Chapter 61: Scream (2)
Mina's POV
"Young Yeager, are you crazy?!" That was the first thing that Ymir had said after witnessing how absurd my plan was. "Getting eaten along with Hannes would double their pain! What the fuck were you thinking?!"
Ahaha.
Yeah.
I wasn't thinking at all, to be honest.
"But it worked, didn't it?" I mumbled to myself to prevent the other soldier from overhearing as I tilted my head to see his current state. "My only problem right now is his arm."
Blood continues to gush out from his right arm due to it being bitten by the smiling titan. I only felt relieved for a bittersweet second upon pulling his body earlier before realizing that he still might die from blood loss.
"Hannes?" I called out to him, showing him a small smile when our eyes made contact. "Stay with me. I'll get us out in a second."
"Don't… worry about… me." He gasped for air, making me tighten my hold on his left hand. His body continues to dangle inside this titan's throat, something that I've failed to prevent after colliding inside its mouth. "Are you… all right?"
"Me?" My grip on my other hand tightened around the handle of my steel blade that was currently stuck in a titan's flesh. "I'm fine. Worry more about yourself, Hannes."
"Yeah…" He took a deep breath and continued. "Thanks…"
I unconsciously laughed, amused at our current predicament. "You don't have to thank me. Just… do your best to stay awake, okay?"
The answer that I received was simply a grunt, a reply that I'll gladly take.
Subjectively speaking, this is the second time – in this world – that I've found myself stuck inside a titan. The only difference is that the first one is a rotting titan corpse, while the second would eventually find itself being eaten by tens of titans. So, before that happens, I have to find a way out of here.
It's hot, though… Sweat trickled down my back and forehead as the heat overwhelmed our thoughts. We have to be careful and not touch anything.
I mean, it's fine with me since I literally can't feel anything, but Hannes is different. One wrong move, and he might burn himself.
After a few seconds of contemplation, I concluded that I'd simply slice my way through, but not until a voice halted me from doing so. "Wait for a few minutes before you act."
Huh?
Baffled, I blinked a few times for her to expound that statement.
Ymir Fritz clicked her tongue and continued. "Eren still has to awaken his dormant power. I'll tell you when to start."
Ah.
I guess being inside a live titan, all the while dangling on top of its throat, isn't exactly my kind of space.
Eren… I gulped as I tried my best to keep us both from falling deep inside.
The decision that I made to make sure that Hannes would survive required the risk of exposing myself to danger. Now I'm sure that it's a dumb and selfish move of mine to do so, but at the time, it was the only way I could think about it. Even if it meant doubling Eren's pain due to him assuming that both of us died, it's simply… the only way.
Hannes' death was – in a sense – brutal. The world decided that his death was simply meant to serve as a way to awaken the dormant power deep inside Eren's prowess. I can't recall him ever getting a proper burial, nor a memorial, but for this round, this world that Ymir and I have decided to save, it's not wrong of us to save as many people as possible… right?
But more than that, saving him would mean a lot for Eren, which is something that I want more than anything else to happen.
And yet….
His scream,
His cry,
And his way of telling himself how useless he currently is,
Hearing it right at this moment…
"Nothing changed…. You haven't changed one bit, damn it! You're still as useless as you ever were!"
It broke my tattered heart.
"NOTHING CHANGED!!!" Then he screamed, a cry filled with despair and anguish, something that I wanted to prevent from happening.
And yet, here I am, instigating it.
"Fuck…" I bit my lip, trying to contain the emotion welling up within me. "What the fuck have I done?"
"Mina…?" Hannes suddenly looked up, confused at what he heard. "What are you-"
"Young Yeager?" Now, even the ancient being is worried, great. "Hey, hey, calm down. Take a deep breath. This isn't the time to break down, you hear me? Just… breathe."
"Yeah… I just…" Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm the panic that almost leaked out. "It's hard… to hear him sound like that."
"You must really… care about him, huh?" Hannes commented, ever so smiling at the reaction I made. "Glad to see someone… other than Mikasa and Armin… to care for him like this."
"He's…" Someone to whom I'll gladly offer my whole life. "My friend."
