Contrary to the danger that lurked on the other side of the walls, the Shiganshina District was lively, and of course, peaceful.

Despite Shiganshina effectively acting as "Titan bait" for humanity, many still chose to flock to the markets and towns to take advantage of the subsidies the crown allotted the district to convince the public to live in close proximity to humanity's enemy. With proof of a hundred years of peace behind their backs, plenty continued to take this offer, believing that the Titans were no longer a threat with the creation of the walls.

Among these businesses were the Harwells, whom ran a rather well-known bookstore within Shiganshina.

However, unlike most mornings, business was unusual for the the bookstore. Unusual enough for Tanner, the "only" child of the Harwells, to focus her thoughts elsewhere, which usually meant her journal. Rather than function as a diary or some place for Tanner to write down her personal thoughts, the journal functioned as a specialized document, filled with inquisitive notes and scribbles. It was Tanner's quest to figure out whoever it was her parents were being so damn secretive about, having to go as far as to adopt a persona.

Still, after a few years of searching, the woman haunting Tanner's thoughts was yet to be found.

"The Survey Corps are back!" A voice echoed from outside, among plenty others that heralded the return of the Survey Corps. Carefully setting her quill down on the wooden desk, Tanner snatched her journal as she rose from her chair and hurried downstairs. Typically, Tanner would not have paid attention to some random commotion on the district streets, but whenever the Survey Corps were involved, it was always a special occasion for the girl.

Nearly tripping down the steps, Tanner ran past old portraits of her family hanging on the wall. If the Survey Corps were returning, then perhaps the lady dressed in scout's regalia in the pictures would be returning too, even if it was unlikely.

It wouldn't stop Tanner from hoping, at least.

---

---

In the crowds of Shiganshina's market district, a young man walked through the sea of commoners just like him. Some of the inhabitants knew who he was; a past troublemaker with a scar for his foolish lifestyle in the past. It wasn't uncommon for him to receive a dirty look from a person or two, but for the most part, the stigma had somewhat died over time. They knew that he was only out to get food for his family from the market. It was the only time he really liked to show his face, if he could help it. As he made his way up to a stand filled on the counter to the brim with food, he unlaced the coin pouch on his belt, counting what he could. His mother being unable to work had left him as the sole bread maker of the household. The stall owner had seen his face plenty of times before, knowing immediately what he came to buy. "Ah, young Mr. Moreau - what can I get for you today? I have a fine selection of vegetables and freshly baked bread. How about a little meat on the side? Young man like yourself needs protein for the military, eh?" Gabriel gave a quick nod. "Not too much. I didn't make enough last week." He placed a few coins into the man's hand and received a small basket of his selections.

As he made his way back home, he caught a glimpse of his hands as he carried the neatly woven basket; they were cut, bruised, and tarnished. It was the hard work for his family that got him this. Suddenly, a cry from the main street as he passed caught his attention. From what he could gather, the Scouting Legion was returning. A small light in his eye seemed to spark. Perhaps this time, Gabriel thought, he would be back? He made his way over to the street, standing behind a small crowd that lined up. His wounded hands tightened around the baskets edges, causing a stinging sensation to run up his arm. It wasn't quite enough to stop him, though. This time he would be back. He was certain of it. More-so than the last. He was just lost outside the Walls somewhere, waiting for rescue after all. His eyes focused on the approaching group from the opened gate, his mind no longer attached to more personal things. The wounds on his hands and the scar on his face didn't matter - not even the horrible memory of the day his father was reported to be missing in action mattered. He was here this time.

---

---

Bastien sighed as the sounds of the morning ran throughout the alleys of the Shiganshina district. He gazed at the clock mounted at his wall, tapping his foot impatiently. A half-finished sketch of his room laid on his desk. It was simple, with only a bed, a desk, a chair, and a dresser. He leaned back in his chair, before standing up suddenly and rapping his knuckles on the trapdoor above him. Afterwards, he changed into clean clothes as the sounds of his parents waking and also getting ready echoing above him. Soon, the trapdoor opened. Bastien looked up, his hair still sticking up in various places as he desperately combed it. Finally, he won the struggle, and his hair stayed flattened, albeit a bit wild. His adoptive father glanced down at him as Bastien climbed the ladder. "Are you sure you want to go into town today?" Bastien nodded silently. As he stepped into the main level of his house, the smell of breakfast greeted him. He waited patiently for his mother to set the table and finish preparing the meal, then sat down and wolfed down his food ravenously. Bastien's mother shot him a look, and Bastien gave an apologetic shrug.

