"My name is Arthur. I was born in New York City, or at least I think that's my birthplace. I wasn't even born at the time before the world was devastated by the nuclear fallout. From what I learned, there was a senseless war between two political powers over a dispute for a Japanese island that forced the people to leave their homeland, and before everyone knew it, Japan was gone after a nuclear missile hit it.

A few days later, everyone started exchanging nuclear bombs without a second thought, and in the blink of an eye, the entire world was consumed by the atomic fire.

28 years have passed. While the rest of mankind could come out from their shelters and watch the sun, the world was still contaminated by radiation that some parts of the country are not safe to travel. Rumors say that about 40% of the population around the planet has survived.

I used to think that at this point, the war was finally over, that all the remnants of our civilization would finally learn from the past mistakes, to put aside their differences and band together so we could start building a new future. After all, we might be the only ones who are left.

But I was wrong.

Now we're facing new kinds of threats roaming around the wasteland: Mutants beasts, ghouls, marauders, killers, cannibals, cultists, even paramilitary groups who want the power to control what's left in this world. And as we're just trying to survive, we're nothing but their prey.

It's just like my stepfather always said, this war didn't end as everyone thought.

It all may seem hopeless, but the reason I'm writing this, is to tell you that we never gave up hope. Even at the worst times, we're still doing our best, helping the other people who are struggling in the harshness of the post-apocalyptic, hostile new world. And as long as we still draw our breath, maybe we can restore everything that was gone in the last war."

---

Arthur let out a sigh before setting down his pencil and then closed the book. He still had something more to say and write it down, but for now, his words were scrambled in his head and he needed some time to clear his mind and reflect. After all, he just got his new diary when his stepfather gave it to him for his birthday a week ago.

He looked around at his small room, though it didn't look much like a decent room judging by the rusty pipes linking together across the concrete walls, at least he got used to it and made sure that some classic posters would add some decoration. But as he tried to find something he could pass the time, maybe practicing his guitar, rereading a book, or drawing, he didn't feel like he wanted to do any of those things.

Maybe he would find something else to do outside.

So he stood up from his chair, heading towards the door before opening it as it creaked loudly. Once he walked out of his room, he closed it and made his way across a narrow pathway as the sounds of a crowd chattering grew audible.

Getting out of the hall, he found himself between a row of shelters built with metal sheets or wood in the middle of a subway station. The cluster of residents was gathered around to carry out their activities or simply to fool around. This made Arthur feel like he's seeing the last of mankind left, even though that's not true.

He shook out his thought before he walked through the crowd, only to stand aside so he could let a couple of kids who were running across pass by. Still, he had to be careful not to bump into someone since the path was almost overcrowded. Then he took the stairs to get out of the station.

"Arthur! Wait, Arthur!" He just stopped halfway through before turning around and saw an attractive young woman rushing towards him. She had fair skin and a slender figure, with long dark hair tied loosely and hanging on her right shoulder. However, he immediately recognized her as Carla Jaeger.

"Oh, Ms. Carla. What's wrong?" He asked with an almost husky tone as he went down some stairs so the woman wouldn't have to go way up.

"No, nothing's wrong. I'm glad I get to see you here because I need to ask you a favor." She responded with a begging look.

"What is it?" Arthur said with genuine curiosity, albeit feeling pleased that he would be asked by someone to lend a hand.

"I was trying to find Mikasa, but she's in so many places that I don't have an idea where she might be. If you happen to find her, can you tell her she forgot to bring this with her?" Carla then handed a red scarf to him.

Arthur looked at the scarf thoughtfully, like he was just wondering how important it is for Mikasa to have that scarf. But actually, he always knew Mikasa would never leave that scarf behind because her stepbrother gave it to her when they were kids. Since then, she has been wearing it every day, even when it's not Winter yet. He could only wonder how she would feel when she finds out she forgot to wear her scarf this morning.

"Of course, I'll make sure to give it to her." Arthur answered with a smile as he took the scarf from her.

"Oh, thank you, Arthur. I knew I could count on you." Carla said with a grateful smile. "I hope it's not too much of trouble though."

"Not at all, miss. It never hurts to help." The young man replied fondly before he continued to go upstairs, as Carla watched him go without wearing off her smile. It's not like he was looking forward to be accepted by someone, but the fact is there's not enough kindness in this hostile new world.

After taking the stairs, Arthur decided to turn to the left towards the next station, under the impression that Mikasa might be with the patrol at the East Tunnel. As one of the stationary guards, she would never walk away from a post she'd be assigned, hopefully he wouldn't be a distraction for them.

On his way, he noticed a small grease-type group of men idling by the wall, all of them wearing leather jackets and slicked hair that apparently they used gel or wax for that. Nevertheless, Arthur paid no attention to them as he kept walking, but the gang just noticed him.

"Well, well, look who we have here, fellas." One of them with pompadour hair grinned before he stood in front of Arthur as he stopped in his tracks.

"Hey Jeff." Arthur greeted nonchalantly, though actually, he was restraining an exasperated tone.

"Are you going somewhere?" Jeff asked wryly as his guys began to surround Arthur.

"I'm just heading to the East Tunnel, looking for someone." Arthur responded calmly, not even sensing any kind of threat from Jeff and his so-called gang.

"I see. Well, here's the problem, Archie. You're standing on the Viper's turf and we don't take kindly to the strangers who think this is a walking park. But, I'm feeling so generous that I can make this an exception. We can let you pass if you have something you can exchange." Jeff responded with an obnoxious laugh as his gang joined in.