"Yeah…" Then suddenly, the grip he had on my hand slightly loosened. Noticing that instantly made me pale. "That's… a relief."
"Hannes?" My lips began to tremble again upon noting how cold his hand was. "Hannes, stay with me… please… I beg of you!"
Not now.
Please.
Not like this!
"You're… a good person, Mina." He chuckles as if he had just discovered something worth dying for. "You don't have to… save an old man like me."
"No!" I screamed loud enough to keep him from saying the words that might have been his last. "I can't… You can't… Please fight, Hannes. My fa- Eren still needs you! So, please," I finally began pulling him up with the intent of getting us out of this space. Screw the timing, and to hell with it! "Just open your eyes for a few more minutes. Or else… or else…"
Eren won't last until the end.
With a grunt, I finally pulled him up and placed him at the edge of the titan's tongue. Upon inspection, Hannes looks too pale. He won't last if I don't move fast. "Don't slip on me. It'll only take me a second. Sir, can you do that for me?"
"Y-yeah…" And just when his gaze connected with my own, he added a nod in response.
That was all I needed to hear and see before detaching my hold on him and taking out the time gun.
"One second," I aimed exactly below its nape before finally releasing my hold on the trigger. A loud and destructive sound eventually filled our small space, prompting the titan to surge forward. Such an act forced me to finally release my hold on the steel blade just to wrap my arms around Hannes. "We're getting out! Hang on!"
Just before it landed on its knees, we eventually made our way to the hole I made. The problem, however, is that the Titans were already moving toward us, a sign that Eren must have finally awakened the coordinate within him.
"Shit!" That daughter of a bitch! She didn't warn me at all!
"You seemed preoccupied, young Yeager." Amused at my dilemma, Ymir Fritz giggled. "I didn't want to interrupt you."
Annoyed yet pleased at how childish she currently is, I cried out. "You stupid horrendous being!"
Chuckling, the said being breathlessly replied. "Now that's the young Yeager I know."
With that line sticking through my head, I finally got out of the titan, with Hannes placed on my back. Upon landing, the first thing that I noticed was how shaky the earth was, as if signifying the number of Titans running towards this place.
"Damn it," Without any other choice, I ran as fast as I could toward the nearest tree. "I have no freaking time for this!"
Saving Hannes comes first!
Upon placing him on what I deemed to be safe ground, I immediately pulled whatever available strap he had on just to wrap it around his bicep. "Hannes, can you hear me?" I lifted his head and looked into his tired eyes. "I'm getting you out of here. We're almost there, so please, endure for a few more minutes, okay?"
"Y-yeah…" He nodded his head and grinned. "E-even an old… m-man like me c-can… handle that."
I gave him a small smile before wrapping his other arm around my shoulder. "That's good to hear."
"Hannes!" Whipping both of our heads at where the sound was coming from, a garrison soldier made his way towards us with a second horse in tow. "Oh Lord, I thought we lost you!"
"Ja-" But before he could even utter his comrade's name, Hannes widened his eyes in horror after seeing the titan behind his friend. "Watch out!"
"It's okay, Hannes." I gently pulled his aggravated state before continuing what I was trying to say. "It won't target us. Prioritize your health and escape."
And like I said, the titan simply passed us by, alarming both garrison soldiers. It took a few more seconds until his comrade finally reached us, prompting me to make haste in placing the wounded soldier on top of his friend's horse.
"You'll be fine now, Hannes." I gently patted his back before instructing his friend to take him to the nearest available cart. "You'll live, don't worry. Just… make sure to keep your eyes peeled, okay?"
"Yeah…" Slowly, he lifted the tips of his lips to show his gratitude. "Thank you… Mina."
Ah…
I narrowed my eyes, overwhelmed by this sudden barrage of emotions. It's… not exactly the time for me to feel such… sentiment, so I simply ignored it and immediately hopped on top of the second unmanned horse.
"And where will you go?" The garrison soldier asks, just started pulling on its reins to go in the other direction. "Come with us!"
"I can't." With no hesitation needed, I replied. "I still have someone to save."
Someone who might help in changing our hellish future.
*****
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