Lauren Jones - Wall Maria: Shiganshina District
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.