"I don't see it that way, Jeff. This whole metro station is our home, and as far as I'm concerned, no one has ever heard about this gang of yours. If they did, you guys would be in a lot of trouble and we wouldn't have this conversation." Arthur responded bluntly with his arms crossed.

That seemed to touch a nerve on Jeff as his eye twitched. "Are you mocking us? I would choose my words carefully if I were you:" He sneered with restrained anger before stepping closer to Arthur.

"Jeff, just knock it off and let me be." Arthur said calmly and he tried to get through him, but Jeff pushed him back.

"You're not going anywhere, dipshit!" Suddenly, he took out a switchblade. "Since your daddy is not around here at this moment, that means we can do anything we want with you. Right boys?"

"You said it, boss." One of the thugs chuckled as he cracked his knuckles.

"Guys, please..." Arthur rubbed his face exasperatedly, but they misunderstood him.

"Oh, now you're gonna beg for mercy? Well that's too late for that!" Jeff shouted before he readied his knife to attack Arthur.

Suddenly, a hand grasped around Jeff's wrist before he would thrust the knife, and before the punk leader realized it, the hand twisted before a vicious crack echoed across the hall. Jeff shrieked out in pain as the switchblade fell out of his hand, before he fell on his knees while clutching his broken hand.

Everyone was stunned by what just happened and they all looked at the person who intervened, the rest of the gang froze when they saw a pale-skinned woman with shaggy chin-length black hair with a bang coming down between her eyes. She also had a bolt-action rifle holstered behind her back, which made the thugs feel uneasy. To Arthur's surprise, that was the woman he was looking for, Mikasa Ackerman. He didn't even notice her sneaking behind Jeff before she would make an appearance.

"Didn't your mother tell you to stop looking for trouble?" Mikasa said coldly as she towered over Jeff.

"Y-You bitch! You broke my fucking hand! Do you know who you're fucking with?!" Jeff roared in a mix of anger and pain as he struggled to get up, but Mikasa grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him up so he could stare into her gray eyes.

"I know exactly who you are. You're nothing but a self-centered brat who pretends to be one of the bad guys so you could join a raider gang outside. But let me give you a harsh reality, you're far less of a raider you'd ever become, otherwise I could have put a bullet in your head by now." Her tone lacked any emotion, but that was enough to make Jeff pale at her words that he finally decided to shut up. Mikasa then looked at the other punks, as they just flinched at her dangerous-looking eyes. "You three will take him to the infirmary. From now on, you should stop hanging around with him and you better get rid of those smelly jackets you're wearing. Did I make clear?"

"Yes, ma'am!" The punks stood straight and responded like good boys.

"Good, now get out of here."

The punks rushed to help their humiliated friend to stand up before leaving the hallway as Arthur watched them go before turning to Mikasa as she approached him. "Um… thank you. I think you went a little too hard on him." He said with a hint of empathy, feeling Jeff didn't deserve that kind of punishment.

"He tried to stab you with a knife." Mikasa argued, almost taken aback that he would feel bad for the bully.

"I know, but he wouldn't do it. He's been doing the same thing to me for years, until I knew he wouldn't hurt a fly. But now I guess he will never bother with someone else ever again." Arthur replied with some humor in his voice.

"I hope so, I'm tired of dealing with him already." Misaka replied with a sigh as she crossed her arms. Clearly, she didn't feel proud for what she did, and she knew Jeff was just the kind of dog that barks but no bites, but that was the only way he would finally learn his lesson.

"Do you think his mother would be upset when she hears about this?" Arthur asked, worried about the unforeseen consequences Mikasa would face.

"I doubt it, when his friends are gonna tell her what happened, she's gonna ground him for sure." Mikasa assured him as she recalled the times she had to report Jeff's mother about his behavior.

"Maybe she'll find your punishment is good enough for her." Arthur chuckled, though he felt a little embarrassed as he felt that was too soon to come up with the jokes..

Mikasa only nodded in agreement, but then she noticed he was holding something in his hand before her eyebrows rose up in surprise. "Is that my scarf?"

"Huh?" Arthur blinked before looking down to the scarf on his hand and perked up when he just remembered what was the reason he was looking for Mikasa in the first place. "Oh yeah! Your mother told me you forgot this and she couldn't find you. So she asked me to give you this." He then handed the scarf to her.

Mikasa looked at it in silence as sadness washed over her face. Arthur knew she must be feeling ashamed for forgetting to bring it with her, but maybe she was too focused on her duty as a guard of the settlement that it just slipped off her mind. To carry out two responsibilities must be difficult for her, especially when she made a promise she would never lose the scarf until her brother would return from scouting.

Reaching out with her hands, Mikasa took the scarf off Arthur's hands before trying it around her neck. "Thank you, Arthur." She said in gratitude with a smile growing on her face, at that moment she was now showing genuine emotion.

"No problem, I know this scarf means a lot to you." Arthur replied while returning the smile. Although, as he thought he should be on his way and leave Mikasa with her guard duty, this could be the best timing to ask her for an opinion and it's something he can't take his mind off of it. "Hey, I was wondering if you could tell me something?"

"What is it?" Mikasa asked as she tilted her head lightly.

After some hesitation, Arthur took a deep breath and continued. "Do you think I'm ready to go out to the wasteland?" He said with a bit more serious tone.

"What?" Mikasa was taken aback, out of all the questions she was expecting to hear, this one clearly wasn't one of them.