After he finished his meal, he donned his coat and left the house, a small pouch of coins in his pocket. Today was one of the few days he got out of the house, and he enjoyed them. The first stop he made was the market, looking to see if anything caught his fancy. He looked around, before a candy store grabbed his attention. He entered, looking around at the various selections. Similar activities occupied his morning, visiting a bakery, a butcher shop, and a farmer until something broke the normal routine. Bastien stopped in the middle of a visit to a bookstore as a cry graced his ears. "The Survey Corps are back!" He weighed over the pros and cons of going to see, before ultimately deciding the books could wait. He followed the crowd heading towards the gates, the excitement slowly growing inside of him.

---

---

“Huh?! What do you mean the bread hasn´t cooled off yet?” said Elif, taking no measures to hide the major disappointment in her voice. The large woman running the bakery let out a dramatic sigh and adjusted her glasses, too busy with paperwork to even glance at the rambunctious teenager in front of her. “Come back in half an hour.”


Elif leaned on the side of a wooden fence, letting the soft green grass be her dining table for the occasion. In the end she had simply opted to purchase a small cake. Her father would no doubt begin a lecture on proper nutrition if he saw what she had purchased instead of the usual morning bread roll. He was always tucked away in his infirmary and neither of them could cook, so Elif knew most of the nearby dining spots by heart. And of course, years of her barging in meant that some of them knew her too.

She was unhappy with a lot of things in her life and frequently felt unsatisfied with the lack of freedom she had despite living fairly independently. One thing that had never ceased to stop pleasing her, however, was the sight of the great blue sky above her. Elif couldn´t fathom why people would ever choose to eat indoors when such scenery existed. She ate her cake in silence, pleased with another regular day passing its course.

Elif licked her fingers of whatever traces of sugar remained and began idly heading off to the Shinganshina market district. She had already helped her father set things up in the morning and figured that she probably had a bit more time to kill before having to head back. Her thoughts were abuzz with the impulses that tended to happen when exposed so frequently to the markets. Maybe she´d buy another novel, or perhaps she´d check if that headband she wanted was still for sale. These were all interrupted by the resounding cry of the return of the survey corps. If there was one personality trait that Elif could be solely defined by, it would be overwhelming curiosity. She quickly made her way towards the source of the voice, eager for answers.

The boy wandered around the room, staring at all the knick-knacks and decorations dotted on high shelves, novels filling up a bookshelf like a parade-square and bits and bobs that weren't found in the regular market-shop. It was a wonder to figure out what they were here to actually sell, and how they'd gain something that would fit within these one of a kind buildings. Though Grant had taken many guesses, he wasn't to accompany his Uncle on the regular deals. They weren't illegal or shift, that was definitely something he could confirm to both himself and his friend. Mateo would never commit to anything of the sort. He was a good man at heart, and would remain that way for the days he had within him. He wasn't older than him by a large distance, seeing as Mateo was a younger brother of Grant's father. It was the main reason for their bond. They didn't grow up too differently, but with him being 24 it meant that he could serve as a guardian whilst on their trading tour.

Grant looked up to Mateo, clearly. The man had done service, and only recently stepped out of service to assist in family issues. It was true. Grant's small home-town was facing an economic depression, and that didn't help in supplying themselves with food, water and necessities to make a living out of a farmland. No one wanted to sell things to a settlement outside of the walls, but it was still an issue that could be tackled. Mateo was almost like the family saviour, using his experience in and out of the walls to keep the flow of money on-point. What's more, he didn't scorch Grant for riding Rhys like his father did.

Luca prodded Grant on the arm several times, snapping himself out from the trance he was caught within. Luca was always like that. Impatient. Annoying. It's what made him Luca. No one else did anything better than like he did. It was the reason why the two became good friends, because Luca was so humorously annoying.

"Ey...Grant...Eeeeeey. The trading is starting. You might as well take Rhys and get a move on. We'll be stuck here all day by the time something happens..." Yep...Impatient, as per his usual antics went. "Besides, we've got a lot to get through today. You remember our plans? This is our 'Final Stop' after all..."

