The Child Titan

Chapter Six

The wagon jiggled from time to time, shuffling its contents ever so slightly. A young girl and a teen boy were resting in a bundle of military cloaks, using them as blankets. One was unconscious while the other tried to suppress every event that just took place into the darkest side of her young mind. The child covered her ears, as if trying to shut out the sounds of her own thoughts; closing her eyes to not see the bodies of those she could not have saved.

At one point, after they left the forest, they stopped to do a head count of both the dead and alive. They made sure that no Titans were in the immediate area.

Yelling was heard, not too far away. It was about a person's corpse not being brought back. Hope felt herself curl up into a ball, pressing her palms harder against her ears to block out the shouts. Her mind kept replaying the memories of people shouting in pain before they died. The girl just wanted to cry; cry her heart out be left alone for eternity. But reality hit her hard. This was going to be her lifestyle for years and years to come.

But there was still one thing that scared her most. The female Titan was still alive.

The female Titan's piercing eyes were burned into her head, always watching her. She knew that she held back the Titan for a second, but only to save Mikasa and allow Levi to get Eren. Otherwise, she would have continued to run and run.

•••

The group began to start moving again, leaving the bloody battlegrounds behind. Hope, still very shaken, would quietly yelp every time there was a big bump that shook the wagon. Her hands clutched the cloak given to her tightly.

"Titans!" A soldier yelled. Hope looks behind the massive group to see two running Titans. There were two soldiers with one dead body trying to out run the monsters on horseback.

Hope's breathing and heartbeat rapidly quickened. Her grasp on the cloak got tighter to that point where her fingers felt numb.

"I'm not ready... I'm not ready." She quietly mumbled to herself as she began to shake uncontrollably. The pain of dread pounded in her chest, making her feel a bit faint. Her blood fuelled her body and muscles, leaving her brain with less blood to fully function.

Unfortunately, everyone was fixated on the approaching Titans to notice the young child's panic attack. Feeling alone in this situation made her symptoms worse, know feeling very faint and dizzy.

Hope's small form trembled terribly. Her grey eyes never left the Titans, not noticing soldiers throwing the deceased members of the Survey to slow the Titans.

•••

Sadly, no one saw the child having a panic attack until they had stopped for another break. One soldier noticed her shaking form and odd breathing and alerted other soldiers.

There weren't many soldiers who knew how to deal with a frighten child nor did they know how to comfort them. Some of the females gave their best efforts to console the child, offering kind words in soft voices. It eventually work, leaving the young Titan shifter to even her breathing and stop her shivering.

She felt tired after her ordeal. Her body needed to rest after all she had just went through in that single day. The child laid her head down on a folded cloak while using another as a blanket. She laid on her side; laying in the fetal position. Her eyes naturally closed themselves, ready to sleep. The sound of horses galloping across the plains started to drown out of her head. Finally, her mind fell into a deep slumber, allowing her body to regenerate itself.

•••

It had been hours before she awoke again. Hope was in her bed in the dim room she had to herself. A candle was lit on her nightstand; the soldiers know she didn't like to sleep in the dark. Next to the candle was a bowl of cold soup with chunks potatoes and carrots along with a side of stale bread.