This contains graphic content such as: Self harm, nightmares, and self hate. If you do not want to read anything containing this content, please do not read, as I do not want to offend anyone.
When Edward awoke, there were several men surrounding him. He was still too disoriented to understand what they were saying, but he knew it wasn't good. He was bound and gagged, his dress hiked up a little, just enough to see he was wearing boxers. His head was stinging with pain before he could finally hear again.
"What do we do with him?" one of the men asked.
"Well we can't just bury him like all the other girls. He's a special case," another said.
"We'll take it up with Throat and see what he says." The men then left Edward alone.
He looked around, knowing time was of the essence now that his cover was blown. There was a phone on the far side of the room, so with a quick clap of the hands, he was free.
Edward ran to the phone, dialing Mustang's number; he realized he should have dialed Hughes, but he did so out of habit. No point in hanging up anymore, Mustang already answered.
"Hello?" a tired voice answered.
"Mustang!" Edward exclaimed in a hushed whisper. "You gotta tell Hughes those guys got me! I'm in some warehouse and those guys could come back, and-" Edward stopped as he heard footsteps coming.
"Edward?" Mustang asked. "Edward, are you still there?!" he was beginning to grow panicked.
"Get Hughes," Edward whispered back, hanging up the phone and going back to his spot, pretending he was still bound and re-gagging himself in a position he could spit the gag out easily.
One man and one man only walked back in seconds later. It was a different man than the others before, whom Ed assumed was this 'Throat' character.
"Hey there, kid," the man smirked. "I heard you like to pretend you're a girl, so why don't I give you the whole experience?" the man suggested. Edward was confused until the man grabbed his hips and pulled his body closer.
As Ed finally realized what was happening, he clapped his hands to transmute a barrier between them.
"An alchemist, huh? Well, I can take care of that." The man then grabbed Ed's hands, spreading them apart so he couldn't use alchemy to get out of anything.
"Stop!" Edward shouted, spitting out the gag.
"So you've been free from everything this whole time? I think you deserve special treatment; especially since you probably already found a way to get help." Edward mentally sighed in relief, knowing just about any other situation he could handle, but not something sexual.
Edward soon found himself being gagged and blindfolded.
Hughes got the call from Roy saying Edward had been captured over an hour ago. Something about a warehouse-there was only one in the entire town-but they still weren't able to get them yet.
Hughes mentally cursed himself for taking so long, but there was nothing else he could do. He had to wait to see if there was any suspicious activity or else he'd be illegally trespassing.
A cat running into a trashcan was suspicious enough for him and he quickly ran into the warehouse with his team and a gun in hand. There was no one there. Just a note that had some blood droplets on it.
Hughes placed a glove on his hand before picking up the note to read what it said.
Your alchemist is with us. Hope you enjoy seeing his blood for the last time, next time it will be in a ditch.
"Dammit," Hughes said to himself. There was no clues to find Ed other than a...the man smirked to himself.
"There's only one place you can bury a body in Resembool."
LINE BREAK.
Edward was blindfolded for the walk to the outside, but he knew well enough what was happening. The digging sounds were as clear as day, and he was sitting on a grassy patch. This could only mean they were in a graveyard.
He remembered an article in the newspaper there that said something about a stupid zombie hypothesis because the graves from months before had looked freshly dug in.
So that's what he's doing, Edward thought to himself. He's digging up bodies to grave rob and putting the girls he rapes and kidnaps in the graves of whoever they rob. He felt himself being lifted and thrown into the grave.
"Hasta la vista, boy girl!" the leader said before he began to cackle like a mad man. Dirt was thrown onto Edward as he was dug in.
Hughes rushed off to the cemetery. He knew Edward's life depended on how fast he could be. When the team finally reached the cemetery, they noticed a group of men walking away from a high up grave.
Without thinking, he grabbed one of them by the collar to interrogate. There was no mistake they were doing something out here; they were dirty as all hell.
"What are you doing out here?" Hughes asked while the team walked to the digging area they were just at and began to look for signs of life.
"We were just paying our respects to an old friend, honest!" the one in the death grip spoke.
"Hughes, we got him!" one member of the team shouted out. They had all began digging, but Hughes worked on the men first. They put up a fight, but with a gun and threats, he managed to contain them. He arrived at the grave just in time to pull out an unconscious Edward.
Hughes didn't even think, he just began working on getting Edward to breathe again. Soon, Ed began breathing again, and Hughes deemed it safe to move him.
"We're taking him to a doctor here and then we'll transfer him to Central," Hughes announced to the others. No one thought to object. The man lifted Edward into his arms, the kid's dress and boxers riding up enough for the cuts the teenager had inflicted on himself to be revealed.
"What the hell..?" Hughes trailed off, moving the cloth more in order to have a better view. The man covered them once again before the others in the team could notice, and continued to walk down the path. He didn't need to worry about the others seeing anything once they went to keep an eye on the kidnappers.
Ed was carried bridal style to the Rockbell's, who were the only doctors in Resembool-more like doctor. Pinako Rockbell answered the door, seeing Hughes holding the unconscious teen. It was almost like a flash to the past from the night Alphonse carried Edward in a pool of blood at the doorstep. She hastily let them in.
"Tell me what happened." Pinako hooked Ed up on IV while Hughes relayed everything that happened on their mission. Of course, hooking a teenager to an IV required certain cuts and scars to be visible.
"So he's still doing that." Pinako sighed. Hughes only assumed what she was talking about were the cuts.
