The Return of Marco Bodt (Titan!Marco)

Chapter 22

Marco woke up in the dimly lit dungeon like he had done every day since he emerged from his titan. Only this time it was different. His cell was protected by guards. He slowly sat up his body aching. He didn't ask what had happened because it would be a lie if he said he didn't remember. It would be a lie if he said that it wasn't intentional. He had been pushed to the edge from all the past events and once he reached the end, he willingly took the lives of some of his fellow scouts.

"Have you heard from the Commander? Do you know what he's planning to do with him?" A guard asked, gesturing with his head towards Marco. None of the guards had noticed that he was awake yet.

"I heard that he was going to be privately executed," Another guard said. "At least he should be anyway. He had his chance to be useful and prove himself as trustworthy but he threw that opportunity away. In the end, he was nothing more than a normal mindless titan." Marco quickly laid back down as he noticed a guard turning to look at him.

"Still unconscious," The guard pointed out, returning to the conversation. Marco's heart pounded in his chest. He was going to be executed. He dedicated his life to fighting the Titans and that's the way he had planned to go out. He wasn't prepared to be executed in the same way criminals were. Maybe he was worse than a criminal.

A few hours passed before the guards went on break, leaving him unattended. When the guard's footsteps disappeared, Marco sat up in his bed sensing that it was safe to do so. A few minutes later, he heard footsteps pounding on the stairs quickly approaching him. He quickly laid down in bed, pretending to still be unconscious.

"Marco! Marco!" Jean's voice called urgently. Marco quickly sat up, looking back at him through the cell bars.

"What are you doing here?" Marco asked.

"Getting you out of here of course!" Jean cried, sounding annoyed. He held a knife tightly in his right hand. "Lucky for you I know how to pick locks," He said, jamming the knife into the lock on the cell door and turning it. After a few tries, the lock opened. Jean pulled open the cell door and grabbed Marco's hand. "Sasha and Connie agreed to cause a distraction to help you escape," Jean explained.

Just a few weeks ago, Marco would have allowed the scouts to execute him. No. A few weeks ago, he wouldn't have even done what he did that made him worthy to be executed. He would have not gone with Jean to escape. But that Marco was gone. This one cared only for his survival and Jeans.

They rushed out of the dungeon undetected. Once they got up the stairs, the sounds of breaking dishes and shouting emerged from the kitchen. Sasha and Connie were causing a distraction. They only had a little bit of time to escape. They ran through the hall, ducking into an unused room as a scout ran by. Once the path was clear, they continued running down the hall, making turns as needed to get outside the headquarters.

Jean ran ahead, flinging the entrance doors open. The sunlight shone brightly in Marco's eyes, making him squint against it. "Go!" Jean cried suddenly.

"You're not coming?" Marco asked, having fully planned to take Jean with him.

"No. I would be too much of a burden. Now go! Quickly! Before they notice that you're gone!" Jean urged. "Turn into your titan! You won't be fast enough in your human form."

Silently, Marco pulled Jean into a hug before backing away and biting into his hand. Jean watched as Marco ran away until he was nothing more than a spot in the distance.