“What the...?”
Gabriele crouched in the shadow of the undergrowth and squinted into the dark, cocking his head to one side. Several men and women were moving around under the moonlight. There were no torches or other forms of light. They seemed to be picking fruit from the trees, grabbing carelessly; none of them looked like farmers.
Gabriele could just about make out their whispered voices.
“Hurry it up. Be done in two hours.”
“I’m kind of tired…”
“Just shape up, okay?”
The atmosphere didn’t seem particularly cordial.
Wall Maria had fallen to a Titan attack half a year earlier. As a result, mankind had been forced to abandon all territory outside of Wall Rose. While the majority of residents had evacuated towards the interior, others had, needless to say, been left stranded. Perhaps the people ahead of him belonged to that group of survivors “wandering between the walls.”
Even then, the district at Wall Maria’s westernmost point, Quinta─abandoned at one point, but with a great many people still living inside, Gabriele had heard─was within arm’s reach.
Why hadn’t they gone to ask for help? What were they doing wasting time in a place like this?
What did they hope to do if they were set upon by an “aberrant” Titan?
Had they been denied entry?
Such a thing was possible. Quinta would have limited supplies of food. Naturally, they might lack the capacity to take people in from outside.
No, wait… If that was true, why were they gathering food here, so close to the district? Was it some display against Quinta?
Titans were drawn to areas with a high population density. This was a well-known fact. If these people couldn’t get through the wall, their best chance of survival was to get as far away from the town as possible.
So─why were they still here?
Doesn’t make any sense.
The daytime heat was enough to keep one sweating, but it cooled by night. The rustling of the leaves was soothing to hear.
Gabriele continued watching. With no clouds in the sky, the moonlight provided all the brightness he needed. No one in view looked to be armed. They carried baskets and wooden boxes for the fruit they were picking, but Gabriele couldn’t make out any other possessions. None looked like they’d spent the last half-year since the fall of Wall Maria in the exterior.
Gabriele adjusted the sack slung over his back. It contained a change of clothes, some food, water, and arms. He got the feeling the group was larger than the few people he could see picking fruit up ahead. He could sense more, beyond the layers of trees. Ten, twenty, maybe more still, all busy and working.
It was a substantial gathering.
Well, watching won’t get me anywhere.
His decision made, Gabriele got to his feet and stepped into the moonlight. Making sure his footsteps were audible, he approached the group of men and women. They hadn’t looked to be armed, but he had no guarantee they wouldn’t attack if they mistook him for a wild dog or an aberrant Titan.
It always paid to be careful.
A male and female pair, both of them short, noticed his approach first. They both stopped what they were doing and turned to face him head-on, seemingly raising their guard a fraction. They were young. Gabriele had only just turned twenty himself, but they were probably around the same age.
“Who are you?” the male asked. He had sharp eyes and wore a terribly annoyed expression. There was something mocking in his attitude.
Gabriele was lanky with features that were more juvenile than not, and it often led people to mistake him for a younger man. This fellow, too, had probably decided he was a pushover.
Gabriele didn’t like it, but this wasn’t the time to pick a fight. He suppressed his irritation and accosted the pair.
“My name is Gabriele. What are you two─”
“Don’t know it. Which team?”
“Team?”
“You get separated? Or─”
“Are you thinking of making a run for it?” the woman cut in, her voice oddly cheerful.
She was short but shapely. Her face was framed in soft, lightly colored hair. She wore a barely perceptible grin that looked like it might be a permanent feature, but also had an aloof manner that was difficult to pin down.
Gabriele asked in response, “Run? Where to?” Where could you run in a world prowling with Titans?
The woman cocked her head sideways, her eyes coming to stop on his sack. “Uh…and what’s that? Where’d you get that?”
“I didn’t get it anywhere… We’re not communicating so well, are we?”
“You’re not one of the residents?” The man’s eyes were gradually widening. “You came here from outside?”
“Yeah. How should I… Well.” He wanted to hear their story first but supposed it a good idea to set them at ease. He gathered his thoughts and spoke slowly. “I’ve been out here by myself, on the run since Titans attacked my village. Every day I’ve been grabbing food from empty houses, pulling vegetables from fields. Just like you guys…” He pointed at what he guessed was an orchard. “Picking fruit and all that. ’Course, the moment I even glimpse a Titan I run as fast as I can, and I make sure I only move around at nighttime.”
The Titans were diurnal. Discounting some “aberrant” types, there was almost no chance of coming across one at night.
“Make sense?”
“Sure.”
“So, you’re all from Quinta?”
The man had been surprised to discover that Gabriele wasn’t from the district. This suggested the group was from the town. By now, the others had stopped what they were doing and begun to pay close attention to the exchange between Gabriele and the two who had seen him first.
The man with the sharp eyes said, “Yes.”
The short woman gave Gabriele an approving look. “It’s amazing you survived half a year. Out here, without even a horse.”
“Oh, I had a horse! Found a stray, guess its master had died. That was lucky. Steeds cost like you wouldn’t believe, right? But it got away this morning. I thought I was in real trouble, and then I noticed your group.”
“Even so, it’s impressive.”
This was one of the other men. He put his box on the ground and proceeded to plod over. Chubby in typical middle-aged fashion, he had long greasy hair that was tied back in a ponytail.
“I’ll bet you’ve got a good idea about the state of things outside the wall.”
“The state of things between the walls, if we’re being picky. But yeah, I’ve got a pretty good idea.”
“I’m sure our guy would want to hear what the man’s got to say,” the middle-aged man with the long hair said, turning to face the other two.
“Yeah. Always bursting with curiosity, isn’t he,” the woman agreed, her tone ever casual.
The sharp-eyed man’s continued distrust was in stark contrast to this. “Who cares what he wants, but it might serve some use. Either way it’s better than letting that woman get hold of him.”
The man with the long hair nodded. “So let’s bring him in. Shouldn’t be hard, if we’ve got a runaway tonight.”
“Sorry, who’s ‘our guy’? And while we’re at it, ‘that woman’?” Gabriele asked, but no one made to speak.
They were all looking at him with appraising eyes. It wasn’t pleasant, to say the least. He tried another question.
“Why are you all outside the wall, anyway? Are things that bad inside? Have you run out of food?”
“I guess you could say it’s bad, yeah,” the man with the long hair answered vaguely.
“Yup,” the short woman shrugged, “it’s a bit complicated.”
“Sure doesn’t look straightforward with you out here…”
“Follow me, I’ll fill you in,” the sharp-eyed man said, turning on his heels without waiting for Gabriele to respond, taking his acquiescence for granted.
Gabriele overheard the short woman mumble, “Guess we’re not canvassing this time.”
He had no idea what she meant.