Beyond The Wall {BxB} Book 1 #COMPLETE

2

That day in Shiganshina was like any other day. It was sunny, warm, and the birds were chirping. The scent of baking bread from his father's bakery floated through the summer air and filled the nostrils of the nearest hungry patron. Lilacs from his mother's flower pots on the deck just outside his parents' room, above the bakery, were in full bloom and the sweet scent drifted in and spread throughout the whole residence. He was only 5, if he remembers correctly, and he was watching a line of ants march along the street right outside the bakery. He sat under the shade of the deck from above, and crushed some ants for fun. He recalls looking up and seeing 3 older kids running through the crowd and heading up the street. Being young and with a short attention span, he just want back to crushing ants while humming. His mother had just left for the market to snag some fish and vegetables, and his papa was back inside serving customers and laughing with them. It all seemed peaceful and normal until, that giant lightning strike on the other side of the wall appeared out of nowhere; not a cloud in the sky. It was bizarre enough to catch everyone's attention. Life stopped moving and paused. Hell, even the poor ants scattered. Little Sven looked up to see what people were starting to get nervous about and there, peaking over the wall was the colossal titan in all it's red and pink muscle glory. It stared down at the humans that resembled the very ants Sven was squishing for a moment. All was deathly silent as all eyes remained trained on the frightening tall creature. A moment later, a deafening wind blew in, knocking people down and blowing carts over. And just like that, there was a giant, gapping hole in the wall and people ran screaming in all directions.

"Papa?" Sven stood up, trying to reach for a man in a white baking apron and hat. A hand came down and slapped him away, and the man continued on. Sven plopped to the ground, tears welling up in his eyes, as his father ran, abandoning him. "Papa, don't leave me."

The sound of loud foot steps caught his young attention. He turned around and saw tall human resembling creatures stumble in through the hole. He just sat there, tear streaked cheeks, completely ignored as everyone ran by him in fright. No one stopped to ask if he was ok, or if his mama and papa were around. As the titans closed in on him, he recognized a couple friends he's going to school with and waved but stopped when he noticed what was wrong. His face contorted into a blank expression, head cocking to the side. He stumbled up to his feet and walked towards the direction of his classmates. He stopped just short of his friends who now were stuck in the grasp of a titan. They screamed and sobbed as they were dropped into his mouth and swallowed whole. Sven's eyes widened but he stood there, confused and with no place to go. The screams of adults being chewed up and torn apart filled his ears until silence was impossible. It was the ringing in his young ears that still wake him up at night.

He never saw his mama and papa again. He watched those around him get consumed albeit it whole or in pieces. Not one tear escaped his eyes after his papa left him. Watching the back of the man he called his papa retreat broke him. His little hand reached out in hopes of him coming back but, he never did come back. Whatever happened to him, Sven now no longer wanted to know about. He could never figure out why the titans avoided him, though. Maybe because he didn't move, they already thought he was comatose; on the verge of death. Time slowed down as he stared into space, nothing in particular. He was only 5 then and his parents abandoned him, forcing him to grow up quickly. He had to develop in order to survive from a young age. The world was most definitely a cruel place and there was no room for fear or sympathy. How could he feel sorry for people that left him behind? Parents he had to trust once he was out of the womb and unfortunately, that trust was broken quickly.

Sven opened his eyes, staring up at the brick ceiling above him, his forearm resting on his forehead. The gentle pounding of his heart filled the void of silence. And here he was 13 years later: a rookie of the stationary guard in hopes of committing a mass genocide of the titans. Someone very infamous had the same goals in mind. Someone he was taught about in boot camp. Eren Yeager was the name and everyone knows that name. Of the stories from those years ago that horrified that last of humanity.