Edward Elric jumped behind a pile of crates, hand holding the wound at his side which continued to bleed profusely. He could hear the soft growls behind him, almost chorusing their bloodlust. He cursed inwardly.
His blonde hair was matted with dirt and blood, face and any other exposed skin caked with grime. Ed winced at a sharp sting of pain that rushed from the wound as he pressed too deeply.
Distantly, Ed wondered if Al was safe from the creatures, safe from their haunting black eyes and sharp teeth. He wondered whether the others were safe as well, Lieutenant Hawkeye, Hughes, Havoc, Breda, Fuery, Armstrong…Colonel Mustang.
Ed shook his head. He needed to think of a way to escape, not on their safety. They were safe—he was sure of it.
A long scraping sound distracted his thoughts. In the near-silence, it sounded ominous. Metal rang against the concrete, grating Ed's ears. He dared not move, less they find his location. His eyes swept the warehouse, its tall stacks of boxes and crates showing their shadows from the moonlight outside the window near the ceiling. In his presence state, Ed knew he wouldn't be able to move fast enough to escape to that window, and any alchemy he could perform would be spotted by them, giving away his location.
He cursed inwardly. This was not a good situation to be in—and that was an understatement.
-o-o-o-o-o-
Roy Mustang cursed aloud, fist banging on the table. The hanging lamp overhead swung violently, its light moving across the room, creating strange shadows across the occupants' faces.
"There was nothing we could do," Lieutenant Hawkeye attempted to console, brushing a hand on his shoulder. He shoved it off.
"Yes, there was! I could have gone with him!" he shouted.
"Then it's my fault, too," a tinny voice called from the corner. Everyone turned to the pile of broken armour resting on the floor. "I left him there. He told me to run. I didn't want to, but he forced me to go with you guys. He's alone…because of me."
"Alphonse…" Hawkeye trailed off.
Roy sighed in exasperation, rubbing his hand down his stubbly cheek in irritation. His hand ran back through his obsidian hair, equally black eyes trailing from person to person. These were all who were left. Havoc nursed an arm wound, his last cigarette dangling from tightly-pursed lips. Fuery was helping him re-bandage his arm with a frown, Breda standing nearby with scissours. Armstrong had gone on watch an hour earlier, so he was outside. Hughes stood across him, alternately giving glances to the map spread on the table and to him with a worried glint in his eyes.
"We'll get him, Roy. We'll get Ed," Hughes said, hand reaching across to squeeze his shoulder. He allowed the comfort, but one thought rang through his head:
If he's still alive.
-o-o-o-o-o-
Ed listened as the metal ring stopped, his labored breathing now the only sound in the warehouse. He held his breath, letting it out in tiny, whisper-like gasps. He grimaced as his foot slid across the floor, causing a small scraping sound. If his ears could catch it, theirs would. He cursed. Hearing a loud snarl just behind his ear, Ed clapped his hands, causing the concrete beneath him to propel him up to the window, white/blue lightning crackling around his hands and the concrete. His wound screamed throughout his body, but he ignored it as best he could, his gaze sweeping below, watching with disdain as they climbed their way up the column of concrete almost as fast as his alchemy was producing it. Just thirty feet until the window. Twenty. Ten.
And then something grabbed his leg.
-o-o-o-o-o-
A/N: Awesome, right? So, here's the FMA scary story. This is the prologue. What a cliffie, eh? What are the black-eyed, sharp-toothed creatures? Find out in our next installment: Creatures of Blah. Just kidding. But seriously, REVIEW and READ ON, IF YOU DARE. Erm. Hopefully the first chapter will get you guys really visualizing the environment and the particular situation they're in. When I say hopefully, I mean that hopefully I am successful in 1) finishing it and 2) having it written well enough that you guys come back for more. Kind of like Ma's fresh baked apple pie (if you had a Ma and if she shopped at Wal-Mart [brownie points if you've read the comic—HINT: It's a fan-made comic from Hetalia: Axis Powers. HINT 2: It's on DeviantArt. Or is it ? Hm…Helpful?]).