Here's the next chapter for ya. :P Even though school is right around the corner, I'm still going to try to update weekly, but I can't guarantee that. Well, not much else to say here.
I hope you enjoy reading this chapter. :)
Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.
Chapter 6: Illusions
Ed's eyes widened in disbelief after Winry revealed that startling fact. How was it possible? The murderer clearly ran away from the police, who were by then already well into the building, but he also avoided the front door. As far as Ed knew, there was no other entrance that would allow for a possible escape, apart from maybe climbing through a window, but then he certainly would have been sighted by someone.
The reality of it further frustrated him. Not only did the murderer manage to kill someone, but he also got away with it, facing only a sliver of resistance from an already injured alchemist. It wasn't in Ed to run away from an opponent, but this was an exception considering the circumstances at the time. But what really made Ed tremble with anger was the fact that he couldn't have done anything to stop the murderer by himself.
"Ed, what's wrong?" Winry questioned innocently, noticing that he was now gritting his teeth, and his eyes were staring persistently at the ceiling above him.
"I could have had him," the alchemist replied in a mixed tone, disregarding the increased pain coming from his shoulder, "He was in the same damn room as me, but I froze at the sight of his weapon."
The blonde mechanic sighed, knowing that Ed would probably blame himself entirely for the situation. "There was nothing that you could have done. I would be pretty scared myself if someone pointed a loaded gun at me."
"But that's the problem!" Ed retaliated, unintentionally raising his voice, "This whole nightmare would have ended if I just wasn't so afraid of that pistol!" It then struck him that he actually admitted his fear, something that he hasn't done very often.
Winry knew better than to yell at him, considering that she somewhat understood the initial fear and shock. Instead, she placed a caring hand on his forehead, gently brushing the bangs away from his face. "You're one of the strongest people I know, Ed, but everyone has their limits."
The alchemist sighed, knowing that Winry was right; he acted like he could remedy every problem that the world had to offer. "It's just that I wanted to end your suffering," Ed whispered, "You've lost two of the closest things in your life, only because some guy out there wants to see me dead."
"But none of us could have seen this coming beforehand," Winry pointed out, "And even if we did, how would we deal with an enemy that we don't even know?"
"Yeah, I guess, but I just wished that things had gone differently back there," Ed said, looking rather regretful,
"So tell me, what really happened?" Winry questioned softly, looking at her best friend with compassion.
Ed gave himself a moment to relax, slowly managing to sit up on the bed. "It was exactly like your dream," he began, "I mean, everything I saw in there matched everything that you said earlier. I thought that maybe I was hallucinating or something, but I was wrong; this really took place."
"I went through Nellie's house, ending up in the bathroom that you mentioned," Ed continued, "At first, I was too afraid to pull away the curtain, hoping that maybe she was still alive. But eventually, I saw her mangled body, and that's when I felt like all of the courage within me was taken away."
Winry remained silent, unable to put together a single sentence. She couldn't believe what Ed was telling her. Surely, she must have misunderstood something, though Winry knew that she was only making up an ignorant excuse by doing so. It all seemed to happen so fast, almost too fast for her to comprehend.
"And then he showed up, didn't he?" she asked, narrowing her eyes slightly.
Ed nodded, taking a breath before moving on with the retelling of the events. "Before I knew it, a knife came flying over my shoulder, and I figured that this was it. I turned around, and surely enough, there he was, standing around like he was expected or something."
"At first, I didn't know what was going on. I felt like I had somehow shut myself off from the world," the alchemist said quietly, "When he pointed that gun at me, I thought that I was going to die on the spot."
He involuntarily balled his auto-mail hand into a fist, feeling it tremble slightly as anger overtook his senses. "He was right there, Winry," Ed muttered, his voice remaining low, "I don't know why I just stood there. That bastard was right in front of me; I could have killed him and ended this mess. Why the hell did I just stand there?"
"Ed, stop being so hard on yourself," Winry soothingly whispered, seeing that Ed was starting to blame himself once again.
The alchemist instead gritted his teeth again, unable to suppress his rage. "It was just another one of my stupid mistakes; another thing that I messed up," he said, barely managing to stay audible, "I was supposed to keep you safe, but now I've dragged you into this mess, too."
It pained Winry to see the person that previously was so determined, reduced to a state like this. She already knew that Ed had never meant for any of this to happen, but he sounded as if he was solely responsible for the murderer's presence in Risembool, which obviously wasn't the case.
