𝑴𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑨𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒍. AotxMaleOc (Attack on Titan X Tokyo Ghoul)

Haunted

Thanks to Eren sealing the breach in the Wall, the flow of Titans coming inside Trost was halted. After this, combined forces of Scout and Garrison Regiments spent the whole day eliminating all Titans that remained inside the District, with the city shaking from the sounds of Wall Cannons shooting and blades piercing through walking monsters' skin. Two Titans were successfully captured for future experiments carried out by the Scout Regiment. In the end, Trost endured the dreadful attack and was safe.

However, it was far from a glorious victory.

Any notion of happiness was shattered by the horrifying toll of losses: a few hundred people were either dead or missing, and even more were left injured. There were so many corpses strewn around the city, that there was not enough time to bury and grieve over all of them. Due to this, the risk of an epidemic outbreak was rising.

Eren was taken in custody and his fate was to be determined later, while the rest of the 104th Cadet Corps dispatched in Trost were working alongside city personnel in the cleaning process. Their job was to identify as many victims of the battle as possible to speed up the bodies' disposal.

The air was heavy with pain and mental exhaustion as the painful process of identifying the deceased unfolded. Witnessing the aftermaths of the battle proved too much for some, leaving them utterly terrified and causing emotional distress, with some breaking down or even vomiting on the spot.

Annie was assigned to pair with Armin. Most of the time, they were walking around, checking every corner of houses, streets, and blocks for bodies. To avoid the putrid odor of decaying bodies and potential infection, both wore white tissues covering their mouths and noses. Despite being stoic most of the time, Annie seemed to be deeply affected by the grim reality they were facing. Best known for her independent nature, now she found herself incredibly close to Armin, almost fearing to be separated. The sight of numerous mangled bodies caused to stir emotions in her, causing her to even shed tears, even though she was determined to quickly wipe them away to avoid being seen by her friend.

Seeing his friend in such a state was devastating for Armin. He wanted to comfort her in some way but he was too hit deeply by everything that happened. He hated himself for not being able to help Annie at this moment.

Annie: I'm sorry...I...I'm so sorry to all of you.

Armin brought Annie back to her senses as they got closer to two dead soldiers stuck in a red sphere of Titan vomit. Roses could be barely seen on the backs of the soldiers' jackets.

Armin: Those two...I think they are from the Garrison Regiment.

Annie somberly nodded looking down at her clipboard and adding two more tally marks to the section labeled "Garrison".

As they went on their heart-wrenching task, their spirit was continuously plummeting. In some places, the stench of decaying corpses was overpowering, penetrating their noses through their safety tissues and triggering involuntary gags. The place was still a wreck for the most part, rubble of homes was everywhere. The process was painfully slow, it continuously seemed more like torture to people who were still alive staring at lifeless pieces of human flesh. Along their route, Annie was adding more and more marks to the different sections of the clipboard: "Cadets", "Civilians", "Scouts", "Garrison" and "Unidentifiable".Each new body encountered added to the anguish shown on the blonde cadet's face as she continued to mark the fallen.

Armin: We are almost there... just one more street to check. Once, we are done, let's finally get to our dorms and get some rest. I-I think we all need it.

Annie: Yes.

A silence rose again which was momentarily broken by Annie.

Annie: Armin.