"Beyond the Walls of Despair"

The cold, harsh light of the setting sun cast a bleak glow over the desolate landscape outside the walls of Shiganshina, a stark reminder of the unforgiving world we lived in. I remembered the expedition like it was yesterday - Hange's infectious enthusiasm as he led our squad through the ruined landscape, the Titans lurking in the shadows, and then... chaos. The sudden ambush, the cacophony of screams and gunfire, and my world went dark. As I slowly regained consciousness, I found myself in a sterile, white room, surrounded by the faint scent of disinfectant and the soft beeps of medical equipment. The pain was excruciating, but it wasn't just the physical agony that made my heart ache - it was the suffocating sense of loss and helplessness. Hange's worried face hovered above me, his eyes red-rimmed from lack of sleep. He grasped my hand tightly, his grip trembling as he whispered my name. I tried to respond, but my voice was trapped in my throat, unable to escape. A tube protruded from my mouth, connected to a ventilator that hummed softly beside my bed. The memories came flooding back, like a torrent of ice-cold water. The Titan's attack, the fall, and... the pain. Oh, the pain. It was as if my entire body had been set ablaze, and I couldn't feel the flames, but I could sense the inferno raging within me. The medic's voice was a gentle murmur in the background, explaining my condition to Hange. I strained to listen, my ears straining to make out the words. "Severe internal decapitation... C1 and C2 spinal cord severed... paralyzed from the chest down... respiratory failure..." The words echoed in my mind like a cruel mantra. My gaze drifted to Hange, his eyes brimming with tears. He looked like he'd aged a decade in the past few hours. His hand tightened around mine, and I felt a surge of love and gratitude toward him. We'd been through so much together, and now... now I was trapped in this prison of flesh, unable to move, unable to breathe on my own. The ventilator beeped softly, a steady heartbeat-like rhythm that seemed to mock me. My diaphragm was weak, a fragile leaf that could collapse at the slightest movement. I was hypersensitive to temperature changes, my spinal cord no longer connected to my brain. The simple act of existing was a struggle. As I lay there, a fragile, broken thing, I recalled the medic's words: "Your heart stopped multiple times on the way here... we weren't sure if you'd make it." The memory sent a shiver down my spine, or rather, it tried to. My body was numb, a hollow shell that seemed to be slowly shutting down. Hange's eyes locked onto mine, filled with a deep sadness and a fierce determination. He squeezed my hand, his voice barely above a whisper. "You're going to make it, my love. You're going to get through this. I'll be here, every step of the way." I wanted to respond, to tell him that I loved him, that I'd fight to get better, to be with him again. But all I could do was lie there, trapped in this living nightmare, as the machines surrounding me kept me alive, and Hange's love kept me going.