or share the pain he had of watching everyone else's. The world felt like it was crumbling down. Grant was crumbling down, slowly, piece by bloody piece. For once more, he was there, alone and friendless aboard the only ticket guaranteed to get them to safety. Once more, he was out of the reach of love and comfort. Grant never wanted to see something like this again...He knew that he couldn't stand for it. He wanted to protect everyone, just like those girls he nearly killed himself over. Something that could make a difference, any difference, would matter to him.

"Cain!" Lauren couldn't move, frozen by terror while bearing the weight of her father alone as Mora rushed toward her brother, already caught in a Titan's grip. They had already seen enough to know that there was no coming back from that, Cain was already dead; and they all knew it. The little boy he had rescued, his legacy, clawed at Mora's legs and brought her back to reality, returning her to Lauren and her father and forcing them onwards towards the boats and leaving the Titan to its feast.

Before long the thuds sounded again, the Titan on the move. It wasn't heading directly towards them but it was definitely getting closer, either searching for them or just attracted by the mass of people fighting to get on the waiting boats. The ragged group emerged out of an alleyway onto the wharf where a crush of people were pushing ever forwards to the last boat. Soldiers were pushing back, telling people to wait and call forward children and their mothers.

"Wait here, I think I can do something." Lauren whispered, feeling too drained to even fake any confidence or energy. She dimly knew that it had barely been any time at all since the Titan's broke into Shiganshina but it had felt like a lifetime and she felt aged from her experience, deep emotional wounds barely suppressed until she could deal with them safely. With a force of will she let Mora take her father's wait and slipped into the crowd, her slight height and slim frame allowing her to weave through without too much trouble although she got elbowed several times and nearly fell. Someone tried to claw at her when they noticed her getting ahead of them, leaving long marks on her arm but she wriggled free and pushed onwards.

Finally she was at the front and fell out of the press in front of a Garrison soldier who looked down, seeing her youth and bent down as if to pick her up and guide her onto the boat which she could now see was rammed full, so crammed that it looked ready to sink just through the sheer weight of its passenger load.

"Wait, my Pa!" She breathed, pointing back beyond the crowd. "I'm Lauren Jones, my Ma was in the Garrison. She said-" The soldier said nothing as he picked her up, easily tucking the small girl under his arm and using his ODM to shoot over the crowd and let himself be directed by Lauren to where her father was. He took the large man's weight and disappeared, using his gear to go around the crowd and onto the boat before returning for the two girls and their young charge.

Immediately after regrouping, Lauren noticed her father's pale skin become clammy and he looked weaker than she had ever seen him, now that they had made it to safety; however dubious it was. His eyes were still clear though, and they sought her out and weighed her up, as if were making decision.

"Law, do you remember how to bind a wound?" He asked, his gaze steady as he stared into her eyes. Hesitating for a moment, she looked around them, but eventually nodded. She was trying not to look at the bloody bandages around the stump where his arm now ended, dreading what he was going to ask her to do. "Good. Then go and help these people. Some of them will be hurt." She looked up in surprise and he smiled, patting his shoulder gently.

"I bound it myself, girl. Don't go dismissing your Pa just yet. I've just lost a lot of blood, it'll take me a lot of rest to get back up to speed. I'll look after the boy and your friend, go do what you can in my stead."

Looking over at Mora, Lauren could see the horror she was sure was reflected on her own face. But at least she had her Pa still here, wounded but at least he was alive. Her Ma was out there, still fighting or dead, but she hadn't had to witness the cruel fate that would end her life; Ra had seen everything firsthand and she had no idea where her parents were, if they were still alive. All she had to show of her family was the young boy still clinging to her leg, a lasting memento from her brother.

"Ra, I'm going to go and see what I can do to help people. Can you stay here with my Pa?" She could still hear Cain's screams in her eyes, still so vivid, and as she spoke to Mora she couldn't hold down that particular wound anymore, the tears flooding down her face. She drew her friend into a tight embrace, only able to wonder at the pain she must have been feeling. "I'm sorry, Ra. I'm so sorry." She drew back after a time, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. "I need to be doing something. Anything. I'll be back soon. Just... rest."