"And that was just the beginning. Before I knew it, he pulled the trigger, and then I noticed that he had actually shot me," the alchemist said, staring intensely at his bedsheets, "He pulled out his knife and moved closer to me, ready to finish me off."
For the umpteenth that day, the blonde mechanic felt her eyes water up, but she wasn't going to shed the tears. Ed's story sounded much more horrific than her dream, and having it told first hand from a person that risked his life constantly was indeed traumatic. His expatiation of the subject brought chilling images to Winry's mind, though she needed to know what went on from the time that Ed entered the house to the time when the police recovered his bleeding body.
Disregarding his urge to slaughter the killer, Ed continued with his experiences. "So he raised that damn knife, but I rolled out of the way at the last second. The blade got stuck in the floor, and this is when I ran back into the hallway. I seriously wanted to stab him or something when he was trying to pull the knife out, and it's a good thing that I didn't, because I wasn't really fit for a fight by then."
"I actually don't know what really happened next, except that I just kept running around the entire house until I found myself in a small room," Ed retold, putting on a frown as another wave of anger washed over him, "He followed me into the room, and I thought that I wouldn't live to see another day, only this time I really meant it."
Winry could hear his voice steadily getting lower with each darkening moment, understanding the effect that these terrible images must have. His articulate language actually brought out more emotion than Winry could have believed existed. "Ed, if you don't want to talk about it anymore, then you don't have to. I don't want to make you feel obligated or anything," she offered, looking at the alchemist with sympathy.
He shook his head, eager to finish revealing the demonic events. "I don't feel obligated at all, and I don't want to keep you in the dark."
The blonde mechanic registered his decision, gearing her mind for more of the chilling story. "I guess I was lucky after all," the alchemist continued, giving a brusque chortle, "I sat there with my shoulder bleeding, looking up at that bastard, thinking that he was going to kill me. But then I heard the police, and so I watched the killer run down the hallway. That's all I remember before I blacked out."
Ed gave a prolonged sigh after completing the almost infallible story. "I'm sorry if I scared you, but that's how it happened," he said in a sullen voice.
"I should be apologizing for asking you to remember that stuff. But besides that, doesn't it feel better to let some of that pain out?" she asked in a hopeful tone.
Ed gave a faint smile; a silent response that Winry knew was affirmative. Indeed, his spirit felt somewhat rejuvenated, having vented some of that raw anger. "Thanks for understanding," he said wholeheartedly, "But if you want, I can go over what I said in more detail."
Winry declined, refusing to put Ed through more morose thoughts. Though in reality, she was dying to find out more about the situation, Winry believed that the alchemist needed to recover some lost energy beforehand. Besides, he already retold the events once, so going over the same material would seem rather pointless right now.
"Maybe later, since I don't want to bother you now," the blonde mechanic answered with a slight grin, "And you should get some rest. Even if you are a fast healer, that wound won't patch itself up if you don't get any sleep."
The alchemist groaned with annoyance, but he knew that Winry had a point. Instead of presenting a counterargument, he flopped himself down on the bed, nestling under the covers. "Winry?"
"Yes?" she replied, standing up and getting ready to leave Ed's room.
"Thanks, again," the alchemist said, feeling the need to express his gratitude for her benevolence once more.
Winry gave another smile, looking down at him with a demure expression. "No problem, Ed. I'll be here if you need me," she said, quietly exiting the room after Ed nodded in understanding.
The blonde mechanic collapsed onto the living room couch shortly after departing from Ed's bedside, quite frankly tired from the day. So many things had taken place today that she didn't even bother to recollect on some at first, considering that two of them involved the deaths of Den and Nellie. If there was still any doubt in her that maybe the murderer would spare them, then by now it has dissipated.
It was as if the killer was dropping hints, giving clues as to when he would strike his final target. However, Winry couldn't be sure if he would still go ahead with his intentions, considering that the authorities were now well aware of his presence in Risembool. And since he was such an elusive person, the military would eventually have to investigate this, even if it was against Ed's wishes.
But what the alchemist said before, concerning the soldiers, actually scared her. What if the military would flood the town with officers, questioning every person and searching private property? Panic would rise in the population, and people from surrounding areas would also be afraid that the murderer would haunt their town next. Overall, it seemed that perhaps Ed was right; hoping that the military avoided the murderer would prove more beneficial for everyone, even if it meant sacrificing some security.