"I know this is not the time, but just hear me out." Arthur sighed while holding up his hand as he tried to find the words that could make her understand. "I've spent a lot of time inside and I understand why it's dangerous to go outside to begin with. But… the more I stay here while I see you and others doing everything to protect us makes me feel… helpless." He turned away briefly as he grew frustrated, but now he felt more confident to speak more. "My father told me I can go scout with him when I feel ready. Well, I think I'm more than ready to do this, but tell me… Do you think I am?"

Before Mikasa would answer, a muffled beeping sound came from her trousers before she slid her hand into the pocket and pulled out a PDA.

"What does it say?" Arthur asked he noticed she was reading attentively the new message, aware that those devices are pretty useful to keep track of their companions, communicate and store data. Although not many people can own those devices, and Mikasa are only one of the few who can have them.

"It's your father, he needs me to meet him urgently." Mikasa said before she took off in a hurry.

"Wait! Can I come with you?" Arthur suddenly stopped her tracks with a request that made her turn around with a confused look.

She was about to say no to him since this matter sounds very serious for him to be involved, but from the look of his face, it seems clear that Arthur wouldn't take a no for an answer. Furthermore, Mikasa began to understand that he wants to have a word with his father and maybe this could be a chance to tell him he was ready. She still didn't like the sound of his idea, but she hoped he knows what he's doing.

"Follow me." Mikasa said, back to the stoic tone of her voice as she led the young man to the place where the head of the settlement was waiting for her arrival.

---

"Hello? Hello! Dammit! Can't you reestablish our contact?!" A middle-aged man with grayish hair and a scruffy beard shouted to the radio operator.

"I'm trying to, but the signal just cut off!" He said while fixing the dial to no avail as they heard nothing but the unwanted static sound.

"Goddammit…" The middle-aged man clenched his fist in frustration.

Suddenly, a knock on the door was heard before it was opened by Mikasa as she entered the room. "I'm here, Miller. What's happening?"

"I'm afraid we have a situation here…" Miller sighed as he turned around to face Mikasa, but to his shock, he saw his adoptive son behind her. "Arthur? What are you doing here?" He asked almost sternly.

"I was chatting with Mikasa until she received your message, I also want to know what happened." Arthur didn't like to lie to his father, but telling the truth wouldn't also help either.

Unfortunately, Miller already knew Arthur was lying the moment he just avoided eye contact, but he let out a heavy sigh with his hands placed around his waist. "I don't have time for this, so I'll just get to the point. We received a distressing call from our outer outpost, warning us they were under attack and needed our assistance. But before they could tell us by who, we lost their signal. They could be a pack of mutants or raiders, I don't know, but right now our boys out there need our help and we have to do it fast! Mikasa, gather some of our men and prepare the vehicles! I want everything ready in less than two minutes!"

"Yes sir!" Mikasa then bolted out of the room without any questions, leaving Arthur alone with his stepfather.

"And as for you, Arthur…" Miller then approached his son with furrowed brows than made Arthur feel uneasy. "I know what you're thinking, but you picked the wrong moment to tell me this. This is not a walk in the park Arthur, we don't even know what kind of threat we might face." He paced left and right in front of his son, like a drill sergeant lecturing his recruit. Without expecting his answer, he stopped and continued. "Let me ask you this and I need you to be straight with me Arthur, are you sure you want to come with me?"

"Yes!" Arthur suddenly exclaimed that stunned his father and other people in the room. After realizing he raised his voice, he grew a little embarrassed. "S-Sorry, I mean, yes I am, father. I'm tired of standing while watching you and my friends risking your lives. Let me help, please."

"Ugh… There's no point arguing with you." Miller sighed as he folded his arms across his board chest. "Fine, you can come along, as long as you listen and do as I say. Got it?"

"I promise!" Arthur nodded without hesitation, though a part of him now felt enthusiastic about being part of a mission.

"Good. Although, something tells me we could use more help." Miller then turned to the radio operator. "I want you to communicate to Sam and tell him we need him and some of his men at the 2nd Avenue."

"You got it." The radio operator nodded as he proceeded to send the message through the radio.

"Arthur, go to the armory and gear up. Hurry!" Miller voiced the next words Arthur wanted to hear for the first time. But he knew it wasn't a good time to feel excited, since he knew that each second they were taking, the outpost was being overrun by an unknown enemy. So he left the room and ran as fast as he could to the armory.

---

A few minutes later, Arthur came out of the armory fully equipped with a kevlar vest, a combat helmet and a homemade assault rifle. He proceeded to meet Miller and Mikasa, along with a small group of volunteers, who gathered outside the Bronx Station where the main entrance was barricaded. Once everyone was ready, the party hopped on two armored jeeps and when the metal gates opened, they rolled out of the settlement.

While Arthur was sitting next to his father in the front seat, he looked around as Milled drove through the ruins of the city that were once called 'New York'. To be born after the nuclear holocaust, he always asked himself how this city used to be so beautiful. His father gave him postcards to answer his question and even told him stories about how different was the world he's seeing right now. Sometimes he wished he would have been born in that time before the world ended, but for reason, he felt happy that Miller would allow him to experience the first time exploring this once beautiful city.

"I don't like this…" Miller suddenly grumbled as his eyes grew pierced as if he's expecting to see danger on the road ahead.

"Dad?" Arthur asked out in concern, not very used to seeing his stepdad being deadly serious.

"We're almost near to the guard post and I don't hear any gunshots…" Miller explained before glancing at his son. "I want you both to stay focused and keep your eyes peeled. I have a bad feeling about this." He said to Arthur and Mikasa who were sitting behind them.

