Chapter 109: Mother Carla… Survived!
"Dinner's almost ready, go get Mikasa…"
Carla's words trailed off. Eren had shot to his feet, the chair legs scraping harshly against the floor. Carla and Mikasa both jumped, staring at him.
The look on Eren's face was one they had never seen before. It wasn't his usual stubbornness; it was the desperate struggle of a drowning person clinging to driftwood, mixed with immense fear. He was acting almost purely on instinct, faster than thought.
"Okaa-san (Mom)!" Eren rushed to Carla, his voice trembling. "We have to leave! Right now!"
Carla stared, bewildered. "Leave? Go where? Eren, what's wrong with you?"
"There's no time!" Eren grabbed her arm, his grip so tight Carla felt a pang of pain. "Get out of here! Go to Wall Rose! Trost District! Quickly!" His eyes were bloodshot, fixed on Carla, filled with terror.
Carla frowned, trying to soothe him. "Eren, calm down! What's going on? Aren't you feeling well?"
"It's dangerous here! I don't know!" He shook his head violently, trying to figure out how to explain the future danger. He couldn't. All he could rely on was a premonition, an intuition. "But I have a really, really bad feeling!" he practically roared, his voice frantic. "If we stay here—we'll die! We'll all die!"
Seeing her son on the verge of breakdown, Carla grew even more worried, but rationally, it sounded absurd. "Eren, did you have a nightmare?" she asked, trying to gently pull her arm away.
"No!" Seeing his mother didn't believe him and was trying to placate him instead, Eren still didn't know how to make this urgent evacuation seem reasonable. How could he explain? Time was running out. The invisible noose was tightening. What could he do?!
Under Carla's bewildered, even slightly concerned gaze (was he losing his mind?), Eren let go of her arm and dropped heavily to his knees with a thud. A full dogeza. Tears streamed down his face.
Carla was completely stunned. Mikasa gasped, covering her mouth with her small hands. Eren… what is he doing?!
"Mom—" Eren's voice came muffled from the floor, trembling violently. "Please… let's go… right now…"
"Immediately! Right away!"
"Leave here—go to Trost!"
"As fast as possible! As far as possible!"
Carla was baffled and instinctively bent down to help him up. "Eren? Get up! Let's talk properly! Why are you doing this?!"
"PLEASE, MOM!!!" Little Eren snapped his head up, his bloodshot eyes locking onto hers, his face streaked with tears and fear. "Trust me this once! Just this once!" He didn't know how to explain. All he could do was use this primal gesture to convey the bone-deep terror he felt. "Let's go now! Towards Trost! Let's go now! Please!!!" He prostrated himself, his hands clawing at the floorboards, nails digging into the wood, his body shaking violently.
Carla was utterly shocked into silence. Maybe… this isn't just him acting out. Her heart tightened. Although it still felt ridiculous, the sheer terror in Eren's eyes, escalating into a soul-deep trembling, and this extreme, impossible-to-ignore posture… she could no longer dismiss it as childish misbehavior. Besides, it was just going out for a bit.
"—Alright!" Carla took a deep breath, her voice trembling slightly. "Alright, Eren! Get up first! We… we'll go out now! We'll head towards Trost and see!" Get up first!! Maybe she just wanted to calm him down first. Or maybe… Eren's extreme fear had planted a seed of unease in her own heart.
Hearing his mother relent, Eren's taut nerves seemed to loosen slightly. He quickly added, "Armin! And Armin's grandpa! They have to come too! They must!"
"Go get them right now!!" His tone left no room for argument, as if a second's delay would mean eternal damnation.
Carla looked at her son, sighed, and nodded. "Okay… okay… we'll bring them…"
With Carla and Mikasa's help, Eren finally got to his feet, still trembling. His face was pale, the fear not yet gone from his eyes. "Quick—pack some things—" Eren urged.
Carla didn't have time to think, just followed his lead, quickly gathering some food and water. "Okay, Mom, let's go!"
Carla took Eren's hand, called Mikasa, and hurried towards Armin's house. She knocked on the door. Armin and his grandfather were both home. Carla tried to sound calm, but couldn't hide the worry in her eyes as she quickly explained the situation to the old man, focusing on Eren. "He's not acting right, seems extremely frightened, and insists we have to go to Trost District right now." She explained how Eren had begged in every way possible, making it impossible for her to refuse, and asked if the old man would mind accompanying them.
Armin's grandfather looked at Eren. The boy did indeed look terrible, fear lingering in his eyes, his body trembling slightly. The old man's heart sank. Eren's state was genuinely worrying. For Carla to come over so formally, his earlier "insistence" must have been extraordinary. Out of concern, and because it was just a trip out, the old man didn't hesitate long.
"Alright, Carla," he said. "We'll go with you. Armin, quick, get your coat."
The group of five hurried through the evening streets. The sky was darkening, lights flickering on in homes. Eren remained agitated, constantly urging them onward. "Faster! Faster!" His voice was tight with suppressed urgency.
Carla and Armin's grandfather exchanged helpless, worried glances. "Eren, what are you so afraid of?" Armin asked quietly.
"I just have a bad feeling! A really bad feeling!" Eren snapped back irritably. He didn't dare look back towards their home. He subconsciously chose a relatively remote path leading to the ferry dock for the inner wall—the same path he remembered taking last time. All he could do was gamble.
They were almost there. The outline of the inner wall was visible. The ferry dock was faintly discernible.
Just then—BOOM!!!!!!!!!
A massive explosion roared from the direction they had come from, from Shiganshina District! The ground seemed to tremble. Everyone stopped dead, whipping their heads around in horror.
In the distance, above the outer wall, a huge cloud of dust rose into the sky. It was immediately followed by the sounds of screaming crowds and collapsing buildings!! Chaos! Panic! The unmistakable aura of disaster swept over them instantly.
"Wh-what happened?!" Armin's grandfather cried out.
Carla's face went deathly white. She clamped a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide with unbelievable terror. Armin and Mikasa were stunned.
Eren's body trembled violently, not from fear, but from the terrifying relief and a sliver of thankfulness. Home… something happened! Something terrible!
Carla and Armin's grandfather instantly understood. They looked at Eren, their expressions complex. His seemingly absurd fear, his inexplicable insistence, his escalating pleas… were now horrifyingly validated. If it weren't for Eren… if they had stayed home… the consequences were unthinkable. This child… does he really… have some kind of intuition?
There was no time to think. Fear overwhelmed everything. The instinct to survive took over.
"QUICK!!!" Carla shrieked, no longer hesitating. She grabbed Eren and Mikasa. "To the ferry!!!" Armin's grandfather pulled Armin along. The five of them merged into the panicked crowd streaming towards the inner wall.
No one questioned Eren anymore.
Carla held Eren's hand tightly as they ran. He glanced back one last time at his hometown, now wreathed in dust and smoke.
Mom survived. It was a small victory, bought with his memories and his desperate pleas. But it was far from enough.
This was just the beginning.