Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. Hiromu Arakawa does. I only own the OC characters.

-------

"Ed's running out of time, Hughes!" He ran a hand through his obsidian strands, refraining from gripping it tightly. The last "gift" sent to him nearly sent him spiraling into a panic attack, something that hasn't happened since Ishval. He was overwhelmed by an urgent need, one that he couldn't explain, but he knew it would only be satisfied once he found Edward. He hoped, beyond anything, that he would find the boy alive.

Maes sat on the other side of Mustang's desk, rubbing at his eyes. The colonel couldn't imagine that the man was getting more sleep than him. The dark bags under his eyes proved it. He let out a weary sigh, sounding more like an old man. "I know, Roy," he said. "But the search isn't going to go any faster by you panicking."

"I am not panicking! Mustang roared, slamming his hands on his desktop. He ignored the condescending eyebrow shot towards him. He took a deep breath, lowering his voice. "This has already gotten too far out of hand. I'm-" Images of bloody strips of flesh lying haphazardly on his counter in the kitchen flashed through his mind. "Already too late."

Maes gave him a hard stare before speaking up. "Listen-"

The door to Roy's office burst in, Lieutenant Hawkeye rushing in. "Sir," she said breathlessly, which was a first for her. "I believe we have a location."

Mustang had grabbed his coat as soon as he processed the words, sliding it over his military uniform. Riza followed him on his way to the car, the rest of his and Hughes' team assembling to head out to the scene. The colonel was on a warpath.

-------

The clouds pooling in the sky brought on nightfall earlier than anticipated, blocking the light of the sunset. The air was cool and crisp, indicating the cusp of autumn. A light breeze wafted through the neighborhood, gently rustling the leaves on the aesthetic trees.

And that's what bothered Mustang, as he stepped out of the car, viciously slamming the door behind him. The neighborhood was too quiet. Even the house in front of him looked like a normal family home, one where fond memories were nurtured and developed, instead of a place where some psychopath secretly tortured people in his spare time. He sighed, settling the nervous anticipation in his gut, making his way to the house's front lawn.

His lieutenant appeared beside him, like she always did, hands clasped behind her back. "It's been confirmed that the house is empty," she informed. "Military police have already been dispatched to arrest the suspect."

The colonel nodded slowly, gathering up his nerves. "Have everyone scan the perimeter. You and I are going inside." Hawkeye saluted, barking orders at the rest of the team before rejoining him once again, her pistol drawn from its holder this time. Without any more hesitation, they approached the front door, easily slipping through the modest entrance.

It struck him again how familial it all looked and felt. The foyer held three sets of shoes and a bookbag sitting off to the right of the door. On the left, the living room opened up further down the hall, humble furniture and décor adorning it. The hallway ended to the kitchen at the back of the house.

Mustang glanced towards his first lieutenant. "Search around here, see if there's an entrance to a basement or something. I'll check upstairs." She nodded, cautiously making her way down the hall, gun at the ready. He silently padded up the stairs, ears straining for any sound he could pick up.

The second floor looked like the rest of the house: master bedroom, bathroom, children's room. This final room in particular was quite spacious, filled with the usual paraphernalia of a teenage girl. A twin-size bed was situated beneath the window, bookshelves occupying much of the wall space. The clouds outside churned angrily from what he could see through the faded glass.

He ran a hand down his face, frustrated. He had scoured every inch of this floor finding nothing suspicious. He just had to hope that Riza had found something. Anger taking hold, he slammed a clenched fist against the wall opposite the bed, next to the door.

It echoed hollowly.

He perked up at the sound, his mind struggling to figure out what that meant. He slowly moved to press his ear against the wall, listening intently. Instead hearing nothing, like a solid wall should do, the vibrations travelled much farther than that, after another testing knock. And he could also make out very faint, yet distinct, muffled sobbing.

Heart racing, Roy traced his fingers over the wall's surface, finding no crevices or seams. He grit his teeth, adrenaline driving him forward. It's gotta be around here somewhere. He kept track of the obvious hollow space on the other side of the wall, following it out of the bedroom and out into the hall. The vibrations suddenly echoed differently once he reached the hall closet. This had to be it.

He threw open the closet doors, greeted with the sight of old coats and sweaters hanging from coatracks. He shoved them aside, revealing the blank wall behind the curtain of clothing. He frantically felt all over the wall until he finally discovered what he was looking for. His breath left his chest for just a moment. Then he was using his fingernails to desperately pry open the hidden door. After several seconds of agonizing scrambling, he finally managed to pop it open, the door swinging outward on its hinge. He quickly pulled himself through the small opening, standing fully upright in the dimly lit room.