She hurried away, lest her grief get the better of her again, and soon found the injured still awaiting treatment. No one was even attempting to help them, their eyes fixated on the destruction of their home, hoping against hope that their family and friends would suddenly appear and climb onto the boat to join them in safety. In reality, most had seen those people die; it just hadn't sunk in yet. Ignoring those people, Lauren hurried up to someone who had a relatively minor injury; some of those awaiting treatment were beyond her ability and she was sure one or two had already died from their wounds, or had given up living.

"Hi, my name's Lauren. My Pa's a medic, I'll help you best I can..." The boy wasn't much older than herself, perhaps a year, and was clutching a baby boy who he bore some resemblance to close to his chest, she trailed off as she recognised him from the picnic moments before the attack; the last few events ageing him considerably, she thought she probably looked the same. "Gabriel! Oh, I'm glad some of us made it." He had the same haunted look Mora bore, one of grief still fresh in their mind and Lauren forced herself to look away, lest her mind make the inevitable connection to Cain in that Titan's grip...

She focused on the task in front of her instead, feeling gently around the wooden spike piercing the boy's leg and further down to where his ankle looked set at the wrong angle. Frowning at the injury she glanced at the boy's face again, wondering how on earth he had managed to make it to the boat in his condition. After searching around the area she found some bandages and a small bottle of water she 'borrow' from an unresponsive woman who had simply continued to stare at the wooden deck between her feet as Lauren spoke to her.

"I'm going to leave your ankle for now, they can fix that when we get to safety. I'm going to take this wood out or you'll get an infection, it's going to hurt but I'll need to wash the wound and then put pressure on it. If you pass out that's fine, okay? I'll stay here." She didn't wait for an answer, a trick her Pa had taught her, and simply pulled the splinter out in one firm movement.

She quickly poured water over the wound and wiped it away with a small piece of bandage before throwing the sullied dressing over the edge of the boat and then tightly wrapped more bandages around the boy's leg, firmly and ignoring the involuntary spasms of his leg. Finally she tied the bandage off and then pressed her hands down onto the wound, applying additional pressure, resolving to stay there until at least the bleeding had stopped.

"Oh Gabriel, how did this happen?" She asked rhetorically, not looking up from what she was doing to even see if he was conscious, or able to answer. She was just making conversation, like her Pa had taught her. Ma would probably think it was a sign of weakness and would tell the boy to endure the pain in silence but Ma was tough, tougher than anyone else. Or at least, she had been.

---

His mind raced as he laid there in silence. Not even the babies cries could be heard by him. Everything seemed to go quiet as he entered a trance. The titans destroyed his home, his family, and his livelihood. The titans. They were disgusting monsters that deserved everything coming towards them. Yet...Gabriel didn't feel anger towards them; he felt it towards himself. He was unable to control the situation and his fear caused him to leave his brother behind. No matter how much he had trained, it wasn't enough to prepare him for such a terrible event. Tears rolled down his cheek, but he never noticed it. All he felt was an empty and gut-wrenching feeling...in fact, he could feel himself about to puke from the pain in his stomach.

He was caught off guard by the sudden approach of Lauren, causing him to jump and almost recoil. He stared at her silently, like she was a savior. He started to hide his emotions, though it was a very poor job, considering the trauma. Even with his attempts at hiding his pain, his eyes betrayed his facade. When she said his name, he stared at her for a few more seconds, before responding. "You're....Lauren. I'm glad you got out, too." He set Eitan to the side, sitting him up against the side next to him. He looked back down at the wound and watched her get to work. When she looked up as if trying to find an answer to his injuries, he averted his gaze, almost as if her eyes could pierce into his mind and see the answers.

As she spoke to him about pulling the wound out, he tensed up and nodded, keeping silent. In a way, Gabriel always did try to appear tougher than what he actually was. Inside, Gabriel was just a young man with an extremely soft heart. Outside, he appeared as a stoic and brave individual...and although it was partially true, he was easily hurt. "Alright. Just be car- AGH! DAMN IT!" His voice was loud, ringing out far as he held on to his leg. His hands shook and he closed his eyes, hoping that the pain would go away. His teeth began to grind as she fixed up his injury as quickly as she could. When all was said and done, he relaxed, a bit of sweat trickling down his face.

