Attack on Titan: Survival and Dedication - Male Reader

PART TWO

Y/N half expected someone to come running after him. The thought clung to him like mud, eventually making him stop in a field and wait. He listened for anything other than nature.
  Eventually, just like mud, that mentality chipped away, leaving his old self after crumbling away. It was a moment of clarity for him, a time to chastise himself for thinking in such a way.

After taking the same route for the fourth time this month, Y/N was more comfortable moving about. He even made a little trail of flattened grass and flowers. With no signs of Titans in the area, he took this time to rest.
  He removed his pack and leaned on its hardy shell. Slowly but surely it began to lighten, becoming more of a tool bag than a traveling companion.
  It was a ritual at this point. Chow down on a cracker and wash it down with water. And maybe, if he wanted, he would fall into a small nap after rubbing his aching shoulders and back.
  When he spotted something moving in the tall brush, he gave pause. His eyes narrowed out of curiosity more than fear for what it would be. Predators wouldn't come out here, and last he checked there weren't any one-meter-tall Titans around.
  He waited with bated breath until it revealed itself. A deer with a moderately tall frame of antlers walked along the grass, apparently none the wiser to Y/N's presence.
I envy you. Y/N wished he could say to the wild critter. And secretly, he wished the creature would say something back.

For day and night, he walked. His muscles protested at times, as they always do. However, the thought of a sweet bounty all to himself was as much of a motivator as Erwin was. But unlike Erwin, he knew what he was getting into. No amount of loot would be worth dying over if it was a guaranteed end.
  If the sun was a fiery hand then its orange fingers would be creeping over the horizon. The appendage grabbed the distant horizon to pull itself up and reveal the crown of its head. The light it brought with it glinted off of Y/N's spyglass, making him sigh as he put it away.
  The village was as desolate as when he last saw it. There wasn't any notable change to cause worry and no signs of activity inside. The only thing inside to worry about now would be the dead and the sickness they carry. Y/N wasn't too keen on catching the plague out here.
Wait... Something was wrong. Y/N couldn't see it now but he was sure the bodies of the fallen would be picked clean by now. Instead, their raw and putrid stink was carried in the wind. They would surely be black masses by now, leaking their innards and staining the ground like freshly spilled tar.
  Did someone else get to them first? Or was their disappearance noticed and friends had come to investigate? The MPs nor Garrison were out of the picture. He couldn't imagine those cowards coming to clean up.
  He rubbed his brow line in thought. He could accept the odds of someone coming by and finding fallen strangers or comrades. What he couldn't accept was them remaining still. Of course, they didn't know the others were going to abandon this place, so the risk of staying had to be warranted.
A trap, maybe? Y/N asked himself. Still... better safe than sorry.
  Reaching into a pouch on his thigh, he grabbed a few canisters for his flare gun. Shooting one and then dashing in wasn't enough, but shooting a few was different. The thought of wasting such a valuable resource left a bad taste in his mouth.
  He had memorized the map from last week. He could work with it.
  With the few flares he had, he strapped them together. One was black, one was red, and the last two were green. He never intended to use them as a signal but more so as a smokescreen. And with a little bit of tinkering with his sword, he made sure they were as fragile as his bombs.
  Raising his rifle, he poured the appropriate amount of black powder on its rim, priming the weapon. A .75 caliber ball stuffed down the barrel was practically screaming to be released at the first sign of movement.
  He used his environment to his advantage and slowly closed the distance. A particular building had a blind spot facing toward the North. One window was seen clear as day and the sun crept in its shattered rooftop. If someone were to stand there, maybe a lookout, they would stick out like a sore thumb.
  He crawled along the ground, his rifle always within reach. The approach was slow but his eyes were always set on that singular window. His elbows and knees curled, carrying him closer and closer to his objective until it was just a hundred meters away.
  In the destruction of the village, the Abnormal opened up a new avenue of entry. A pile of rubble piled up in the surrounding moat, allowing Y/N to hop down and crawl back up.
  Once his boots hit stone he was off, dashing away from the scene until he had a door closed behind him and his rifle quickly scanning an empty kitchen.
  Once he was sure the house was clear he finally allowed his nose to crinkle. Something had died inside, to say what it was was hard to say. And to be honest, Y/N didn't want to try and identify it with smell alone.
  He tucked his face cover closer, only making it a tad easier to stomach the stench of a decomposing body.
  The rifle remained level with his shoulder as he ascended a short set of stairs, meanwhile being sure not to stray anywhere near the windows.
  When he came upon a lonely door he paused. He heard a faint buzzing on the other side of the door, yet it was more muffled than distant.
Flys. Y/N sighed. Someone had died on the other side of the door. They couldn't have been eaten so he suspected they met a more peaceful but just as grim end.
  Back outside he hugged the wall to the next house. He was in and out in a matter of minutes. From house to house he searched but found nothing more than death.
  One house, in particular, stood out more than the others. The traffickers found interest in what was inside as they left nothing unturned. Shelves were flipped, flooring ripped out of the foundation, and the walls ruined.
