Hange Zoe Short Story Collection

Yellow (Part 3)

"So, then I took my turn, what a thing to have done, and it was all yellow..."

(Y/N)'s gripped onto the rein's tightly, the coarse leather digging into her palm. She and many other scouts were riding towards the location of the breach, hoping to help evacuate the citizens while simultaneously taking down the titans. There was also the problem of figuring a way to block the breach. They couldn't afford to lose another wall...that would mean even more famine and bloodshed.

"It's right up ahead, Section Commander," Moblit called, looking over his shoulder at Hange, whose horse was closer to (Y/N)'s.

"Right now, our priority is to get the citizens to a safe space," Hange began to dole up commands, pointing to each of the members of their squad as they assigned them tasks. At this moment, when faced with a crisis, Hange's demeanor had changed quite a bit. Instead of their usual bubbly personality, they appeared more serious. They appeared focused and determined, not fazed by the slight rumbling of the ground...the rumbling that signified multiple titans running amok.

(Y/N) sat atop her horse, refusing to look anywhere besides Hange's focused visage. If she turned her head, there was a huge chance she'd see a titan. If it were possible, her grip only tightened. She watched silently as her fellow comrades went out to follow the commands Hange had given them. They were all going to save lives, while (Y/N) was struggling to move.

"(Y/N)!" Hange called, glancing briefly at her. "You've understood your orders, correct?" Get to it, cadet."

With that, Hange used their ODM gear to hop off their horse, their gaze focused on what appeared to be a titan. (Y/N)'s orders...what were her orders? What had Hange told her to do? She swallowed. She had to do something. If she sat on her horse, in the middle of all of the chaos, she would be dead meat. For god's sake, she was a soldier. (Y/N) had trained for this for years. She was excellent at ODM gear maneuvering, she was even great at combat...she was trained and skilled. She could do this.

Inhaling shakily, (Y/N) used her gear to leave her horse and fly to a nearby rooftop. The wind whistled past her ears, and if she tried hard enough, she could hear the faint sounds of screaming and cries. (Y/N) closed her eyes, the sound of heart-breaking sobs and desperate pleas brought back memories she wished she never had to relive again. She had to help people, help save their loved ones so that they would never have to go through the emotions (Y/N) felt on a daily basis.

That was why she had joined the scouts, right? To help others, to prevent her story from repeating itself ever again. To gain power, to gain strength so that even if she couldn't help herself or rewrite history, she could help others. That was her purpose. That was her goal. She wasn't living for much, her life was quite bleak and dark, and she often wondered why she had been the only one who had survived...but if she could help one person. Just one person. Her survival would be worth it. (Y/N) gritted her teeth and grabbed her blades. Help people. Kill titans. That was it.

Over the span of the next half hour, (Y/N) assisted in evacuating citizens by guiding them towards the gate exits. She had closed herself from any emotion besides determination. She ignored the screams of mothers who had lost their kids, she ignored the sobs of terrified children, she ignored the sobs of those who had lost everything...all she had to do was help them. If she stopped and sympathized, (Y/N) wouldn't be able to move. The desperation and fear would swallow her whole. Yes, she was terrified, but she had to keep moving.

"Keep moving," (Y/N) called out to the teenaged girl she was leading to safety. There were three more kids, who seemed to be the girl's younger siblings.

"I'm—I'm t-trying," the girl stuttered, her legs and arms trembling violently.

'The gate is close," (Y/N) glanced behind her, making sure a titan wasn't following them. She had only spotted them from a distance so far, their tall hideous bodies towering over the small homes and buildings. Many had already been destroyed, the walls and roads caked with blood.