18 Wall Sina

Road after empty road passed us by as we walked, not truly understanding what we were seeing. Everything was so empty and bare, no zombie or human anywhere to be found. It was disconcerting, to say the least, but I kept those concerns to myself.

Our mismatched band of survivors were on edge after they lost the settlement, especially Jean after... After Marco passed.. It still hurt me to see him look so feral and wild. Ever since I've met him, I could see that he was a soft, sweet nerd with a knack for taming Jean's bad temper.

Jean didn't show any anger towards me, or anyone for that matter, and I was starting to miss his temper. He reminded me of myself... The me who had given up at that bar, the me who had shattered into a million pieces like the bottles of alcohol I'd chugged.

I would stick close to him when I could, but mama Mikasa clung to him and would glare whenever I approached. This was different from when she'd babied me. She wasn't babying him, she was being a distraction and a shoulder to cry on.

It was obvious that she had developed feelings for him, but it was impossible to tell what kind with her unreadable gaze. Levi and I hadn't had any alone time and it was fraying our nerves, as well.

The only people who didn't seem nerved or stressed were Hange, Erwin, and Armin. Hange is always happy and as for Armin and Erwin... I don't even want to talk about the noises Armin makes, bleh!

I'm glad they finally got together, but they weren't quiet or embarrassed when it came to too much PDA. My innocent friend wasn't as innocent as I thought, it seems. With a shiver of disgust, I bring myself from my thoughts and to our newest obstacle.

We had reached the border to the next state yesterday, but there was a big problem. A big immovable problem. There was a large ass stone wall that spanned farther than the eye could see. On the wall was a picture of a crowned woman with the words, Wall Sina.

Historia had known what it meant, but kept her mouth shut until the others had went to sleep. She asked them to put her and I on first watch and here we are, camping on the ground next to a wall. She was surprised to see the wall, but her face had paled when I showed her the words engraved on it.

"Okay, Ria, please tell me what Wall Sina means? I can feel your fear from here.."

I hear her take a deep breath, then she speaks, "Wall Sina was part of a bigger plan my father and the others had for the corporation and the games. But... They had said it would take years to build. They must've been building it in secret for years."

Her eyes take on a far away look as she stares at the flames from our small fire. With lips pulled into a thin line, she looks up at me with such a hopeless look that I visibly cringe. How can such a happy and determined girl have that look on her face?

"We can just find a way to scale the wall. Erwin will think of something." But even I can hear the resignation in my voice.

"Not all three... This is the smallest of the walls." she said quietly.

This really does sound kinda like the hunger games, doesn't it? Why are they trapping us? What is their big "plan"? So many questions that need to be answered. I look at all the people I've grown to love and make a decision.

"Ria, you know where your father and the corporation is. Do you know where they're holding the zombies and how they're controlling them?"

"The zombies have some type of device shot at them, then they're controlled with basic commands with special computers. Why?"

"You aren't going to like it, but I've survived worse. I'm guessing the computers are near the zombies, so I'm going to break in and destroy the controls. Then, I'm gonna lead them to the corporation. So, tell me everything you know."

She stares me down as if waiting for me to reconsider, but then she just nods curtly. She knows that I am the only one who can do this without dying. At least, that's what I want her and the others to believe...

"The corporation is where you marked it on the map. It's a big building, so you'll know it when you see it. The zombies are held on the completely other side of the state and the building holds mostly scientists to observe the zombies. Find a gun or bow and get out fast." she says quickly.

I nod and silently pack my duffel before looking back at Historia.

"Don't tell anyone, especially Levi, where I went. Make something up if you have to. Say I went to go find guns or climbing gear or something. Thank you for everything, Historia.." I say before disappearing into the darkness.

If I follow along Wall Sina I'll eventually run into a city to loot and if not... I'm going to have to use stealth and trickery to get into the control room. I don't know the layout whatsoever, so that's the first thing I'll need to figure out. Every exit, room, dead end— everything.

Tiredness wore me down and made me sluggish, but I kept walking until I reached Shiganshina. Now that I know the zombies are contained I'm not afraid to enter the city. Like me, most people avoided the city, so I doubt it's looted. Well, at least I hope...

The city I grew up in was always full of the sounds of traffic, children laughing across the street, and just any small sound. Now it looked and sounded like a ghost town, dead silent and vacant. Cars lined the streets, like they were stuck in traffic when shit hit the fan.