  Y/N entered the home and quickly found it to be someone's dream. Glass glittered on the wooden floor, old blood staining its chocolate brown surface. Several chairs were strewn about and a large pantry was ransacked. But the most disturbing image of all was the little wooden toys left behind. Y/N could only assume the worst when it came to their owner.
  The town was empty. It only carried whispers and smells of its former self. It was a sad sight to come across but Y/N would've liked to have seen it alive. And maybe, just maybe, he would've liked to see who was the mastermind behind such a hidden paradise.
  Y/N shook his head, ceasing his wishful thinking.
  He tipped his rifle, emptying the rimmed powder back into his pouch. From here on out he moved slowly and with respect. A part of him regretted taking from the village but his survival came first.
  He didn't dare go upstairs. The thought of who may be up there made him uncomfortable, more uncomfortable than any Titan's childish grin.
  Instead, his interest was in the basement. A hidden latch was uncovered by the traffickers, and the smell coming from within was different.
That smell... God. He cleared his throat and took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts. It wasn't exactly rotten or something along those lines. No, it was just strong and smelled faintly of fruit.
  He braced a hand on the splintered floor and readied himself for the dark drop below. However, as the damaged wood creaked and chirped, he froze.
  He stood face to face with a bulging pair of eyes and a deep scowl of hatred. They shone faintly in the darkness but Y/N could see his reflection well within the Titan's eyes. This was the only amount of detail he could take in before he jumped back, narrowly avoiding the Titan's reaching hand.
  The wooden floor shattered under the Titan's crushing grip. He pulled himself up with little effort but by then Y/N was already out the door.
  The Titan was barely over two meters tall, just big enough to crawl up the surrounding moat and maybe heavy enough to fall deep into the basement. But no matter their size they always turn up to be battering rams, shown when it crashed clean through the door looking for his next meal.
  He raised his head, smelling the air in a frantic search. Y/N had disappeared completely.
  A sound came from the monster's throat. The rumble could be confused as a gurgling stomach or barely concealed anger. Whatever the case its purpose was gone.
  Unfortunately for them both they had a reason to stick around. A faint crackle sailed through the air with a deep smell of smoke. The Titan turned to the intrusion and was greeted with a flash of hot air before everything turned dark.
  Y/N ducked in a nearby building, his heart hammering in his chest. In this adrenaline-fueled state, he was focused. He knew what he needed to do.
  Peeking around the corner he spotted the lone Titan. Its face was practically gone, leaving just the skull underneath. It was a grievous wound and would take a minute at most to repair.
  Y/N wasted little time and sprinted across the street. The sound of his heavy footfalls met the Titan's ears, bringing a strangled gurgle from its mouth hole before it ran full speed toward Y/N.
  The Scout folded his arms over his face and jumped, crashing through a window and rolling to a fast recovery. The Titan threw up a vast cloud of dust, further concealing his escape upstairs.
  Every little sound he made the beast reacted to. His shoes slamming against the wooden stairs prompted a vicious slam on the wall outside. But much to his dismay, a louder and much clearer roar left its mouth.
Already?! Y/N grit his teeth until his jaw ached. The pain grounded him for a moment, helping him focus on his breathing.
  The building shook violently, making dust rain down on Y/N's cloak. It wasn't much of a concern for now.
  With his breath as quiet as his surroundings, Y/N rose from the floor. He shifted his weight with a cringe, knowing every bit of sound could spell death.
  Now standing at his full height, he grabbed another bomb and readied his lighter. The silver box clicked ever so slightly and the old wheel inside squeaked. As much as he hated to he knew he had no other choice.
  He took a deep breath and gathered himself. His nerves steeled and his brows curled into a deep glare he struck the lighter, igniting the fuse.
  The Titan was deathly still. The only sound to meet its ears was the searing mist billowing off its face. On its jaw, a pair of lips began to form and the muscles connected stitched itself back together. As it waited a scratch of metal on stone alerted him.
  With all his might he plowed through the stone wall before him, shattering it like pottery. Then, when the same crackle came from above it jumped, plowing through the wooden floor to reveal his prey.
  The Titan was in too much of a daze to realize that underneath the hood was a cold and calculating gaze. And as it reached out, nearly grabbing Y/N's leg, it opened its mouth with an ear-piercing roar.
  With the bomb's fuse practically a nub, Y/N dropped it down the monster's putrid gullet and ran. A door at his six was slammed shut, muffling the blast he left behind.
  Y/N stood readied. He was prepared to light another bomb or jump out a nearby window. But as the town settled in another somber silence, he knew he had done it.
  The Scout immediately hunched over with his hands on his knees. Sweat dripped from his brow and he found it hard to breathe through his mask. He squeezed his eyes shut and breathed, lessening the fuzzy curtain in his mind and stopping the tingle that stretched over his fingers.
  "Damn Titans..." Y/N hissed to himself.
  After catching his breath, he gave the door a push and was greeted with a wide plume of steam. By the time he made it downstairs the Titan's flesh was no more than a paper-thin cover. Given another hour or so and the entire body would be gone.
  Upon further inspection of his work, Y/N noticed the back of the Titan's head and neck missing. The overwhelming pressure sealed in its mouth would've made for a nasty display, that much Y/N was sure of.

