Anything FMA related belongs to H/A any other charcters and story belong to me.
Enjoy.
Chapter 03: Duplicate
"What... the hell?" Edward dropped the blanket and backed off from the body in the bed. Al and Evans exchanged glances before stepping over to the alchemist. The two of them remained silent as they stood a few feet from Edward, who was staring in awe at the body, which was shielding the frame from view. Al went to get closer and have a look at what caused his brother to back off, when Edward suddenly whirled around and bolted past them, racing over to another body.
He lifted another sheet off and dropped it in the same manor he did with the first one. Then he ran off to another body, and another, and then another. Both Al and Evans had been following the boy with their eyes the whole time, the pair of them asking "what's wrong?" every time Edward would drop a blanket.
After a while of repetition, Edward spun around to Evans and held both arms out at him. "Is this some sort of joke? Is this why you brought us here?" He barked, sending death glares at the doctor. Evans shook his head as he turned to a body and tore a blanket away. "I don't know what you're-"He went tense once his eyes fell upon the body that was once hidden by the sheet. The bulky man took a couple of steps back, eyes wide. Al leaned back, looking past the man's large body and to the one in the bed.
It was a body of a child, dressed up in a bloodied gown with yellowing bandages wrapped around its wounds. However, that wasn't the part that struck the three of them. It was the strange thing that was on the child's head. It appeared to be a sort of helmet, with no gap to be able to view or breathe through. The helmet itself was black and round like a ball, stopping where the base of the head met the neck. But that wasn't the only thing that bothered them; it was the red symbol that was on the front of the mask, covering the body's entire face. The symbol was of a dragon chasing its own tail, with a star trapped in the middle. The Ouroboros.
Al glanced over at his brother. "They're all the same" He told Al, keeping his eyes locked onto Evans. "What do you make of this, doctor?" The blonde whispered darkly. Evans shook his head, backing away a little more.
"I've got no idea, kid. They weren't like this when we covered 'em up. It must be a prank" Evans breathed, freezing once he backed up into Alphonse.
Alphonse turned to his brother. "Do you think it could be a prank?" He asked. Edward shook his head huskily. "They're all too well crafted. They're all exactly the same to just be a joke some kids pulled up. And besides, what person in the right mind goes around sticking helmets on dead bodies?"
Al lowered his head. "True..."
Edward began to stalk over to the child's body, his eyes narrowed at it. Could it have been the homunculi? After all, it did have their symbol on it. And if they did this, does that mean that they were also responsible for the incident? They do know what the brother's have lost and using their powers could mimic them as much as possible. But then again, as powerful as they were, they are few in number and wouldn't be able to cause so many casualties so rapidly.
The blonde's hand hovered over the helmet. Gulping softly, Edward lowered his hand until his finger tips were pressed against the skin of the helmet. For a moment, nothing happened. But then, there was a sudden flash of a bright, white light. Several different circles snapped onto the helmet, melting into the background behind the Ouroboros. Edward blinked and went to examine the circles, however they disappeared a second later. The blonde cursed and went to touch the helmet again, only to halt when he noticed the child's body start to twitch a little. He didn't need to be told twice as he backed away and allowed the dead body of the child to sit up?
Edward's eyes widened at the sight of the body's reawakening. He jumped back to where Al and Evans stood, glancing over his shoulder at them. "B-Brother, what did you do!?" Al exclaimed as more bodies began to sit up, some of them stretching or examining their limbs. Ed threw his hands up in the air. "I didn't do anything! All I did was touch the helmet and then-"He was cut short by another explosion of alchemic light. Ed lifted his arms up to shield his eyes, as did Evans and Al pushed his metallic body out before them, sheltering them from harm.
---
The corridor she went down was a lot darker than the others she went down in her search for the doctor. Being unsuccessful in finding out Dr. Evans whereabouts upstairs, Ruth decided to take a journey downstairs. However, once she came to the first floor beneath the ground floor, she had noticed how there was nobody around – or hardly anyway, every now and then a member of staff would stalk past her.
