Chasing Ghosts [Attack on Titan](Wattys 2014 Winner)

Chapter sixty-Six- In the end

Chapter sixty-six

Without thinking I raced towards the storage room and strapped on my maneuver gear. I'd been warned of this bell in training school, they'd told us that they would never have to use it…. They were wrong. I pulled on my uniform and raced out the door towards the stables, I threw on Lullaby’s gear an took off down the cobble stone road towards the gate of Trost. I rocketed past the Black smith and spotted Levi for a second the world slowed down as I looked at him. His eyes where wide, he knew that bell sound all to well as he saw me he outstretched his hand as to say. ‘Don’t go’ but I couldn't bring myself to let people die, the bells had been coming from Shiganshina. The gates creaked open as I raced towards them. I rocketed the horse out of the massive stone walls and towards wall Maria. I clicked my swords together and pulled them from the holders at my sides. I could see many of the other army members racing in troops down the path towards where the sound had come from. I spotted a familiar golden head and turned my horse towards the group.  “Guys!” I yelled joining there brigade beside Petra and Erd. They both smiled weakly at me, fear pouring into their eyes. “They breached the wall?” I asked Erwin who had his eyes ahead of us. He didn't look at me. “Apparently.” I frowned and kicked my horses sides causing her to bound forward. Every second we wasted people died. We reached  Shiganshina and the gates had been closed so we used our maneuver gear to get over the wall.

I stopped at the top and looked down over the little village, people screaming in the streets and massive titans poring threw a hole in the outer wall. I just stared, unable to bring myself to do anything. “H…How…” I trailed off staring into the gaping hole in the wall. We'd thought that the walls where immortal to everything, I guess not. Erwin looked towards us. “You know what to do.” We nodded and everyone jumped from the wall. I just stood there watching them zipping towards the backs of titans to kill them. I eventually made myself follow; I cut the necks off the backs of a few of them. I spotted a stationary guard blow me dragging two children away from rubble as a titan bit down on a woman’s body I closed my eyes and turned the other way. Unnecessary death was a hard thing to see. I stopped on a roof top near the hole in the wall.

I looked out into the green fields beyond and the titans that where crawling through the open wound. I jumped at one that was nearing me flipping backward and cutting my swords threw its neck. I skidded onto the roof top next to the house I'd been ontop of. There was a clunk next to me and I looked up to see Petra and the others. “What could have done this…” They trailed off. I straightened up looking at the hole sunlight poured threw it painting the dirt of the city in gold as more of the titans crawled through. “I have no idea…” I trailed off villagers ran screaming towards boats that where heading into wall Maria on the river. We started back towards the wall deciding it was better to try and protect what we had. I jumped up onto the top of the stone and waited for the others to do the same. The stationary guard where struggling trying to get the people into the boats. There weren’t enough for everyone. Suddenly there was a clunk behind me and I turned to see Levi landing on the stone behind me. He walked up towards us and looked down into the burning village. “Damn…” He muttered looking over at me surprise flickered in his steel eyes.

I sighed inwardly looking down at the world, titans crushing homes and eating people. I felt helpless, there was nothing we could do… more and more of them crawled through the walls. Suddenly the world trembled again and there was a flash of lightening then before us stood a massive titan… one like I'd never seen before. It was armored, and skinless. The things eyes glittered as it moved its massive body into a running position. Cannons where fired from below us and I looked towards the others, they nodded and we prepared to go for it. All six of us jumped from the wall and flew towards the armored beast but before we could reach it the thing ran for the wall bursting past us. It almost caught my wires, but thankfully I'd retracted them before it could. It burst threw the wall leaving another massive hole. Screams echoed from the river. Levi clenched his teeth then burst forward. “Levi!” I cried racing after him followed by the others. He went for the beast that was standing on the other side of the wall.

We all followed him as he went for it, Levi jumped for it but it moved its head and went to bite him. I was close enough to move him out of the way. I looked into his eyes one final time, his beautiful steel ones as he watched me in surprise when its teeth bit down and… pain split threw me.

Levi POV

I watched her move me out of the way of its massive jaws, the titan bit down on her instead. “ALYA!” I screamed reaching out to grab her outstretched hands she smiled  weakly at me while tears streamed down her face. The thing spit her out then raced down the path away from us, I landed beside her broken body blood pooring from her chest. “Alya, Alya… No please… don’t do this to me.” I whispered as she took my hand in hers she looked at me. Erwin had landed behind us, he saluted her with his hand on his heart while the others jumped down beside us. Petra took one look at her and began to try and lift her up. “Your fine, we'll get you to a doctor!” She whimpered. Alya smiled at us as crimson blood the same shade as her hair dripped from her mouth. Tears began to stream from my eyes as I held her. “I'm sorry…” I croaked. Alya laughed, causing her to cough up more crimson. “Live…. For both of us. We'll be waiting in heaven for you… My crazy… Levi…” Then her head leaned to the side and she let go of her final breath.

I just stared at her, unable to make myself move as titans poured into the hole. I could hear them getting closer to us as I looked at her. My life, my love… my child… all taken from me with a snap of a jaw. I looked up at the others who where hugging each other while Petra sobbed uncontrollably. Erwin held the salute his eyes dull and I could see the red under the rims as he struggled to hold back the tears. Tears streamed down my cheeks and dappled the scarlet haired girls face as she remained unmoving. “I'm sorry…” I whispered again and again. Eventually Erwin pulled me to my feet and away from her as a titan reached for us. “Let me die.” I said as my hair was shadowing my eyes. The commander frowned “She said, live on for both of us… Don’t let her wish go un-granted.” We couldn't take the body with us, the weight of it would be to much and as the footfalls of titans got nearer and nearer I realized…

I may be breathing.

But that was the day  I died.

AN

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I cried.