The Red Harvest touches upon things that I've researched throughout the years in my quest to understand humanity's darkness. I decided to write this story now seeing that the whole world has gone crazy.
If you're the religious type, then this story is not for you as the content will horrify you. If you've been a victim of abuse, then this story is not for you as you will get triggered with all the mindfuckery happening in the story. A few more things: I took inspiration from an episode of Supernatural (S1 Ep.11). The companion song for the next few chapters is Unnatural Selection by Muse. Tags will be added in AO3, expect the story to go from Mature to Explicit sooner rather than later. AO3 will host the original story in all its cruelest glory, might have a less intense version (I'm still debating on this since it takes extra time to edit content). Remember: "Once something is read, it can't be unseen."
TWO
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Sun rays filtered through the drawn curtains and filled the bedroom with soft light. Edward opened his eyes. A few minutes later, he sat. Suddenly, the room started spinning. Edward closed his eyes and held his head in his hands. Grogginess, as if he was hungover, overcame him. But the thing was Edward didn't remember if he actually drank at all. Edward motioned to stand up, and as he did, the room moved with him. "Ugh—the hell?" he grumbled. The dizziness persisted so he sat back on the bed.
Edward looked over his shoulder, suddenly remembering Winry. She wasn't in bed. He wondered if she felt dizzy as well. Perhaps she didn't and it was only him who felt this way.
Now that he was more alert, Edward heard the shower running. If Winry did indeed feel like him then she got the right idea. A cold shower would help him snap out of his stupor in no time. Edward considered joining his wife in the shower but then refrained from it. If he joined Winry in the shower he would get other ideas and he wasn't sure if Winry would be up for it. Remembering what went on the night before brought a smile to Edward's face. He did everything that he'd been taught, and he hated to admit it, but the old farts had been right. Winry had enjoyed the first time just as much as he had.
Out of nowhere, Edward's stomach grumbled. He chuckled, knowing his state of hunger came from vigorous activities. He remembered Catalina mentioning their breakfast was going to be waiting for them in the morning. The prospect of good food was incentive enough for Edward to get out of bed. He stood up and was grateful to have found that the dizziness had subsided. He walked to the drawers and picked up some lounge pants and a shirt to put on, and after he was ready, he went downstairs and headed to the dining area.
Edward stood under the threshold with a scowl on his face. "The hell?" he ground out, aggravated about the empty table. He headed into the kitchen thinking breakfast might be waiting for them in there; Edward groaned in annoyance when he found nothing. He looked at the clock hanging from the wall, it was past nine. Didn't Catalina say that they were going to be picked up around that time to go and do some touristing? Right then and there, he decided to go to the main building and complain like a tourist. He went upstairs and got his sandals. Winry was still in the shower so he left her a note. The whole thing shouldn't take him long. He went downstairs, ready to stomp his way to the main building. But Edward's vanguard came to a screeching halt the moment he opened the front door.
Long gone were the vineyards crowning the soft rolling hills, it was a tropical jungle that stood before him. Thinking his mind was still out of sorts, Edward shook his head to try to clear it. The jungle hadn't gone away. Edward slammed the door shut. What in the actual hell was going on? He decided to open the door again in case he was hallucinating, but the lush green landscape remained intact. Wild golden eyes darted to and fro, desperately trying to find something that made sense. It was when Edward saw the bushes that he made a connection. "Fuck!" he hissed, the bushes did create a transmutation circle. But a transmutation circle that transports physical objects to another place blew Edward's mind. An overwhelming sense of alarm took over his mind and senses. Whoever could use alchemy of such complex caliber must have ulterior motives if they were using it to transport people to an unknown place.