The two grinned at each other, as if they'd just gained all the money in the world combined. Their grins soon became a catalyst for action, as the two darted outside the door. It was mid-day already, and they were likely only going to spend a few days here until they would depart once more. With that being in the back of his mind, Grant was quick to rush over to Rhys. The horse was oddly sensible and obedient to wait outside until he'd return. Like a dog, only more staggering to look at. Grant placed a calm hand on its snout, as he always did, before tightening the saddle on his back. The last time that he'd taken a ride throughout the streets was in the East, where he mispositioned the saddle and slipped off mid-gallop. Like Luca always said, not only was he swift on a horse, he was also quick and falling off of them.

The two mounted their prize animals and began to gently trot down the street they were already in. The streets seemed oddly bare at first, even in the marketplace, it was difficult to make-sense of why they were like so. It wasn't long before they were able to find out, as the two slowly came to a stop behind a lined-formation of citizens, parted by a wave of uniformed individuals all returning home from outside the gates.

"Hey, Swifty...Look at the symbols on their jackets...Aren't they the group Mateo serves in?"

"I think you're right...The ones with the wings? That's got to be Mateo's bunch. I've never actually seen anyone else that wasn't him wear that kind of uniform. Why'd you think people are gathering them so much?" He mused about the possible answers, some of which he didn't like to think about. It was a difficult process to go through.

"Who knows? I'd rather not ask them...Plus, they're blocking a perfectly good straight-road to race down; I'm not willing to ask if they are able to clear a path..."

The two took a left, taking up a trotting pace. Their heads were fixed rightwards, staring at the bands of uniformed men and women pass by. It was a strange sight, almost, seeing them make their way through the streets. It was an almost silent event, people holding their breaths as they waited for a particular somebody to return from an expedition. Grant wasn't spared the sugar-coating when told about what these men and women were sacrificing to do. Mateo had been very straight-forward, but not blunt about their actions. It was worrying, finally witnessing what might've been the aftermath of a failed mission. It scared Grant, knowing that sometime after they return home, Mateo would have to return to active service, and possibly never returning.

They continued their trot down to the left, from where the Scouts were travelling from. The sights began to grow more and more depressing as each second passed on. The injured and mentally battered would be seen, staring only towards the ground as if they'd seen the worst. No one could blame them. They probably had. Occasionally, someone from the public would question or quiz a name into the audience, and about a half of them actually managed to get a response. Luca was surprisingly quiet as well, taking in the scenery very seriously. The two knew when it wasn't the time to be jovial or excited. In fact, this very sight could change his experience within the district completely.

The two continued on their trip further down the line of citizens words clashing with the wounded. Every second he began to grow more and more sick of what was said, but it didn't mean he could do anything about it. Mateo would speak of the times he had to return to such abuse, but he seemed to not pay attention to it. Sometimes, during their trip around the walls, he used to speak of how he sometimes found it humorous, something fun to poke at. He recited the words in his mind. Some people seem to get more and more abusive as the days go by. But that's fine; I just remind myself I'm not the one with a career in cleaning sewers. Sure, it contradicted the idea of fighting for humanity if he showed little respect to them, but all the tales he told of those he fought alongside ensured that Mateo was in fact fighting for the people who suffered the most out of it.

Well, that was when he was in service at the time. Since this trip, Mateo had been a good uncle to Grant. The two shared a lot of banter with one another, even with Grant still being a child. Even since Luca had come into the picture and become the third-wheel of the family connection, they were still close. As for Luca, Grant and him had a sort of 'Love-hate' relationship. Sure, Luca and him were great friends, but he was one annoying kid.

Suddenly, as if he were hit by a cannonball, his body and insides seemed to jolt around and thump loudly. It snapped him out of his trance, a small ache suddenly hitting his arm and back. What was this pain? Why had it happened so quickly? But before an endless wave of thoughts and questions over-flowed him once more, he hardly had to scrutinize the surroundings to see what was going on. The world seemed to be vertical...Well, at least from his perspective. It could only mean one thing. He was lying on the ground.

Grant shot his head up quickly, a small pain still stuck in his right arm. To his left, Rhys clopped over to him and exhaled onto his face. To his front, Luca remained on his stallion, laughing his head clean off like some lunatic going on a killing spree. And to his right, stood a few people staring at him. It was certainly an embarrassing moment. Grant was praised for having a natural talent of riding horses and keeping a great posture on them. But during his trance, he must've slipped off without realising it. He had to think quickly, in order to maintain his dignity, which at this point had mostly shattered into small fragments that were impossible to pick up.