Walking around the abandoned cars, I survey my surroundings carefully. I know Shiganshina like the back of my hand, so the stores are Northeast of my current location. The houses and buildings I pass aren't destroyed or damaged, just empty.

It's like everyone decided to go on vacation at the same time and just haven't got back yet. The first store comes into view and I sigh in relief at the undamaged Wal-Mart. The shelves are full and the smell of rancid cold goods meets my nose, making me gag.

I cover my nose with my shirt, like any smart person, and head to the fishing/hunting area in the back. Everything is as it should be, with no sign of the undead and all the shelves stocked. Thank fucking God for that! Two Mark 23 pistols with silencer attachments, an M24 Sniper, and a machete.

I found an accurate scope and another silencer attachment for my sniper, then strapped it across my shoulder. The machete I attach to my chest, in a strapped sheath across my shoulder and chest. I look like a fucking twiggy Rambo with the twin MK 23's at my sides, machete, and the Sniper.

Next, I stuff my bags full of more guns and all the ammo I can. Extra magazines are loaded with ammo and placed in the many pockets of my cargo pants and then I go to the canned goods. Such variety! Sorry, I got a little excited there for a second...

Peaches, beans, beef stew, and mushroom soup all get thrown into the duffel, along with some jerky and a few Red Bull I spotted in the back. The duffel is a heavy weight on my back when I sling it over my shoulder. I could very well die and then this was all for nothing.

No! No, I WILL succeed! For not just myself, but also my friends and my lover. Let the corporation's creation destroy them. Sicking their own zombies on them seems like a fitting punishment. Wouldn't you agree? Irony at its finest.

Turning my back on Shiganshina was as easy as last time and before I knew it, I had already walked past my old town. Based on the information Historia gave me, I was about three days from the corporation, which means I'm about a week and a half trek from the zombies' location.

I'm going to have to make camp soon, but I want to at least make it close to the corporation, so I can keep an eye on all their activities. See if I can find out which watch shift has the least amount of guards. It'll help me time the zombies' attack better.

To be honest, I don't know how I'll be able to walk a week with zombies on my heels... It'll be rough and I'll be really tired, but I have those Red Bull's for that reason. Yes, I do have self control! I've pulled through weeks without sleep when the nightmares got bad, so I'm not really worried about the staying awake part.

Without proper sleep, the body is weaker, more sluggish with slower reflexes. If I end up getting caught by the corporation while leading the zombies, I'm fucked! This will take careful planning and extra plans in case something compromises the first one. There is so much I don't know in this situation.

When Grisha would force me to assassinate someone for the corporation, he'd have the whole place mapped, everything planned, backup plans too. I know how to do that stuff, but I don't know how close I can get to the corporation without getting found out. I'll have to watch for drones and cameras.

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Three days of following Wall Sina has me now facing the corporation that put me through hell. A huge white building connected to even more buildings with a lot of open windows. There are guards, armed to the teeth, posted at every entrance and the gates surrounding the buildings.

I stay in the cover of the trees for the whole day and night, figuring out that the guard shift at dawn only has four people. That's when I'll have to attack then. I'd rather be sitting at home, sending my supervisor all the art I'd been working on lately, but no... I have to somehow sneak into a huge building, vandalize some computers, and lead a fuck ton of zombies a week's journey.

Easy, right?! Grabbing me duffel, I sneak along the wall near the corporation, and start to follow it to the zombie farm. Hahaha. Get it, zombie farm! Just imagine a whole bunch of zombies in pens with troughs full of brains and other body parts. See, now you're laughing too.

After a full day of walking from the corporation, I decided to camp in an old, rusty barn to rest. Upstairs is a storage, of sorts, for gardening stuff and bales of hay, but it is relatively safe. Sleep slams into me and pulls me into the darkness.

The weight of the sniper in my grip along with the sight in my scope has a heaviness settling over me. My friends are surrounded on all sides by the undead, but the undead just stand still with sickening, blood-filled grins. All of them have their weapons raised, but miles of the zombies are between them and safety.

"Choose! You kill them or the zombies will tear them apart, slowly and painfully." Grisha's breath touches my ear as he speaks.

A thick swallow is the only response I give while I continue staring at me friends, taking in every detail. I want to remember all of them like this... They're scared, but their fear is covered by a mixture of determination and resolve. My and handsome Captain, watching everything with a cool, calculated look.