Edward didn't linger much longer. He went downstairs and rushed to the kitchen hoping to find something that might work as a weapon. He opened all drawers and found them empty. Panic was starting to set in. He ran back upstairs, two steps at a time, and went into their room. Clothes flew about the room as he cleared each drawer while trying to find something in their belongings that could prove handy. Winry came out of the bathroom, her startled face telling Edward she was confused by his actions. Edward flashed a quick glance at her then continued attacking the drawers. He cursed when he found nothing of value. As the sense of impending doom increased, a light lit up in Edward's head. "Winry, did you bring your tools with you?" he asked. Alphonse had been the one who'd put their luggage in the car and Catalina's boy took said luggage into the villa so he had no idea what had been brought with them. "Of course, I brought my toolbox," she said, the pinched brows and rigid stance denoting a state of restrained worry. "Where is it?" Edward followed. Winry pointed to the closet. Edward swung the closet doors open and sank to his knees. He released the latch on the metal box and haphazardly searched through Winry's tools. The wrench Winry used on his automail, and occasionally on his head, was the only thing that doubled as a weapon. "Are you going to tell me what's going on?" Winry spat as she stood next to him. Edward ignored the question, he was more concerned about what Winry was wearing. "Winry, change into something else," he said, a summer dress wouldn't do well when they needed to go into the elements. Edward realized he wasn't wearing appropriate clothing neither. He turned to the mess in the room, trying to find something sturdier to wear, something that could withstand the new environment. "Not until you tell me what's going on," Winry demanded. Edward stopped what he was doing. As his gaze met hers, he debated the best possible way to tell Winry they were in danger. There wasn't any, so Edward took Winry by the hand and tugged her to the window. Then, he drew the curtain open. Winry gasped in shocked horror as she took in the scenery. "Win, I don't know what's going on, but I do know that we're in danger. We have to leave this place right away, so please change into something that can withstand that". Winry nodded, and without saying one word, she started looking for something fitting Edward's description. It took them less than two minutes to get dressed in more appropriate clothes. "Let's go," Edward said as he headed for the stairs. "Hold on, Ed!" Winry headed to the closet. "I'm taking the toolbox with us."
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Edward and Winry moved swiftly between the bushes. There was a road in the jungle but it was essential that they didn't take it. Images of the trinkets Edward saw back in Benevolo haunted him. It didn't help that he stumbled across that terrible painting about a couple being sacrificed to a god-like figure. Winry and he was a couple, special, according to Catalina. Most likely they were slated to become sacrifices. This might seem like a far-fetched idea to many, but Edward had lived far crazier things to discard this possibility. He looked at Winry, his lips pressing together in worry. He would've been alright if he'd been alone but Winry was involved in this mess. Memories of Winry and Baschool invaded his mind. Edward turned to Winry, and said, "there's a high probability that people will be searching for us, so we need to lay low. We need to keep out of sight as we move forward—the goal is to find information about what's going on." Winry simply nodded in agreement. Edward stared at her for a few moments. Winry was scared; Edward could only hope she could keep it together as they traveled that unknown land.
A noise, unlike what they've heard so far, joined the cacophony of the jungle. Edward lifted a finger to his lips, telling Winry with the gesture to keep quiet. In her current condition, there wasn't going to be much of a problem. Edward remained still, waiting for the noise to become clearer. He thought he heard two men talking. The noise wasn't stationary and it seemed to be moving towards the villa. Edward padded closer to the road, he saw two men in the distance.
"Jon, you shouldn't have gotten involved," the taller man said to the other.
"I had to Marcus, they pretty much involved me in it."
"I get it, Jon, I do, but now we're late, and I don't know what we're going to tell the captain about being so late."
"Just leave it to me, Marcus. The captain and I understand each other." There was a confident smile on this Jon character. "He's not going punish us," he added shortly after.
The Marcus fellow shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever you say, man."
There was a brief pause between the men. Then Marcus spoke.
"Think they're going to give us trouble?"
Jon laughed. "They never do, Marcus. They're too frightened to put up a fight."
Marcus laughed too.
Edward tightened his grip on the wrench. Too frightened to put up a fight, huh? He returned to Winry. "There are two men on the road looking for us. I'm going to ambush them, Win, but I'll need a distraction. Think you're up to it?"
Winry nodded. "What do you need me to do?"
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Edward and Winry moved at a faster pace in the brush. They needed to reach a spot in the road where there was enough clearance for Edward to effectively execute his part of the plan. Winry was going to serve as a decoy; all she needed to do was to walk aimlessly on the road while looking frightened. The men sent to fetch them would never suspect a damsel in distress, and as Winry wrapped them in her fingers, he would sneak up to them. The blow would come from the back.
Edward remained in place, the men should be coming into view anytime now. He gave a nod to Winry, she nodded back. Edward prayed that everything would go smoothly.
"Look at that beauty," Jon said. "And she's all alone in the forest!"
