Attack on Titan: Apocalypse

Zhiganshina

The lost city of Zhiganshina, conquered by the titans. It wasn't always that way, there was a time when Zhiganshina was bustling with life, vibrant and colorful. I should know, I grew up there. It was one of those cities that seemed indestructible, immortal, surrounded by immense walls that could be seen from the horizon.

I could remember it as if it were yesterday, staring up at the top of the 50 meter wall and beholding a disgusting sight, a titan, taller than the wall, staring down at us, bloodlust in it's eyes. A deafening crack echoed throughout the streets followed by a heavy gust of wind and a shower of debris...the wall, the very thing that seemed impenetrable, had been breached. The titans poured in, lightening fast, snatching up people and crushing them like toothpicks. The blood-curdling screams, the snapping crack of their bones, and the vivid red of the entrails splattered across the concrete floor could send more than a shiver up your spine. The titans' mouths smeared red with the blood of fathers, children, mothers...my mother. It was in that moment, watching her blood rain down as I was carried away, that I waged war on the titans and condemned all cowards who had the power to do something but refused to do anything.

"Eren?" I looked over at the blonde standing at my door, short and curious, his grandfathers hat placed firmly on his blonde head.

"Armin...what's up?" I asked slightly worried.

"Nothing much, just wanted to wish you a happy birthday...you're 13 years old today" I lowered my head in shame, realizing that I didn't even remember my own birthday.

"Thank you Armin, but it won't ever be a happy one until every one of those godforsaken bastards are dead..."

"Eren I think it's time to let go of that dream...it's surreal, the neo-titans are getting faster, stronger every day, they're more intelligent, some of them can shapeshift into things they weren't able to before, like HUMANS for example!"

"Are you shitting me Armin? How the hell are we supposed to distinct real people from the titans!"

"That's the real problem, we almost can't, although reports say that they cannot communicate or show any real emotion other than a blank look... But of course those are the Abnormals"

"goddammit! The military didn't even have a contingency plan for this..." I stared down at the floor, my mind wandering around in so many circles it got me dizzy, "Armin, I've decided...in two years... I'll join the rebels!"

Armin looked at me, his eyes wide in surprise, "Eren... That's a death wish," I lowered my head awaiting the rest of his persistent argument, "but if you join, I'll also join!!!"

I darted my head up to look at him and grabbed him by the shoulders, "Armin, no! You shouldn't do this for my sake please! You'll just follow me to an early grave!"

He pushed me off, "It's not for you Eren, it's something I need to do, for my grandfather..." I quickly calmed down and nodded accepting his decision.

"Then in two years time, we'll both join the Rebels."

________________________

Two years of hard labor in the fields had passed and it was finally time to decide, this miserable worthless life in the fields? Or a valiant death somewhere outside the walls?

Well the choice was clear enough for me and Armin, death was something we knew was inevitable and we wanted our deaths to mean something. Most of all though, I wanted to avenge my mother's death and if I was to die in the process, well at least it wouldn't have been in vain.

The instructor was an older man, his eyes told a grim story, but he maintained all composure, even in the face of an egotistical smartass.

"So you want this job for the free food, do ya?"

"Well I'm not going to lie like the rest of these kiss-asses and tell you I want to enlist for 'the greater good'. I for one don't want an early death, but I prefer food in my stomach rather than dying of hunger." God what a nuisance, not to mention his face reminded me of a horse and his snarky attitude made me want to punch him. But he did something different, I stood there observing the instructor as he leaned in and whispered something to the smartass horseface.

"Don't disrespect the dead, boy.They might end up haunting you." Well that certainly shut him up.

An hour of this mental torture as the instructor intimidated us, wondering if we had the backbone to get through this special type of hell. Interestingly, he skipped some of the cadets, among them were a blonde with ice-cold eyes, a ravenette with a stoic expression, and myself, the vengeful brunette.

The bells started to toll, here it meant it was time to hit the mess hall, but reminiscing back to Zhiganshina, it would've meant an immediate evacuation.

Armin ran up to me, "Did you see how that one guy stood up to the commander like that, Eren?" I shook my head in disagreement.

"That idiot will be one of the first to die, with an attitude like that...he'll have trouble following orders" I scoffed, clearly aggravated with the topic.

"I wonder where the other people come from, those two look especially intimidating," Armin gestured over to the blonde and the ravenette standing by the mess hall, "we could only imagine the horrors they've also seen."

I stared at the two women for a while in a state of intrigue, before catching the eye of the ravenette. She glared at me suspiciously before walking away from the blonde. 'Yikes...'

"Eren, are you all right?"

"Not sure, but I feel like I've got a target on my back now."