The lights in the corridor had all been turned off, the little light that was there coming from the several staircases that led up to the higher floors. The world down here wasn't unknown to her, she remembered coming down here to treat a few people before. But now the place was completely desolate, not a sound coming from any patient who resigned down there.
Ruth was glad that it was quiet down there though, she needed some piece in order to clear her head. Yet, as much as she felt a need for the silence, it also frightened her. Wasn't there living patients down here? She knew that this was the place where dead bodies were kept, but desperate times called for desperate measures and patients had to be moved downstairs, some of them probably being those who were already in hospital.
Slumping against a cool wall, Ruth held herself there for a while, her body still feeling heavy as she tried to carry it around the hospital. Resting against her shoulder on the wall, she lifted her hands into view. Her palms were sweaty and shaking, along with the rest of her body. She didn't want to be down here, it didn't feel right. She felt as though she was disturbing the rested. It was fine when she had come down to this floor before when she was among other, living people and trying to help them. But it was different now. She was no longer the nurse but the patient.
Suddenly, a bright flash of white light erupted from the different rooms throughout the corridor, all of the doors bursting open and slamming into the walls. Ruth felt her heart skip several beats and her knees buckled under her, taking her down to the ground. The light went as soon as it came and left Ruth in the darkness again. The girl tried to control her rapidly beating heart as she held her hands over it.
There was a long, eerie silence. Ruth could feel a bitterly cold draft brush past her face, sending a chill down her spine. Then, there was a soft sound of several feet padding on the tiled floor. Ruth forced herself as far up as her legs would let her. She stood with her back against the wall and her knees bent a little under her, her arms spread out across the wall and her head tossing back and forth as she looked for the source of the noise. Again, there was a flash of white light and then it went away again.
Then they were there, walking steadily across the tiles, spilling their way out of the different rooms like blood would from a wound. Each and every one of these people were dressed up in their filthy hospital gowns and nothing on their feet. And there was that black helmet on their heads.
Ruth squeaked and pushed herself away from the wall, backing off from them. She stared at them with horrified eyes. "Y-You're supposed to be... dead" She said in an undertone. They didn't say anything as they tilted their heads in her direction, only some of them having noticed that she was there in the first place. Then they began to march in her direction. Their feet made only tiny steps as they walked, their arms hung limply by their sides and their spines were hunched forward a little, looking as if they were struggling to keep holding their heads up high.
Letting out a scream, Ruth spun around went to run when she saw more of them sauntering around behind her. She knew that she couldn't stay here any longer and took off immediately, pushing her way past the supposedly dead people and rushed forward, looking for any staircase or access to the floor upstairs. She would have to tell everyone. Tell them that the dead are walking. If they didn't believe her, she'd have to show them, it wasn't as if she didn't have any evidence.
Her eyes snapped around, looking at the people she passed by on her journey. But were they really people? They had a strange symbol on their helmets, a symbol that Ruth knew from somewhere, although she wasn't at all too sure. She had actually half-expected them to try and grab her of something as she ran, but they made no move against her and continued on walking as if she wasn't even there. Did that mean that they didn't pose a threat?
Ruth slowed down to a walking pace, still surrounded by the beings. As they walked past her, they tilted their helmets down at her, looking at her, not causing her any harm at all. It seemed that they were actually just going somewhere. Where that was though, Ruth had no idea. But even if that was just their purpose, Ruth still had to tell someone, it was never a normal thing for the dead to rise. And it couldn't have been a joke, there was too many people walking around. It was all those who had departed on that day.
Suddenly, a hand clamped onto Ruth's shoulder and held on tightly. Ruth went to scream, only for another hand to cup her mouth and muffle her cries. On the verge of tears, Ruth glanced back and noticed an old man with a white beard. She sighed. It was only Dr. Baxter. The doctor's eyes locked with Ruth's and then he let her go, turning his attention to the beings walking around. "What are they?" Ruth asked, her voice trembling. Baxter shook his head.
