Dying

The carriage was shaking about, quickly running towards Shiganshina. Others followed behind.

Sitting down, her hands still tied behind her back, Hange felt severe pain in her lower back and belly. Her ear buzzed.

Ahead of her, Lara gazed at her in worry. She felt the menacing glare of Floch, who was sitting beside Hange, now armed with a rifle.

The only sound that could be heard was the horses' hooves.

Lara glanced at the soldier sitting next to her. He also carried a rifle and looked a little uncomfortable.

Then, in a sudden movement, the carriage stopped, causing everyone to lurch forward.

"What the heck?!" exclaimed Floch angrily, turning to the little window which gave access to the coachman-soldier who was driving the carriage.

"I-I'm sorry, sir," replied the coachman-soldier, "It's just that... I felt a strange tingling in my body..." His eyes turned dark, "It seemed like a shock..."

Hange also turned to look at him and saw the insignia stamped on his uniform: he was a soldier of the Military Police.

Hange turned to her daughter, with an expression of utter fear. She felt a strong pressure in her head and for a second, her vision blurred. Trying to compose herself as best she could, Hange stared at Lara.

With their eyes, they communicated:

"No... It can't be..." said Hange.

"Wh-What's up, Mom?" asked Lara, frightened.

"This tingling he felt... It can only mean one thing..." Hange's eyes widened even more.

Lara got the message right away.

At that very moment, Zeke has just screamed to turn everyone who drank the contaminated wine into Titans. However, for some reason they didn't know, the coachman-soldier hadn't transformed.

Only one name crossed their minds: Levi.

Could it be that, right now, he was no longer a human?

That simple thought sent a chill down their spines.

Floch noticed that the girls were gazing at each other in a strange way.

"Hey, you two!" he exclaimed, irritated. "Whatever you're doing, stop immediately," Floch cocked the rifle. Lara glared back at him with a grimace of disgust.

He replied the grimace, squirming a little on the seat, remembering the sharp pain he had felt between his legs just a few minutes ago.

♦♦♦

Lara and Hange were climbing the stone stairs to the terrace of Shiganshina Headquarters. They were escorted by Floch and a few other rebel soldiers.

As they opened the large wooden door, the girls squinted at the sudden brightness. Gaining their visions back, they came across instructor Keith Shadis, the one who, when Lara turned twelve years old, she and Levi made fun of Hange for having a crush on him when she was younger.

Now, taking a closer look at him, Lara saw that he looked old and very tired. Ahead of him was the 109th Training Corps new recruit class.

Hange and Lara nervously glanced at each other. They knew that Shadis could intimidate any cadet, but there was something odd there. The mood was very tense.

When he noticed the presence of the girls, with the Jaëgerists, Shadis was startled.

"Hange?! Lara?!" he exclaimed, straightening up.

"Long time no see, Commander Shadis!" said Floch, sarcastically, "I know it's a bit abrupt, but this Division no longer obeys your orders." He and the rebel soldiers pointed their rifles at Shadis, "The Jaëgerists are in charge now. From now on, you take orders from us."

Hange and Lara noticed that the cadets widened their eyes in astonishment. However, they also noticed that Shadis didn't seem the least bit frightened by the threat.

"Looks like you finally figured it out, Floch," he said, with his usual steady posture. "No one here cares what you and your bunch of brats have to say unless you point guns at them! PUT YOURSELF IN YOUR PLACE--"

BANG!

Floch fired his rifle.

He barely missed Shadis' right foot, who didn't move a muscle.

"Floch!" exclaimed Hange, startled.

"Pity, I missed..." said Floch, impassively. "I thought shooting his foot would make him end this boring chit-chat."

"Your aim looked pretty good on my fiancé, Floch," said Lara, through gritted teeth.

He slowly turned to her, grimacing in disdain and rolling his eyes. Then, he turned back to Shadis.

"And what do you want to tell me?" asked Keith.

