Falling Apart

Eren's POV

2 weeks later

Riding in a truck in snow was pretty slow and dreading, especially when it's snowing right now in the middle of Sortol district. We were able to advance deeper into Russian soil about a week ago.

Annie was slowly disappearing from my life, but I just couldn't let her go, even after she cheated on me. I didn't even get to hear why she even cheated on me, and yet I attacked her letting my anger control me.

"How much more do we have to go?" I ask Armin

"One more hour. From there, we attack a camp set up there." says Armin

"How big is the camp?" I ask

"A whole 3 companies are there. Outnumbering us again 3 to 1." replies Armin, "But we have the element of surprise."

I nod and I take out my necklace with the key.

'I still don't know what's in my basement.'

I look out the truck and I see deers running with us near the convoy.

"Hey Jean were you a horse or a deer?" asks Connie who was looking out with me

"Hey shut up baldie!" yells Jean

"There's deers outside you should run with them." laughs Connie

Everyone laughs in the truck except for Jean. Sasha's busy eating her food, well technically Connie's. Jean sat back and covered his face with his gas mask.

"Put on your gas masks. We never know when there may be an ambush." says Reiner

I was looking outside but then something caught my eye in the woods. I see a flash of light for a second and I squint until I notice a muzzle flash and the driver behind our truck get hit, blood splattering on the window.

"Sniper!" I yell

The truck stops moving so I jump off and take cover behind the truck.

"Nobody move from cover." says Mikasa

"I don't think that was the Russians." says Armin

"Then a new enemy?" asks Reiner

"I don't know, the Russians would obviously have used RPGs or some other explosive." says Armin

I look to the driver who was shot, but he wasn't dead, only a shot to the shoulder. I see Marksman taking aim and fires at the hostile once he aims, it didn't even take him a second to aim.

"Set up a perimeter." orders Ghost, "Phantom with me."

I wait in silence as we wait for Ghost to come back and he does 7 minutes later with a man, handcuffed.

"He's Russian Resistance." says Ghost

The man had a bullet wound on the shoulder, blood pouring out of the wound.

"Good shot, I honestly thought you were going to kill him." says Phantom

Marksman nods while Kit checks him out.

Ghost starts talking to the man in Russian and he starts talking, they had a full conversation for 5 minutes until Ghost starts filling us in.

"There's a Russian resistance near the camp we were supposed to strike, they're supposed to strike in 15 minutes." says Ghost

"How big is the Russian Resistance?" asks Marksman

"Not big enough to hold off the Russian forces." says Ghost, "Half the things they've done were blow shit up and run."

"So what are we going to with him?" asks Hacker

"Patch him up and send him back." says Ghost

"How do we know he's not part of the actual Russian forces?" I ask

Ghost grabs the mans wrist and he pulls down his sleeve. On his wrist was a tattoo with 3 straight horizontal lines.

"This is the mark of a Russian prisoner, showing that they were prisoners of war." says Ghost

"How do you know that?" asks Jean

Ghost pulls up his sleeve, and on his wrist he had the same mark as the man.

"Cause I was also a prisoner of war for 2 days." says Ghost

Ghost lets the man go and we get back on our trucks and head towards the base we were supposed to strike.

About an hour later we enter the destroyed camp filled with dead Russian soldiers and Russian Resistance.

"They actually succeeded." I whisper

I walk through the camp, examining every body making sure they were dead.

"Where do you think the Russian Resistance went?" I ask Armin

"I don't know, but Ghost is tracking them right now with Phantom and Marksman." replies Armin

I hear coughing right next to me, I check it out and a Russian soldier was seems badly wounded near the stomach was coughing blood out from his mouth. He starts talking to me and reaching his hand out to me. It sounded like he was begging because he was crying while coughing and talking.

I take a closer look and I notice that he was a kid, probably just a year older.

"Armin help me out here."

He helps me and I tend his wounds.

"What are you doing?" asks a voice behind me

I turn and I see Charlie standing there, arms crossed.

"Helping him out, he's a kid." I reply

"I'll get Kit then."

A few moments pass by and Kit comes and he was able to stop the bleeding.

"Help me take him to a medic tent."

I hold up his legs while Kit holds up his upper body. The kid screams in pain as we pick him up and cries even more. We rush him to the tent and lay him on a stretcher.

"I got him now, you can leave." says Kit

I leave the tent and head over to Armin and Mikasa, checking the bodies for any sign of remaining life. Everything in this camp was destroyed, tents, vehicles, bodies were all burning. Some of the Sentinels were even struggling to put out the fire.

I then hear a gunshot, scaring me and I snap around to where the gunshot came from. Jean was aiming his gun at a body on the ground.

"Did you just kill him?" I ask

"He's the enemy." replies Jean, "Plus, he asked me to."

I look at the body and the body had a slight smile, like as if he died in peace.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2 hours later

We left the camp 2 hours ago and now I was sitting on a log around a fire. Ghost said we had to head over to Udachny, the most likely position of Commander Salazar. But right now, we needed to rest on a field in Usun.

"Finally feels nice to take off the gas mask." says Marlowe

I take off my mask and the cold breeze hits my face, cooling me down but at the same time sending chills.

"Hey Kit, can you sing a song for us?" asks Bomber

"Huh?" asks Kit

"You can sing?" asks Historia who seems happy from discovering something new.

"Well, a bit. It's been so long since I sang." says Kit

"Your brother always fantasizes your singing." says Phantom

"Did he?" says Kit scratching the back of his neck

"Yea, so sing for us." chuckles Hacker.

Everyone from Ghost team and Scout team sat around in a big circle around the fire. Other Sentinels were sitting around a separate fire or patrolling.