Miller made a turn to the left to take the avenue and at that moment, Miller and Arthur noticed a trail of smoke just a little far ahead, and to prove Miller's fear, that's where the outpost was located.

As they were getting near to their destination, Miller also spotted a small group of heavily armed soldiers standing on the roof of a small restaurant. One of them noticed him before waving his hand.

"Are those our backup?" Arthur asked after he also saw the military-looking men.

"Yeah, they're the Ranger Squad. A friend of mine is with one of them." Miller replied plainly before slowing down the vehicle.

Arthur was honestly surprised when he heard that particular name, he even began to remember those stories everyone told about them back at home. They're members of a powerful group who call themselves… the Omega Corps. He barely knows about those men, but Miller told him they're the only ones who can trust them because, out of all the other dangerous factions around the wasteland, they live to protect the innocent people and give them any kind of help they need. Come to think of it, they must be the ones who came over to the station to deliver the supplies his people needed, he didn't know they were the Rangers until recently. Now he feels like he just met some sort of living legend.

After Miller pulled over, he, his son and the volunteers got out of their jeeps and waited until the Rangers went outside to meet them. All of them were very well equipped, even they wore helmets with respirators. One of them stepped forward and pulled up his helmet over his head, revealing a hardened face of a man who's around the same age as Miller, with a few wrinkles over his eyes and a short, well-groomed beard.

"Sam, what happened?" He asked in an apprehensive tone at the Rangers cautiously watching the road.

"We were surveying the area and I'm afraid the outpost has been overrun." Sam said dryly. "We don't know how long or how did that happen, but it's possible the attackers just left the place, or maybe they're waiting for us."

Miller restrained a growl with his head lowered down. Arthur looked at him in concern as he understood he hated this part of the job as the leader of a settlement. But Miller tried to keep his emotions in check as he looked back up with a fierce look. "Alright, then let's surround it. You take your men to the side of the street to flank the left exit. I'll take mine to the other side to flank the other."

Sam nodded before putting back his helmet on. "Let's move out platoon!" He led his men to the intersection before they surrounded the corner.

Miller then turned around to his men and readied his AK-47. "Alright everyone, I want you to follow me on a single file and proceed with caution. Let's go."

As Miller led them in the same formation as the other team, they crossed the street and surrounded the other side while walking cautiously along the sidewalk. Though unlike the Ranger's team who were fully prepared to take the offensive, the other scouts were visibly nervous about this. The only one who didn't show hesitation or fear was Mikasa as she stood behind the leader. Arthur was behind her as between nervous and calm, he's just feeling like a rookie on a first assignment.

Taking the next street, the party reached a small park before spotting a walled-off tower at the next corner. Just as Sam mentioned, it was recently destroyed and almost burning in flames with smoke rising up into the air. However, to everyone's confusion, they didn't find the bodies around the outpost, but that wasn't the time to ask questions as they moved forward.

"Move! On the double!" Miller made an order before he went further ahead of his team at a fast pace as they followed him.

As they're about to enter the collapsed gates, taking aim with their weapons and resting their fingers on the trigger, they entered the stronghold and spread out to sweep the whole area. At the same time, the Rangers entered the other exit of the outpost and meet Miller's team, expecting to catch the culprits by surprise.

"What the hell?" Miller muttered, lowering his weapon while wearing a confused expression.

"This place is empty!" One of the rangers shouted.

Everyone was very confused at this scenario, they were expecting to find the bodies inside, but there was no one around here. It's like all of a sudden they were vanished out of existence. But that wasn't the worse part, there were also blood patches on the pavement, even some of them were splattered on the walls and over the base of the tower.

While Arthur was strolling across the ruins of the outpost while trying to not step on the blood, he froze when his foot stepped on something with an unpleasant sound. He looked down and a disturbing look formed on his face when he saw it was a piece of a body part.

"Oh God…" He stumbled back and tried to rub the flesh off the sole of his boot. But suddenly, he almost jumped when a hand landed on his shoulder. He turned his head behind him and saw Mikasa.

"Calm down, if you let your fears take over your mind, you'll become an easy target." Mikasa said plainly with an unreadable expression, but Arthur knew she was just trying to reassure him that he's not the only one who feels the same.

"What the hell happened in here?" A female voice came from a Ranger who was shortest than the others said. Her voice almost sounded trembling at the gruesome sight of a possible massacre.

"Are the raiders behind this?" One of Miller's men asked.

"No, that can't be. They might be mindless savages, but they're not that stupid to attack a barricaded outpost head-on." Sam replied in a deathly serious tone.

"There are not bullet casings anywhere either, that's why we couldn't hear any gunshots on our way." Miller added, exchanging a look with Sam before trying to look for some clues.

"So are the mutants behind this?" Mikasa inquired as she also went looking for a hint.

"It could be them, but did you see the gates? Those monsters couldn't have knocked them down just like that. And they couldn't just leave this place cleaned, unless somehow they can also eat the bones of humans. I wish the mutants are the ones we can blame though… " Sam pointed out as he hated when he's right.

Meanwhile, Arthur was looking at the gruesome sight of the blood dripping down from the top of the tower before he decided to look away in disgust and turned around. Suddenly, as he looked down to the ground, his eyes caught on a device that caught his attention. He picked it up out of curiosity and as he took a closer look, it was a broken video camera. An idea struck him.

"Dad, I think I found something that could help us!" Arthur shouted as he approached Miller. His father raised an eyebrow before he handed the camera to him. "I think someone may have recorded this attack, maybe this could tell us what happened here."