Edward couldn't help but notice the men's garments as they got nearer. These men looked like they stepped out of a history book. Their garments were military in nature with bronze breastplates covering what looked like tunics. The helmet they wore proved problematic seeing that a strike from the wrench might not even put a dent on it. Edward kept studying the men, looking for weaknesses. Soon after, Edward cursed under his breath. Their uniform didn't leave much room for assault, the legs were the least covered area of the body. The men wore shin guards and sandals but with a good swing at the knee, he might throw one of them off balance, and if he could get one man off balance, he would gain the advantage. Now, who should I go for? Edward had to think fast for Winry's sake.
"Hello there, little lady!" Marcus greeted Winry with a wide smile.
"You seem to be lost," said Jon as he got in Winry's space.
Winry stood frozen in place, her eyes rounding in shock. "Fuck!" Edward hissed. Things were not going well already.
"Please don't be frightened," Marcus said as he too got closer to Winry. "I know this whole thing must be strange, but what's happening is part of your honeymoon package."
Jon walked around Winry and stopped when he was positioned behind her. "You're our special guests!" he said. Edward clenched his teeth when he saw the mocking smile spreading across the man's lips. "We're here to take you to the next part of the trip."
"Where's your husband?" Marcus asked.
Winry hesitated. At least she didn't look in Edward's direction, giving out his position. Finally, she said, "he's back at the villa."
Both men were surprised by her answer. "So you're telling me that your husband sent you to get help?" Marcus said before breaking out in laughter. "Must be one hell of a pussy."
"I'll show you who's a pussy," Edward roared as he jumped out of the bushes.
The element of surprise worked in Edward's favor. Those precious seconds the men lost as they recovered from the shock, were long enough for Edward to execute his attack.
Edward dashed towards Marcus who was the tallest of the two men. He slid on the ground and swung the wrench, connecting it with the back of the man's knee. The blow knocked Marcus off balance and into the ground. Edward didn't lose momentum. He jumped on the man and brought the wrench down on the knee, the bone-chilling scream coming out of the man telling Edward that he'd incapacitate him.
Edward got off the man and lunged at Jon. The man was struggling to take out his weapon. Edward grinned, thankful for this blessed opportunity. Disarming the man was easy. One good strike to the side of the face was all it took to bring the man down. Edward quickly took possession of the sword. The man glared at Edward, and he glared back. But Edward's glaring was replaced with shock. The fog of battle must've blinded Edward for he hadn't noticed until that moment that this Jon character had golden eyes like his. Now he understood why Winry didn't react when the men surrounded her. Edward didn't know what to make of this discovery. There was no time to think, a scream ripped through the air, throwing everything off-kilter.
Marcus had taken hold of Winry. Edward gritted his teeth as he watched his wife struggle in the hands of that man. Jon laughed. "Surrender or she gets hurt!" Marcus bellowed. Edward considered his options. He was fighting two men, one of them with a sword to Winry's neck. He had the other man's sword, and he knew how to use it in a fight, in fact, he was sure he would win against this Marcus fellow, but the risk of putting Winry in danger was too high. Surrendering wasn't an option though.
Thankfully, Edward didn't have to choose. A cry of pain echoed in the jungle. Marcus let go of Winry, and she scurried to a safer location. The man fell to the ground. He curled up, cradling the knee he had previously injured. Winry must've managed to get a clean shot at the man's knee. A sense of pride swelled Edward's heart, Winry was starting to regain her confidence.
Jon caught him off-guard. The man had lunged at him, knocking him to the ground. "Edward!" Winry screamed as the man got on top of him.
"I wasn't expecting a fight, but I'm glad it happened," Jon spat as his hands wrapped around Edward's throat. Edward was surprised by the man's strength. He struggled to get him off but it wasn't working. Edward cursed at himself, he clearly had misjudged the skills of that man. It didn't take long for him to start feeling weak. Edward fought not to lose consciousness, for if he did, then Winry and he would be in deep trouble. Just as his vision started to darken, Jon slumped over him. The strangling hold was no more. Edward coughed as he gasped for air.
Winry pushed the man off him. "Are you okay?" she asked as she searched his body for injuries.
Edward rolled to his side and propped himself to a sitting position. "I'm good," he finally said. He watched the mound of the man and added, "thank you."
"I had to stop him," Winry said. She sounded apologetic as if she'd done some terrible deed.
