Beyond The Walls (AOT x OC Fanfic)

The Will to Fight

The rooftop offered a grim view of the battlefield, a scene marked by chaos and desperation. Titans lurked around every corner, and the cries of those who hadn't made it to safety echoed through the broken city. Jeiden and Mikasa, having finally made their way to the rooftop, scanned the area. Their eyes fell upon a group of fellow soldiers, but something was wrong.

"No..." Jeiden whispered, dread twisting in her stomach.

"Huh?" Mikasa looked over at her.

Jeiden's voice was barely above a whisper. "They should've heard the bells that signaled for retreat. So why aren't they climbing the wall yet?"

Mikasa followed her gaze toward the supply compound, where Titans crowded around, blocking any hope of a clear escape. The realization struck her hard. The soldiers on the rooftop had been stranded, cut off from their only source of gas. Without it, they were as good as sitting ducks.

Across the battlefield, Connie and Jean stood with a cluster of other soldiers, their faces tight with fear and frustration.

"Hey, Jean! What do we do now?" Connie asked, desperation lacing his voice.

Jean's expression was grim. "What can we do? We finally received the order to retreat, but we can't get over the wall because we're out of gas. We're all going to die. Thanks to those fucking cowards..."

"You mean the support squads?" Connie's face paled. "What happened to them? Are they all dead?"

"They probably lost their will to fight," Jean replied bitterly. "I understand how they feel. But I doubt they've abandoned their mission and barricaded themselves away in the HQ. I'm guessing the Titans have them surrounded, which is why they can't supply us with gas."

Connie clenched his fists, his frustration evident. "That's exactly why we have no choice but to go all in on those Titans! Sitting here and waiting to die isn't going to make a difference! The Titans are going to surround us too! If we keep running away, we'll just end up wasting the little gas we have left. Once we lose our agility, it's really over!"

Jean looked at him, surprised by his rare moment of clarity. "I never thought I'd hear you make an intelligent comment, Connie. But how do you suppose we do that with the forces we have left? The vanguard has nearly been wiped out. And who among us cadets could possibly take command of such an operation? Not that it would matter. The gas storage is probably crawling with four-meter class Titans by now."

Connie's face fell, the spark of hope fading. "So it's hopeless?"

Jean looked down, a flicker of regret in his eyes. "I had such a boring life. If someone told me beforehand..."

But before he could finish, Sasha spoke up, her voice filled with uncharacteristic intensity. "Let's do it! Stand up! If we all work together, we can do it! I'll be in front!"

She looked around at the other soldiers, waiting for them to join her. But they only stared back, their faces blank, their spirits broken. Sasha's hopeful smile faltered as she looked at Armin, sitting alone on the edge, lost in his own despair.

"Armin! Let's go together and —" she started, but the sight of his haunted expression stopped her in her tracks.

Annie glanced over at Reiner. "What now, Reiner?"

Reiner shook his head, his gaze steady. "It's not time yet. We need to group up first."

Marco's voice was barely a whisper as he looked down at his hands. "It's over... No matter what we do, we'll be dead before we make it out of here. I mean, I'm prepared to die... but what exactly am I going to die for?"