Ch.1 Scary Stories in the Office
It was a dark and stormy night, much like this, a young Amestrian soldier came home from fighting a war with Aerugo.
Expecting a warm welcome and hot food with a warm bed when he returned to his village, instead what he found was a dark and somber sky and a deserted village. The houses were cold and gave off a distrustful aura. Birds cawed ominously and a sharp wind blew from the north as if from the Briggs Mountains themselves.
The soldier called out, for his friends, his parents, siblings, love. No one answered. Alone he wandered through his village cold and hungry, the place felt dead and desolate, a barren, god-forsaken place that seemed as if the very demons from hell stood guard over it unseen and silent.
When he arrived at his house he found it empty and unlocked. Inside it was damp and dark the shutters blew wildly in the cold wind. Lighting a fire and finding something to eat the soldier felt like he was in a place abandoned by the world. Deciding to stay only the night he resolved to go to sleep. With no one here there wasn't any reason to stay in this town much longer.
Hours later with rain steadily pouring as if the sky were crying at what was to come, the soldier awoke feeling a presence in the room with him. Calling out he looked around himself, seeing nothing but the dark and silent room lit only by lightning and only sound thunder cracking overhead and his own fast breathing. He felt something was in the town though what it was he could not say, nor why he knew it was there. Against all misgivings he went out into the freezing rain, and went to the main street where many a festival had been held. What met his eyes was a truly awful sight indeed.
Dozens of bodies lay sodden and sprawled like a doll thrown a way to rot in a gutter. The people of his village were dead and had been for some time. Looking around he saw everyone he knew the children that would run after the cars in play, the kind old couple that sat demurely in the afternoons. He saw his family that was so proud of him for becoming a soldier. All of them had been ravaged by a disease; it covered their bodies in painful sores that oozed thick yellow pus. Slowly decomposing the fluids of their bodies washed away by the rain. Swallowing the bile that rose in his throat and trying to overcome the nausea that threatened to overwhelm him, he staggered back and dropped to his knees. Despair and revulsion fighting for dominance in his heart his mind blank, he scarcely was aware of the tears that intermingled with the rain.
Slowly approaching him was a shape indistinct in the rain he stayed in his position stunned with hopelessness. As the shape became more distinct fear set deep within his bones. His fiancé, once a beautiful girl now disfigured by the plague that had swept through the village, she hobbled toward him slowly, slowly, her eyes were gone now just blank holes like an infinite vacuum. She held her arms out beseechingly and a ragged distorted voice called out. "Why? Why didn't you come for me? I waited for you, so why didn't you come home?" He stared in abject terror while one by one the other corpses started to move, each calling out in fear and pain, a den of tortured souls. "Mama!" "It hurts! It hurts!" "Help me!" "Please, kill me!" Sobbing and screaming they crawled toward him, hands outstretched, reaching towards him, clawing at him. Heart hammering and trying desperately to scramble away he backed into something. Looking up he saw the thing that was this love stare down at him, as she descended he screamed.
"Uuuwaaahh-" "EEEEEEEEEKKK!" Everyone in the room winced as a deafening shriek filled the office. "Jeez, Sheska." Havoc complained rubbing his ear. "No need to scream that loud." Looking flustered and embarrassed Sheska proceeded to apologize, "I'm so sorry sir, it's just, I get so absorbed in stories a-and ghost stories are so scary I just got overwhelmed." A dreamy and adoring look overcame her face now, "the glory of books and tomes, tales and fables, the triumph of legends and myths, it's so wonderful." Positively shinning with devout faith in books she was lost in her reveling.
