Mandatory Mayhem
Prologue
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July 19th
Year 1888
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A dart of silver disappearing under the waves. A small ripple of disturbance to otherwise calm water. This was what young, twenty year old Neal Anderson had been waiting his whole life to see. No one back in town was ever so bold as to come here, especially at night. But ever since he was a boy, the horrifying tales of Armstrong Lake intrigued him. He vowed to solve the arcanum of the mysterious landmark, no matter the cost. Disappearing people, forest spirits, ghosts, and hideous monsters that dwelled in the lake; he was so close to solving it all!
Swallowing thickly, the red-haired young man crept closer to the waters edge; holding his camera in shaky, clammy hands. He prayed that the full moon would be enough light to get a proper picture of the creature. The abomination that is rumored to eat anyone who dares trespass in it's territory.
Another splash. Neal cursed his trembling hands. He was standing on the beach now, his heart pounding in his ears. Then, at long last, he heard it. The eerie, melodic wailing of the creature. It almost sounded like it was singing! He once again berated himself for not bringing his notebook to write the phenomena down. The song was enchanting, haunting, and terrifying all at once.
Then, directly under the reflection of the full moon, the water began to ripple. Gasping, Neal fumbled with his camera, hoping to get a picture of the creature when it surfaced.
Slowly, it emerged from the shallows. Neal's breath caught in his throat at the sight of it, his pupils shrinking to the size of pin-pricks. His camera dropped out of his hands, clattering uselessly onto the sandy bank. His whole body froze.
There was a flash of silver scales lunging toward him, colliding painfully with his chest and pinning him down effortlessly in the sand.
His whole body quaked with fear beneath the beast. The creature slowly opened its mouth, reveal rows of long, deadly jagged teeth.
He let out a bloodcurdling scream, attempting to scramble away from the creature; and he kept screaming until his voice was silenced under the waves.
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No one ever saw Neal Anderson again. All that anyone could find of him was his camera… And the desperate, human made clawing marks of a man being drug against his will into Armstrong Lake.
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Chapter 01
Enter the Mayhem
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July 19th
Year 1914
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There was systematic way everyone had to be seated to insure a safe and somewhat enjoyable drive.
Roy could not be in the same car as Edward, that much was obvious. The two would try to rip each other apart and that would most likely cause a crash. Alphonse and Edward shouldn't be separated, since Edward was more tolerable when he was with his brother. Therefore they both needed to sit in the same car. Armstrong and Alphonse, no matter which car they were in, had to sit in the back because they were both so large. This also meant that neither Al or Armstrong could sit in the same vehicle. Havoc and Breda couldn't sit together, because when the two were stuck in a cramped environment for longer than an hour, they started to argue. Fuery and Falman were godsends when it came to long distance travel; they were both mild mannered enough to not cause trouble. Hughes was a chaotic nightmare and would be an annoyance wherever he sat. Riza herself didn't like the smell of smoke, so she decided she couldn't be in the same van as Havoc. And, since both she and Roy were driving, she deduced that the two of them could not sit in the same vehicle; naturally, Black Hayate sat with Riza.
So, the seating arrangements went a little something like this.
Roy was in the first van, in the drivers seat. He would be accompanied by Havoc, who sat in the front passanger seat with the window rolled down. Falman and Fuery sat in the second row, and Armstrong sat in the back.
Riza was in the second van, in the drivers seat. She would be accompanied by Ed, who sat in the front passenger seat. Hughes and Breda sat in the second row and Al and Hayate sat in the back.
Now, why was half of Eastern Command, the Elric brothers, and Maes Hughes piled in two vans like meat in a sandwich? Well the answer, dear readers, is this...
Mandatory vacation.
As it turns out, none of them had taken their mandatory vacations for the past two years. Since this was against the labor-laws of Amestris, the Fuhrer himself ordered Mustang, his crew, the Elric Brothers, Armstrong and Hughes to take a two week vacation. Major Armstrong offered the use of an old cabin that 'had been in the family for generations'. It was an old hunting cabin, in the middle of the forest eons away from real civilization. The only 'town' was smaller than Resembool, and it was an hours drive away.