Miller glanced at his son and at that moment he seemed very pleased with what Arthur what he just found, even Sam had his attention on the young man. As everyone gathered around to see if that camera still works, he opened the cassette compartment hoping that the tape was inside. But as it clicked open, he cursed to himself when he exceeded his expectations. "The tape is broken." He said before the group groaned.

"But wait, the recorder seems intact. We could take the tape to our base so our tech can convert the contents of the tape and we might see what's in there." Sam suggested as he took the broken tape case in his hand.

"Good, we really need that to find out who we're dealing with. But now we have other matters to concern." Miller said and formed an intense frown on his face. "Whoever or whatever is behind this, are becoming a huge threat not only for my people, maybe all over New York."

Before anyone could ask how they should deal with this, everyone was alarmed when they heard an ear-piercing screech that echoed across the street.

"What was that!" Arthur shouted, waving his weapon around with his heart pounding in his chest. No doubt the howling took him off guard, not to mention it's the first time he heard something like it. But he had to remember what his stepfather taught him in his training, never pull the trigger until he sees the target.

"Sniffers! They must have smelled all the blood we're standing on!" Miller seethed with his hands gripping around his weapon. "There's nothing we can do here, we have to go back to our jeeps! Let's go through the alleyways!" Sam ordered with his hand pointing at the exit where Miller and his team came in.

The squad ran out the desolated place and entered the alleys as a shortcut to reach their vehicles. Another inhuman screech was heard, this time very closer than the last one and sounded like it came from above, which prompted Arthur and Mikasa to look up and at that moment he saw a figure crouching over the edge of a roof before suddenly it jumped off.

"Look out!" Sam shouting with his arm stretched out to stop the squad when his eyes caught the hostile trying to ambush them.

A hideously, bipedal humanoid creature landed in front of them. Arthur could feel his heart going up to his throat once he got a closer look at that thing. It looked like a genuine monster with a stocky body, though its pink-toned skin lacked of any fur. While its arms looked lanky, the hands also appeared to be big enough that could grasp his whole head. But what almost shook him was that the creature had a pronounced jaw-line that shows a set of jagged, crooked teeth, a prominent snout and small eyes. In other words, this monster looked like a humanoid rat.

Before Arthur could make a reaction, the monster, or as Sam just addressed it as 'Sniffer', let out another screech before charging at the group with its bearing claws.

"Shoot it down! Shoot it down!" Miller shouted before firing his weapon at the creature.

Just then, Arthur, Sam, Mikasa and the rest, began unloading a barrage of fire at the Sniffer, covering its body completely riddled by bullets until it collapsed in a pool of blood.

"Let's go! Quickly!" Sam shouted before everyone proceeded to get out to the other side of the street.

"There's our jeeps!" Miller pointed at their vehicles parked at the corner next to the restaurant. However, as the squad was heading towards their jeeps, more screeching noises rang out across the street. "Shit, more are coming!"

"How many of them?" Arthur asked with an apprehensive tone.

"Probably a pack, we can't let them chase us and lead them to New Bronx. We have to take them down!" Sam changed the magazine of his M4A1 rifle. "Form a circle and prepare to engage!"

The rangers and the scout lined up side by side with their weapons ready, as Arthur stood with Mikasa and a Ranger soldier beside. After a moment of nerve-racking suspense, they saw more Sniffers crawling out of other places such as the alleyways, ruined buildings and even the sewers. It seems that even after being mutated, their nature as rats hasn't changed at all as Arthur thought.

One of the monsters seemingly snorted as it was trying to find a peculiar smell, but then it turned its attention to the group of survivors and let out a roar before the pack rushed after the survivors.

"Fire at will!" Miller shouted.

Their guns fired simultaneously at the mutants as the bullets flew out of the chambers and clinked to the ground, managing to take down a few of the Sniffers in the process, some of them only recoiled in pain when bullets hit them, but the monsters continued blindly charging at them.

One of the Sniffers got closer to a couple of rangers while a few bullets hit it, yet didn't stop it from lunging at them rabidly with its claws ready to tear them apart. But one of the rangers raised his semi-automatic shotgun and blasted the beast away, killing it instantly!

Another Sniffer was trying to dodge the bullets to no avail as Arthur and Mikasa poured their bullets point-blank into the creature. Although, Arthur seemed a little agitated considering the fact it was his first combat experience, which didn't help to control his nerves as he struggled to reload his M16. This didn't go unnoticed by Miller.

"Arthur! Pull it together! Just keep firing and we'll make it!" Miller boomed his voice in order to reassure him before his stepson would lose it.

"Yeah! We're kicking their asses so good! Get some, you ugly bastards!"

"You idiot! Stay close to us!" Miller shouted angrily when he noticed one of his men moving forward recklessly, cackling while he kept shooting at the beasts. Suddenly, his sixth sense prompted him to look behind and saw a few more of the rat monsters creeping out of the roof of the restaurant before dropping themselves where he and everyone were standing. "Look out! Behind you!"

It was already too late, the young man barely reacted before a Sniffer fell onto him and started biting on his neck. The cries of agony alerted the others as Arthur watched in shock the monster ripping a piece of flesh with its teeth. The Sniffer whipped its head around and screeched before charging. But then Mikasa stepped forward and swung the butt of her weapon and hit the Sniffer's head. When it stumbled to the ground, she stepped on its back before finishing the monster off by shooting a burst of fire on its head. After that, she returned her position and continued shooting the mutants. Sadly, no one could do anything for the unfortunate guy who had his neck ripped open as he bled to death.

"Watch on your six! Those freaks are trying to surround us!" Sam yelled as he and another ranger turned around to cover the rearguard.