Roy let out an aggravated sigh, yet another moron to deal with, Breda and the others just looked exasperated. Fury was the one who asked the question they were all wondering, "uh, Sheska, why are you here?" Sheska started as she was snapped out of her revere, "Oh! Well, Lt. Colonel Hughes said I could have the rest of the night off since its Samhain." At these words a vein pulsed in Mustang's head trying hard not to shout he asked in a strained voice, one hand rubbing his temple the other clenched in a fist, "Why did you feel the need to come over here then, wouldn't you rather go home?" The vein pulsed again. "More importantly," suddenly pointing at the three new arrivals, "WHY ARE YOU THREE HERE?"
"Eh? Why eating delicious food at your expense of course." Ling answered around a mouth fool of mutton.
"Where did you get that food?" Falman inquired secretly marveling at how quietly the intruders had gotten in.
"The Cafeteria."
"T-the Cafeteria?"
"Here Lan Fan try this." The Xingese prince turned toward his guard ignoring the aghast look on the warrant officers' face. Lan Fan politely accepted the pastry that was handed to her, "thank you My Lord, it looks delicious."
"Young Lord, have you had this stew it's quiet good." The elderly guard handed Ling a bowl of steaming vegetable stew.
"Really? Let me have some Fu."
"Will someone answer my question?!" Came an aggravated shout from the very incensed Colonel. "The Young Lord has come to pay a visit and wish you all well." Fu answered sipping tea.
Back in their corner Havoc and was entertaining the others with another ghost story. Ling who had eaten his fill wandered over to investigate with Fu and Lan Fan tailing behind leaving a rather vexed Mustang. Plopping himself on the couch Ling proceeded to make himself at home with Fu standing guard over him from behind and Lan Fan kneeling beside him on the floor. "So what's this Samhain, is it why you're telling stories?" Fury nodded smiling, "that's right, Samhain is a holiday for us here in Amestris about witches and monsters."
"Sgt. Fury that is inaccurate and unprofessional." Falman scolded. "Samhain originated from Creta where the people celebrated their third and final havrvest of the year. It in fact means "End of Summer" and is usually celebrated on the thirty-first day of the tenth month of the year. It is believed to have been the interval when time and space are temporarily suspended and the spirit world and ours are connected. People honor and communicate with the spirits of the dead."
"Wow, you sure know your stuff Officer Falman." Ling said impressed causing Falman to stand straight with pride. "Back in Xing we also have a holiday similar to your Samhain." A cry of joy and disbelief came from Sheska causing everyone to look at her, hands clasped in front of her with big shining eyes that spoke of the highest adoration possible she asked, "you wouldn't be talking about the famous Ghost Festival would you?"
Looking slightly non-pulsed Ling answered, "uh yeah, you've heard of it?"
"Of course! I've only read a little though I don't know the full details." She said looking down because of her lack of knowledge. Ling smiled and pointed to Fu, "Old Man Fu can explain right Fu?"
"Indeed Young Lord, the festival is called Yu Lan or Hungry Ghost Festival." Fu began choosing to ignore the jokes that Havoc and Breda were saying in regards to the name. "It is on the 15th day of the seventh month. It is said that on that day ghosts and spirits including deceased ancestors come from the lower realm. On that day we Xingese honor our ancestors and the other spirits of the departed. We make special foods, burn incense, and burn paper materials in shapes of items of this world so that the spirits may take it with them into the next."
"Sounds like fun." Remarked Havoc.
"Oh yes its very fu-"Ling was knocked off the couch by a stapler being thrown by Mustang. Ignoring the cries of "Young Lord, are you all right?" from Lan Fan he said with a very controlled tone, "That all sounds like fun and games but I'm tired of you all chattering like little school girls, unless you have something to do go home."
"But Col. we just wanted to spend Samhain with you, "Havoc smirked and proceeded to reach for his cigarettes.
Breda chipped in, "Yeah you always want us to be here with you and now you don't, make up your mind boss."
"That's when I'm busy working it doesn't do me any good if you're all having a tea party over there, now get out of my office." Falman about to say something no doubt in jest of Mustang's work ethic was interrupted by Alphonse bursting in. "Everyone it's terrible brother isn't normal!"