𝐀 𝐅𝐋𝐀𝐌𝐄 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐋𝐀𝐕𝐄 | eren yeager

11 | Response

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Word Count: 3057

"Trainees! Get fully equipped and stand by in squad formation until further orders!"

Jean glanced at the Garrison soldiers on their horses riding along the street, before turning his gaze back down to the ground as he sat down on the building's stairs. From the corner of his eye he could see a small group gathered around Connie just a few meters away from him, his ears picking up pieces from their conversation as Connie told the story from his point of view.

"So that's how we managed to get our hands on the gas," the boy finished, sighing.

Krista looked at him with wide eyes as she placed her hand on her chest, clearly feeling bad for him. "Oh my gosh," she uttered, "I'm sorry... I kept volunteering to help with supplying everyone."

"After everything we went through to secure that gas, weren't you the one who jumped down and said you were going to tell everyone?" Ymir right next to her asked.

"Th-Then everyone who isn't here right now is..."

"Yeah," the boy nodded, turning his gaze down to the ground in silence.

"Are you sure?" Ymir asked, inching closer to his face with suspicion, "Even Mikasa? (Y/N)?"

Connie turned to look up at her, flinching slightly from the sudden closeness before shaking his head, "No... I thought they got back late with Jean and the others..." Slowly, the three turned to look to their right, where Jean was sitting by himself, a grim look on his face, "Jean... Don't tell me they were injured...?"

They knew Jean had heard the question even though he stayed silent, until he took a long sip from the water canister in his hands and turned to look back at them, "I can't say anything," he muttered, "We were forced to swear an oath of secrecy. Although... I don't know how effective it's gonna be..."

"You were forced not to tell?" Connie repeated, his eyes widening.

"What the hell..." Ymir mumbled.

"It's not the kind of thing you can keep covered up..." the Iight-haired boy continued, "I'm sure the whole human race will know about it soon enough... That is, if the human race still exists by then..."

Almost as if on cue, a loud boom most likely from an explosion echoed throughout the city, with the ground's sudden shaking accompanying it. All of the cadets stopped dead in their tracks as some of them screamed, everyone turning around to look up to the sky, where a big cloud of smoke was slowly rising up.

"Cannon fire?!" someone screamed.

"Just one shot?" another one asked in confusion.

"Hey! That came from inside the Wall!"

Reiner ran to the centre of the street where he could he could get a clear view of the smoke, his eyes slowly widening. The others moved closer to him as they also tried to see what was happening.

"Has the floodgate been destroyed?" someone mumbled.

"Nah, that's the most fortified spot, there's no way. I'm sure someone just dropped an explosive."