Alex Louis Armstrong promised that the cabin was in impeccable condition, the village dwellers were friendly and that Armstrong Lake was best fishing spot in all of Amestris. So, that was that. They were stuck, for five god-forsaken hours, in two cramped vans with no sign of human life for miles.
Yet, even with Riza's careful planning and well thought out seating arrangements… everything still managed to dissolve into chaos.
Ed and Roy, even when separated, managed to argue with each other using obscene hand gestures and offensive sign langue through the means of the cars mirrors.
Maes was getting hungry. The dirt-road that just barely managed to cut its way through the forest was so bumpy and full of pot-holes that Riza's fingers felt were about ready to fall off after clinging onto the steering wheel so tightly and she became temporarily blinded in one eye when one of Armstrong's sparkles escaped Roy's car, came through her rolled down window and hit her in the eye.
But things started to get really hairy when Ed began screeching like an enraged banshee. Apparently, whatever hand gesture Roy had just made at the Fullmetal Alchemist was an offending statement against his height.
It was an all-out war.
Alchemically created water balloons were thrown. Car horns were honked, and the tires were nearly melted clean off Riza's van. A flurry of insulting hand gestures no one save for the two arguing State Alchemist could identify were made, and more short jokes were cracked in the span on two minutes than ever before in the history of Amestris.
Several insults and gunshots later, the 1st Lieutenant managed to resolve the fighting and the group traveled the last 3 hours of their journey in silence. Quiet, peace filled, fearful silence.
So, as you can imagine, the entire group nearly burst into tears of joy once they pulled into the small, gravel driveway of the Armstrong hunting cabin.
"Land!" Fuery cried, flinging himself onto the ground and kissing the dirt affectionately.
"Oi! Quiet making out with the grass and help us unpack!" Breda barked grumpily, struggling to carry one of the many large bundles of camping gear they brought along for the trip.
Jean sighed heavily, removing his own pack from the back of the van. He was just dying to go inside, kick his feet up and have a nice smoke.
"Need a hand, Lieutenant?" Alphonse asked Riza politely, offering his hand to take one of her bags.
She smiled softly at the suit of armor, handing him one. "Thanks Alphonse."
"Stupid Colonel, stupid vacation, stupid… everything." Ed grumbled, pulling out some more bags that were stashed inside the trunk while Al took some bags inside the cabin. "We don't have time for this! We need to be searching for a way to get out bodies back! Not going on some dumb mandatory vacation!"
"If you didn't want to have to take orders, you shouldn't have become dog of the military. " Roy spoke as he walked by, carrying a bag under each of arms.
Ed snorted, slamming the back door of the now emptied van. Riza couldn't help but let out a slightly exasperated sigh; would those two ever learn to get along?
"Ah, what a wonderful sight!" Armstrong cried, tears welling in his eyes. "This cabin was first built by my great great grandfather and his brother over 150 years ago and has been in the family for generations ever since!"
The cabin looked like it was in fairly good condition for being as old as Armstrong claimed it to be. The log cabin was two stories tall and nearly held the identical shape of the Armstrong Mansion, though it was nowhere near the real things size.
"Hey Major, didn't you say there was a lake nearby?" Ed asked, looking around in hopes to get a glimpse of it.
"Certainly, Edward! Armstrong Lake lies just inside those woods." Armstrong said, pointing to the forest to the right of them. A small, dirt path cut through the trees. "There's the path that leads to the lake."
"Maybe we can go fishing?" Al suggested, hauling some more heavy parcels into the cabin.
Ed let out a laugh, joining him. "We haven't done that since our days on Yock Island, huh Al?"
Alphonse laughed as well. "Yeah, it's been a long time…"
A bright flash of light nearly blinded Ed, causing the boy to stumble backwards in surprise; he rubbed his eyes furiously. "Damn it, Hughes, give a guy some warning before you blind them like that!" The culprit, Maes Hughes, grinned cheekily from behind his camera. Ed narrowed his eyes dangerously. "Why'd you come along anyway? I thought you of all people would spend your two week vacations doting on your wife and daughter."
Maes instantly deflated. "Gracia is spending the next two weeks with her parents and took Elicia with her…" He pouted shamelessly.