"Eren! 5...4...3...—"

"Fine!" I scream.

My hands and breathing steady as I set my sights on Hange and pull the trigger. I can't think about it right now, I need to focus! The others scream at the surprise of Hange dropping dead without a sound. The shell drops to my side as I reload and start picking my friends off.

Tears are streaming silently down my face as my aim sets on my lover, my Captain, Levi. He's looking right at me with tears in his eyes, but nods his head. Silent permission...

"Finish this now!" I hear his faint voice scream.

Finish this... Kill him so he can die quickly, but also kill the person who started this. My breathing starts coming out as choked sobs but my finger is steady as I pull the trigger. His body seems to drop in slow motion as a small trail of red drips from the hole in his head.

A hand pats my shoulder and his disgusting voice enters my quiet head, "Great job, Eren! Maybe you didn't grow soft." he chuckles after saying the last part.

There is an emptiness in my head and heart, making my tears dry and my shaking to stop. He did this and he will fucking pay for it! Before he could react, I pulled the 10mm he gave me from my ankle boot and shot him right in the head. The shot rang out and brought me satisfaction, but not as much as his dead eyes staring at me in horror.

Good, his final emotion was fear! When I look back over the edge, the zombies and bodies of my friends are gone. But I would never forget killing them and watching as they stood helpless while I did it. I couldn't protect them, no matter how hard I tried...

A gunshot rang out and then darkness.

My body slowly started to wake up, making me wonder if the gun shot was real or a dream. I'm quick to eat some jerky and start walking again in the early morning light. I'm still days from the zombie farm, so the best thing to do is keep walking until I get there, camp near it, then map out what I can and plan around it.

Walking gives me plenty of time to think... And regret most of my choices. I regret leaving without saying goodbye to my friends, especially Levi. I regret not giving this decision more thought. I regret not having more time with them or meeting them before this shit storm of an apocalypse.

My friends' faces flash in my head and a smile crosses my lips. They brought me more happiness in those few months than I've felt my whole life, so that... That is why I will gladly take the chance that I will die while doing this. I just need to survive long enough to get the zombies to the corporation and then I've done what I could.

The duffel on my back and the slight weight of the sniper were a solid reminder of what I'd be doing. Becoming the assassin I was all those years ago. But this time I was doing it to protect my loved ones, not help a corrupted company get rid of competition. Maybe this would help me atone, at least a bit.

On the walk there, I spotted a large white tent and raced to it. Fireworks of all shapes, sizes, and colors covered metal tables like a banquet. I could feel the lighter in my pocket, so that is a relief but I grab two more to be safe.

I grab two large bags of multi-colored smoke bombs and shove them in my duffel along with a handful of firecrackers. I'm so glad I found this firework tent. Now I get to experience my first Fourth of July aaaaand scare the shit outta some scientists!

The plan is to use the firecrackers to draw them out and away from the building, then throw a few smoke bombs to keep them occupied. Do what I gotta do and throw more smoke bombs to escape.

I'll save a bag of the smoke bombs for the corporation, so they don't see the horde until it's right on them. This may sound kinda sadistic, but I am looking forward to hearing them scream and watching them get torn apart by their minions. No, just me?

I have about a two days journey to the zombies' location so it gave me time to plan. If needed, I could snipe the guards from a distance and drag them into the woods near the lone building. But, my goal is to get in and out without much fight. I'll let the zombies do what they need to do then lead them away.

Once I get the zombies to follow me, I'll lead them to the corporation building. If it's times right, we can arrive at dawn when there are the least amount of guards. Shooting the four guards shouldn't be too difficult and then I can start throwing the smoke bombs to hide the zombies and I from view.

With the amount of zombies they've taken they'll stand no chance once they reach the gate. There isn't enough manpower to eliminate a hundred zombies, let alone a few hundred. It's like I'm letting wolves into the chicken coop and watching them get slaughtered.

I can just imagine the panicked corporate busy bodies running around like chickens with their heads cut off. That analogy makes me laugh so much..! I'm not looking forward to the walk to the zombie farm, but the rest... That, I'm looking forward to.

I'll camp in the woods near there and regain my strength for the fun. The Red Bull cans are still in my bag, waiting for me to open them, but I'll wait. They are for the week long journey back, so I don't slow down and get eaten.

Here's to hoping I can pull this off!