Then again, what if more people were killed, especially in the case of Nellie? If this killer carried on with his reign of terror, he was bound to eventually kill someone important, or at least a person of some significance. There would come a time when his killings would eventually aggravate Ed, which meant that he would try to hunt down the killer himself. That would be the time to strike; the alchemist would be too focused on his whereabouts in order to pay attention to the killer's plan.
The fact that Ed was injured wasn't good news either. He wouldn't be able to fight the killer if God forbid that he attacked, therefore he would be putting his life at great risk. Worse yet, the murderer had opportunity upon opportunity to kill the alchemist during any time of the day now, which would leave Ed to be on his guard all of the time. Not only would this drain him of more energy, but the stress would eventually tire him out until he simply collapsed from exhaustion.
While Winry was lying there in with a pensive state, she barely noticed a glistening object that flew through the air, mere inches above her face. The blonde mechanic sat up in shock, trying to figure out if perhaps she was seeing things. However, Winry's face went pale when she saw a familiar looking knife embedded in the wall near the couch.
'Oh no, this can't be what I think it is,' she prayed, getting off the furniture in order to inspect the utensil.
Upon dislodging it from the wall, Winry discovered that it still had crimson stains on the blade part, but indeed, this was probably the knife that had served as a key factor in Den's murder. However, a question lingered in her mind: how did it get here? Winry didn't need to look far, however, as she noticed that a window in the living room was open. That particular window happened to be directly across from the couch, giving the attacker who threw it a clear chance to slice her neck open.
The hypothesis seemed well constructed, but there was still one more unanswered question. Winry didn't remember if the window was open when she first came into the room, but she could have sworn that it was closed. If that was the case, then how was it open now, without her noticing the action? Well, whatever the cause, she knew that this had to be the work of the murderer, and this was his first attempt at her life.
That stark thought sent chills down Winry's spine; the killer was now turning his attention back to his primary targets. She stared blankly at the instrument in her hand for a few moments, until realizing that this might be the same knife that Ed had hid under the stairs earlier today. As a matter of fact, Ed mentioned that the murderer attempted to kill him with a knife, and maybe this was the same one.
However, she couldn't be sure unless she verified this conjecture. Just for safety reasons, she placed the knife on the coffee table before slowly making her way to the door that led to the back yard. Winry hesitantly opened the wooden barrier and stepped outside, kneeling near the stairs next to the place where the original knife was supposedly hidden.
She had to do a double take, gasping when she realized that the small space underneath the wooden stairs was vacant, with the exception of an unwrapped piece of dark cloth. If she remembered clearly, Ed encased the knife in this cloth, which only helped to prove that the murderer had indeed attempted to kill her with the same weapon that was responsible for the deaths of both Den and Nellie, and nearly Ed's as well.
A low rumbling of thunder from overhead prompted Winry to start making her way back inside, but something in the distance caught her eye. If she looked hard enough, the blonde mechanic could barely make out the warped silhouette of a person standing near a tree in the grassy hills farther away from the house. Winry couldn't help but wonder if this person was watching her the whole time starting from the second that she came outside. The person didn't move; he stood perfectly still, and she could tell that he was staring right back at her.
She was actually beginning to feel slightly afraid, considering that the person was rather eerie. When the first flash of lightning struck, Winry lost sight of the person, but before she knew it, he had reappeared, only slightly closer to the house this time. The blonde mechanic desperately wanted to leave the scene, but something was holding her from running back inside the house. Even though it seemed like suicide to try, Winry wanted to know who this person was.
However, after a few more strikes of the blinding light, the person was starting to get dangerously close to her. Not daring to risk being out here any longer, Winry darted back inside the house, slamming the door shut behind her. She felt her heart hammering against her chest as a result of fright, and her mind went into a very brief state of delirium. Indeed, the time obviously seemed appropriate enough for the murderer if he was to make a move, assuming that was him in the first place.
Dozens of thoughts raced through her mind, but one about the deadly knife was prominent in particular. Suddenly remembering that she left the murderer's weapon of choice behind before leaving outside, Winry sprinted all-out into the living room, only to find out that the utensil had vanished, and instead was replaced by a single piece of crumpled paper.
With a shaking hand, she picked up the parchment and straightened it out in order to see what was written on it. The message, which appeared to be written in a hurry, was almost illegible, but the blonde mechanic was able to make out the poorly written string of words.
"The day is coming," she whispered, reading from the note with eyes wide open.
At first, Winry thought that the note was referring to the time when the murderer would make another kill, but it seemed wise to think that perhaps it was talking about the day when he would actually kill her and Ed. The latter seemed more practical, considering that the person she saw outside just a few minutes ago must have been the murderer himself.