"Uhh...I...uhm..." He trailed off. For once, he could not deliver a joke. Whether he was focusing too much on his arm hurting or he was far too embarrassed, no words came out of his mouth. He slowly got to his feet, and began to saddle back up. He quietly, with Luca still cackling behind him, continued to ride onwards.

The two kept moving onwards, until they reached a small opening. It wasn't much, there were a couple of children a few metres or so away that were snacking away on food of some sorts, but Grant wasn't hungry enough to approach them. They were to be in this district for a little while longer, before they'd have to head outside the walls and stick to its circumference once more, making their way back to Grant's home town, providing the family hadn't starved yet. Come to think of it, Grant hadn't heard about any of his family in the duration of his departure. It worried him slightly, but then again, how easy is it to deliver letters to someone who keeps moving?

Grant had seen quite a bit of the inner-fields outside of the walls. Apparently Mateo was a good enough carer to accompany him outside of what he presumed was the safety of his town. In fact, during their entire tour, he hadn't seen nor heard of any near Titan sightings. It used to keep him up at night, but it was coming to the point where even Luca himself doubted their existence. He was a conspiracy-maker at heart, always finding a way to question anyone who had any authority over him. He even had a theory that Mateo was a murderer. Didn't take long for the Uncle to find out and shove him off of his horse.

The two remained sat on their horses, Luca still trying to recover from his laughing fit. It was still embarrassing for Grant, but now that they were away from the crowds and only around a few people their age that hadn't seen it allowed for him to take a breather.

"Mateo must have called you stupid at some point in your life? Especially if he'd have seen that, I know he would." Luca continued to guffaw at his friendly insults. Their friendly banters between one another were quite tiresome during long extensions of practise, but the duo still found comfort in knowing they weren't indifferent from when they first met.

"If I was you, he'd call me that. But because I'm not you, I think he'd be a lot more caring about it than you are...Anyway...We'll just hang around here for about ten or twenty minutes...Give Rhys a chance to rest or something before we race off down the street again..." And with that, he walked to a wall where he could rest his back against. With his hands tightly wrapped around the rope used to guide Rhys around, it was quite nice for the two to simply relax and take in the silence, despite the more distant sounds of the returning Scout Legion.

---

By the time the sun had begun to rise, Charlotte had already made her way out of her house to accompany her father to work; it was almost like every other early morning, making essential preparations at the bakery for what was usually a hectic working day. Up by five, freshly kneaded dough in the oven by six, and customers flocking in to buy either their breakfast or lunches for later by seven. The busy cycle of baking and selling would go on for hours after that, until the place got locked up at around eight in the evening. The spring season brought warmer weather and longer days, so around this time of year Charlie would be in the kitchen for even longer hours. 'Bothersome', she often called it, though not as often as she did during the horrid, unbearably hot summer months. Working near a baking hot oven for most of the day was more than enough heat for the young girl.

But this morning would instead start off with Charlie trecking off to the local market, with the kitchen running low on ingredients again. A dozen or so bags scattered across the kitchen wouldn't be enough to last the rest of the day, with the usual work shift eating up about a thirty ten kilogram bags of flour in a day. By half seven in the morning, Charlie was out on the streets again, making the long walk to the inconveniently far marketplace to bring back some much needed flour and yeast. With customers already beginning to pile in — even at this hour, her father suspected there wouldn't be this many people — it would become Charlie's responsibility to bring the ingredients back herself with her father very much occupied so early in the morning. With only half the man power than usual, she could only groan at the thought.

It was almost eight now, and Charlie had managed to purchase what she needed; exactly ten bags of flour and yeast which she would walk to the bakery and back for, one at a time so she wouldn't tire out so quickly at this time of day. She didn't want to make any more inconveniences for herself. Hauling one bag of flour over her shoulder, the real work began. If there was one thing she was grateful for, it would be her skill at carrying bags of flour with much less struggle than the average person her age. Any opportunity to make work easier was very much appreciated.