"You did good, wifey," he joked in hope that his words would ease whatever guilt she was feeling.
Edward picked up the sword from the ground and got up. He walked up to Marcus and pointed the sword at him. "Start talking," he commanded, but Marcus remained defiantly silent. With a quick movement of the wrist, Edward sliced the man's cheek open. "I'll hack you to pieces if I have to," he added, staring down at the man with an expression of cold contempt. Winry let out a small gasp, it was a familiar sound, one that denoted horror. Edward didn't dare to look at her straight in the eyes. This time around, he was bluffing, but in the future, he might not be. Winry had no idea of the extremes he would go to if it meant it would keep her safe. His personal story would've been much more different if Kimblee's plans for him had been fulfilled.
Marcus touched his cheek and scowled when he saw his fingers stained red. Not long after, he said, "Okay, I'll cooperate." Marcus glanced at his unconscious partner and added, "we have families to go home to." Edward brought the tip of the sword to the man's chin. "Then I suggest you be quite thorough."
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The fire crackled loudly but Edward and Winry didn't hear it. They simply stared at the dancing flames while their dinner roasted, each processing in their own way what they've heard hours ago.
After restraining both soldiers, Edward hauled them off-road. The taller man, Marcus, was the chattier of the two, and Edward took full advantage of that.
The first question regarded the soldier's coloring. It'd been quite a shocking experience to have found that both men had golden hair like Edward's. The possibility that the men were of Xersian descent did cross Winry's and Edward's minds, but to have found that the men were pure Xersian had been quite shocking.
There had been a bit of resistance when Edward asked what the men wanted with him and Winry. It took some persuasion in the form of a solid kick with the automail leg to Marcus' already injured knee for him to talk. After a few minutes of groaning, Marcus confessed what Edward had feared. Winry and he were to become tributes to be offered to their god-king.
Edward was about done with the men. Now that everything he'd suspected had been confirmed, it was time to take action. Edward turned to Winry and told her they needed to change into the soldier's clothing. Winry agreed as their clothes would give them away. Winry's coloring would also give them away, luckily the soldiers' clothing included hooded capes, and as long as Winry kept her face hidden, they would be relatively fine. Edward knocked the men out cold. He undressed Marcus while Winry took care of Jon. As Edward got dressed in the soldier's uniform, Winry called out to him.
"Ed, look!" she said, holding out a walkie-talkie. The object was so out of place that it was almost comedic.
Suddenly, the device crackled to life.
"What's your status?"
Edward searched Winry's eyes for ideas. Nothing came to mind. "Just say something," she said as she handed over the device. "We don't want them to get suspicious."
Edward nodded in agreement. He pressed the TALK button. "On our way back with the tributes. Over." Edward crossed his fingers. If he said the wrong thing, he would've ruined their chances of a clean escape.
Moments later, the man with the other walkie-talkie spoke. "You're late. Just head back, stat."
Edward roused himself from his reverie. He turned his attention to the rabbit, it looked done. He got up and removed it from the fire, as he did, he caught a glimpse of the walkie-talkie.
"We should've gotten rid of the thing," Winry said as she stood. Edward turned his attention to her.
Winry looked troubled. Edward wanted to ease her worries but there wasn't anything he could say that would help. Right then, Edward reminded himself that Winry was Rockbell strong. She was going to be okay.
"Did I ever tell you about our time in Yoke Island?" he said, deciding that a distraction would do them both some good. Something akin to relief crossed Winry's face, softening her features; Edward himself breathed a small sigh of relief. "We were starving," he continued, shaking his head at the memories lived on the island. "We didn't know what to do either," he added, then paused for a moment. "It got so bad that we thought we were going to die—can you believe that?" Edward chuckled, hearing Alphonse's whining in his mind. "One day, we caught a rabbit, a tiny thing like this one," he added as he cut a piece of the roasted animal. "Al wanted me to do the dirty work too. The little bastard." He handed over the piece of meat to Winry. "And you know me, I couldn't say no to my little brother." Edward chuckled again. "So I did the deed and killed the poor thing." He cut a piece of rabbit for himself. "We didn't know what we were doing, so we charred the rabbit to a burnt crisp. If we hadn't been so hungry, we would've turned up our noses to it, but as they say, hunger is the best spice." Edward shook his head, remembering one key detail from the experience. "Al almost choked on a bone too."