The sound of the ever increasing rain had begun to echo through the house, and the occasional flashes of lightnings illuminated the desolate rooms briefly, casting grotesque shadows on the floor. A strong breeze was flowing into the living room from the still open window, creating a uncomfortable atmosphere inside the house. However, Winry's eyes traveled to the unsealed window, feeling a sense of uneasiness run through her.
Seeing that she was starting to worry herself, Winry shook her mind of any images about the murderer, and proceeded across the room. Just as she slid the window shut, another flare of white lightning filtered through the glass, and the figure of the hooded killer appeared at the window.
The blonde mechanic screamed out in pure fright, stumbling backwards onto the couch. Even though the light was fairly limited, Winry's eyes remained transfixed on the man, who stood mere centimeters away from the house. The murderer didn't show any signs of moving, instead he was simply standing there, his breath fogging up the glass as he breathed.
"Winry!" She heard Ed's alarmed voice coming from down the hall, but she couldn't find the strength to reply.
"Winry, what's wrong?" Ed inquired as he ran up to her, clad in his dark pants and black tank top.
Somehow, she managed to reply, though finding the words to properly describe the man was beyond her. "I-I saw him," the blonde mechanic said in a staccato voice, her entire body trembling.
Ed looked in the general direction that Winry was gazing at, though he only saw a vacant window. "Are you sure?" was his simple question, unsure if she really did see the man.
"I s-swear, Ed," she desperately said, latching herself to his mechanical arm when a fresh strike of lightning lit up the room once more.
Judging from her look of pure terror, Ed couldn't believe otherwise. He continued to stare out the window, hoping to catch a glance of this murderer, not noticing that Winry was trying to show him a folded piece of weathered paper.
"What's this?" the alchemist inquired after realizing the parchment.
He didn't need an answer, however, as Ed unfolded the paper, reading its contents quietly to himself. Just as Winry, Ed didn't understand what the message meant right away, but he suspected that the murderer was going to go in for the final kill soon, and he had to be on his best guard in order to prevent that from happening. Though as prepared as might be, the murderer could strike anytime on any day, which put him at a severe disadvantage.
Winry had somewhat calmed down from her previous state of fear, though any foreign sound still brought back feelings of dread. She wished that everything would revert to the way it was, before this unknown killer showed up and started plaguing everyone with fears of a painful death, but that obviously was out of the question right now. Even though things seemed as if they were incorrigible, at least she had Ed to comfort her.
Though the alchemist couldn't see anyone outside, he had a suspicion that the murderer was somewhere out there, plotting his next move. But what if Winry perhaps saw the killer's face when he supposedly appeared at the window? Actually, Ed deliberately avoided asking the question until she calmed down from the first shock, and now seemed like a good time to do so.
"Winry, did you by any chance see how the murderer's face looked like?" He hated to press her for answers by asking these types of questions, but it had to be done.
However, the blonde mechanic just shook her head, letting go of his arm in the meantime. "No, he still had that hood on."
Ed sighed, once again unable to figure out the identify of the maniac. Quite frankly, he was getting tired of this little game; the killer was toying with his mind for far too long. Not only was it frustrating, but the alchemist's impatience would eventually drive him to radical means in order to capture this guy.
His revere was disturbed, however, when Winry spoke up, though in a hushed voice. "Ed, what if the murderer kills us while we are asleep? I mean, if he already came in here, then what would stop him from doing it again?" She looked down at the wooden floor with tired eyes, trying to suppress a yawn.
The alchemist gave a light chuckle, seeing that she always seemed to be concerned with some aspect of the world. "Don't worry about that. He won't get the chance because I'll make sure that he stays far away from you," Ed replied, watching her mood literally transform for the better.
Winry was about to thank him for the kindness, but she realized one trick with his plan. "Thanks, Ed, but I don't want you to lose sleep over me," she said modestly, with a slight blush creeping onto her face.
"Really, it's no problem. I got enough sleep already, and my wound seems to be healing nicely," he replied, scratching the back of his head after noticing the hint of crimson on the mechanic's face.
This actually reminded him of the countless times when, as kids, they would take care of each other if one happened to sustain an injury, or if either of the two fell ill. However, it was a different cause this time; the childhood innocence was instead replaced by terror, and the fear of not living to see another day. But no matter what the reason was, reminiscing on those cherished moments always brought a smile to his face.