It was when Charlie was on her second round of flour that she heard the announcement for the Survey Corps' return. A crowd had already started to gather on the main roads, which had some of the younger children excited from all the commotion. Charlie knew the Survey Corps to be infamous for its low success rate expeditions, countless lives of soldiers being lost to those monsters beyond the walls. She had heard all of the critical ramblings from her mother; Charlie figured that it was perhaps a way of putting her off joining, if she was hilariously foolish enough to even do so.

Yet a gut sense of curiosity kept her from breaking into faster walking speed, and Charlie found herself matching the slow, solemn pace of the soldiers as they drearily piled into the streets. Even in such a chaotic gathering of people she could feel the psychological trauma of the soldiers' return, their miserable faces and tattered green cloaks caked in dirt and blood becoming a heavy weight inside her stomach.

But it wasn't a feeling that would last for very long; this wasn't the first time Charlie had seen such a sight, and unfortunately, it likely wouldn't be the last. She let out a quiet, casual sigh, turning away from the distant sight of the Survey Corps and beginning to pick up the pace again.

Charlie had become much too accustomed to this feeling to express concern for such an event. Like many others in Shiganshina, she would continue on with her life, with the return of the Survey Corps being nothing more than a small bump in her daily routine. Today would be just like other days, nothing less and hopefully, nothing more.

---

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Gabriel watched as the broken regiment made it's way further into the district. The grim look on their faces did not effect him; he knew what was out there. He knew the pain and suffering that the Scouts faced when leaving the Walls. It wasn't a new sight to him. The first time was the hardest he'd ever witness. The only pain he felt was the anticipation of seeing his father once again. Yet, he never appeared. Not once in the crowd of soldiers and wounded did he see him. Perhaps he was in the cart with the dead? It would have been better that his corpse was found than to be gone forever. However, he couldn't believe in the possibility of his death - how could he have died? From everything he remembered about his father, his strength was the highlight. A soldier like him was the embodiment of a true warrior. He had to have been outside the Walls, surviving off on his own against the gargantuan hordes. He looked down as his thoughts raced in his head, his basket of food-stuffs entering his sight. "Ah. I almost forgot." With that, he threw his hopes away for today. Turning on his heels, he lugged the basket with him, off towards his home.

The quiet walk would not last for long. A blast had grabbed his attention, only to be overshadowed by the colossus that peaked over the Wall. His eyes widened at the sight of such a large titan. Was it even possible? A dream, perhaps? He couldn't comprehend the idea that such a thing even existed, let alone had just breached the Wall. Before he knew it, the basket had left his hands, and his feet rapidly moved. It was as if his body had entered auto-pilot. He wasn't thinking of the titans breaking into the Wall, or the soldiers who were dying to defeat them, or even of how to make it out alive. He thought of his little brothers and mother; how would they get out? They were still so young and innocent. There was no way they could escape alive without him. His mother, a paraplegic, was the only person they felt safe in proximity to. If she couldn't get away, how could they? Somehow, it felt as if he was gliding through the air. The adrenaline had picked up, forcing his body to push itself more and more as he got closer. For the first time, he had felt the dreaded feeling of fear.

---

---

"Come along, child, it's time to go,"

Her mother's voice was like a little bell ringing her out of her thoughts. Hotaru had been staring out into the distance as she usually did when she was bored. She loathed accompanying her mother on her errands, especially ones that took them so far from their home. It should have been a nice change of pace all things considered, but having to stand around doing nothing got tiring after the first two hours. She didn't bother asking her mother what they were doing as she'd likely get scolded. 'Mind your manners' and whatever, it was 'unladylike' to express her thoughts. The older she got, the more she realized that a lot of the things she was taught by her mother were pointless. Not that she was any better as she blindly followed along.

Following her mother, Hotaru's curious eyes wandered around. It looked like something had some people excited, although she wasn't entirely sure what was going on. As she listened, however, it sounded like some troops had come back or whatever, and she perked up. The Survey Corps had returned? She immediately turned to her mother, an excitement gripping her, though her mother had also heard the news and shook her head sternly. Disappointment filled the girl's expression, and her pace slowed slightly even as she followed. Of course she wouldn't get to have any fun. Stupid chores. Letting out a sigh, she dragged her feet slightly, although she stopped as soon as her mother turned around. Expecting a scolding, Hotaru straightened up and prepared herself, though rather than the stern look she was expecting, instead the pair were distracted by the ground shaking.

