A/N: Hello reader, it's me again! First off, I'd like to give you all a big THANK YOU, for favoriting/following/reviewing! I really didn't expect to get so many followers/reviewers on the first chapter of any story I would ever publish, and it was really exciting to see how many people enjoyed the previous chapter. Now, I hope I don't disappoint you with this chapter, which doesn't have as much action in it compare to the last chapter. Beware! In this chapter Roy will have a monologue of some sort that gives you guys some background. Hopefully, it doesn't come off as lazy or boring, but if it is, please understand that this is necessary. Since this is and AU, I know I should give you guys some background so that you're not completely lost. However, if you have a better way for me to give some background info without having a character having to explain it (showing instead of telling), please do share! I'm having a lot of trouble with background info. Now, with no further ado, let the story continue!

Disclaimer: I don't own FMA

Chapter 2: What Awakens at Sunrise

Ed stared at the hot cup of tea in his hands, watching as the steam rose and disappeared into the air in a spiral of transparent white mist, wishing that he too could simply disappear. Even now, he was still half convinced that this was all just a bad dream. Things like this simply don't happen to people. But here he was, sitting on a couch that smelled like smoke and death, right in front of Colonel Mustang. He wished more than ever that the Flame Alchemist weren't there. Because of him, Ed was being forced to accept that this wasn't all just a figment of his imagination. Even with all he's seen, he doubted that his mind can come up with something this messed up.

Because no matter what happened, not even the overconfident pyromaniac of a Colonel should look like this. No human being should look this dead. What's more, Mustang looked so different that Ed could barely recognize him. Across the man's face was a long, still healing red scar and his countenance was a world paler and thinner than Ed remembered it to be. None of this was what really frightened the young alchemist however. After all, he had seen his brother's body disappear, had created a monster that had its guts exposed for the world to see, and had even lost two of his own limbs. A mere scar was nothing compared to that. No, it was the dull eyes that scared him. With eyes like that, Colonel Roy Mustang looked like a dead man, as if he was already gone and some other demented spirit had possessed his body.

Ed shuddered at the memory of those eyes. The only sign of emotion that his Commanding Officer has shown so far was the hope he had displayed upon seeing his subordinate awake. Since after that moment however, Mustang had become a machine of a man and the teen hasn't gathered enough courage to meet his eyes again.

His train of thoughts was suddenly interrupted as a voice spoke up.

"Hurry, Fullmetal." Roy said, lacking the impatience and emotion that should have been in his voice. "It's only a matter of time before they come. We need to get to base by sunrise." Ed scowled at him, incapable of responding vocally. The Colonel completely ignored his glare however, and the teen reluctantly decided to follow his commands. After all, he had no interest in encountering any of them either, whoever they were. He didn't think his brain could take anymore surprises.

As soon as the last drop of the bitter, scalding hot liquid that was more of a medicine than a tea went down his throat, Mustang got up and approached the exit to the abandoned apartment building they were in. Ed struggled to copy his superior's actions, but soon discovered that his legs were far too weak to support his weight on their own. His flesh arm, which was cradled in a cast, and his bandage covered back weren't helping with his efforts to stand either. Mustang, who was in the process of opening the door on the other side of the room, looked back to see his struggles. With a deep sigh, the man went back to help his companion.

A strong arm went around him and Ed suddenly felt as if he had became a couple feet taller as he finally managed to stand. He turned to see the Colonel supporting him and glared bloody murder at his fellow alchemist, as if to say that he didn't need any help. Roy, seeing this expression, rolled his eyes in his second display of emotion since he had taken his black mask off.

"Don't even bother trying to walk on your own, Fullmetal, you can barely sit up straight without something to support you. And as wounded as your pride may be, I'm sure you'd prefer to survive till next moonrise, correct?" Ed's only available response was a hollow silence. The Colonel took that as a yes and continued on towards the van that he had been driving. Fortunately for both of them, Ed decided not to struggle, not being stupid enough to truly believe that he could even crawl his way to the vehicle, let alone walk there.

As soon as both of them got on, Roy buckled his seat belt and stepped on the gas, charging deeper into the abandoned settlement, through the empty streets that were leading them towards the center of the city. As he drove, the Colonel glanced at Ed from the corner of his eyes.

"I suppose you want me to give you a more elaborate explanation about why we're here." He said carefully, trying to keep his expressionless facade on. The young alchemist nodded in response and an awkward moment of silence followed as Roy hesitated to continue. Ed didn't blame him for his reluctance to speak however, for he could practically see the rush of unwanted memories flashing before the older alchemist's eyes. Somehow, the Colonel managed to gather enough courage to start talking anyway.