A Sniffer just came out of the restaurant by the broken window, landing next to a ranger who before could realize the danger nearby, the mutant lunged at the ranger. The helmet flew off and bounced along the paved ground.

"Aaahhh! Get off me, you bloody bastard!" The ranger, who turned out to be a woman, was struggling to grab the mutant's jaw to not let it bite her head off.

That caught Arthur's attention before he saw the woman in trouble, and without any hesitation, he aimed his assault rifle and shot the creature, sending it reeling backward and away from the woman. Unfortunately, he only made the mutant snarl angrily and it was about to attack Arthur, but before could do it, the ranger picked up her weapon and fired a burst at its torso before the Sniffer collapsed lifelessly to the ground.

"Hey, are you okay?" Arthur rushed to her side before giving her a hand. Though for a sudden he became momentarily distracted at the attractive look of the young woman, who appeared to be slightly younger than him, with a somewhat messy blond hair cut into a flare cut and fair skin.

"Y-Yeah, thanks for the help." She said with a thick accent as her hand reached his and Arthur pulled her back up before they continued shooting the mutants together.

"Ceasefire! Ceasefire!" Sam yelled while waving his hand before everyone stopped firing their weapons until the last shot echoed across the street.

Dead bodies of Sniffers laid all over the street, though that didn't convince the squad to lower their weapons until they had to make sure none of those things was left alive. Arthur, on the other hand, felt more relieved to see this confrontation was now over as he dropped the guard with a sigh.

"Alright, I don't see any more of them." Miller said with a relaxed look before giving out an order. "Start the vehicles, we're moving out!"

"Wait, what should we do about him?" Mikasa pointed to the lifeless body of the poor guy who died at the hands of the mutant due to his recklessness.

"We'll take him back home and give him a proper burial. It's better than leave him rotting here." Miller responded solemnly, which Mikasa agreed as she and someone else carried the body to the back of a jeep. Meanwhile, he approached his old friend, Sam. "You said you have a guy who's gonna format the video recording of the tape, do you know how long is it gonna take?"

"I'm not sure, it might take a few days, maybe almost a week, that much depends on the software we have on the computers." Sam replied with his folded arms, though he knew that his answer wouldn't be good enough for Miller.

"If we wait much longer, another outpost might be attacked, maybe our settlement will be next!" Miller argued as Arthur, who was just behind him, could notice the hint of impatience in his tone.

"Listen, we can discuss further, but right now it's not the time. We need to head back to New Bronx." Sam said as he went into the jeep before his rangers hopped in.

Miller wanted to say something else, only to stop before he could open his mouth when he knew Sam had a point. While restraining an exasperated sigh, he turned around and headed back to the jeep with Arthur following him from behind. He took the driver's seat with his stepson taking the passenger's, before turning on its engines and then drove away along with other jeeps, on their way back to their settlement.

Arthur couldn't help but look at his stepfather in concern, he understood that his role as the leader of New Bronx was not only to look after his people, but everything that surrounds their settlement. There's no doubt that Miller's growing paranoid at the fact that no one has any idea what kind of new threat they're dealing with, and Arthur was pretty sure others, including himself, felt the same.

---

After arriving at their settlement, Miller had to personally report to the families of the deceased from the outpost and one from his scout party, it wasn't the easiest thing to do, but they deserved to know what happened to their loved ones. After that, he and Sam went to the office so they could discuss how to deal with the situation.

Meanwhile, Arthur was just outside of the office, leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his chest. His stepfather told him he could go back to his room to rest, but Arthur couldn't just relax while waiting for answers. It's been only ten minutes since they entered the room, but it almost felt like the minutes has been going slower with every passing second.

"Arthur?"

He perked his head up and saw Mikasa approaching. She just changed her attire to a white shirt with a leather jacket, but she still wore the red scarf like always.

"Oh, hey Mikasa. You're looking for Miller, aren't you?" Arthur asked with a small smile to see a friend.

"I just thought I could talk to him, but I assume he's busy at the moment." Mikasa replied as she noticed the metal door closed next to Arthur.

"He's talking to the Ranger, so this could take for a while." Arthur said while pacing around the hall aimlessly.

"I see…" Mikasa sighed as she leaned against the wall with both arms crossed under her chest.

"You need something from him?" Arthur inquired, maybe it wasn't the best choice to start a conversation, but all the silence was getting him uncomfortable.

"I just wanna talk to him." Mikasa replied, refusing to share any more details, which Arthur understood and decided not to press on. "So what do you think?"

"Huh?" Arthur responded, genuinely taken aback at the question.

"It was your first time going out to the wasteland, wasn't it?" Mikasa deduced, much to his surprise. She looked back at him, now with a curious expression on her face. "So how did that make you feel?"

"I don't know. I mean… I really don't know." Arthur shrugged, legitimately unsure how to respond to that question, only to earn a puzzled reaction from Mikasa. "I wasn't expecting to be an adventure like my father thinks. I'm not gonna lie though, my first combat experience with those mutants was terrifying. I don't even want to imagine if there're mutants worse than those Sniffers." He glanced at his hands, only to see they stopped trembling ever since they arrived, much to his relief.

"Even so, you did well standing your ground and not letting yourself succumb to panic. Otherwise, you would have ended up being torn to shreds by a Sniffer in front of your father." Mikasa said with a strange way to praise him.

"Was that supposed to be a joke?" Arthur retorted, raising an eyebrow with sheer confusion.