It was like the entirety of the street was put on pause as everyone stared up at the titan, only able to watch as it kicked in the wall. The titan made it look so easy, like it was kicking over the wall of wooden blocks. Of course, these weren't toys, and once the part of the wall caved, everything seemed to resume. Panic gripped people as they began to run. Hotaru managed to take a few steps, though fortunately for her, her mother had already grabbed her arm, pulling her along as Hotaru couldn't take her eyes off the monstrosity and carnage.

A shudder shook the very foundations of the earth below. It caught him, everyone in fact, off guard as they were preyed down upon by prying eyes dressing them in seasoning. Bone-ridden fingers tightly grasped onto the concrete edges of the wall. For a minute, the world fell silent. The birds stopped chirping. The men and women stopped singing and talking. All eyes rested upon one another as an innate fear shot through every breathing soul. Grant, equally as confused, scared and bewildered, on-looked from the back of his trusty steed before finding the sensitive and natural reaction to shudder, quivering within his worn out boots. The saddle he sat upon jingled and shook alongside its rider. A minor twitch reminded the walls that there wasn't a frozen, motionless boy sat upon this stallion, but instead someone who was very much prepared to abandon his position and leg it in whatever direction he could. An audible chatter of teeth grinding against one another in synchronisation intoxicated the masses within the street, baffled by the sight before them. What was this? Was this some sort of illusion? Perhaps the sun and air were only playing crude tricks upon the uneasy settlers below? As unlikely as it could be, Grant begged in his mind that this was some sort of sick joke.

Without any effort, the wall's gate smashed open with immense power, sending debris and carnage in all directions. Grant's eyes became darker, unsettled by the sights of random pedestrians being engulfed by the falling concrete rain. Excretions of blood started to stain the floor like a coat of old paint, smelling just as bad. Screams and cries of suffering didn't take long to pounce around the alleyways and streets. Grant, however, remained still and pondered the imagery in his mind. Maybe a bad dream had just kept him pinned down? A cold potato or uncooked portion of beef could be ruining a night's sleep? But it was all very real. The stench, the sights and the sounds could not be artificially recreated within a child's mind. Everything looked terrifying, satanic at the least. What was he to do?

For several minutes, or at least one could predict, Luca and Grant remained on their horses, unknowingly watching the world tick by. They pinched themselves several times to ensure that this was just a dream but were disappointed to find that they could feel every ounce of pain each one caused. Many citizens ran past them, rushing towards the opposite direction of the beasts. Soldiers flew above, going in all directions and attempting to guide whoever they could in the right direction. All whilst this was happening, Grant and Luca remained atop of their brave stallions that seemed barely unhinged by the mass genocide that engulfed them. Grant shuddered, before looking away, tears weltering up into his eyes. They needed to gallop, ride with the wind, and find whatever they could. For once, his mind seemingly forgot about Mateo.

---

It was so unexpected, so unusual, this unfamiliar rumbling beneath Charlie's feet. Nothing prepared her for a painful face plant onto the ground beneath her as her legs were knocked off balance. As she snapped her head around to seek the source of the sound, fanning away the cloud of her now burst open flour sack, Charlie saw it. A skinless red hand - a huge skinless red hand - crushed the top of Shiganshina's protective wall with its destructive grip as it pushed its massive head above it. It was like she had lost her ability to breathe in those few seconds as she gawked at that horrifying face, the hairs along her arms and legs and entire body standing up the longer she stared. That steaming red face had burned itself into Charlie's memory.

The explosive destruction of the district's last remaining defence was the last thing Charlie saw before she was on the ground again, this time, blacked out for a good two minutes.

She woke up to distressed shouts and terrified screams, and within the ten seconds in which she had been trying to regain her consciousness, Charlie had been trampled on twice. She sprang up to action only to feel an excruciating pain throbbing in the back of her head, and a familiar metallic scent wafted up her nose. Despite her feeble attempts to run in whatever direction these other terrified people were, Charlie slowly managed to gain a rough idea of the situation.

The gate that defended her home from the titans beyond had been shattered, and now she was running for her life to escape her own death. It wasn't a dream. It was all real, the pain in her head was real, the screams were real, and oh god, the dead bodies that painted the decimated streets in their blood were all too real. Her breathing quickened, her legs tensed, her eyes burned, and soon, Charlie was running just as frantically as the other desperate civilians, enduring the pain from her bleeding head.

