Chasing Ghosts [Attack on Titan](Wattys 2014 Winner)

Chapter forty-nine- Three Petals of a Six petal rose

Chapter forty nine

Erwin called us all up from the mess hall and I ordered the trainees out of the room and up the stairs. We went outside I stood at the blond haired mans side looking over the groups of young men and woman. “Today, we will be heading outside the walls again. I want to see more then fear from you lot, I want to see passion. Remember what these creatures have done to you, your friends, your family.” He said lifting his chin to the sunlight as the autumn ridden trees danced behind us in the wind. “Let us fight for a new world, a decent world, a world where all can live in peace.” We all saluted him “Let us fight for the wings, the wings of freedom!”  He cried. Erwin was so good at speeches like this, I could see the glitter of awe in each of the trainees eyes.

We prepared our things, mounting our horses and fixing up our gear. I checked my motor what seemed like five times, making sure there were no splinters or otherwise lodged between the gears. We headed off towards the outside, the outside of the stone prison. The horses hooves hit the dirt as I rode beside Erwin and the squad. Riding along there was an interesting sight in the fields, a group of people with torches. I wasn't sure what on earth they were doing, I blinked veering the horse over towards them. Erwin yelled for me to stop but I ignored it rocketing Lullaby over towards the group. In the center I saw a man with long chocolate hair, glasses and a little bit of a beard. I recognized Doctor Yeager, I'd met this man before. I galloped the horse up and the circle remained tight, I continued to near and yet they still did not budge. Eventually one of them yelled as my horse was only feet from colliding with them. The group split apart and the black steed and I skidded in the center of the group the horses head centimeters from hitting the doctors who was staring at me with fear and surprise in his wild hazel eyes.

The man lifted his hands in surprise as the ‘sheek’ sound of a sword leaving its holding echoed through the group. I pointed the weapon at one of the men who had been tormenting this old man. “What’s going on here?” I demanded, glaring at him with my cold silver eyes. The man lifted his hands in surrender as my blade as at his neck, ready to slice it open any second and let him bleed to death on the ground. “We-we need his help, my daughter is ill and he refuses to help!” he cried wincing and keeping his gaze locked on the metal weapon at his neck. I removed the sword and swung it around at the group but my eyes were on the doctors. “Why won’t you help this man?” I demanded.

 Yeager looked down “He said he cannot pay me, my family needs to eat ma'am.” He said. I sheathed the sword. “Everyone in this world needs food, but they need their family to live more. If your son was sick and the doctor refused to help you because you were too poor to pay him would you be happy about it?” I said. The doctor looked down at the ground “B-but.” He began. I scowled “No buts, help these people. Money should not be your concern.” I said turning my horse away from them and trotting her slowly back to the group. I rejoined them, as they had stopped when I'd broken off. “What was that about Alya?” Demanded Levi who pulled his chestnut steed up to mine. Before I could say anything Hanji spoke up “She was helping them, couldn't you see it?” asked the dark haired girl, her big rimmed glasses reflected the sunlight so I couldn't see her eyes.

Levi looked over at her in surprise “How could you see what they were saying from all the way over here?” he demanded eyeing her glasses in confusion. “It wasn't what she was saying, it was what she was doing.” Hanji said simply turning her horse forward as the group continued. I followed suit, she was a smart girl. A very smart girl, perhaps she just didn't want to come off that way to other people. We neared wall Maria quiet quickly actually, we rode though Trost to get into the largest outer wall. We pasted a bar and for a millisecond I could see my father inside the tavern, drinking. He looked over at the sounds of horses hooves but just like that he vanished behind the brick wall. I turned my head forward as we left Trost and entered Maria. Riding down the dusty roadway towards the end of the protection we knew as the walls.  The Shiganshina District was our exit for the outside, after about twenty minutes of hard riding we reached the little district. As we moved though the cobble stone roads I heard a shout and the gate opened, I could feel the earth shift as the massive stone wall was pulled upward from the ground.

“Forward!” Yelled the commander as the group rocketed though the gate and outside, the second everyone was outside the gate slammed down. We have about a couple seconds before one of the monsters appeared; it screeched and roared racing for us on all fours using its hands and knees to propel itself forward. Before the group could even break off into formation half of the right flank was crushed under its left hand. I swallowed a scream, unhooking my green jacket from my back and letting it sail away from me. It was easier to move without that clunky thing around my neck. I jumped from my horse and soared towards the beast as it rocketed at me, snarling and biting at whatever it could. I pulled my blades to my neck and pushed myself forward spinning in a circle using the spinning attack I'd taught the others. I crossed its face, ripping open the skin and showering myself in its boiling red blood. I flipped upward into the air from the creatures back, I had its attention now. The titan howled in pain and turned towards me springing upward. I moved only seconds before its jaws came down where I was, I flipped downward as it was still in the air cutting a thick line down its back the creature lost usage of its front limbs and went down. I spun around quickly anchoring my lines to the shoulders of the beast soaring forward and swiping my blades across the neck of the thing cutting a foot deep into the nape of its neck. It gurgled and its massive eyes rolled back into its head and down it went to the ground. I called my horse and raced to it, remounting and joining the group again. We split off into formation, Squad Levi and I in the top right-hand corner of the formation.

I road at the front with Ackerman in the back, his eyes firmly locked on the horizon behind us the other four on either sides keeping an eye out for the appearance of another beast. The world was peaceful for all of five minutes, the sound of the horses running across the dusty moorland. As we raced the horses, I spotted a rose, a single rose… poking out from the ground near the base of a lone tree. It moved to the left and to the right in the breeze, suddenly the ground shook and three rose petals fell. I skidded the horse to a right, lifting my gun from the holster at my side and firing a green round into the sky as a twenty meter came into view. It was huge, rows of pointed fangs and long white claws on its hands like I had never seen before. “What the fuck is that!?” Screamed Oluo. It was running straight for us, roaring. I clenched my teeth “I have no idea, but its not friendly!” I yelled over the sound of its footfalls and echoing snarls. The beast reached us within a few seconds, instead of a head on attack it went from the side. Moving quicker then I'd expect it to, its hand smacked Petra and Erd off there horses and into a grassy part of the field. Two petals the titan almost seemed to smile as it continued to race for us. Levi rocketed his horse forward as Gunter tried to stop his horse to help the others “Wait, what about them!” he yelled over the screeching beast from above. I said nothing as the titan outstretched its clawed hand towards us, I prepared for it to crush us but instead I heard a scream of a horse and someone being hit. I looked back to see Levi flying through the air and careening into a tree.

Three petals… of a six petal rose.