I don't really like this chapter, but meh. whatever.

sorry if it seems I'm not addressing all of the characters properly. I'm not used to writing so many people at once

Disclaimer:i don't own.


May 15, 2011

1:30

Chicago, USA

"What are you doing you idiot! Pointing a gun at an innocent woman!" England raged.

Alfred panicked slightly. "She's not innocent! She st-"

"Like hell she's 'not innocent' She's got a baby for Christs sake!"

"Look, you guys really need to lea-"

"Please! Save me!" The woman wailed.

"Quiet you." Alfred hissed, training his previously relaxed gun back on her. The nations stiffened at the motion.

"Don't worry, aru. We'll help you." China promised.

Germany pushed England to the side, while Russia readied himself to take the gun.

"Now Alfred, there's no need harm a civilian." He said, Trying to make his voice as calming as possible. The last thing they needed was for the American to fly off the handle and start shooting. Even if it couldn't kill the nations, he could end up hitting the woman, his original target.

Gilbert stepped forward. "If you're stressed, we can talk you know? You're economies havin' a hard time and you're pretty run down." He didn't want to say what was coming next, but they needed to get him to calm down and see reason. Alfred needed help. "I get it. I've seen how you get all aggravated and exhausted. Maybe it's because of the lack of sleep? You told me you haven't slept in a couple of months, yeah? But that's no reason to start shooting up your own citizens. You couldn't even hold a gun last time I saw you. Much less shoot it." He held out his hand, stepping forward a couple steps.

Alfred stared at him in disbelief. "Gil, you said you-i mean-" He shook his head as the albino slowly approached. "That doesn't even have anything to do with this!"

Prussia stopped 3 or 4 arms lengths from America. "of course it does if your pointin-!" Suddenly, the woman jumped from her position on the ground, careening straight for Gilbert, wailing.

Surprised, Gilbert stood there as she practically flew towards him. Something was wrong...something in her face sent a sudden wave of terror down his spine. And suddenly, Alfred was there, Pushing the red eyed man back towards the other nations.

There was an odd squelching sound as she hit Alfred head on and shrieked, spinning away. America did the same, but cocked his gun and landed next to Prussia and Ivan, along with some nations that had also come forward.

The next moment seemed to happen in slow motion for the two closest nations, Prussia and Russia. They watched as America turned his gun so that the handle was facing outward, his arm moving in a slight arch as his other foot shifted behind him. They noticed a small object swinging off the end of his gun. It was silver at first, catching the light of the spreading fire, before it morphed and changed. Silver bled into a dark purple-ish metallic color and the metal morphed into a new, slicker shape that for some reason, made them think of a raven. A new sound echoed in their ears. Not yelling nations or a screaming woman, but a soft sound that drowned everything else out. Something between a small birds cry and bell. They were slightly transfixed.

Gunshots snapped them back into speed as they exited from Alfred's gun in rapid succession. Each hitting the woman with a brutal accuracy.

She fell to the ground, shrieking and screaming, dropping her baby. The noise increased until they had to cover their ears, her pitiful cries becoming demonic cursing and caterwauling as she writhed on the ground. They stared in shock as black vapor began to spill from the bullet holes. Racing across the ground like snakes towards the nations before disappearing. Her demonic shrieking heightened before abruptly cutting off. Her body lay on the ground twitching, slowly turning into a black tar-like substance; like skin melting off bone.

They stared at the sickening sight before hearing America cough. They turned to him. Anything other than the body really, and saw that he was still coughing. Shaking slightly.

That was when a cry broke the silence. A small cry, originating from the forgotten bundle on the ground.

"Ah." Alfred sighed. "I almost forgot that." His voice sounded thick for some reason. He walked towards the baby, stone faced and emotionless, reloaded the gun and shot off one bullet before the shocked nations could stop him.

The crying immediately stopped.

"He shot the baby!" Feliciano cried, burying his face in Germany's sleeve and sobbing. This seemed to set the others off as well.

"How could you do that!"

"That was a baby!"

"What the hell is wrong with you! Aren't you supposed to be some kind of hero?"

"SHUT. UP!" Alfred roared, practically screaming over the sounds of nations, fire sirens and the spreading inferno. His Voice was strong and cold, threatening maybe. But it soon dissolved into a small fit of coughing.

"Just shut up and let me explain will you?"

"Yes, please do explain why you just executed first degree man-slaughter. Twice." Ludwig growled, slightly put off by America's sudden violent change of emotions.

"Does that look even slightly human to you?" The blue-eyed man asked, pointing at the body, which was now almost completely black goo, leaving only stick like, sickly green bones that were certainly not human. The foul smell of rotting meat and a tar pit mingled in the air, making the countries want to gag.

"N-no." Arthur stammered, "But what about the baby? And what exactly is going on here?"

Alfred sighed, rubbing his gun free hand over his face and through his hair. "That 'woman' as you called her, was a demon. She started the fire so she could eat." He leaned against the alley wall, slightly pale. "that the baby was her off spring. Most likely the outcome of her and some human man."