After checking the houses again Y/N was more comfortable walking freely through the village. And just as a precaution, he raised the draw bridge, almost sealing off the outside world.
  Now he stood before the wagon, his thumbs rubbing over his fingertips in anticipation.
Here goes nothing. He thought before jumping in the back and pulling the canvas covering his bounty away.
  Y/N was immediately met with the sight of half a dozen crates. Four large ones and two smaller ones with their covers missing. The contents glinted with the morning sun but interested Y/N little.
Booze. But what kind? He asked himself before grabbing one of the many bottles and popping it open. The smell that wafted out made him shake his head and shut his eyes.
  "Damn..." He marveled. It was strong stuff but nothing he drank. He set a few aside for himself to trade and the rest for later.
  Digging deeper into the boxes he found precious metals. Rings, jewelry, and even a silver fork. It wasn't much but was light and easy to carry. For now, he set it aside with the booze.
  The rest of the crates were all food. There was dried bread, jarred fruit, and some salted meat. All things he picked through to take for himself.
  Coming upon the final crate he paused. Stuffed in between the wagon and stolen goods was a rifle, but it wasn't just any rifle.
  "Hmm..." Y/N frowned at the design of the rifle. It took him a moment to realize that it was a cap-lock rifle, a significant upgrade from his flintlock variety.
  Y/N was quick to set aside his old rifle to take the fairly used one. With this rifle not only were reloads quicker, but he didn't need to worry about spilling his rimmed powder.
  After digging around some more he came across nothing. The ammo and nipples were likely in a pile of rotten flesh. The weapon alone would have to do.
  With the final crate in hand, he pried it open, revealing something that caught his next breath in his throat.
  "The hell..." He whispered.
  Inside the crate was an assortment of items. They were jumbled and likely tossed in without care but Y/N was quick to recognize an entire set of ODM gear.
  Y/N knew MPs were no strangers to corruption. He actually expected it to be something along the lines of military equipment. What he didn't expect to see was a prototype. A piece of equipment meant entirely for gunning down humans.