"I'm not fond of jokes…" Mikasa replied, giving him a slight frown to prove her point. After Arthur nodded in understanding, she continued. "The point is, I think you gave a good impression to Miller, if you keep this up, he might let you do more for our community. Is this what you wanted, isn't it?"

"Yeah, more than anything else." Arthur said solemnly while clenching his fist, reminding Mikasa that he was tired to stand and do nothing while everyone else was risking their lives to protect the others. He just wanted to help, no matter how hard or dangerous it can be.

The door of the office was suddenly opened before Miller and Sam, only to be surprised to find Arthur and Mikasa standing between them.

"Arthur…" Miller spoke while looking at the young man neutrally.

"Hey…" Arthur greeted with a small smile, albeit nervous because he knew he was supposed to be in his room as he told.

Miller glanced at Mikasa as she remained calm, but after noticing a hint of discomfort in her eyes, he already knew she wishes to speak to him urgently. Letting out a sigh, he stepped forward and turned around so he could face both of them. "Okay, I know why you're here, so I go straight to the point. Sam and I have reasons to believe whoever is behind the attack are extremely dangerous, they might possess advanced weaponry that dwarfs our own firepower." He said gravely, wrinkles formed on his forehead as he furrowed his brows.

"Yet, we are not very sure about that. But for precautious, Miller sent a message to all the remaining outposts guarding around the refuge to leave their position and come back here. We can't afford to have any more losses." Sam added.

"What about Eren?" Mikasa suddenly raised her voice that Arthur realized she was now worried about the safety of her brother. Even though they're not related, she still cared about him that she wouldn't know what to do without him.

"I already sent the stalker team an order to return to our settlement, I'm pretty sure Eren got the message and is returning as we speak." Miller reassured her, though that didn't ease her anxiousness as she asked herself if Eren would really come back safely.

"So… What happens next?" Arthur also voiced his concern.

"I just contacted HQ about this situation and they agreed to send us some assistance, but they'll only send a detachment of Marines to protect this settlement." Sam replied while shaking his head.

"But that wouldn't be good enough to prepare for an imminent attack." Miller said bitterly, not very pleased with that decision either. "That's why we really need that video recording so the Omega Corps can take us seriously. But in the meantime, we have to be prepared for the worst. Which is why I'm going outside to set up an observation post and watch over the district."

"What?!" Arthur exclaimed with shock written all over his face.

"Miller, you can't just leave here! Who's gonna look after the people if the panic spreads?" Mikasa protested to remind him that he's the leader of this settlement.

"I'm just getting there." Miller replied, holding up his hand before anyone else would interrupt him. "You're right, Mikasa. I can't just leave New Bronx without anyone to lead, but I happen to know someone who can look after you while I'm gone."

"Wait, are you referring to Souichiro Takagi?" Sam asked with a look of surprise.

"Yeah, himself." Miller confirmed it with a nod.

"Who is he?" Arthur inquired since it was the first time he ever heard that name.

"He's a tough son of a bitch just like Miller. But he's also a Japanese ultranationalist." Sam explained as he almost bit his tongue at the last part. He turned with hesitation towards Miller. "Are you sure about this? He only cares about the safety of the Japanese, but us? It's like we're the sheep without the shepherd asking the wolf for protection!"

"I know we haven't seen each other for years, but he owes me a favor and he'll understand. You don't have to worry about it." Miller said while patting Sam's shoulder to reassure him. "However, only one thing that's left is sending someone who can deliver the message to Takagi."

"But here's the problem Miller, this Takagi doesn't get along with the Omega Corps." Sam warned.

"Why is that?" Arthur asked, even more confused to hear that.

"Let's just say he looks at the American military as a threat." Sam responded while waving his hand. "What I'm trying to say is that if we send one of my men to meet him, it could escalate the tensions."

"I'm aware of that." Miller said gravely as he turned to Mikasa. "I would send you instead, considering the fact that Takagi would be willing to talk with someone from his race. But I can't do it because the guard really looks up to you and I need someone who can keep the morale."

"I understand." Mikasa averted his gaze, feeling a little disappointed that she wouldn't be the one to perform the task. But she knew Miller was right and considered the possibility that her stepbrother might come back while she's gone.

"So do you have someone else in mind?" Sam asked with his arms folded across his chest.

"I would look for a volunteer, but no one in this station wants to go out to the wasteland since they're afraid to get eaten by a mutant or something worse. But to answer your question, I don't." Miller grumbled, very discouraged that there are no more options left.

"I'll go!"

Sam, Miller and Mikasa looked at Arthur as he stood with a straightened back, chest puffed out and his head raised up. He swallowed a lump down his throat before repeating.

"I'll go deliver the message to Souichiro Takagi and I tell him that you sent me, father." He said with his voice full of resolution.

Sam and Mikasa were shocked to hear that kind of determination from Arthur. Miller, on the other hand, was restraining a pained expression forming on his face as he looked straight to Arthur. He knew from the beginning that his adoptive son would volunteer himself to do this dangerous task, but he didn't say anything because he didn't want to put the life of his son at risk. Of course, he would scold him and make clear he won't be part of it, but Miller knew that won't change his mind and he would keep insisting until he says yes.

Miller exchanged a look with Sam, silently asking the Ranger for an opinion.

"Well… I hate to say this, but Arthur's right. If he introduces himself as your son, Takagi might give him a chance to talk. Besides, I've seen him saving the life of one of my colleagues, so I think he can handle this." Sam confessed while giving Arthur a smile of gratitude, but he understood what his friend is feeling right now.

