Fright Night

.: Prologue :.

A/N: Sup guys, new fic here and this time it's FMA! My first one too so please be gentle, Envy would want that. ;) Anyway, this is a request fic for my dear Des-chan so I really hope I've done it justice and you like it hunni!

Disclaimer: If I owned it then Envy would still be here and he would give me cuddles... as it is, I don't own it and he's still a sadistic bastard. Woe is me... TT_TT

It was late in the evening; the orange hue cast by the evening sunlight had already set beyond the horizon, washing the city in darkening hues as night set in. It was on this evening that five year old Edward Elric had begged and pleaded with his mother to allow him to stay up late, intent on watching a scary movie– he had heard about it from his new schoolmates and being the overconfident child that he was, had become set on watching it to prove to his classmates that he was no wimp.

Though this was not an odd request –Edward had always strived to show his mother how grownup and mature he was– Trisha Elric still hesitated; she knew well enough that though her little golden eyed wonder was by far the bravest of her children, he was still just a child and she did worry about him getting nightmares, especially with being in a new and unfamiliar house.

She relented in the end though, and allowed her eldest son to stay up. It was while ushering a sleepy Alphonse off to bed that she had given her eldest child strict rules to keep a light on at all times and turn the television off should he get frightened. Edward had smiled confidently up at his mother, reassuring her with brave words that he wouldn't be scared at all– even as he turned a lamp on and crawled onto the couch, nestled safely within the confines of a fluffy blanket.

This was how Edward stayed for the most part; curled upon the couch and wrapped in his blanket, wide golden eyes glued to the flickering TV screen as he watched on in a morbid kind of fascination. Now, only fifteen minutes into the movie and the small child was ready to call it quits. Edward may have been a brave child, but as he sat there in the dimly lit room even he had to admit that maybe this hadn't been the best idea.

But still, he had told his mother that he wouldn't get scared and he had to prove to his classmates that he wasn't a scaredy-cat. So, even knowing that things were only going to get worse as the movie progressed he stayed where he was; jumping, flinching and burrowing deeper into the cocoon of his blanket with each passing minute, he forced his wide eyes to stay riveted to the screen.

He would watch this movie through to the end. He could do this, it would be easy. He could do this. Steeling his resolve the shivering child blinked furiously, shaking off the fear as best he could– he would show them that Edward Elric was no baby! He would show them he could handle anything, a scary movie would be nothing to him.

It was nearing the early hours of the night when the movie finally ended and Edward, poor little Edward, was shaking like a leaf in a hurricane. Golden eyes wide in fear, the young child stared listlessly at the rolling credits. His bottom lip trembled as he clutched at the blanket in a white knuckled grip, holding onto it as if it were a lifeline.

Edward was a smart child. Smarter than most his age, with an active imagination that let him think outside the box and solve things others normally could not. Usually this was a gift to the child, something he was immensely proud off. Not now though, now it was more a curse than a gift. His overactive imagination was stuck in overdrive and there was nothing he could do about it. He could only sit in the dim lighting as his mind replayed various scenarios of his own gruesome death over and over again until he was nothing more than a pile of whimpering fear.

He jumped when the floorboards creaked, whimpering pitifully as he slunk deeper into the protective embrace of his blanket. It was only when the soft, voice of his mother cut through his vivid imagination that he peeked out from his cocoon. Teary eyes locked onto his mother's form from where she stood in the doorway; a gentle smile on her face as she came to kneel before him, stroking his hair lovingly as she sighed.

"Oh Edward, what am I going to do with you?" she asked him gently. Shaking her head with a fond little smile as he all but lunged into her arms, shivering and whimpering quietly as he nuzzled into her warm embrace; seeking the comfort and reassurance only a mother could give.

Trisha could only cuddle her little boy close, letting him cling to her like a baby koala as she stood to her feet and left the living room without a backwards glance–pausing only long enough to switch the TV and turn the lights off. Making her way to Edward's room she hushed and shushed the trembling blonde, murmuring soft nothings into his ear as he whimpered in her arms. When she tried to lower him into bed he clung tighter, refusing to let her go even as she began to sway gently; back and forth, all the while rubbing soothing circles on his back, like she had all those years ago when he was just a newborn babe.

Moments later the calming motions and soft caress of his mother's touch had soon lulled him into a drowsy, half-conscious state. At this point Edward was too far gone to put up much of a fuss as his mother gently disentangled his arms from around her neck, lowering him carefully onto the bed where he was securely tucked in.