"Nothing," replied Floch, walking past him and facing the cadets. "It has nothing to do with you. We have little need for hard-headed geezers like you."

Floch straightened himself up in front of the cadets.

"Listen up!" he exclaimed, raising his voice, "THIS IS YOUR TIME! We are the Jaëgerists! We have sworn to dedicate our hearts to save Eldia from this crisis!"

At that moment, Hange and Lara remembered Erwin and a melancholic feeling took over them.

"Listen carefully," continued Floch, "This is not for the sake of the Armed Forces, but for the sake of the people of this island! By obeying the military's archaic mindset, you're allowing us to be trampled by enemies from outside! So I ask you," Floch closed his fist decisively, "among all those who are here, who would rather stay alive, alongside Eren Jaëger, our leader?!"

Shadis was staring at him with deep, dark eyes.

"And who would rather die alongside Keith Shadis and his antiquated ways?!" asked Floch.

Gradually, some cadets walked up to Floch and saluted:

"FOR THE SAKE OF ELDIA'S FUTURE, WE DEDICATE OUR HEARTS!" they exclaimed.

"Very good!" replied Floch. "Now, prove you're telling the truth. Beat Commander Shadis till he can't stand anymore!"

Everyone's eyes widened. Lara and Hange held their breath and looked at Shadis, who was staring at Floch in perplexity.

"Wh-What...?" whispered one of the cadets.

Floch then hit his fist into Shadis' chest.

"This man represents the old ways that must be driven out! Show them how it's done! Those who can't do this WILL GO TO PRISON!"

The cadets looked very scared and nervous. Lara was shaking all over and Hange felt severe pain in her abdomen.

"That's enough, Floch!" she exclaimed, gritting her teeth.

"You've crossed all the lines!" added Lara, taking a step forward.

Rebel soldiers grabbed her arms, pulling her back.

"Hange! Lara!" exclaimed Shadis, making a stop sign with his hand, "No matter how many of these kids try to attack me... THEY'RE NO MATCH FOR ME!"

The cadets were trembling, sweat pouring down their faces, completely stunned.

The next scene was worthy of making Lara and Hange's stomachs churn.

One by one, the cadets approached Shadis, beating him. Blood was splattered everywhere. He didn't stand a chance against those young cadets.

Lara felt her body tingle as she witnessed that horrifying act of violence. She wanted to cry, and for a moment, she felt regret in her heart for having asked for a birthday cake with Shadis' face on it, for her father to slice it and thus, show that only he could marry Hange. If Levi could see him now, he might not have sliced that cake so hard.

Hange, who no longer had romantic feelings for Shadis, only friendship, was also shocked by that injustice. She felt strong dizziness and pain in the back of her neck, but she tried to stay upright and the baby seemed to be very uncomfortable, for it was moving a lot.

Keith Shadis lay passed out on the floor, his face covered in blood. Everyone stared at him in astonishment, even his own attackers.

"Well done..." said Floch, "We're delighted to welcome you all." He turned to Hange and Lara, "Now, can you both take us to where Zeke is at once?"

Floch headed for the wooden door. Seeing that no one was following him, he turned around.

"Commander Hange, Captain Lara, let's go."

They had tears in their eyes, looking at Shadis lying on the floor.

"Hurry up," added Floch, impassively.

The girls looked at each other, their faces downcast. Then, at the same time, they looked up at the sky. Big dark gray clouds hovered above them. A heavy rain was coming.

♦♦♦

The great pines of the Forest of Giant Trees loomed ahead.

Hange and Lara were riding together, accompanied by Floch and other Jaëgerist soldiers, who were crossing a stone bridge that went through a large river that crossed that region.

The rain was very heavy and the river flow was pretty strong.

Covered in their green Survey Corps cloak, Lara and Hange looked at each other, worried. They felt very cold because the raindrops ran down freezing their bodies. A chilled breeze made their cloaks and hair wave.