"…And why didn't you go with her?" Mustang asked, hoisting another bag over his shoulder.
"You've never met my in-laws." Maes stated flatly, picking up a piece of luggage and heading inside the cabin; the chuckled Elric brothers following behind, leaving Riza alone outside.
The Lieutenant chuckled a little bit herself; so there was someone on Earth who could agitate Hughes just as much as he managed to irritate everyone else? She shook her head in amusement. Bending down, Riza picked up her own duffle bag, hung it over her shoulder and made her way towards the cabin. Suddenly, Hayate let out a low growl. A twig snapped in the background. Riza stopped dead in her tracks, a chill like someone was watching her ran down her spine; she quickly spun around toward the woods. Something silver glinted in the light. She blinked and it was gone.
"Lieutenant?" Mustang called from the cabin's porch. "Lieutenant, what's wrong?" He asked with concern when she didn't reply the first time.
She blinked several more times before rubbing her eyes vigorously. There was nothing there. She took a deep breath and shook her head, switching her gaze toward her concerned superior. "Nothing Colonel, I'm just tired."
He narrowed his eyes slightly, but questioned her strange behavior no further."Alright. Let me know if you need anything." He spoke quietly, shutting the cabin door behind him.
Riza cast one last glance at the forest. She hadn't noticed how tall the tree's were before, they seemed to loom over her ominously; a small breeze caused the branches to sway and creak, their shadows growing longer as the sun slowly started to sink in the sky.
She frowned, tucking a loose strand of her golden colored hair behind her ear, berating herself for getting so worked up over nothing…
Hayate let out a small whine. Riza smiled softly down at her furry companion and shook her head again, adjusting the weight of the bag on her shoulder. She patted Hayate on the head, heading for her cabin; ignoring the paranoid thoughts that were attempting to invade her mind.
If she were to turn around, she would have seen another flash of silver disappearing into the woods.
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Roasting marshmallows over the campfire while telling ghost stories was, at best, a juvenile attempt for entertainment.
"You burnt my marshmallow on purpose!" Ed accused harshly, pointing a finger at the Flame alchemist.
Then, Riza supposed that those of a childish mind would come up with an immature form of amusement. Watching the scene unfold out of the corner of her eye, Riza allowed her mind to wander slightly. It was odd to see all her comrades wearing such… casual clothing. T-shirts, capris and hiking boots were a far-cry from the full military uniform she was used to seeing.
Letting out a soft sigh, she switched her gaze to the star speckled, inky blue heavens. Being here made her painfully aware that she was the only female amongst nine males. She watched as small embers from the crackling fire floated upward toward the sky before dissipating; almost as if they were trying to join the stars above them...
"Riza, your marshmallow's on fire…" Al pointed out kindly.
She blinked once, glancing over at Alphonse then back at her now flaming marshmallow. Gasping, she quickly pulled her roasting stick out of the fire, looking around desperately to find any way to save whatever might have been left of the blazing treat.
She needn't look long; Jean came blundering to her rescue, ripping the stick from her hands and began waving it around in the air. Those motions accompanied with his fancy footwork made it look as though Jean was partaking in a tribal dance. Hayate barked and decided to join him.
"Geeze, Havoc, calm down!" Breda snapped, barely ducking the ignited marshmallow as his soared over his head.
The blonde man glared down at him. "I am being care-"
SPLAT!
It took five whole seconds for Jean's brain to comprehend what he had just done. Roy Mustang sat frozen, his shoulders tense and his face impassive…
…Even with bits of hot gooey marshmallow trailing off his forehead and onto his nose.
Hayate bounded over merrily, licking the marshmallow on the Colonel's face. Roy still refused to move, though you could see him grinding his teeth.
No, it wasn't until the all-too familiar flash of blinding light and the click of Hughes camera that Roy decided to take action. Severe, highly violent action.
Riza didn't even bother trying to save Hughes or Havoc. Havoc shouldn't have been waving the stick around like a crazed monkey and Hughes should have known that the moment he took the picture that he was signing his own death warrant.
Roy came storming back to the campfire several minutes later with a somewhat mangled Lieutenant Colonel and Second Lieutenant in tow.
