Faulted Warriors

White Flag

The Aberrant stood awkwardly, still chewing her body. I stood, mouth agape, staring at it. I felt the rage flow through me, my hands trembling, my dual swords shaking violently. Ezra saw me, and he stared at me hard.
"Nate, don't..." He began, but I couldn't hear him over the scream of my thoughts. I walked slowly to the edge of the rooftop, in the direction of the Aberrant.
"You...bastard...." I whispered.
"Don't!" Captain yelled, but it was too late.
I jumped off the rooftop, and flew towards the Titan at an incredible speed.
"YOU IDIOT!" He screamed as he jumped after me.
I had never moved that fast by maneuver gear before, but I didn't care. I sped towards it, my rage consuming me, ignoring the Titans that began to flood into the area.
She's dead, I thought
She's gone, it took her away.
I felt my eyes water a bit. I sped up, burning my gas supply.
She couldn't die
I promised her!
I was almost upon it now. I swung to the left quickly, grappling onto the side of its neck.
You killed her. You took her away!
"DIE!" I screamed, shooting forward and slicing its neck before it had a chance to react to me.
The Titan was still for a moment, before it toppled to the ground, lifeless. I stopped all maneuvering, managing to land simply by skidding on the stone were Titans began to gather. I managed to stand straight for a second, before I too fell to my knees. My arms went slack, and my eyes welled.
"You were supposed to live..." I whispered.
The Titans walked towards me, slowly, their loud stomps faint background noise in my head. I could barely muster the strength to lift my head to look at them.
They were upon me then, the Titans, ready to lift me up to their mouths, ending me. But above the loud steps of the titans, I heard a whirring sound. Captain Ezra swooped in and snatched me up. He lifted us up just high enough to land hard on the roof. He rolled to a kneel, sharing at me.
"You idiot!" He yelled "You trying to get us killed?!"
He was met with my eyes, still wet from tears, giving him a sorrowful glance that showed nothing but despair and defeat. He took one look, and immediately looked away, biting his lip.
Suddenly, I heard some more footsteps on the roof.
"Nate!" Zip cried out, running towards us on the rooftop.
I looked up slowly. "Zip?"
A wave of relief washed over his face as he saw me, but stopped short after seeing the Captain stand up.
"Sir!" He said, saluting.
"Where is your squad, trainee?" Ezra asked
"Sir! I sent them back to help with evac. Our line has been broken, and I thought they would need help!"
"And you didn't go with them?"
Zip was silent, eyes darting to the side.
"I... Wanted to check up on Nate. I saw him go down." He said sheepishly.
The Captain glanced at me quickly. "I admire your loyalty to your friend. But I wouldn't abandon your men next time. You have a responsibility to them"

"Sir!" Zip replied.
The captain turned to me, and bent over, offering me his hand. I looked at it, and took it.
"Nathaniel, we need to head back. We're being assaulted full on now, and there is no way to handle this many Titans." Captain Ezra said, quickly turning to Zip. "As for you, find the rest of your squad and help the senior Garrison forces evacuate any remaining citizens. Don't let your troops out of your sight." Zip nodded, and ran off. I looked at the captain quickly, and we turned and ran to.
________________________________

Within a few hours of the initial assault, Lamine was lost to the Titans, and the remaining garrison forces and citizens fled within wall Rose. Over the course of that battle alone, nearly half of the defending troops died in the fight.
I rode my horse steadily through the crowded streets of Trost, the forward city of Wall Rose, which we had entered from. I stared downwards, at the horse's mane,  feeling utterly defeated. We had lost miserably, and so many people had died over the course of the battle. Once, I glanced up at the captain, whom I was riding next to. Although we were on horseback, I could tell his hands were shaking, and he held a distant look on his face. I wanted to reach out to him, to pull him back, but I stopped myself. He needed some time, I told myself.
Once we reached to supply depot, we trainees were ordered to help pack things, and immediately set off for the training camp once more for the selection ceremony. 
I helped unload the caravans with supplies next to the Captain. We were silent for the entire time. No words to be spoken, just grueling work. Before I departed, he grabbed me by the shoulder, taking me off to the side.
"You knew that girl, right?" He asked. He had stopped shaking, regaining himself.
I nodded slowly. "Nina." I said quietly. "She was a friend of mine during training."
"She was leading a squad. She must have been pretty good" he said, turning his attention to his men slightly.
I nodded, grinning slightly. "Damn good."
My smile turned into frown. "She was scared"
The Captain sat down on a supply crate. "Everyone is scared the first time they go to a fight."
I shook my head. "No. She was terrified." Immobilized, more like. "I had to talk her out of abandoning the campaign."
Ezra looked at me, crossing his arms. "Listen, kid. Everyone is as terrified as she was to go into battle. Some don't show it, but they are frightened to death. She's just one of many..."
I held my head in my hands, holding back tears. "I didn't save her." I whispered "I promised her she would live. But she didn't"
"It was out of your control. The Titans were..."
I shot my head to face him, fists clenched. "That doesn't mean I couldn't have tried! She didn't deserve to die."
The captain stood, and walked to me slowly.
"No, she didn't." He said, his gaze on the stone. "But, one way or another, she was going to die."
I looked at him, confused.
"No, I-"
He grabbed me by the shoulders. "The day you signed up for the military you signed your life away to God himself. He owns all of our lives, like a bargaining chip. We're all just waiting for him to cash in. Some he gets to sooner than others, but we're all going sometime."
I stared at him, as his eyes burned holes into my soul. I tore my eyes away from him, stepping back and brushing off my jacket.
"He decided to take her first." I muttered, staring at the bricks.
"I wouldn't beat myself up over it, kid." He said, offering a slightly warm smile. "You're gonna see a lot of death before God cashes in. It won't get any easier. But, no matter what, just fight."
My eyes widened. I looked at him, turning my head slightly. He still stood there, grinning at me.
Fight? I asked myself.
A bell sounded in the distance. They were calling for all Trainees.
"I think that's you, kid." He said, nodding his head in the direction of the sound.
I stood straight, looking at him one last time. I offered him a grin, and turned to run.
Fight? Alright, Captain. I'll fight on, for Nina's sake.