My Inner Demons: The Rise of a Devil

Chapter 2: Loss

*BOOM*

Another deafening sound boomed across the district as a hole was blown through the gate. Chunks of debris flew through the air and many people were crushed and killed instantly, but those were just the lucky ones. Many others were hit by falling debris and rendered immobile. As if what had just happened wasn't bad enough, I saw the towering figure of a Titan pass through the gate.

As soon as everyone saw it, they seemed to realize the gravity of the situation and ran in all directions screaming in terror. A sudden realization hit me and I felt a wave of fear.

Y/n: That debris...it flew over by our house!!!

Eren: Mom!!!

Mikasa: Let's go. If we're lucky it won't have been destroyed.

Armin: Guys! You can't just leave. Now isn't the time to be looking for somebody.

We rushed back home, ignoring Armin's warning. When we turned the corner, the sight we saw was devastating. Our house was crushed and my mom was trapped underneath a roof beam.

Carla: What are you three doing here?

Y/n: We came to get you out.

Carla: It's too late for me. My legs have been crushed by the beam. Go, save yourselves!

Y/n: No, we can lift it. Come on guys, help me!

They both nodded and each grabbed part of the beam. We lifted with all our strength but it didn't budge. I gritted my teeth and tried to lift it again. I got the same result again. I tried a third time and ended up cutting my fingers.

Carla: Y/n, please look at me. Even if you were able to somehow lift this, I couldn't run. Get out of here while you still can.

Y/n: NO, I'M NOT GOING TO LEAVE YOU HERE, I CANT!!!

Carla: DAMMIT, JUST LISTEN TO ME FOR ONCE, PLEASE!!!

The zipping sound of ODM gear reached my ears as Hannes suddenly appeared. My mom looked at him with a hopeful gaze.

Carla: Hannes please, take the children to safety.

Hannes: C'mon Carla, that ain't our only option. My specialty is killin' Titans and saving lives!

Carla: No, wait!

He ran down the street toward an approaching titan that I only noticed just now. We all watched, hoping he would be able to kill it and help us save my mom, but what happened next shocked me. Hannes took one look at the Titan and immediately ran back toward us. He pulled us off our feet and grabbed our hands, running away from the titan with us in tow.

Y/n: WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! WE CAN STILL SAVE HER!!!

Hannes ignored me and kept running.

Carla: SURVIVE THIS, YOU HEAR ME? ALL OF YOU SURVIVE!!!

All we could do was watch in vain as the Titan dug through the rubble of our home and grabbed my mom's struggling figure. In one motion, it twisted her body and showered the area in blood before eating her whole. Once we were a safe enough distance away, Hannes let go of our hands so he could catch his breath.

With tears streaming down my face, I reeled back and punched him square in the jaw. He looked at me in surprise after regaining his composure. I swung again but he caught my fist and stopped me.

Y/n: I HATE YOU, FUCKING BASTARD! I FUCKING HATE YOU!!!

I tried in vain to punch him again but my anguish over witnessing my mom get devoured ultimately won as I was reduced to a crying mess.

Hannes: I did what I had to do. It was either her or all of us. She knew that you three couldn't lift that beam so she told you to escape and save yourselves. You're weak Y/n, there was nothing you could have done, and no matter how much you think you could have, it's still the same. I'm not any better. You were right, I am a coward. Instead of killing that Titan like I was trained to, I turned tail and ran, leaving your mother to die. So blame me all you want, god knows I deserve it.

He bowed his head in shame. I could see that he regretted not being able to help us save my mom. He was just as weak as we were.

Eren: Come on guys, we still have to get out of here. We should head to the boats. That's likely how they're helping the civilians escape.

Mikasa grabbed my hand as we started to walk. Hannes silently led us to the boats before leaving to rejoin his men. As we walked up the boarding ramp, I glanced over and saw Armin sitting with his grandpa. Eren and Mikasa went over to him with me in tow. We all sat down right as the boat began to pull away from the dock.

Several people tried to jump from the dock and climb onto the boat but many of them ended up falling into the river. I barely paid attention to what was happening because I was still in shock at the horrors of the last few minutes. There were still screams echoing across the area since the Titans hadn't all been killed yet. As we passed under the archway leading deeper into human territory, I heard a bunch of shouts followed by loud sounds that could only be cannon fire.

Seconds later a Titan exploded through the wall, destroying the inner gate. It looked vastly different than the ones we'd already seen. This one had a layer of what could only be described as armor covering its body. It had golden blond hair and bright yellow eyes too. It looked at us but did nothing. Instead, it turned and ran back into the district.

Everyone in the boat was baffled by what just happened., including Eren, Mikasa, and Armin. I just sat silently in my tiny area of space, my anger boiling. Eventually, the inner wall was nothing more than a dot on the horizon. I thought about the possibility of my dad having been killed but then I remembered that he left for the interior hours before everything happened. The chances of him being alive were relatively high. That was the only thing good about what had happened today. At least there was some hope.

I balled my fists, unable to hold my anger in anymore. I stood up and walked over to the railing, gazing off into the distance with the sun lighting up my face. I slammed my fists down on the side of the boat as words rose from my throat.

Y/n(determined): I swear, I'm gonna make those bastards pay! I'll slaughter them all, every last one!!!