She had no idea where she was going or what she was doing, it was unlike her to be this influenced by such a chaotic atmosphere. Her heart was now thumping as loud as the back of her head as panic and adrenaline surged through her veins. Charlie simply followed in the direction towards the innermost gate where most people had headed, unable to count the amount of times she had almost tripped over a shredded corpse. It was all she could do in the face of chaos and carnage.

It was only when she was in a totally unfamiliar area, having been carried by the directions of other panicked civilians, did Charlie finally realise what she was missing. Her heart seemed to stop in that second.

Father.

…mother.

Charlie continued to run.

---

---

Elif knew the mechanisms of the human body well from years of idly staring at whatever medical documents happened to be near. The way muscles pulled and tightened on the inside was always covered by a thick layer of skin, discoverable only by thorough research. The titan´s head that peered over the wall disgusted her. It was a perversion of the human body, a network of exposed ligaments and tissue. Its appearance gave her the impression of being grotesque just by existing, being shameless and exposed. Elif´s mind was quick to register the titan but slow to act. How else would one process the worst possible outcome happening right in front of them?

She ran with total abandon. The screaming was unlike anything she had ever heard before, more pained than any surgery she had ever witnessed. It was even worse when it would come to a halt, as it could only mean that the source had been stopped. Elif´s screams joined the rest of the stampede´s and she took off sprinting away from the vile titan. It was made frustrating by having to halt every few seconds in order to avoid crashing into another panicked villager, all while having to run around boulders that were once part of the wall. Even the occasional domestic animal blocked her path in the midst of its own run for survival.

A multitude of thoughts raced throughout her head, but the most prominent one was needing to find her father. He had no way to defend them and was about to be overrun with patients, but she felt that they had to be together if they wanted to survive. The streets that she had spent so long calling home were now a frantic and constantly changing volley of information that her brain struggled to comprehend. She made out stores and landmarks that seemed more recognizable than others and ran towards them in the hopes of eventually reaching her destination. Her hurried mind reasoned that this was a more rational plan than choosing a route and sticking to it. The dread that gnawed on her insides grew more and more with each little store that she had managed to reach, and intensified at the sight of a stall she had known for years reduced to nothing more than a crater. Still, she had to go on.

---

---

Her legs felt numb as they tried to keep up with her mother's pace, the older woman more determined to get the pair to safety. Hotaru couldn't stop looking at the carnage they were running from, but eventually, she turned her head in the direction they were going. How was her mother so calm during all this? People were running around like chickens without heads, but the woman was perfectly focused, even determined to get them to safety. Meanwhile, Hotaru was clearly afraid, and she felt like she was going to drown in panic. It looked like she wasn't the only one panicking, however, as she spotted a crowd trying to push their way through the streets. Rather than push through, her mother turned into an alleyway, her grip firm on Hotaru's hand. Hotaru felt her legs give way, but her mother managed to keep her from falling. "Just focus on me," Her mother's voice brought her out of her thoughts. "Just a little longer...we have to keep moving, do you understand? Even if your legs are tired, we need to keep running."

Of course they did. If they stopped even for a moment, the masses would probably run them over in their rush to safety. Hotaru nodded, feeling slightly calmer, though she held onto her mother's hand as tightly as she could. "Y-Yes!" She replied, inhaling deeply in an attempt to keep up. As the pair turned the corner, her mother came to a halt and Hotaru ended up bumping right into her. As she tried to catch her breath, she noticed a man standing there, almost like he had been waiting for them. "This way, quickly!" He urged the pair.

There was something in the way the man looked at her that Hotaru didn't like. His eyes were much too focused among the panicked people, too calculated. She could feel a pit form in her stomach as she unknowingly took a step back, letting go of her mother's hand. Her mother took her eyes off the man to look at Hotaru, her stern expression returning. But Hotaru wasn't looking at her, her own eyes never leaving the man's, and she felt everything slow down immensely as she noticed another man behind him with the same expression. As her mother had her back turned, the man closest to them took advantage, raising his arm to reveal what looked like knife. "Mother--!" The word had scarcely left her mouth, and it was like everything happened at once. Hands much stronger than hers lifted her off the ground, leaving her dangling in the air as the man's arm was brought down, striking her mother with the hilt of his weapon. She fell soundlessly to the ground, her body limp as she was picked up by the other man.