"Now I understand why Al hates rabbit," Winry said as she bit into the flesh. Edward caught the beginning of a smile.
The rabbit helped curb their hunger. Edward looked up and saw stars from between the thick foliage. He then cast his eyes upon Winry, debating if he should keep the fire going much longer. Hours earlier, he'd considered not even starting one at all seeing the smoke coming from the fire would alert of their presence to anyone who knew how to track. He'd looked for fruits or anything that could sustain them as they moved to a safer location but his lack of knowledge of the flora of that region put a stop to his search. Hunting an animal was the only viable resource. Edward kept the fire small, enough for cooking.
At the moment, Winry was sitting against a tree trunk. She looked cold.
Against anything Edward's been taught, he decided to keep the fire going for a bit longer, but once the night progressed, he would have no choice but to douse the flames. Hopefully, the hot ashes and his body heat, as he pressed himself against Winry, would generate enough to keep her—them—warm. With some luck, they would catch some sleep. Edward couldn't forget the nights he shivered until morning break as he ran from the military along with Heinkel, Darius, and Greeling. Edward's gaze faltered; this was far from what he wanted Winry to experience while being married to him.
Suddenly, something changed in the air. Edward straightened up.
The most important survival skill was to recognize when danger was coming your way. It was faint, but the sound of crushing leaves was unmistakable. Edward leaned forward and picked up Marcus' sword. Winry straightened up, her eyebrows knitting together in a worried frown. Edward put a finger to his lips, telling her with the gesture to keep quiet. A twig broke. Edward stood up and turned to where the noise came from. He wondered how many people were sent to capture them. Edward grimaced, knowing well that these soldiers were going to be far more skilled than the ones that were sent to fetch them in the first place.
Eight men stepped into view. They were not dressed like the soldiers they encountered on the road. They appeared to be civilians but Edward wasn't entirely convinced of this. Their golden eyes didn't sit well with him neither. Edward got closer to Winry. Her blue eyes were wide with fear, her frame shook ever so slightly. Edward counted the heads again and cursed, the chances of escaping were slim to none.
Amid his increasing desperation, a thought sparked to mind. According to the soldiers they encountered on the road, Winry and he was considered to be tributes. A tribute is an offering which meant this fucker god-king wouldn't be pleased if their offerings got hurt in any way. And if that was the case…
Edward tightened his grip on the hilt and lunged forward to the closest man. He swung the sword and sliced the man's left arm, the cry of pain put everyone on high alert.
Edward dashed his way to the next man and attacked him.
"We're here to save you, you stupid fuck!" cried the man who Edward had struck first.
But Edward wasn't falling for it.
Edward moved to strike again. His new target was the brawnier man of the bunch. Edward could've gone against weaker-looking opponents but he was the betting type. He knew that if he brought down their muscle man, it would bring down their morale. And in battle, morale was everything.
The physique of the brawny one told a story of a man with combat experience. Edward glared when his opponent sized him up. The brawny man's brows arched when gold met with gold. "You got to—James, did you catch a good look at this guy?" The man named James stepped closer, he too was surprised when he paid better attention to Edward's physique. "Now this is interesting," he said to the brawny man in response.
Edward didn't like their conversation, so he decided to end it. He took one step back and raised the sword, readying himself for a new attack. The brawny man looked amused, and that further infuriated Edward. "We don't have time to waste," the brawny man said, disregarding Edward's efforts altogether. Edward let out a disdainful chuckle. "Not buying it, pal."
Winry shrieked. Edward turned his attention to Winry who was being restrained by one of the men. They wouldn't hurt her, that he was certain of, at least not yet. And they wouldn't hurt him either, he could bet on it.
Edward dropped the sword as he glared at the brawny man, the clanking of metal hitting the ground telling everyone in the group of his surrender. "Let her go," he said as he walked towards the man. "I will not give you any more trouble. I promise." And it was true, Edward needed to buy some time for him to find another way to return home.
The brawny man walked past him and picked up the sword. He stared at the bloodied blade for a few moments. Then, he spoke. "Oh, I know you won't give us any trouble." Right after the man finished his words, he struck the side of Edward's head with the hilt of the sword.
"Edward!" Winry cried. That was the last thing Edward heard before losing consciousness.
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A/N: I'm a busy person so new chapter upload will be slow but steady.
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