Only the sound of the rain and river flow could be heard, as the horses' hooves were muffled by the wet grass.

Then, a loud, lingering sound was heard, far in the distance.

BOOOOOOOOM!

Everyone stopped their horses.

"Huh?!" exclaimed Floch. "What was that?"

"A lightning, perhaps?" asked a soldier.

Hange and Lara gazed at each other right away, mouths agape.

They knew that sound very well. It was the explosion of a Thunder Spear.

They felt their hearts fail for a moment.

"What's going on?!" Lara asked herself, feeling a lump in her throat. "Dad… Where are you?!"

She turned to her mother. With her eyes, Hange said:

"Zeke must be being held in custody further down, not over there… But what made this Thunder Spear explode?"

Lara pressed her lips together and shook her head.

"I have no idea, Mom…" she replied.

"If we go ahead," said Floch, "we'll find something."

They all rode a few meters towards the sound of the explosion. When they arrived at the place, they couldn't believe their eyes.

"But, what the--" Floch couldn't even finish his words.

Hange straightened up on the horse, holding her belly with her hand, wanting to protect her baby, who was kicking hard. Lara widened her eyes and covered her mouth, completely stunned. The other soldiers were gaping.

Just ahead, two horses were between life and death, with several pieces of wood embedded in their bodies, from a cart that, previously, should have been positioned behind them, but now, there was only wreckage.

There was blood everywhere.

Behind the cart lay a seven-meter Titan, with steam coming out from its body.

"WHAT HAPPENED HERE?!" exclaimed one of the soldiers, frightened.

"Careful!" exclaimed another.

"TITAN AHEAD!" one more said.

"There are human remains everywhere!" exclaimed another, with disgust.

Slowly, Lara took her hands from her mouth and stared at them. She was shaking, from fear and cold. Lara turned to her mother, who had an expression of pure terror written on her face. Hange swallowed hard and her jaw was tightened.

"M-M-Mom..." whispered Lara, stuttering, "Wh-Wh-What's that?"

They both were having a bad feeling. Hange turned to her daughter, and Lara realized her eyes were wet, and it was not from the rain.

"A-A cart... Exploded?" Hange whispered back to Lara.

A soldier, who was beside them, noticed that mother and daughter were talking.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, irritated, "You two! Don't even think about running away now!"

Ignoring him, Hange looked towards the river, its raging flow making a deafening sound. Lara watched her mother closely and turned her gaze to where she was staring at. Lara narrowed her eyes and realized that close to the river bank, near the reeds, there was something.

It was the body of a person, lying on its stomach.

Immediately, the girls stared at each other, their faces completely white. Then, as if they were connected by one heart, they jumped out of their horses, towards that body.

"MAN DOWN!" exclaimed Hange as she ran, holding her belly. Lara supported her by the arm, afraid her mother would fall because the ground was too slippery. They both staggered to that body and practically dropped to their knees when they reached it.

"Hey!" exclaimed Hange, shaking it.

"Are you alive?!" asked Lara, helping her mother to turn it over.

When they both lifted that body and looked at its face, they thought that at that moment, their hearts would stop.

There, completely soaked in blood, with shards of the Thunder Spear embedded all over his body and a cut from top to bottom running across the right side of his face, was Levi.

"D-D-Dad?!" Lara tried to speak, but almost no sound came out of her mouth. For a few seconds, she couldn't feel her hands. Her throat dried up completely and her vision dimmed. Lara was dizzy for a moment and blinked fast to focus her eyes. Her heart pounded wildly inside her chest, feeling the most intense terror run through her body.

Thinking her eyes were going to pop out, so much Lara was widening them, she stared at her mother.

Hange's face was much worse than Lara's.

Her face had completely lost its color and silent tears were streaming down her cheeks as she gazed at her beloved husband in that dying state. There, Hange thought her head was really going to explode, so much pressure she felt. A loud hum buzzed in her ear and her vision blurred. To make things worse, she felt a very strong pain in her private part and in her lower back, pretty different from what she was feeling before, and the baby kicked so violently, it scared her.

