The streets of Shiganshina were no longer familiar. Smoke curled through the alleys, carrying the acrid smell of burned wood and scorched flesh. Kaelen Adler's heart pounded in his chest as he sprinted alongside the few civilians who had made it to the outer walls. Lira clung to his arm, her small hands trembling, and for a moment, he considered stopping to comfort her. But there was no time—every second counted.
A distant roar split the air. Kaelen's stomach churned. The Colossal Titan had broken through the gate, and the smaller Titans had already begun hunting in the streets. Their grotesque forms lumbered among the panicked citizens, snapping up anyone unlucky enough to cross their path. Kaelen swallowed his fear and pressed onward, eyes darting for any escape.
"Over here!" a voice called. Eren Yeager, barely older than Kaelen, appeared at the corner of a collapsed building, motioning frantically. Mikasa and Armin flanked him. Their presence was a small relief, but the horrors surrounding them were overwhelming.
Kaelen handed Lira to Mikasa, who held the girl protectively. "Stay close!" he shouted, gripping a piece of broken wood to defend himself.
The first Titan lunged. Its movements were clumsy yet terrifyingly fast, snapping up a merchant who had frozen in place. Kaelen's stomach turned at the sight, but instinct pushed him forward. He jabbed at the Titan's leg with the wood. It barely noticed him, but the motion gave a nearby soldier enough time to strike its neck with a sword. The creature screamed, a sound more horrible than any human voice could make, and toppled to the ground.
"Move!" Eren shouted. "We need to get to the river!"
Kaelen ran, weaving through debris and panicked townspeople. He saw families torn apart, friends swallowed by Titans, and the ground slick with blood. Each step left him more hollow inside, but he forced himself to keep moving. Survival was all that mattered.
A Titan emerged from the smoke, taller than the houses, its grotesque mouth snapping hungrily. Kaelen felt a surge of adrenaline. He swung his wooden weapon, striking the creature's ankle, but it barely reacted. The Titan turned, and Kaelen ducked just as it swiped a massive hand, sending a cart flying into the air. He stumbled, scraping his shoulder, but managed to roll out of the way.
"Kaelen!" Armin yelled. "There's a gap in the rubble! Hurry!"
They ran toward the opening, leaping over shattered stone and fallen beams. Kaelen's lungs burned, his legs screamed in protest, but he refused to look back. Behind them, a smaller Titan had caught a young boy, tossing him aside like a ragdoll. Kaelen clenched his teeth, tears stinging his eyes.
Finally, they reached a clearing where soldiers were forming a defensive line. The river glistened beyond, a narrow path of salvation. Kaelen helped Mikasa steady Lira as they boarded a small boat. The current was swift, carrying them away from the immediate danger, but the chaos behind them was far from over.
From the riverbank, Kaelen could see more Titans emerging, climbing over broken walls and seizing anyone left behind. Smoke rose like a funeral pyre over Shiganshina, and the screams of the dying echoed in his ears. He gripped the edge of the boat, feeling helpless, angry, and terrified all at once.
Eren leaned over beside him, blood and dirt smeared across his face. "We can't just run. We have to fight!"
Kaelen shook his head. "We don't have the gear, Eren! We're not soldiers!"
Eren's eyes burned with a fire Kaelen had seen only once before. "Then we survive. That's the first step to fighting. If we live, we can make a difference!"
Kaelen nodded, though the words felt hollow. Survival was a fragile thread, and every moment, it seemed to slip further from their grasp.
Suddenly, a smaller Titan approached the riverbank, its grotesque face leering at them. Soldiers tried to intercept it, but it swatted them aside like toys. Kaelen's boat rocked violently as a massive hand hit the water beside it. He clutched Lira, keeping her low in the boat as debris flew through the air.
The Titan's attention shifted to another group of fleeing civilians. Kaelen watched, horrified, as it scooped a man into its hand and crushed him. The sound of splintering bones echoed across the river, a reminder that death was close and merciless.
"Focus!" Mikasa shouted, pulling Lira close and pointing at the shore. "We can make it if we keep moving!"
Kaelen gritted his teeth. He had never felt so powerless, so small. Yet, in that moment of fear, something inside him snapped—a determination to survive, not just for himself, but for Lira and the others depending on him.
They navigated the river, dodging fallen timber and floating debris. Smoke and ash stung their eyes, but the current carried them forward. Kaelen's muscles ached, his chest heaving with every breath. Each sound of destruction behind them reminded him of what they had lost, and what awaited beyond the walls.
As the boat reached the relative safety of a larger river crossing, soldiers helped pull the civilians to shore. Kaelen set Lira down, holding her hand tightly. She looked up at him with wide, fearful eyes. "Are we safe now?"
Kaelen forced a smile, though it was shaky and hollow. "For now," he whispered. "But we have to keep moving. We can't stop yet."
He glanced back toward Shiganshina, now a city of smoke and ruin. The Colossal Titan had vanished from sight, but the devastation remained, a scar on the world he had once called home. And Kaelen knew, deep down, that nothing would ever be the same again.
Somewhere beyond the trees, he could hear the faint sounds of other Titans approaching. Survival was no longer just a hope—it was a battle that would demand everything he had. And Kaelen Adler was ready, for better or worse, to face whatever came next.
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