The supply squad, responsible for delivering gas canisters and fresh blades to the frontlines, had failed their mission. They couldn't leave their post. Trapped inside the supply headquarters tower, they were surrounded on all sides by Titans.
Paralyzed by fear, the squad members clung to their positions, unable to move. The terror gripped them so tightly, it choked reason from their minds. One of them—overcome—put a gun in his mouth and ended it all.
The rain had stopped.
But many soldiers—stranded across rooftops—lacked the gas needed to scale the wall and retreat.
They were stuck.
"Hey, Jean! Got any ideas?!" Connie called out, his voice tense. Their group had joined up with the scattered survivors near the wall.
"Me? What ideas could I possibly have?" Jean exhaled bitterly, slumped on the rooftop like a man waiting to die. "We finally get the retreat order… and now we're out of gas. We're all gonna die here. All because of those cowards."
"You mean the supply squad? What happened to them? Are they all dead?" Connie asked.
"I heard they lost the will to fight," Jean muttered. "I mean, I get it. But that doesn't excuse abandoning their duty and waiting for death in the headquarters. Of course, they're surrounded by Titans. There's no way they can get out to resupply us."
"Then there's only one option left! We take out every last Titan blocking the supply tower!" Connie barked, standing up with uncharacteristic resolve. "What, are we gonna wait here until the Titans come for us instead? We're wasting time and gas! If we lose mobility, we're dead!"
"…Did you just come up with a decent idea for once, Connie?" Jean blinked in disbelief. "But with the manpower we've got left? The veterans up front are wiped out. Which of us trainees is gonna lead a suicide charge?"
He scanned the broken soldiers around them. Spirits shattered. Eyes vacant.
"Even if someone takes command, we're not enough," Jean added. "The supply tower's probably swarming with three- to four-meter Titans. We wouldn't even survive long enough to refuel."
His voice, for once, was clear and logical.
Connie's confidence faltered.
"…We're screwed, aren't we?" he whispered.
"Hah… My life's been a joke," Jean sighed. "Why the hell didn't anyone tell me it'd end like this?"
But not everyone had given up.
Across the rooftop, Sasha was still trying to rally the others.
"Let's try! Come on, everyone! If we work together, we can make it! I'll go first!"
She pleaded, fire in her voice. But those around her… they had the look of the damned. Eyes hollow. Souls already claimed by fear.
Sasha lowered her head, disheartened—until a familiar figure caught her eye.
Sitting against the wall, unmoving.
"Armin… come with us…" Sasha approached gently.
But Armin's eyes… were the same. Empty. Lost.
Elsewhere, Reiner's squad was discussing their next move.
"Reiner, what now?" Annie asked, still composed as ever.
"Not yet," Reiner replied. "We attack only after we gather enough people."
"There's no chance," Marco muttered. "No matter how you spin it, we're all gonna die here. I'm not afraid to die… but I just want to know—what am I dying for?"
Suddenly—
"Mikasa? Aren't you with the rear guard?" someone exclaimed.
Mikasa arrived like a thunderbolt, landing hard on the rooftop. Her expression was tense, her urgency palpable.
"Annie, I need to ask something. Have you seen Sandra… or anyone from Eren's squad?"
She rushed to Annie without pause.
In her heart, Mikasa believed—no, knew—I was still alive.
If I wasn't here, then I had to be back at the supply headquarters… surrounded by Titans.
That was the only explanation.
"At least from what I saw, no squads have made it over the wall," Annie replied calmly. "And Sandra… wasn't she assigned to the supply team?"
"Armin's over there," Reiner pointed.
Mikasa's eyes locked onto him instantly.
"Armin!"
She moved fast.
The moment he heard her voice, Armin flinched—his entire body shivering.
Guilt flooded his heart.
He didn't want to face her.
Not like this.
"Armin. You're not hurt, are you? Are you okay?" Mikasa knelt beside him, her voice gentle.
Armin couldn't speak. He only nodded.
Seeing him alive, Mikasa let out a quiet breath of relief and stood to look around.
"…Where's Eren?"
She still didn't know.
"Armin?"
Inside, Armin was breaking. The dead… were already gone. But he had survived. As the only one left from the 34th Squad… he had to answer.
Tears streamed down his face.
He raised his head… and in front of Mikasa, the dam broke.
"Our 34th Training Squad… Thomas Wagner. Nack Tierce. Milieus Zermusky. Mina Carolina… and Eren Yeager… all completed their mission…"
"They died with honor!"
His voice cracked through the air, echoing in the silence.
"…No…"
Sasha gasped.
"Was the 34th Squad wiped out?" murmured one soldier.
"If we faced Titans head-on, we'd end up the same," whispered another.
"I'm sorry, Mikasa…" Armin wept. "Eren died in my place… I didn't do anything… I'm sorry…"
The rooftop fell silent. Only Armin's sobs remained.
Mikasa's expression slowly shifted. Her eyes narrowed—unsteady.
"…Armin. Where's Sandra?"
The question snapped him out of his guilt.
He looked up at her, startled.
His mind finally returned to me—Sandra Gant.
"…Wasn't she with the supply squad?" Jean chimed in, thinking back to the conversation before Eren's final mission. It was something I had said myself.
"Ah… you caught me. I was lucky. Didn't want to make you guys jealous, so I told Armin not to say anything. I got assigned to the supply tower squad."
Jean had remembered every word.
--------------
Access Advance Chapters on my Patreon : patreon .com / MPHFics