A fleeting kiss to the drowsy child's forehead and Trisha was tiptoeing from the room with a whispered goodnight and wish for pleasant dreams. She left the door slightly ajar, allowing dim light from the hallway to filter into her son's room as she strode back to her own room to settle in for the night– hoping that her dear little Edward would find peaceful dreams tonight.

Edward woke a few hours later to the eerie sound of creaking floorboards cutting into the silence. His eyes snapped open and his body lurched; shooting up into a sitting position as his sleep hazed eyes scoured the dark confines of his room for anything that should not be there. When he found nothing out of the ordinary the small child huffed in relief, scolding himself for being such a baby and jumping at nothing but harmless shadows.

Shaking himself Edward settled back down into his bed, curling up into a protective ball and pulling his covers tight around himself. He had only just closed his eyes when another creak of the floorboards echoed throughout the room. The golden haired child shivered as if a chilly breeze had swept the room, equally golden eyes blinked open to stare into the twisting darkness; watching the shadows creep and crawl in the flickering light that filtered through the crack in the door.

Frowning in worry the little five year old curled tighter; folding in on himself he listened intently to the suffocating silence of the night, watching and waiting for a sign that there was something there. For how long he lay there, blinking owlishly into the darkness he didn't know, but soon enough he felt the sluggish pull of sleep tugging at him. Edward fought the feeling away, he couldn't sleep yet. Not until he was certain there was nothing hiding in the darkness, lurking just beyond his sight waiting for the right moment to pounce on him and rip him limb from limb.

His eyes were just starting to drift shut, his body finally giving into his silent vigil when his door creaked, the offending –click– seeming to echo throughout the room as he was bathed in darkness, the light from the hall now cut off as his door clicked shut.

Edward's heart raced.

Sitting up the golden haired boy debated his options. On one hand he could just stay where he was; safe and secure in his bed. But then he would be stuck in the dark until morning came and while he may not have been afraid of the dark like Alphonse, that didn't change the fact that he still didn't liked it all that much. But on the other hand, he could brave the creeping darkness and turn on the light. The only problem with that was the fact he would have to leave the safety of his bed. He would have to trek those few fleeting steps to the other side of the room in order to reach the light switch, and that meant being out in the open; being vulnerable and defenceless.

He sat there for a few moments, mulling over the pros and cons of his situation. So caught up in his internal debate Edward suppressed the sudden urge to scream, instead smothering a startled yelp by clapping a hand to his mouth when a faint scratching sound reached his ears. Golden eyes widened as he glanced fearfully towards the end of his bed. It had come from there, he was certain. Whatever it was that was in his room, lurking in the darkness and creeping about like a snake... It was at the end of his bed.

Swallowing thickly the small child stole a glance towards the door. Could he make it? Would he be fast enough to make it to the light switch before whatever lurked at the end of his bed caught him? He didn't know and right now he didn't care. All Edward wanted was to run straight to his mother and never let go, but that meant risking the open ground between his bed and the door.

Could he do it? More importantly; should he?

The choice was made for him however when he felt the mattress near the end of his bed dip; sinking down as if something were perched upon it. Heart stopping fear gripped him and in a split-second Edward sprung into motion; flinging his covers up he leapt from his bed like a bullet. In his blind dash to reach the door Edward's legs became tangled in the bed sheets, tripping him up and sending him sprawling to the floor in a flailing mess of tangled limbs.

–Thud!–

He hit the floor hard; smacking his forehead against the polished wood with enough force he was seeing stars. Tears sprung to the corners of his eyes, clinging to his eyelashes as he sniffled. Rubbing his forehead, still slightly dazed from the fall, Edward felt a chill run down his spine.

He glanced up.

"Boo." A voice crooned mockingly.

Edward's blood ran cold and an ear shattering scream cut through the silence. Heart stuttering in unrestrained shock and fear Edward's eyes rolled back, and the small child dropped back to the floor in a dead faint. The last sound he heard as he slipped into unconsciousness was a cold, mocking laughter and hurried footsteps.

That was the first time he met him.

...

So, there's the prologue. Personally I'm not all that happy with it, I know it could be better but then if I did start fixing every little things I'd never get anywhere. So this is the finished product, it hasn't been edited so please excuse and spelling errors or whatnot.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and hopefully I'll have another one out sometime soon.

Ciao~

Babybee.