"I don't know what they are, but they've been waking up all around the hospital. The military are here now trying to stop them" Baxter explained, walking over to a being that was taller than him. Adjusting his glasses he began to side-step in time with the living dead person and examined it was it walked. Ruth hopped over to him, clinging onto a part of his long coat.
"But, Dr. Baxter, I don't think that they want to hurt us. They didn't hurt me and by the looks of things they haven't touched you either..." Ruth explained to him, her voice sounding desperate throughout. Baxter sighed and turned to her, not following after the being he had been examining before. "I know that. But, they shouldn't be alive; these people are all of those who are dead. On top of that, they seem to want to go outside and we don't know what kind of damage they could cause then" Baxter protested. The doctor removed his glasses from his face and cleaned them on his coat.
"You go back upstairs and find Evans, he'll keep you safe" Baxter muttered, placing his glasses back onto his nose. Ruth clenched her fist and held it up to her chest.
"But, what are you going to-"
"Just get out of here. You'll be in no danger on your way up, just find Evans and get out" He backed, prying her from his coat and shoving her down the corridor. Ruth tripped over and landed on her shoulder. She winced and bared her teeth as her frail body smashed into the firm ground below. Her eyes slowly cracked open and she found herself staring at hundreds of different pair of feet walking around her and heading towards the staircase that was not far out of reach now. Quickly, she glanced back, hoping to find Baxter. However the old man had already disappeared into the crowd and left her to fend for herself.
Ruth scrambled to her feet and bolted towards the stairs. She weaved in and out of the people as she ran, bumping into some of their shoulders and nearly causing them to trip over from it. She apologised to them as she ran through them all, wondering if they could even hear her. Clambering up the stairs, she pushed past more of the beings until she came to the door at the top. None of the other's had made it up there yet and she prayed that they didn't barricade the door. She planted her hand on the handle and forced it down. The door swung open with ease and allowed her passage out onto the ground floor, however she found herself unable to move at the sight that was before her.
Soldiers, hundreds of them were all blocking off the hospitals entrance – of exit in the dead's terms – and pointed guns in the direction of those in helmets. It was clear that the military were struggling to hold back these people as they tried to force their way through. They climbed over the soldiers, hands reaching for the doors. However, the soldiers were stronger and managed to shove them off and would smack them on their heads with the back of their guns.
Ruth glanced over her shoulder at the beings making their way up towards the door. She winced, not wanting to shut them in the dark, but she had to if she didn't want them to get hurt. Spinning around, she grasped the door and swung it shut, pressing her back against it in attempt to kept it held there tightly. However, this proved no use as the doors were easily driven open. Ruth was thrown onto the floor again, right into the edge of the crowd as they marched on forward. She panted and pushed herself up onto all fours, staring at the ground.
The beings' marching was now starting to become desperate. They were no longer in a simple, steady pace with one another, but were now charging towards the doors. Some of them even made it within inches of the door, only to get hit on the head by a soldier.
"Ruth!" A loud voice called. The girl flinched a little but made no move from what she was. "Ruth!" It called again, this time coming closer. "Ruth! We have to move!" A long, thin shadow loomed over her. Gradually, she tilted her head up, finding herself gazing up at Baxter. He was panting hard and had scratches all over his face. His long coat had been ripped to shreds and was now hanging as a pathetic piece of cotton on his shoulders. He crouched down before her and placed his withered hands on her shoulders. "They're dying to go outside and are now starting to get violent just to get out!" He yelled, panting between each word. Ruth didn't say anything and let her eyes wonder over to the door where the people with helmets were being beaten down by the military.