When she asked him of the event, he seemed to freeze up, before looking back at her with a stern look. "I....ran. My mother and brothers are safe. I got them to safety at the cost of this injury....but I took my youngest brother with me." Gabriel was confused by his own lie, unable to speak the truth to his savior. His body and clothing were dirty, blood stained, and had the bad smell of adrenaline and sweat. "I don't want to talk about it." His gaze moved away for a few moments, before looking back up at her. "....Thanks." She deserved at least that much...he knew that she must have gone through the same, if not worse pain. In a way, he was ashamed that he couldn't assist with any of the others and felt almost useless in his current state. "Is there anything I can do to help?" His eyes slowly began to change as he stared at her. His voice, 'nor his face revealed what was truly inside him...a burning passion to become a soldier.

The girl had been torn between letting the numbness take over her body or letting her emotions run wild and tearing her apart from the inside out. By then the friend of the family had managed to tug her along into the boat, but left her standing in the middle of everyone as he left her for someone else. Her eyes followed the man as he shoved past people only to fall to his knees besides an unconscious body. From the spot Jade stood at, she couldn't exactly see who it was. Before she had any say in what her body did, her feet began to move towards the two until she could clearly make out who lay on the deck. It was Rei, the mans eldest daughter. She had seen her several times and often walked with her when she was running errands.

The cries of the man made Jade cringe slightly, which prompted her to walk away. She didn't know if the girl lived or died, but she didn't want to stay there to find out.

Pushing through the crowded boat deck, Jade had finally been able to break through and get to the side rail, placing her arms on top of the ledge and simply watching Shiganshina be torn apart by the monsters. 'Mom.... Dad... why did these people live and not them? Why did I live and not them?' With anger rising up inside her petite body, Jade turned slightly to glare at some of the passengers that had made it aboard. 'What made them so special?'

Throughout her reverie of hate, there was yet another flash of light that froze Jade in her very spot.

"No..." a small whispered escaped her lips before she turned to witness the scene unfold in front of her. While they were safe from the Titan that had just appeared, they were close enough to see it's features. It was beyond Jade's imagination; something right out of a nightmare. Jade began to panic as she looked around and felt trapped. There was no way that they'd be able to escape it.

The titan's intentions became clear as it turned towards Wall Maria and began to sprint its way with an unparalleled speed. Even if the people aboard were safe for the time being, the screaming began once again. She could feel the boat moving as it began getting ready for its departure, which caused her to hold on tightly.

"The wall. It broke the wall." Jade spoke out loyal to herself, not really aiming for conversation with anyone. Anger began to flow through her body once again but the fear managed to keep her frozen in her spot. She could see the soldiers in their maneuvering gear flying towards the breached wall. There weren't enough of them to stop the Titan, nor did they move fast enough. The looks on her family's faces flashed before Jade's eyes, which brought her to the conclusion that she would enlist as soon as she had the chance. She would join the ranks and give her life if need be, all in order to kill the titans, and save those that she loved.

---

The boy looked up as Reese approached him. He was still holding on to his leg, but he began to calm down for once. When Reese introduced himself, he nodded. "Yeah...I know who they are. My name's Gabriel Moreau. I'm uh...well...I'm a Commoner." He felt a little happy, knowing that the other kids from earlier were safe. However, he still felt haunted by the actions that he made when his family died...his cowardice and ignorance to his brothers cries for help. He smiled up at him slightly and extended his hand to shake...until the Armored Titan came.

Gabriel froze immediately as the bright flash of light appeared. His eyes pierced the deck as he listened to the cries in silence. He could feel his muscles tensing up as the sound of the gates breaking rang out in his head. This was just too much to bear. So how could he keep going? Why was he not breaking down and entering a panic? After a few seconds of contemplation, Gabriel turned to look at the Armored Titan. How were they so intelligent? Why did they commit such terrible crimes against humanity? For joy? Pleasure? All of these thoughts hit Gabriel like a train. There was no way this could have happened.

He struggled to stand, pushing Lauren away gently. He took a hold of his baby brother and propped himself against the railing, staring the titan down. He felt a burning anger for these beasts...but why wasn't he enraged? Surely it would be normal to want to kill these monsters in retaliation for the terrible things they've done. He snapped back to reality when Eitan began to cry again. He looked down and stared at his baby brother, before holding him tightly. It was at that moment that he realized what he felt; the primal instinct of an animal to protect it's family. "I won't let them get through Wall Rose, Eitan...I promise." He shut his eyes...and for the first time in a long time, he let his tears fall freely.