"I guess I'm going to sleep then," Winry said as she was unable to shield a yawn, causing Ed to put on a questioning look.
His confusion was answered, however, as he saw the time on the clock handing nearby. It was now well past midnight, and Ed honestly couldn't believe that this day had dragged on for as long as it did. So much had happened, though it only took one twenty-four hour period to encapsulate the events.
"Alright then. If anything, I'll be down here," Ed said, making sure that Winry knew where to find him if something came up.
The blonde mechanic nodded with a smile, wishing the alchemist a good night as she left for her bedroom. Ed returned the gesture, taking a seat on a nearby chair as soon as Winry was out of sight. There was still plenty of controversy with regards to the murderer, and now he had some quiet time to think those points over.
Ed resumed his thoughtful gaze, staring at the window that Winry claimed to have spotted the killer in. However unlikely it was, he wished that he could see the repugnant man through the glass, thereby giving him a chance to capture him, but this character's evanescent appearances were rare. Nonetheless, Ed's golden eyes continued to survey the cloudy glass, though only the contorted frames of the trees swaying in the heavy gale outside come into view when periodic lightning provided its brief light.
After a few more minutes of unproductive gazing, Ed was about to give up. However, his eyes bolted back to their previous direction after he caught the faint outline of a relatively average sized person moving briskly, yet suspiciously across the dirt road in front of the house. Even though the only source of light came from the lightning itself, he was positive that he had seen someone moving out there.
Ed suddenly stood up with unreal speed, tempted to simply run out there into the storm to verify that the person was the murderer, but by now, Ed knew better than that. This was a trick; if that was the murderer, then he would try to lure him outside, thereby leaving Winry defenseless. And while the alchemist would be fruitlessly trying to locate the man, the killer himself would easily sneak into the house, leaving the blonde mechanic at his mercy.
Then again, what if that wasn't the murderer, but an innocent person instead? It didn't seem probable, since Winry thought the same in her first nightmare, and it turned out that the killer was indeed lurking outside. Besides that, no one in their right mind would try to brave a powerful storm in the middle of the night, except for that crazed murderer, of course.
Additionally, if that was someone other than the alleged killer, then Ed would be in alarm for no reason. Contrary to his previous decision, the alchemist slowly walked to the front door, unfastening the only lock that secured it. Instead of leaving the house, Ed planned to simply look into the night from the porch, which would disallow the opportunity for the murderer to gain entrance inside.
A powerful gust of wind, carrying countless droplets of water, slammed against Ed as he opened the door with some difficulty. Mother Nature apparently had chosen to make life harder for the alchemist, as trying to fish out a human through the thick curtain of rain was an arduous task. Even though he couldn't directly pinpoint the murderer, Ed somehow had a feeling that he was nearby, using the dark night as his cover.
Indeed, the murderer's elusive tactics had once again paid off, managing to avoid Ed's piercing eyes. The alchemist sighed shortly after, closing the door as he aborted his futile search effort.
'That bastard is really starting to annoy me now,' Ed admitted, leaning against the adjacent wall.
However, the alchemist didn't get to enjoy another second of peace, as a loud, crashing sound erupted from somewhere within the house. The noise wasn't very definite, such as a window being shattered, but instead it was a combination of various other sounds. Ed suspected that the killer had something to do with it, and so he bolted upstairs to Winry's room, just in case the murderer had already picked a target.
When he opened the door to the mechanic's room, he was surprised to see her awake and already sitting up on her bed, looking rather frightened. A small lamp stood on a nearby table, providing a welcoming light. Ed breathed a quick sigh of relief, happy to see her unharmed.
"What was that noise?" she asked, before he could say anything, looking at the alchemist with concern.
"I was actually hoping that you would know," Ed replied, casting his gaze back out the door as he surveyed the interior of the building from above.
Winry wasn't sure as to what the source of the noise was, but she felt that the murderer was behind it. For some reason, she seemed to have a sixth sense, so to say, when it came to events related to the unknown slaughterer. Fear was the matrix, an emotion that both helped to keep her safe, in a way, yet caused her much suffering in the same time.
"I think you already know who may have caused that noise, and I need you to be extra careful," Ed said, still goggling the rest of the house from inside the room.
Though he already warned her to be cautious, the blonde mechanic knew that this was a special case. Winry gave a depressed sigh, resting her head in her hands as she continued to stare nonchalantly at the fabric sheets on the bed; there was no way that she would manage to catch some shuteye.