"Uhhh sure." says Kit

He pulls down his bandana, takes a sip of his water and clears his throat. He looks up into the night sky and takes a breathe before singing.

(Falling Apart by Michael Schulte)

I am sleepless for a weekend

So I start to say goodbye

Say goodbye to all that we had

Say goodbye to what we lost

We don't talk

We're not enough

And the storms slowly arise

When the light turns

And the cold terms arise

We were running out, through the storms, through the night

We were running in the dark, we were following our hearts

And we would fall down and we would slowly fall apart

We would slowly fall into the dark

The cold terms arise

It is hard to let it all go

Let the past just disappear

Try to run time from an old life

But it always drags me down

We don't talk

We're not enough

And the storms slowly arise

When the light turns

And the cold terms arise

We were running out, through the storms, through the night

We were running in the dark, we were following our hearts

And we would fall down and we would slowly fall apart

We would slowly fall into the dark (3x)

Once Kit finishes everyone starts clapping wildly, even the Sentinels who were somewhere else.

"That was amazing." cheers Historia

"It wasn't that good." chuckles Kit

"What do you mean, that was on point!" yells Hange

"Sing us another one." says Erwin

"Another one?"

"Yea, I want to hear another one." says Armin

"Okay." replies Kit

(Grace by Lewis Capaldi)

I'm not ready to be just another of your mistakes

I can't seem to drown you out long enough

I fell victim to the sound of your love

You're like a song that I ain't ready to stop

I got nothing but you on my mind

I'm not ready to be just another of your mistakes

Don't wanna let the pieces fall out of place

I was only just a breath removed from going to waste

'Til I found salvation in the form of your

Your grace

Don't take it away

Your grace

Don't take it away

On the verge of almost bleeding you out

Are we too wounded now to ever come down?

Oh, how I long for us to find common ground

I got nothing but you on my mind

I'm not ready to be just another of your mistakes

Don't wanna let the pieces fall out of place

I was only just a breath removed from going to waste

'Til I found salvation in the form of your

Your grace

Don't take it away

Your grace

Don't take it, take it

Way too close to colour your comfort

All dressed up but kept undercover

Way too close to colour your comfort

All dressed up but kept undercover

Your grace

Don't take it away

I'm not ready to be just another of your mistakes

Don't wanna let the pieces fall out of place

I was only just a breath removed from going to waste

'Til I found salvation in the form of your

Your grace (your grace)

Don't take it away

Your grace (your grace)

Don't take it away

Once again once he finished everyone started clapping again.

"You should be a famous singer." cheers Nanaba

"Not bad." says Levi

"Thanks." thanks Kit

"Who taught you how to sing?" asks Connie

"My brother." replies Kit

The rest of the nights is filled with jokes and laughter until we had to move out. We left 2 hours after Kit sang and that was just amazing.

"Tomorrow's a big day." says Marco

"Get some rest." yawns Reiner

I lean back on close my eyes as I drifted to sleep.

Ghost's POV

I watch as Phantom slept next to me. I was in a humvee, with Marksman who was driving, Kit, Javelin, Phantom and Annie.

'He sounded just like you Malvik.'

2 years ago

"You know how to sing?" asks Gunner

"Yea, I got lessons." chuckles Aid

"You never told me that." says Recon

"I didn't think it was necessary." replies Aid

"Well, sing us a song then." says Exploder

"Right now?" asks Aid

"Yea, I'm bored and all we're doing is walking through the damn snow." says Tech

"Ok uhhh give me a second." says Aid

He gets ready to sing, but I was more focused on my leg. The cut was big and deep so I'm limping while walking and since we are in deep snow, I kept falling behind.

"Ghost, are you okay?" asks Marksman

"Yea I'm good." I sigh

"Here let me help." says Phantom

She puts my arm over he shoulder and helps me walk faster.

"I'm okay, you don't need to help." I sigh

"Shut up and just walk." snaps Phantom

Aid takes a deep breath in and starts singing You Said You'd Grow Old With Me

I'd like to say, "I'm okay", but I'm not

I try, but I fall, close my mind, turn it off

But I can't be sober, I cannot sleep

You've got your peace now, but what about me?

Thought we had the time, had our lives

Now you'll never get older, older

Didn't say goodbye, now I'm frozen in time

Getting colder, colder

One last word

One last moment

To ask you why

You left me here behind

You said you'd grow old with me

We had plans, we had visions, now I can't see ahead

We were one, we were golden, forever, you said

But I can't be sober, I cannot sleep

You've got your peace now, but what about me?

Thought we had the time, had our lives

Now you'll never get older, older

Didn't say goodbye, now I'm frozen in time

Getting colder, colder

One last word

One last moment

To ask you why

You left me here behind

You said you'd grow old with me

Thought we had the time, had our lives

Now you'll never get older, older

Didn't say goodbye, now I'm frozen in time

Getting colder, colder

Just one last word

One last moment

To ask you why

You left me here behind

You said you'd grow old with me

"Holy shit that was amazing." says Tech

"Eh, I'm far from being amazing." replies Aid

"Still, like what the fuck, you're talented." says Gunner

"I like it." says Recon

"Ah, my brother is way better than me." chuckles Aid

"Maybe one day we'll hear a duet." I imply

"One day, one day." says Aid

Present day

'That moment never happened, and it will never happen.'

I pull out my picture of Ghost team 116 from my pocket.

'Why did you do that? Why did it have to end this way?'

I put my picture back in and pull out the dog tags of the fallen Ghost team 116.

'I swear, you're deaths are not going to be in vain'

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