Evan Cross carried Carla Yeager on his back as Mikasa and Eren followed closely behind.
Three children and one adult sprinted frantically down a road only three or four meters wide.
Maybe because its "meal" had nearly escaped, the black-haired female Titan behind them suddenly sped up.
From an elderly shuffle
to a fast adult walking pace.
Each thunderous BOOM, BOOM behind them slammed into their eardrums.
The Titan was getting closer.
Fear twisted across every face
especially Carla.
She wasn't like Eren and Mikasa, who had already experienced killing or psychological trauma in childhood.
Nor was she like Evan, who had watched the Attack on Titan series.
She was just a regular woman who had lived behind the wall for thirty peaceful years.
The bodies on the roadside
the people crushed and skewered by falling debris
the Titan closing in
Her fear had reached its absolute limit.
If not for her son right beside her, she might have completely collapsed.
"U-um…!"
Eren gasped while running, looking like he wanted to say something.
Evan turned his head slightly. "What?"
"About earlier, I… I "
"He wants to apologize," Mikasa finished in her usual flat tone.
Eren nodded quickly. "I thought… I thought you were abandoning us earlier. I even cursed you in my heart… gomen nasai!"
Evan shot him a cold glance and faced forward again.
He didn't accept the apology.
Because earlier…
he really had planned to run for his life.
If he hadn't recognized Eren Yeager the protagonist he would never have risked saving anyone.
Living…
wasn't that enough?
The three kids panted heavily, the female Titan still stomping behind them.
Carla, bouncing on Evan's back, felt his firm spine shuddering with every step.
Tears slipped down her cheeks.
"Please, boy… put me down. If this continues, the Titan will catch us…"
"Mom! Stop saying things like that!" Eren yelled desperately.
Before Evan could respond
Mikasa's voice cut in beside them:
"…Look."
Even her normally steady tone held a faint tremble.
That alone made the others freeze in dread.
Evan whipped his head toward where she pointed
And instantly stopped dead in his tracks.
"What the !?"
A five-meter Titan burst out of a side street ahead
blocking the road.
"How did it get here!?"
Eren's eyes widened in disbelief.
They had been running in the opposite direction of the breach
there was no reason a Titan should appear in front of them.
"Boy! Put me down Eren, Mikasa, run! If this continues we'll all die!"
Carla tried to struggle off Evan's back.
Eren didn't yell this time.
Because he had fallen into complete despair.
Ahead a five-meter Titan.
Behind the black-haired female Titan closing in.
Sandwiched between two Titans…
Even with wings, escaping would be nearly impossible.
Mikasa, usually calm beyond her age, was trembling too.
This was a terror she had never faced.
"Damn it! This isn't how the story goes!"
Evan gritted his teeth, trying to force himself to stay calm.
Oddly enough, this was his greatest strength
the bigger the crisis, the clearer he could think.
He frantically sifted through the original plot.
In the anime, the drunkard Hannes had carried Eren and Mikasa down this route toward the inner gate
and they didn't run into any Titans.
Then it hit him
Hannes had ODM gear.
With that kind of flying equipment, escaping giants was easy even if you couldn't kill them.
But Evan…
Only had two legs.
"So that's the difference…"
"Boy! Put me down! I'll distract the Titans! You take them and escape through the alley on the right!"
Carla beat at Evan's shoulders, trying to get down.
And suddenly
Evan's eyes lit up.
Distract the Titans?
A diversion…
"Auntie, don't panic! I'll put you down now!"
He carefully lowered Carla onto the ground.
Eren's eyes widened. "What are you doing!? You're really leaving Mom here!? You You bastard!"
Mikasa was stunned too.
How could the boy who just saved Carla now abandon her?
Evan snapped back at Eren impatiently:
"If you don't want to die, then pick up your mother! Throwing a tantrum won't save her!"
Then he faced forward, eyes sharp.
He sprinted toward the roadblock Titan, raising both arms high and shouting:
"You ugly short freak!
If you've got guts, COME EAT ME!!"