"I'm not sure what happened to you, Fullmetal. We'll have to get you a pen and some paper later so you can explain your side of the story. But for me, this is the place where I've been hiding for the past six months. This has become my home now." Ed looked around the ghost town, where the shadows of ruined buildings spilled across the face of the concrete ground, concealing anything that could be lurking around in the dark before he looked back at Roy with an expression that seemed to say "Are you insane? Why would you hide here of all places?" The Colonel saw his expression and scowled.

"Don't give me that look. I know what you're thinking and I'll tell you right now, I didn't choose to stay in this city because I liked it here. There are thousands of other places I'd rather be, each much more pleasant than this hellhole will ever be. But none of those places are safe... Other than here, no where in Amestris is safe... Briggs proved that." Roy tightened his grip on the steering wheel as he seemed to tremble in rage. Ed, curious and confused, gestured for him to continue on. "Until a few months ago, I had actually been hiding at Fort Briggs with the rest of what remained of the army. We were hidden in the snow and protected by the mountains, so I had thought that we were safe enough there. I thought that we stood a chance. I thought we had time to regroup and start preparing for war. We all believed that. We were wrong. It only took a month for him to create his army, and they found and defeated us easily. After all, nobody could predict how far that monster would go on his quest for power. And even if we did know that they were coming, there was nothing we could've done to stop it. As far as I know, I was the only one who survived. The rest..." Mustang shook his head, as if the action would allow him to forget the memory of whatever had occurred. "The only reason I only lived was because I had ran like a coward. A damn coward... Then, eventually, while I was trying to escape Amestris, I somehow ended up here. I was only planning on catching my breath and gathering supplies at first, but before I left, I realized something." He abruptly stopped the van and unbuckled his seat belt. "They can't find me here."

With that said, the Colonel got off the van and proceeded to help his subordinate do the same.

Ed had no idea what Roy had been talking about, and had what seemed like an infinite amount of questions in desperate need of answers to. At the same time, the young alchemist wasn't sure if he really wanted to know. Mustang wasn't usually so vague, preferring to be more straightforward instead of wasting time sugarcoating or avoiding things. Ed assumed that he had a good reason for being so vague this time, however frustrating and confusing it was for him. But there was one question that the teen really needed to know. Who's they? Why won't Mustang just say their name?

His question would soon be answered.

The sun had just begun to rise when they had gotten off the van. Before they left however, the Colonel had mentioned that they needed to get to this "base" before then. It had something to do with "them". But it was now sunrise, and Roy was cursing under his breath as his eyes scanned the empty streets, fear and concern written clearly in his expression. Ed too, felt uneasy as his instincts screamed that something was not right here and that he should run while he still had legs to run on. Unfortunately, his limbs were weak, so he had to limp on at the pace of a snail, with the Colonel helping him along. He could only hope that they didn't have to stay out on the streets for long...

They had almost made it to their destination when it appeared. Roy was in the process of opening the door to a basement in a broken down building that he claimed to be his "base", when a shadow flew by them. The Colonel had whipped his head around in response and raised a hand, prepared to snap at whatever was nearby. Ed turned as well to see the source of the shadow. He didn't get a chance to look at it in great detail however, for a few seconds later, Mustang unceremoniously threw him into the basement like a sack of potatoes.

But he saw it alright.

Standing on the other side of the road, unaware of their presence, with wings for arms, claws for feet, and a beak for a mouth, was a chimera.


A/N: I hope this chapter didn't disappoint you! I had a lot of fun writing it and I have everything planned out now, though there are still some details I've yet to decide on and I still don't have a clue how long this will be. Follow/favorite if you haven't already, I'd like to know whether or not if you enjoyed this chapter. Also, review! I've said this on every chapter of every story I've published on here, but I remind you that I'd be grateful for some constructive criticism. I'd especially like to know if Roy's explanation was too vague or confusing, if this was paced badly, or if the events flowed or not. Note that this isn't edited, but if you spot any errors, please let me know so I can change it later. I don't have a beta reader or even anybody in real life that takes my writing or me seriously enough to give me their honest opinion, so I'm relying on you guys to give me some feedback. However, don't feel as if I'm forcing you to review. If you don't want to, I definitely understand, considering that I'm also a bit of a silent reader. Thank you curligurl0896, Brenne, BlueIsTheColourOfOurPlanet, Guest, Relena Duo, an The SoulEater Alchemist for your reviews last chapter, and thank you everybody who favorited/followed! I hoped you like this chapter. Until next week (no promises), I, EndlessStars, bid you farewell!