Miller lowered his head as everyone remained silent for a moment, then he approached Arthur and stared at him with a cold hard glare that made the young man feel overwhelmed by the pressure. But before the tensions would arise, Miller let out a heavy sigh and placed his hand on Arthur's shoulder.

"Come with me so I can fill you in." He said plainly before walking into the door.

While Arthur was taken aback as he looked at Sam and Mikasa, as they simply advised him to roll with it, he followed Miller to his office, finding his father spreading a piece of a map over his desk. As Arthur stood in front of it, he saw it was the map of New York City.

"So here's the catch, I don't know where's Takagi since the last time I saw him, but his daughter will tell you where he can be." Miller said as he leaned over the table.

"His daughter?" Arthur inquired with his head tilted sideways.

"Her name is Saya Takagi. Years ago, I helped Souichiro and his family to reach a secured settlement in City Island." Miller pointed to a small island where it's located in the northeastern part of Bronx as Arthur looked over it. "One day when I wanted to check on him, only his daughter was there. She told me that he set up a new colony for his people, but she refused to tell me where he is. Tomorrow, you'll set out to that island to meet her and try to convince her to let you meet her father."

"Alright, I think I can do that." Arthur responded with a nod of his head.

"But that doesn't mean that I'm gonna let you out on your own! You have no idea what kind of dangers you might encounter!" Miller said sternly before looking over Sam, who was standing behind his stepson. "Sam, can you send one of your Rangers to go with Arthur for this task?"

"Of course, this kid has some experience, but someone needs to watch over his ass." Sam joked while slapping on Arthur's back, making him puff out his air.

"Good, then that settles. But a couple of things I need to tell you before I take my leave." Miller walked around the desk.

"Wait, you're leaving sooner?" Arthur asked, almost shouting in disbelief that this was happening all of a sudden.

"I have to do this, Arthur. Someone needs to make sure New Bronx is safe." Miller reiterated before clasping his hands on the young man's shoulders. "Just listen to me, I left something for you at the armory that could help you be prepared for your journey. And one last thing…" He reached with his hands around his neck and removed his dog tags before giving them to Arthur. "When you find Souichiro, show this to him, so he knows I was the one who sent you.

"Dad… I…" Arthur trailed off as he held his father's dog tags, at that moment he felt like his fear is finally coming true.

"This is not a farewell, Arthur! I promise we see each other again, but right now the future of our home depends on us!" Miller said as his tone began to grow softer. "I know you only want to make me proud, but the truth is I already am. You're now older to make your own choices and do what you think it's right, but don't you ever try to sacrifice for something that's not worth it. You're my son, Arthur. And I need you to come back home safely. Promise me."

Arthur could feel his thoughts running through his mind that he didn't know how to answer, but then he decided to hug Miller as he held back the tears, but not out of sadness, rather he was overjoyed to learn that his father was really proud of him.

"I will, father. I will." Arthur muttered as he felt Miller returning his hug while patting on his back.

"That's my boy." Miller smiled before breaking the hug. As he took a deep breath, he turned his attention to Sam and Mikasa, who are deeply moved to see such a touching scene, though he just ignored it. "Mikasa, I trust you look after our rookies. And Sam, I hope you'll get the video recording ready."

"Yes, sir." Mikasa and Sam nodded.

"Good. Now, I better get ready to go. We'll stay in touch with our PDAs. And son, one more thing…" Miller said while staring intently at Arthur. "Be very careful when you go out there. Mutants are not the only thing you have to worry about, you might find people who demand trust, some of them are friendly, some of them are not. But this treacherous world can even bring out the worst side of themselves. Remember that." And then, Miller walked out of the room.

Arthur just watched his father leave without thinking of asking about his advice, he then looked back at the dog tags he gave to him. He wasn't sure why, but just by holding it, it felt like he's now carrying a huge responsibility because the lives of his family and friends are now resting upon his shoulders, even his father is really depending on him. Just dwelling on that thought in his head made him feel scared.

"Hey." Suddenly, Arthur felt a hand patting his left shoulder before looking up and saw Sam addressing him with a friendly smile. "I think we haven't met before, have we? Well, my name is Samuel Taylor. Friends call me Sam. Your father told me everything about you and asked me to make sure you're prepared for tomorrow."

"Thanks." Arthur said meekly, feeling a little overwhelmed to talk with a Ranger. Mikasa sure noticed it that she let out a small chuckle at his response.

"Well, we still have all day before that though, so I was wondering if you'd like to stop by the shooting range and show me how much of a good shooter you are?" Sam asked with a cheerful tone, the truth was he wanted to help the young man to clear his mind before his mission.

"Oh! O-Of course!" Arthur responded with a hint of excitement, very eager to have some training with the ranger.

"You wanna tag along?" Sam asked Mikasa.

"I'm afraid I can't, I need to talk to my mother about this situation." Mikasa replied nonchalantly before approaching Arthur and also patter her hand on his right shoulder. "I'll be in my house if you need anything, Arthur." Arthur nodded with a smile before she left the room.

"Well, that's just the two of us. But hey, later I'd like to introduce you to my squad, I'm sure you'll get along with them." Sam said before he led Arthur out of the office and walked along.

While Arthur still felt unsure if he would be prepared for his first journey in the wasteland, a part of him felt thankful that his father was aware of that to ask Sam to look after him while he's gone. It's true that he's still concerned that his father was no longer here to tell him what to do or what to expect in the wasteland, but Miller just put trust in him.

No matter how much he feels scared about it, Arthur knew he already made that decision and he can't fail his father nor his people. The fate of mankind now depended on him.