He took in the chains hanging from the walls, the workbench of bloody tools, the stench of death and blood, only for a moment. His perspective was completely filled up by the quietly sobbing figure tied down to a steel table in the center.

"Ed!" He dashed forward, first checking to make sure that the boy was alive. However, his voice sent the young prodigy into frantic wailing, weakly tugging on his bonds. Words that were unintelligible through the duct tape covering his mouth spilled from him. The colonel froze, his hand poised to gently caress the teen's hair. Instead, he reached for the edge of the tape, grabbing a hold of it and carefully peeling it off.

"I-I don't wanna die... Please, I don't wanna die..." The words were repeated like a chant, the voice hollow and broken. It was only then that Roy took the time to survey his subordinate's condition. The boy was terribly malnourished and dehydrated, his lips cracked and torn, but that wasn't the worst of it. Ed had been flayed, quite literally, on several areas of his body. Many of them were still fresh, a few looked like they had just been infected. It was like red craters carved into his flesh. Anger and disgust filled him. He wanted to roast the bastard to a tender crisp, then feed his meat to the dogs. But it was guilt that overwhelmed him most of all.

Ed was still twisting around in his bonds, muttering to himself and sobbing, further aggravating some of his injuries. That urge he couldn't quite explain possessed him then. "Edward. Fullmetal. It's me. You know, Colonel Bastard?" The boy didn't respond. Steeling himself, Roy moved to undo the leather belts securing his subordinate to the table. He was relieved that Ed didn't freak out when he started fiddling with them.

When the last buckle was unclasped and had fallen away, things spiraled out of control. Ed shrieked, launching himself off the table and landing hard on the concrete floor. Roy dashed to help him up, but the teen turned around and frantically backed away from him, his eyes squeezed shut, dirty hair clinging to his face. He used his only arm to help pull him to the wall. Once his back touched the cold surface, he curled in on himself like a cornered animal, trembling and whimpering. It was then that the colonel noticed something that nearly made him gasp in horror.

His subordinate was missing his index finger. It hadn't been long since it was amputated either. Red muscle tissue and white bone were still visible on a gory display. His whole had was soaked with his own blood. The emotions he had felt before returned with a vengeance, his fists clenching. The sight of the sniffling child before him kept him grounded. There were more important matters.

The hand he placed on Edward's head made the boy startle and quickly look up at him. But, to his relief, those eyes filled with recognition. He could feel a piece of his heart break at the sight of those faded, broken orbs, so big and wide and trusting. "C-Colonel?" the boy stuttered, speaking tentatively. Roy couldn't help but smile warmly down at him. "Yeah, shorty. I'm here." Fresh tears flowed out at the confirmation. Mustang noted that the blond was still shivering, quickly shrugging off his coat and wrapping it around Ed's naked body, concealing him modestly. "Let's get you out of here, yeah?"

As soon as he lifted the teen up into his arms, Edward buried his face in the colonel's chest, clenching the front of his uniform in a tight fist. The sight of the boy cuddling into him sent a wave of comfort through him, the weight in his arms solid and real. "You really are gonna be the death of me, kid," he whispered softly, not caring if the boy heard or not. With his recovered subordinate, Mustang climbed out of this nightmarish scene and exited the house that had once been a pleasant family home.

The front of the house had been cordoned off, military vehicles encircling the area. An ambulance waited closely off to the side, lights flashing. Roy made his way there first and foremost, dodging any questions directed his way. He had passed by Riza in the house, raising her eyebrows at the small bundle nesting in his arms. However, that was the only reaction she gave before he strode out the door, into the crisp night air.

Mustang had just made it to the open back of the ambulance before a commotion near the police line grabbed his attention. He heard arguing and loud voices, a cluster of officers gathering. "You can't go in there, Ma'am!" one of the officers said. "This is still an active crime scene."

"I don't care!" This voice was female. "This is still my house!" More clamoring arose, warnings shouted into the cool air, followed by the desperate screeching of the female. It finally reached a crescendo as a figure broke through the crowd of officers, making a beeline for the front door. Roy caught a glimpse of a young girl disappearing inside. He wasn't sure what to make of this, but it didn't concern him. Once Edward was settled into a gurney on the ambulance, he climbed inside, sitting next to the boy. The doors slammed shut and the vehicle rumbled into life, heading towards the hospital.

-------

Author's Note: This story's not gonna be very long. Only five parts. Still, I hope you guys enjoyed it. If you're into the spooky vibes, I've got other stories on my profile that pertain to horror. Go check them out if you want.

I'm playing Little Hope, by the way.

Praise is appreciated and constructive criticism is encouraged.

See you next time!

-The_Mayflower