Just An Average Guy

Chapter 18

Four hours after the supposed breach of Wall Rose, unknown location...

Venturing outside the Walls was somewhat of an uncommon occurrence for the Garrison regiment. Taking into consideration the fact that five years ago a lot of Garrison troops had their first experience encountering Titans, none of them expected to ever expected to be put on the frontlines ever again.

That was until they received word that Wall Rose had been breached. The moment they heard one of their superiors utter those dreadful words all of the laughter and banter they had been spouting came to a sudden halt. Some hesitated, but when the order came for them to gear up and search for the breach; they all obeyed... even if some experienced terrible flashbacks from five years ago.

Families devoured, people losing everything...

Hannes' thoughts drifted to that fateful day. The day he decided to turn tail and run away from the very thing he thought he would face without a hint of hesitation. He remembered Carla's expression, she was relieved... but even if Eren and Mikasa had not been able to see it; he did. Carla, ever so defiant even in her final seconds, was scared. She had been scared the moment Eren and Mikasa had arrived to try and save her.

Hannes gritted his teeth, trying to force the memory out of his head and to try and focus on the task at hand. But given the situation; trying to think about anything else but Titans was proving to be difficult. He turned his head towards his fellow comrade; Phil, as he yanked the reins of his horse to try and make it run even faster.

"Captain Hannes, what's wrong?" asked Phil, wondering why his superior had been so quiet after departing. Normally Hannes would be the one to break the ice in any uncomfortable or difficult situation. But now it seemed that even a joker as Hannes could be at a loss for words.

"We haven't spotted a single Titan yet." Hannes replied, focusing of the Wall he had been tasked to inspect. "Don't you think it's awfully quiet?"

Phil nodded in agreement. "I don't understand it either. When Maria was breached, we knew where to look. Lots of Titans in one place." He too turned his attention to the Wall they were scouting and continued. "But now there's... nothing. There's just nothing. No screaming, not footsteps, just nothing." He closed his eyes in thought. This was truly a desperate situation.

"Either way, it just doesn't add up." Hannes stated, sighing audibly. "I hope this doesn't turn into the massacre we experienced five years ago..."

"Lift your head up a little, Hannes!" Phil replied, smiling. "Five years ago, we didn't have a kid who could turn into a Titan, remember?"

Hannes, surprised by the sudden burst of confidence from his friend and long-term brother in arms, took a moment to register the words that had just been spoken. After a few seconds, he couldn't help but grin slightly and reply. "That's right. And don't you be forgetting who taught that kid everything he knows!"

"Ha! And aside from over-excessive drinking and showing up late for guard duty, what else have you taught that boy?" Phil joked, earning an audible chuckle from the other soldier; Walter, who had been riding alongside them. "Besides, should Eren not be enough, we still have the other guy."

"Ah, so you believe the stories?" Walter asked, deciding to join the conversation instead of just listening. "Everyone has been going on and on about him, but have either of you ever seen him in action?"

Both Hannes and Phil did not respond and thus Walter added.

"Well, me neither. But with everything that's going on right now, I think I'll just have to take everyone's word for it."