"B-but, if that's true, then that means it was half human, hamburger bastard!" Romano stammered, trying to rationalize this new information in his head.

"Ci, that means it had some humanity in it...right?" Spain asked.

"sure, maybe for another year or two. But after that, it would become just like it's mother. A soulless people eating monster."

"What if it had kept it's humanity? Huh? Like in those books about half demons you Americans read!" England tried, glaring at the Blond and covering his nose to try and keep out the foul smells.

Alfred barked out a laugh before coughing again. "Fictional Arthur. Fictional. It's possible, but rarely. And even if it didn't look it, the baby was already a good three or four years old. Plus, it's already been fed god-knows how many times. Add that to the species of this demon, and it's nearly impossible." He was shaking now, fumbling for something in his jacket. "Dammit.."

That's when they noticed it. Something was dripping onto the pavement at his feet. Blood. Had the woman scratched him? Stabbed him with something?

"Al, are you-" Prussia started, but was cut off by an angry and confused England, refusing to let this go.

"But there was still a chance wasn't there! I hope you feel damn proud of yourself America, you just-"

"WOULD YOU RATHER I HAVE LET IT TURN INTO A MONSTER? WOULD YOU RATHER THAT I LET IT KILL HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE BEFORE BEING KILLED AND SENT TO HELL? I SENT IT OFF WHILE IT STILL HAD THE CHANCE TO LEAVE PEACEFULLY." Alfred was panting now, snarling at England before his voice slowly began dieing. "Do you hate me for killing that?" He pointed again at the demon before turning an accusatory glare at the group in front of him. "Do you hate me for saving Prussia too?"

Shocked silence was his only answer, as he pulled something small and gold out of his jacket with a tired "finally" and began shoving it into the gun. After properly reloading it, he stumbled over to the fading remains of the demon and scooped some up in his gloved fingers. A sizzling sound filled the air before he rubbed it onto the wall in front of him in the shape of a circle.

He leaned back into his original position against the wall opposite of the mark. He lifted the gun with a shaking hand and tried aiming for the mark. He cursed as his vision began to fog. "Dammit..." He looked at the confused nations. "Who can shoot a gun?"

After receiving nothing in response, he growled. "Some one needs to get their ass over here. Now."

After what seemed like an agonizingly long moment to Alfred, Stony-faced Germany stepped forward. He stepped up to the other blond and looked into his eyes, seeing a new urgency in them.

"What do you need."

America presented the other with the gun in his open palm. "Shoot the mark. That's all ya gotta do." As The German took the silver gun, he gave a shaky groan slid down the wall. Russia was there before he hit the ground. Supporting the smaller man with his shoulder. He looked up at Ludwig with curiosity.

"You will shoot the gun, Da?"

Germany nodded and stared at the gun, then lifting it into position. A sudden thought seized him. What would happen when he hit the mark? Would it call up something? Would they be in danger? no. Alfred would never do anything that could hurt them, would he? Ludwig wasn't sure what to think now. Especially after what he had just witnessed.

"Are you going to shoot or what west?" Prussia asked sidling up next to his brother. Germany, startled out of his thoughts jerked the trigger. A small black object burst from the gun, destroying the muzzle as it exited. It hit the very edge of the circle before disappearing.

Germany dropped the smoking gun as thin black lines spread from the circle, eventually forming a shape similar to that of a spider. With many more legs. The black slowly changed to a dull glowing green.

The group stared at the wall in wonder.

"What did you just do?" Spain asked, inspecting the marked wall.

"..i have no idea, actually."

"I believe we may have a more...prominent problem than the wall." Russia informed them, pulling back America's bomber jacket. Underneath, was a mess. Something was lodged in his side, causing substantial bleeding. And what's worse, it was moving, causing the skin to sizzle and burn as it slowly lodged deeper into America. Russia grimaced. That...was not normal. Not that anything in their current situation was normal.

"What is it?" France asked, peering disgustedly at the wound.

"Don't know. Should we try and pull it out?" Prussia suggested, leaning over them with Japan, China, Canada and Romano. The rest slowly crowded around them, wall mark forgotten.

As Ivan reached for the wound, a shaking hand wrapped around his, stopping it.

"Don't touch it..." The apparently awake American gritted out, "Poison." He fell back into a painful sleep.

Ivan looked back down to his hand and noticed Alfred's shaking one was still wrapped around it in a tight grip. He was displeased to notice it was much weaker than it should be.

"If we can't touch it, what do we do? Aru."

"Maybe we can bring him to a hospital?" Japan asked, looking at the blond worriedly.

"and say what? 'Hey, our friend just killed a monster and it's baby? But as luck would have it, ended up getting stabbed?' are you crazy?" Prussia countered.

The nations soon dissolved into senseless squabbling, at a loss of what to do.

No one noticed a figure approaching through the clearing smoke-fire having been put under control- until it was mere feet from them, raising a bronze gun and pulling back the hammer threateningly.

"Don't move. State your names and what you're doing here."


A cliffhanger. again. some how i've managed to end all three chapters with one.

next chapter, we actually start getting into the story.

please tell me if you see anything wrong.