Walking Between Dreams

Chapter 39

A low rumble came behind me causing me to slip the knife from my belt, then Malgath rotated to have his mouth left agape. Slowly I raised my head from a pair of leather boots to a face that was lined from age with sunken eyes and he wore a Survey Corps patch over his heart. The man conversed with Malgath a few times leaving me in the dark and on a occasion pointing at me and beyond.

After a few minutes the men nodded their heads and the man with sunken eyes introduced himself, "Keith."

"Ymir," I responded as I sheathed the dagger, the man's eyes twitched to it.

Seagulls began swarming the pasture of death, the smell of rotten meat began to become overbearing. Rays from the sun casted shadows to the west creating long strips of darkened colors. Remnants of the buildings crunched under our shoes as Keith and Malgath walked away, indicating for me to follow.

The two marched with a purpose towards the docks through the blood soaked stone with bullet holes in it. Guns and knives were spread across the ground, even with some still grasped by the user. When I hobbled by a corpse a hand held onto my boots with a low moans escaping their lips. A shadow was drawn when a gun was pointed at me with their hand on the trigger. Keith intervened with trained precision and stomped on their elbow, bones snapped. Without hesitation I aimed my gun at their head and pulled the trigger catching the attention to the old man ahead of us.

As we stopped before the splintered wood that made up the docks Malgath held out his hand and I squeezed it knowing what it meant. Awkwardly I saluted Keith with my version of a salute and he returned it with their own gesture. It was time for them to be remembered as heroes of their time who destroyed ships that could an advantage to the Yeagerists.

Salty whiffs of the ocean smacked my nose when I turned to face the growing gale, there was no sound present except for the pounding of the waves. I trekked through the unburied cemetery of unknown soldiers, their glass eyes observed my every movement. Their families will never know the dead's true and that is the cost of war. My mind wandered to the possible future without Lolos or Mia, it was unbearable. However, my main mission was to restore Mia's soul somehow.

Through the rubble caused by Reiner's transformation I toppled over an enormous pieces of cement and decided to rest a moment since I was breathing heavily from the slaughter that took place. Curiously the stone seemed to glimmer in the light as the scent of rotten leaves returned. Pieces of stone fell from the chunk of cement as I flipped it over to find You need to run now etched on the back of it.

Instinctively I sprang up and ran to the best of my ability because it was a time sensitive emergency. Leaping over bodies and limbs I was able to make it to forested area, sounds of nature beckoned me. There was nothing left for me to do, but to sprint for my life.

Suddenly, a powerful gust of air made the world go silent, it sheared my skin off leaving burns across my body as I was thrown into a pine. Ringing thrummed through my head with pain coursing through every inch of me. Slowly I peeled my eyes open and saw my arm a few meters away buried in dirt, my fingers were reaching for the sky. My lungs ached with each breathe, blood glimmered on the grass from each wheeze. Ash swirled in spires in the after shock waves of the explosion from Keith and Malgath. My eyelids fluttered close to serene darks; nonetheless, I felt the fire rage inside of me one last time.

---

"Welcome back, Ymir," mocked a hollow voice.

Blinking wearily I pushed myself up from nothing and did not struggle to stand. Darkness crept around me in an endless landscape that never ended, silver to dark gray shades were etched across the sky, odors of autumn danced around me.