"Ruth! Listen to m-"Baxter was then cut off short. He stared at Ruth with his bright, wide eyes. The girl wasn't even looking up at him as she kept her eyes on what was happening elsewhere. But she knew what had happened there and then, for the scarlet fluids had been sprayed all over her face and was caught in a tangled mess in her ebony hair. Baxter's hands fell off Ruth's shoulders as his eyes rolled over white and he then fell to the ground.
Ruth didn't even glance at the body before her as her eyes shrank in fear and disbelief. Her arms began to quiver as they held her up. The girl remained there until she felt the warm liquid pool trickle over to where she was, leaking into her clenched fists. Gasping, she pulled back, sitting down on her calves and staring in awe at her blood stained hands.
She then diverted her gaze to the body laid out before her. Baxter's body. He was staring at her with half-closed eyes, which were completely white. His cold lips were parted a little and all the colour had drained from his face. There was then a jagged cut along his throat, looking as though it was cut with something blunt rather than something smooth and sharp.
Ruth's jaw dropped to scream, only for nothing to come out, not even the smallest squeak. She hovered her way up to her feet, holding her hands out in case she was to fall. Her eyes were withheld on the doctor's body, tears pouring from her eyes like waterfalls, causing a minute amount of the splattered blood on her face to wash away. She then bared her teeth and slammed her palms over her eyes. Her screams then matched the revolted cries of the banshee.
She collapsed onto her knees and pulled Baxter's head onto her lap. She curled up into a tight ball, cradling the doctor's lax head against her body as she wept into his wheat hair. Not only did she loose someone who she could call a friend. But she lost him by her negligence. Of course she knew it wasn't her own hands precisely, but it might as well have been.
---
Ed, Al and Evans all only just managed to make it to the ground floor. They had to push their way past a vast collection of the living dead and such a task was never too easy. As they came closer towards the ground, they noticed how the beings had picked up their pace and began to push past the soldiers who made their way up. It was actually rather lucky that the three of them had to big, bulky guys on their side to make it easier to get through the crowd.
Edward panted and rested against a door frame as they made it to the entrance. "There's no end to these things!" He barked, rubbing his forehead with the back of his sleeve.
"Just be grateful that none of these things went into any of the wards to attack patients, otherwise it'd be much more packed since we'd have to evacuate" Evans said in a gruff tone, crossing his arms and watching some of the beings storm past them, not taking an interest in the three as they stood in the doorway. "The only thing that really concerns me is what they are" The big man finished, glancing over at the two brothers.
"I don't know, but I've got an idea" He muttered, heaving himself from his rest and bolting into the crowd. By the Ouroboros symbol on their heads, it wasn't a wonder why both of the brothers had assumed that these people were homunculi. But how and who could create such a massive number of them in a short space of time? There was nothing on the planet that could be equivalent exchange for this amount of lives. But, first things first, Edward had to double check that these people were homunculi.
He glanced around the crowd as he made his way through it, looking to see if any of the beings had just been hurt and were regenerating. But there was too many of them to even see ones on two feet, let alone a regenerating homunculus. So he would have to get one of them himself. Edward bit down on the glove of his flesh and hand pulled it off, holding it between his teeth. He then turned to the being closest to him and lifted his hand up to its arm. He then dragged his index finger down it, using enough force to create a tiny cut. He then watched the wound closely and in a few seconds alchemic lights sparked around the bleeding wound and sealed it shut, making it look as good as new. The alchemist pulled his glove on and frowned. "That settles it, you're a homunculus. But what are you doing? Where are you going?" Ed asked, not really implying on catching the creature's attention.
The homunculus whipped its head around to Edward and stared at him for a little while. Edward met the homunculi's gaze. Then, the soulless being shot its hand up and wrapped it around the Elric's throat, hoisting him into the air.