After a long and somewhat awkward silence, Ed asked. "Anyone know any good scary stories?"
"Ah! Storytelling is an art passed down the Armstrong line for generations!" Armstrong proclaimed proudly. Before a word of protest could be uttered, the mustached man leaned forward, the glow of the flickering flames lit his face ominously. "As I told you before, this cabin was built by the Armstrong family near 150 years ago by my great great grandfather and his older brother – my great great uncle."
"Both by great great grandfather and great great uncle were talented alchemist, as you can see by the superior craftsmanship of the Armstrong cabin; the two were considered some of the greatest alchemic geniuses of the era." Sighing and shifting a little in his seat, he continued. "The two were inseparable; they held a close bond with one another… very similar to that of you and Alphonse." He spoke, looking at Ed and Al in turn.
The two boys chuckled with embarrassment in response.
"But as they became of age, things began to change. My great great uncle was to inherit the Armstrong estate and both brothers had very different ideas of how it should be run. My uncle wanted to break all ties our family had had with the military for generations, whereas by great great grandfather believed that things were best left as they were."
"They bickered constantly after that, neither side relenting in their opinion. Then, the week before my great great uncles official inheritance of the estate, he took his family on a trip to this very cabin…"
Fuery swallowed audibly, shrinking in his seat.
"Six days into the trip, my great great grandfather decided to come and apologize to my great great uncle; he wished for them to be good friends like they once were and to let bygones be bygones. However…"
"…However?" Al asked breathlessly, looking nervous.
"They were no longer here." Armstrong spoke, his voice filled with grief. "My great great grandfather searched the grounds, the forest, the lake, everywhere, but hide nor hair of my great great uncle or his family could be found. They'd all vanished without a trace."
"Since then, there have been rumors. Rumors people disappearing mysterious, stories of ghosts and spirits that haunt the forest, old folktales of a mysterious creature that inhabits Armstrong Lake, just waiting for unsuspecting travelers to wander by to devour…"
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Armstrong laughed at the dumbstruck faces of his companions. "But it's just a story!" He chortled with a wave of the hand. "My eldest sister, Olivier used to scare me with that old story when we were children! I'm sure it's something she made up; she's quite creative, you know!"
"Right." Ed sighed, releasing a breath he didn't know he'd been holding.
Roy snorted, prodding the coals in the small pit with a stick. "Lake monsters and ghosts, honestly, what a bunch of-"
A bloodcurdling wail pierced through the night like a knife. Everyone jumped to their feet in attention.
"What was-" Jean began.
"It's coming from the lake!" Ed cried, racing off into the forest, following the sound of the earth-splitting shrieks; Black Hayate hot on his heels.
"Ed!" Al called, trailing not too far behind.
The lake wasn't too far off, Ed managed to reach it running at full speed in less than a few minutes, though Hayate beat him to it. The screams stopped not to long before he reached the lakes sandy edge. Hayate stood; his front paws in that water as it barked at the gigantic lake. The surface of the water rippled slightly.
Ed panted heavily, taking another few steps forward, cupping his hands with his mouth. "Hello, is anybody out there!?" He called, breathing heavily once more. "Hello! Anyone!?"
"We won't hurt you!" Alphonse called from behind him.
"Find anything?" Roy asked, quickly scanning their surroundings.
"No." Al responded sadly.
"We're here to help you! Give us a sign if you can hear us!" Ed tried again, only to be met by his own echo, then deafening silence.
"Well, that was freaky…" Jean shuddered, looking around the lake. It was large enough that you couldn't see the shore on the other side, and the water was unusually clear. The half moon lit it up brilliantly, making the surface sparkle and shimmer like a jewel.
Hm, maybe that's why it was called Armstrong lake?
"Spread out and see what you can find." Roy ordered, carrying a lantern in his right hand.
A chorus of 'Yes, sir.' and they began the search.
Falman and Jean went back to the cabin to gather more flashlights and lanterns while the others wandered the shores shouting as they did, hoping to find the person who was in such distress. Armstrong even ripped his shirt off, to show that they had sincere intentions.
While the rest of the group were off doing their own search Riza followed behind Roy, watching his back as she always did. She almost jumped in surprise when Hayate began barking again, bolting off in front of them. The canine stopped several yards ahead of them, sniffing at something on the ground.