"L-L-Levi...?" whispered Hange, with a choked-up voice, "B-Babe?"

Lara noticed that her mother was not doing well. She seemed in a trance.

"What do I do?!?!" Lara thought in desperation.

With her chest rising and falling fast, she grabbed her father's wrist and tried to concentrate as best she could.

"Thump-thump... Thump-thump... Thump-thump..." she felt light pulses in his artery.

A small flame of hope kindled in her heart.

Levi was still alive! His heart was still beating!

It was weak, but it was beating.

Groggy, Hange gazed at what her daughter was doing, and Lara gave her a very meaningful positive look.

Hange got the message right away. She felt as if someone had given her a shock and her body started working again, and a little smile of relief formed on her lips. She could finally breathe again.

Then, the girls sensed that the Jaëgerists were approaching from behind.

"Well, well..." said Floch, with the rifle loaded, "Dunno what happened here, but we were lucky. Our greatest threat, covered in its own blood..."

"I'll shoot him in the head!" said a soldier.

"HE'S DEAD!" exclaimed Hange, her voice breaking.

Lara stared at her mother, astonished. However, she fortunately knew Hange well enough to know the game she was playing, and then, she immediately joined in.

"Y-Yes!" added Lara, pretending to cry, "H-He must've been hit by an explosion from the Thunder Spear!"

"She's right..." said Hange, getting an expression of deep sadness, "We saw something similar in an accident in our training… My husband may not look like it, but his internal organs must be in pieces by now--" Hange let a great lament out of her throat, leaning over Levi and bouncing her shoulders.

"I know how to check a pulse," said Floch, approaching them. "Let me see him."

"Don't you think that was the first thing I did?!" retorted Lara, through gritted teeth, with an expression so fierce, that made Floch take a step back, "MY FATHER'S DEAD! Hope you're happy now!"

Then, something happened.

The Titan that was at some distance away from them, began to exhale a great amount of steam, very unusual. However, it looked like the steam was going into it.

"Floch!" called a soldier, scared, "There's something wrong with this Titan!"

Hange and Lara looked at each other, frowning.

"Is it disappearing?" asked Floch, gazing at the creature, "It died?!"

"No..." replied Lara, staring at the Titan, with a confused and curious expression.

"They don't usually absorb steam into themselves when they disappear…" added Hange, gazing at that scene ahead.

As everyone watched that, the rain gradually stopped, and a few rays of sunlight began to break through the clouds.

Then, they saw that something was coming out of the Titan. Floch and the other rebel soldiers loaded their rifles, aiming for that mysterious target. To everyone's utter surprise, from inside that Titan, Zeke Jaëger came out, completely naked. He looked very confused by the unexpected audience in front of him.

Lara and Hange stared at each other in perplexity, and they had the same thought: "Now is our chance to escape!"

With the soldiers distracted by Zeke's sudden appearance, the girls began to look around, to see if something nearby could help them. Then, they gazed at the strong river flow, right beside them. With a meaningful look, they both once more had the same thought.

Before doing anything, Lara grabbed her mother's arm.

"Wait!" she whispered, "We cannot escape completely unarmed! We won't stand a chance!"

"Right!" agreed Hange, also whispering. The girls carefully looked at the Jaëgerists. Floch was the closest to them.

Hange looked at her daughter, who had a determined expression.

"Yeah..." whispered Lara, wrinkling her nose in disgust, "It's gonna be you, idiot..." She turned to her mother, "Be ready when I get back!"

Hange then witnessed her daughter stand up in a jump, and in a very swift attack, disarm Floch, taking his rifle, leaving him completely perplexed. Together, the girls quickly grabbed Levi with all their strength and in one jump, threw themselves into the river flow, diving deep. The last thing they heard was the soldiers' cry of surprise, as some mounted their horses and began to follow them and fire their rifles towards the waters.