Attack on Titan / Interactive Story

96

You ran. Not exactly sure of the reason behind it, but you did. Ballard was the one who told you to. There was nothing more comical than two soldiers, beaten and bruised, running throughout the town to who-knows-where.

He stopped in an alleyway, much nicer than the ones you saw at home.

He's almost out of breath, not from the run but from the fear slowly filling his insides, poisoning his stomach. "We have to hide. We...we have to go somewhere."

"Where? Why? We didn't do anything wrong!"

"It doesn't matter. That's - that's Blake Schmitt. He's got shit on my family, he'll make shit on yours."

You didn't have any family. You decided now wasn't the time to tell him, though.

"There's evidence against him. There's no way he can make this look like our fault!"

Ballard's grey eyes met yours. They were the color of the storm forming against the sky, swirling and creating chaos. No matter what you could have said to him, there was no way Ballard would listen. His mind was set purely on the fact that Schmitt was out for blood, and there was no chance of changing it.

You stared at his bruised and worried face for any other option before you forced yourself to speak. "Then lead the way."

Ballard took your wrist and guided through the streets.

A part of you knew he wasn't sure where to go, himself.

~

The rain began to pour. It fell in clumps, almost a pattern. It'd rain gently, allowing you to listen to the pitter-patter against the rooftops, and then it'd rain powerfully, so loud as to block out any source of sound. The two of you sat under a building with arched walkways. Ballard wasn't sure as to where to go. It was difficult to move throughout places on foot, especially if you had to do it in a timely manner. You wiped your face down with the sleeve of your shirt, scraping the dried blood off of your nostrils and lips.

Nothing seemed to have processed through your brain quite yet. You weren't sure of what Ballard's words meant for your future. You weren't sure of the possible bounty on your heart. It could have all just been Ballard's anxiety getting to him. A part of you wanted to head back, explain the situation to Commander Nile Dok, walk to your room and talk to Winona before bed. It felt possible. It felt beyond possible. Who would believe Blake Schmitt when so much evidence piled against him?

"His dad's a kiss-ass."

You turn your head to look at him, wondering if he was watching your expression; he wasn't. Ballard's eyes are focused on the rain, scanning the area occasionally for any visible figures.

"The commander loves his family. They'll believe anything Schmitt says."

"But-" You were stumbling over your own words. "Someone should have seen something."

Ballard ran his hand through his gnatty hair, getting his fingers wet. He almost looked ready to break down and cry.

"It doesn't matter."

Your voices fall silent and all conversations come to an end. Your stomach rumbles softly, hungry for a dinner that you were missing out on. Ballard noted that the two of you would leave after the rain ceased in order to look for somewhere to stay. You didn't respond, only thought. You couldn't help but ask the same question over and over again in your head:

  how did we end up here?

Continue (Chapter 99)