Village of Smoke (Connie x Fem Reader)

Chapter 8; The Parting

Your horse had carried you a good distance further before an abrupt movement made you roll off the back, collapsing against the ground with a harsh thud. Had you been any sort of conscious, that fall would've been sure to leave you writhing in pain. However, you were completely out of it, splayed out atop the ground with no means to move, and no signs of coming to your senses either...

*3rd person POV; Connie, several hours later*

The recruits and veterans got going immediately after Nanaba broke the news, splitting up into teams to notify and evacuate the nearby villages. Connie knew he should've been terrified riding directly towards the south, but he couldn't find it in him to care about his own safety; He simply had to see it for himself.

His mom, dad, Sunny, Martin... Y/N. Were they safe? What horrors awaited him once they got there? Those same thoughts were the only things rotating in his mind, everything else seemed to shut itself out.

"Connie—", he suddenly registered Reiner speaking to him. Seems like they've been trying to talk to him for the last couple of minutes.

"Huh?"

"Stay with us Connie, we're getting close"

He finally aimed his focus back on the road ahead, spotting Ragako appearing out of the trees scattered around the field. Immediately he upped his pace, testing his horse to its absolute limit.

"Connie, wait! Calm down! There could be titans anywhere!", Reiner called out time and time over, but Connie blatantly ignored him. "Get back here Connie!"

Passing the first couple of houses from the direction they came in, he looked around desperately, seeking out anything familiar amongst the ruins. There were not a single person in sight, only destroyed homes.

"This can't be... Anyone?! Is anyone there?!", he yelled out, yanking his horse to a halt. There were no replies, his heart racing to the point where it hurt. He took a deep breath, screaming out with all his might. "It's me! Connie! I came back!"

He felt tears press on his eyes and he struggled to breathe.

'Y/N! Her family's house is right around the corner!'

Without further hesitation, he made his way over there in a haste, hoping the outcome would somehow be different once he reached it.

It wasn't...

Just like every other house, it was completely crushed, if not even more so than the rest. There were four giant holes in various parts of the home, which had sent items and belongings tumbling down amongst the debris in your front yard.

He jumped off of his horse to inspect it further, not even bothering to wait for it to fully stop; paving his way through the stones.

"Y/N!"....No answer. "I'm back! I'm here! Where are you?!". A peculiar item in his peripheral caught his attention. It was the tiny box you always kept atop your vanity. Carefully, he picked it up, investigating the content. It felt like getting punched in the gut once Connie recognized the bracelet you made him all those years ago.

'I'll hold onto it until you come back then dummy',- your voice was so clear in his head he could've mistaken it for you standing right beside him.

"But I am back Y/N... Where are you?", Connie said lowly, as if you could hear it.

Squeezing his eyes shut in pure despair, he took a hold of the bracelet, stuffing it into his pocket for now. He had to move on and check out the state of his own home.

Throwing himself back on the horse, he headed straight for the house, passing Mister Becker's stand and all the ares of his childhood that should be as familiar to him like the back of his hand, however now close to unrecognizable by the state this town had been left in.