"Brother!" Edward heard his brother call from somewhere inside of the crowd. Edward bared his teeth and clenched his eyes shut, amazed at the creature's strength. He would have to use alchemy to get out of this. However, just as he went to clap his hands, the homunculus turned its head in another direction and hauled Edward over to the place it was looking at. Edward was thrown high over the crowd and was sent hurtling into the edge of the chaos. He landed on his automail shoulder and groaned loudly on impact.
Edward pushed himself up onto his palms and shook his head. "Ouch... damn homunculus" He cursed, sending a quick glare at the crowd. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted something on the floor. He turned his head towards it and found that it was in fact a girl with dark hair, cradling the body of what appeared to be a doctor. He crawled his way over to her, knowing that now wasn't the time or place to be mourning over someone's death. She had to get out first.
"Hey!" Edward called out to her, keeping low on the crowd to avoid unwanted attention from the homunculi. It was hard enough to face up to one of them let alone hundreds. "Hey, you!" He shouted at her again, not getting any response at all. Mumbling curses under his breath, he dived over towards her, landing right beside her.
"Hey, get up! Come on!" He yelled, placing his automail hand on her bouncing shoulder. She flinched and then looked up at him with red rimmed eyes. Her dark hair clung to her cheeks, which were covered in blood. Ed's jaw dropped. "Ruth..." He breathed. His eyes then fell down to the body in her arms, Baxter's body. The alchemist's brows furrowed. "Those damn homunculi..." He growled, sending his eyes in their direction.
Ruth whimpered and brought Edward's attention back to her. She had let Baxter's body fall down onto the floor and was wiping her eyes with the backs of her hands. Edward sighed and shook his head a little. "Pull yourself together, we've got to get out of here" He whispered to her, trying to keep his voice calm. Ruth squeaked and nodded slowly.
Edward lifted himself up onto his feet, helping Ruth up as he got up. The girl clung onto his coat and hunched forward a little, levelling her height with his own, even though she wasn't much taller than him. The young alchemist glanced around, looking for a way he could get to Alphonse and Evans. It wasn't at all hard to spot them both; they were much taller than the homunculi wondering around. "OK," Edward began, turning to face Ruth. "I'm going to distract them, they'll pay attention to me. When they're after me, I want you to run to Al, got it?" He told her sharply. Ruth glanced up at Al. She gulped and then met her gaze with Edward's again and nodded.
Not a moment later, Edward had clapped his hands and ran his flesh hand over his automail, a blade going into place. Ruth stared wide-eyed at him for a moment, but soon let it pass over her. "Let's go" Edward told her, walking slowly into the crowd, holding onto Ruth's hand as they made their way through. Once they were at the heart of the crowd, Edward glanced around, whilst trying to keep his balance from homunculi bumping into him. Luckily they had only been interested in getting past the soldiers at the moment, who were now actually shooting them rather than just hitting them. Ruth winced at the sounds of gunshots. "They're not doing anything wrong, they only want to go outside!" She spat, clenching her fists. Edward glanced at her. "Says the person who was just mourning over someone they killed" He muttered, lifting his automail blade up.
"They don't die so easily anyway, you should know, you're an alchemist" He said in a dark tone. Ruth bit her lip.
"But I-"
"Alright, get going" Edward released her wrist and shoved her to the side. Ruth stumbled for a moment but soon got up on her two feet and made her way through the crowd, keeping her eyes locked on Alphonse all the while.
Edward glared at the homunculi around him, who had all turned their heads to face him. "What do you want? Why do you want to go outside?"
"Move out of my way!" A loud voice shouted. Edward glanced over to the source of the voice. The soldiers began to part and make way for three figures as they made their way through. Edward smirked. "It's about time" He muttered, whipping his head back towards the homunculi facing him. One of them reached out for him and he returned the attack with a quick swipe from his automail.
"Hm, it appears that Fullmetal has his hands full" A man said, pulling on a pair of gloves. A smirk played along his lips as he glanced up to a much bigger man beside him and a woman with a gun locked in her hand. "What do you say we give him a hand?"