"What is he doing exactly?" Hughes asked. He had assumed the people that attacked him were the ones who caused the wounds on Edward's legs, but Pinako's tone and choice of words told a different story.
"No, these guys didn't do this to Edward," Pinako explained. "He's been doing this for years. Since he was twelve."
"Why?" Hughes asked.
"I never knew or asked him. He doesn't even know I know," Pinako admitted.
"I'm going to have to report these marks, you know. There's no way around it," Hughes spoke softly. He felt a bit guilty he had to rat the teen out, but also knew it was the right thing to do.
"It's probably for the best."
LINE BREAK
Edward woke with a groan. He was completely sore, like his body had been thrown into a ditch. The memories flooded back with a migraine as he realized he was thrown into a ditch. He also realized it was dark, the lights were out, and he was wearing an oxegyn mask.
This can't be good.
"You're awake." Ed looked in the direction of the voice, but knew it was Mustang's before he even saw the man sitting in the recliner beside the bed. "Don't take that off," he said. The blonde didn't listen. The mask was removed and placed on the bed beside him.
"You came all the way to Resembool?" Edward asked.
"You were transferred to Central right after I bought my ticket." Roy smirked. Ed couldn't see the smirk in the dark.
"Why am I here? I'm completely fine," Edward asked.
"You went to the doctor in Resembool because you were unconscious and you were transferred here because of breathing problems and not waking up. You've been in and out for a week," Roy answered everything, knowing Ed would ask.
"Well, I'm awake, so I can leave now, right?" Ed asked.
"Not quite." Roy sighed. Before Edward could ask him why not, the older man held up a finger. "The doctors found some cuts on you, and they were way to precision for a murderer to have done it," Roy explained. "Want to tell me where they're from?" he asked.
"You know I'm rough and constantly on missions. Besides, the dude was a crazy nut job. He took his knife and did this to me," Edward fibbed. Whatever he could to get his way through this. He was white knuckling through.
"Ed, I can't help you unless you tell me the truth," Roy said gruffly.
"I told you the truth! I don't need any help!" Edward grabbed at his throat in pain at shouting. Mustang handed him a glass of water and Ed drank eagerly.
"Edward, please, I already know the truth."
"You don't know anything," Ed said quickly.
"Pinako told us where these cuts came from."
Now Edward was confused because he hadn't told anyone anything. "She did?"
Roy sighed in relief, taking this as a confession.
"Yes, she did. She said you've been doing this to yourself since you were twelve and I can't help but feel like it's my fault. If I hadn't have been so hard on you, maybe you wouldn't have resorted to this," Roy explained.
"What exactly did granny tell you?" Edward asked. Hughes entered the room before Mustang could answer.
"She told me you've been cutting yourself," Hughes answered instead.
"How would she know?" Ed asked.
"Because you're like a grandson to her and she watches after you," Hughes answered once again. By now Roy was left in the sidelines; Hughes was the best one to be a parent anyway.
"Edward, by law at this point you need to stay in the hospital for evaluation," Roy brought himself back into the conversation.
"I'm a state alchemist!" Ed objected. Once again, being handed more water for his throat, and drinking it.
"You're not above the law. If you weren't a minor and did this, the same thing would be happening," Roy spoke. "They can keep you for up to 72 hours unless they deem you dangerous to yourself or others." Roy paused, waiting for Edward's enraged outburst. Instead, a question came.
"But they can let me go sooner than that?"
Roy nodded. "They'll have a psychiatrist monitor your behavior, then deciding whether to transfer you to a special hospital or not," Mustang finished. "Any questions?"
"I'll get to come back to the military after this, right?" Edward asked.
"Consider this paid medical leave," Mustang assured. "You'll be right back to the military once they let you go." Edward let out a sigh of relief. His face then showed confusion.
"What about Al? Where's he gonna go? What's he gonna do without me?" There was silence in the room.
"Alphonse is still staying in Resembool."
"What?" Ed interrupted Hughes' explanation.
"He wanted to come when we transferred you, but I advised him against it," Roy mentioned.
"Does he know?" Edward asked. It was pretty clear what he was talking about.
"We gave him vague answers. All he knows is you're cut up, but he doesn't know it's from yourself," Hughes answered. "He'll find out eventually, though."
"I know he will." Ed looked down at his arms, realizing they were bandaged. Why didn't I feel that before..? He thought to himself.
"Some of the cuts were infected," Roy answered Edward's thoughts.
"Oh," was all Ed said.
"Get some rest," Mustang said, standing from the recliner. "I'm gonna go back to my place, take a shower and eat. Want me to bring you back anything in the morning?" Roy asked Hughes.
"I'm good. You just get back home." Mustang walked to the door, Hughes taking the other's spot on the recliner. Ed laid back in the hospital bed, listening to the colonel's footsteps as he walked down the hospital corridor.
"Morning?" Ed asked, suddenly realizing what the men said. "What time is it?" He knew it was dark, but wasn't sure what time it was. In Resembool, sometimes it could be dark during the day with no reason.
"Midnight," Hughes answered. "You got some rest, okay?"
"I've slept for a week; I'm plenty rested," Edward retorted.
"Just go to sleep. You'll need your rest for evaluations tomorrow," Hughes explained.
Ed slumped his shoulders, laying on his side in the bed. It irritated the IV in his arm, though he left it alone. The hospital could just use it against him anyway. Somehow, Edward managed to fall asleep.
Next Update: Wednesday, August 13th