"Hayate, what's gotten into you boy?" Riza asked once she and Roy caught up with the pup. She knelt down on one knee as Hayate brought the item he found to her. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. "A… A cork on a string?" She asked, baffled as she held the object up in the moonlight, watching as it dangled lifelessly.
Roy sighed in exasperation, obviously disappointed in Black Hayate's great discovery. Riza couldn't blame him, she was a little disappointed as well. Though, she didn't want to hurt Hayate's feelings, he looked so proud of his find, after all. Smiling, she placed the cork attached to a string in her pocket, patting her faithful companion on the head. "Good boy."
"Find anything?" Ed called, Alphonse trailing not too far behind, running toward them, lantern in hand.
"Besides a cork, not a thing." Roy replied bitterly, scowling at the water.
"Neither did we…" Al sighed sadly. "Major Armstrong, Warrant Officer Falman and 2nd Lieutenant Havoc returned with lanterns and took Lieutenant Colonel Hughes, 2nd Lieutenant Breda and Sergeant Fuery with them to investigate some of the forest skirting the lake." He informed them dutifully.
SPLOOSH!
Edward, Alphonse, Roy and Riza whirled toward the source of the noise. They stared, tense for a few moments, before relaxing; seeing that there was no immediate danger. It was only a beaver sliding into the lake from the shore. Roy sighed.
"It's getting late. Let's retreat to the cabin for now. We'll come back and investigate again once its daylight."
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By the time they group trekked through the forest and made it back to the cabin, Hughes and the others were already waiting for them on front porch.
"Find anything?" Roy asked, though by the disappointed looks on their faces, he felt as though he already knew the answer.
"Nothing." Hughes sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Absolutely nothing. No foot prints, no scraps of clothing or hair… no body."
The flame colonel cursed quietly. "Very well. We'll resume our search tomorrow morning."
"Someone should go to town and see if anyone's gone missing." Al suggested, earning a nod of approval from Roy.
"Right; Falman, Fuery, I'll leave that to the two of you."
"Yes, sir." The two men saluted.
"I don't like this." Ed sighed, looking over his shoulder and back out at the forest while everyone else began to go inside. "I mean, it's really weird. How can someone just disappear like that so easily? And they were nearby when I arrived at the lake…"
"I'm sure we'll find something in the morning." Riza assured the two worried boys.
"Right." They chorused.
Smiling, softly, she opened the door, going inside herself, Ed and Al coming in right behind. No one noticed Hayate's low growl as the door slowly swung shut.
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The greatest benefit of being the only female among nine males was getting your own room. Riza sighed with content, flopping down onto her bed. She was freshly showered and in her favorite pair of pajama's. Hayate hopped up on her stomach, looking down at his master with curiosity.
Riza chuckled, patting him on the head. "Good boy."
The Armstrong cabin had 6 bedrooms, each one was about 8 feet across and 8 feet long. 5 of the 6 bedrooms were on the second story, and the 6th, Riza's bedroom, was located on the ground level. Her bedroom was also the only room with a single bed; the others all had 2 beds per room.
She yawned then. The clock on the wall said it was nearing 1 o'clock in the morning. Riza's lips curled downward into a small frown, they must have been out searching longer than she had realized.
The 1st Lieutenant yawned a second time, lying down and pulling the covers over herself, one hand snaked out from underneath the covers to switch off the lamp at her bedside table. Her eyes fell onto the cork attached to a string that she had left on the nightstand; she shook her head, turning on the lights. She curled up into a ball and slowly drifted off to sleep.
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Creeeeaaaak...
Riza's eyes fluttered open. She blinked several times, her mind still hazy from begin woken up. Hayate began to growl again. She blinked blurrily, sitting up.
Her room door was ajar, swinging faintly. For a moment, she though she saw a shadow pass by in the hall. She narrowed her eyes, reaching to turn on the bedside lamp. She looked down, her breath caught in her throat…
The cork on the string was gone.
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Author's Note:
So, what do you think?
All tips, comments, critiques, tips and questions are welcomed!
I appreciate any help I can get with my writing.
Review!