"Mother!" Hotaru screamed, though she got no response as she was taken away against her will. She felt like a doll as she tried to free herself, struggling uselessly against someone twice her size and many times stronger. Her brain told her to yell for help, to shout for someone, anyone to come. But who was going to notice among the chaos of the titans?

Letting out a sigh, the armed man approached her, roughly grabbing her face. "Look at this face! You don't see this every day!" He seemed giddy, his eyes examining her facial features intensely. Opening her mouth, Hotaru bit down on his fingers as hard as she could, the taste of blood on her mouth as he let out a shout of pain. Ripping his hand from her, he brought it back as he slapped her in response. "Damn kid--let's get going," He grumbled as the other two couldn't help but grin at their partner's misfortune.

---

---

Gabriel sweat heavily from the physical and mental stress of the dire situation. 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 fear was a lack of control - the inability to help those who could have lived full lives. The fear that he wouldn't be able to save his remaining family. This fear was what kept him going after his father had died. Every day he spent training his mind and body, honing it so that he could be unstoppable...but it was never enough to stop the beasts that gnawed away indiscriminately.

His mind was too distracted by his terror and too concentrated on ignoring the suffering around him as a titan lumbered past him. It's feet destroyed the buildings it walked through, sending Gabriel flying back as debris exploded towards 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 feet. The pain was numbed from the rush of adrenaline and the strong will to defeat his fear, but the severe degradation 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 limping 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 eye, he finally saw them. His mother being dragged of an alleyway, his siblings pulling her with in a panicked rush. 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 in 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 shockwaves 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. He would have control of this situation - they would get out in one piece if it was the last thing he did. "Lars, catch up to Pierre! RUN!" As Lars ran, the titan 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 stubby hand of a titan. He looked back to see his mother being dragged away by the deformed creature, standing five meters tall. "MY BABIES!" She cried out, reaching out towards Gabriel...no, not at him he realized; his brothers 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 tensed 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, swung his hatchet around defiantly. Gabriel watched in silence 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 off, his courage already faded away. With a cry, Pierre was grabbed, and Gabriel quickly ran underneath the preoccupied titan. His limp was forgotten as he held Eitan close to his chest, 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 gonna 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 grit against each other, his mind racing on an escape route. He looked down to the water, having come up with a temporary plan.

Waiting for the perfect opportunity where the titan's sights were broken, he rushed forward. Without a second to lose, Gabriel held onto Eitan closely, and leaped 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 them like a blanket, carrying him and his baby brother away towards the evacuation site.

---

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Elif´s hands clutched her knees with a shaky ferocity that she had never experienced before, greedily taking in as much air as she possibly could. Having to stop dead in her tracks to avoid obstacles had made sprinting a much more laborious task than she thought it would be. She was aware that standing still was one of the worst possible decisions one could make in a situation like this, but she still stopped for air regardless. Her throat burned and her feet felt as if they had been flattened along with her surroundings. Elif´s brain desperately put the next steps of her plan together. She´d have to perform a mad dash across the fields and only then would her father´s tents be visible.

A panicked villager was a hair away from knocking her over, prompting Elif to spring back into action and resume her escape. Her small moment of weakness had only lasted a few seconds at most, yet she already felt regret at letting that time slip past her. Elif took off into a more labored sprint than before with no solid route. Every hard step resounded on the ground and sent shockwaves of force from her feet to her knees, increasingly hurting her body.

It had felt like another eternity had passed before Elif was anywhere near her father´s whereabouts. The various scattered tents that had once been a lifelong source of boredom were now a beacon of hope. That was, until she had registered something else. Several chunks of fallen rock all around the area, one of which had completely flattened a tent as if it were made out of playing cards. They were small compared to the monstrous boulders that had rained on the market square, but so were her father´s tents.

Elif bit her tongue until it bled and ran with reckless abandon. She didn´t have the energy to shout anymore, instead letting hot tears quietly spring from her eyes. Whether her father was inside of that tent or not at the time of disaster would determine his fate. Elif´s overbearingly optimistic personality was being put to the test. A one in four chance of arriving to the flattened corpse of her father. A one in four chance of having no family left. She sloppily wiped her eyes with a dirtied sleeve and ran even faster. Her home was still so far away and she felt her legs burn more strongly than ever before.