Ed noticed her rather thoughtful state, and so he started to become slightly troubled. "Is something wrong?" he inquired, tearing his eyes away from the door.
"It's nothing, really, but now I won't be able to fall asleep," she said, causing Ed to feel fragments of guilt.
"I'm sorry, Winry. I should be watching over you so you could feel safe, but it looks like I'm not really sticking to my promise," Ed sighed, looking down at the floor, avoiding her gaze.
The blonde mechanic shook her head in slight amusement, gaining another questioning look from Ed. "It's not like that," she said, lifting the alchemist's mood, "If you weren't here, then I would be scared. But I know that this guy is running around somewhere, and that's what's keeping me up."
Ed was about to reply, but something caused him to freeze in place: the sound of steady, yet soft footsteps coming from somewhere in the dark house. The alchemist's eyes went wide, realizing that the killer was now definitely inside the building, and his targets were right under his nose. One look at the terrified Winry told Ed that she had figured the same.
Without anymore persuasion, Ed turned around and slammed the wooden barrier shut. He brought his hands together, then reached out to the door as he preformed alchemy, merging it with the parent frame. The end result was a fairly well sealed doorway, hopefully enough to keep the murderer out. But just in case he had underestimated the murderer's capabilities, Ed transmuted his auto-mail into a knife-like blade.
After seeing all of this, Winry knew that this was going to develop into a serious situation. She kept her eyes on Ed as he came over to her, sitting himself down on the bedside, parallel to the edge, with his auto-mail arm facing the door. The happiness in his golden eyes had been replaced by anxiety, and along with that, Ed bore a face of concern and worry.
He spoke in an intentionally hushed voice. "Winry, if this guy attacks us, then I'll try to hold him off for awhile, enough for you to escape outside."
Winry wasn't too pleased with that idea. "And you expect me to just leave you to fight him on your own?"
Ed gave her a severe glare, leaving no room for argument. The blonde mechanic sighed, seeing that she had no further options. Then again, even if she stayed behind, it would only cause Ed to worry about her safety, forcing him to fight defensively instead of offensively.
The quiet atmosphere was starting to become rather eerie. The sound of the footsteps had vanished during the time when Ed was sealing the door, but the silence was short lived. The killer had obviously halted for a moment, though soon enough, the sounds of his boots colliding with the timber floor came back, and they were much more audible this time.
As as though by instinct, Winry slid her hand into Ed's human one, interlinking her fingers with his. The alchemist didn't mind, and instead, he gripped on tighter. Ed knew that Winry must be afraid, considering that the ruthless killer was only a matter of feet away. In that sense, he was determined to keep her clear of danger, vowing that the murderer wouldn't get any chance to hurt her.
The footsteps kept on getting louder with each passing moment, and it wasn't too long until the creaking of the worn stairs could be heard, signaling that the killer was on his way to the second floor landing. Each step mounted the tension inside Winry's room, both of its occupants still uncertain about the near future.
Ed felt the familiar tightening in the back of his throat, overcome with a sense of anticipation as the footsteps completed their ascent. Tiny droplets of sweat slid down his forehead as his eyes painfully bored into the sealed doorway, half expecting the murderer to burst through, though it wasn't an impossible event considering his antics. If the murderer was purposely walking slowly in order to incite these emotions, then he was succeeding, unfortunately.
After a short pause, the steady sound of footsteps resumed, growing dangerously close to the sealed door. Winry's stomach churned uncomfortably as the murderer neared her safe haven of a room, quite obviously already knowing where to go. Then again, the sight of a warped doorway would probably be something that the killer was looking for in the first place.
And that's when it happened; the footsteps came to an abrupt halt directly in front of the sealed door. Ed and Winry felt themselves freeze as a low grinding sound was emitted from the other side, accompanied by a small crack that began to form on the warped wood...
There you go. :) Now it's time to thank the reviewers:
sableluver12: Rofl, I thank you greatly for all of the compliments. :D A book would be fun to write, but unfortunately, I don't have any time these days to sit down in front of my box in peace. Heh, thanks for reading and reviewing!
darkfireblade: Lol, thanks for reading, and for the reviews!
kikyoreborn9295: Thanks!
EdxWinry: Thanks. :)
PixieGirl13: Heh, I'm happy that you like this fic so much. :) Anyways, thanks for reading, and for all of the descriptive reviews!
Nirvana of the Undead: Thanks. :P
Joy-girl: Thanks for the compliments:D It's good to see that the suspense is actually working. :)
Carrot The LuvMachine: Once again, I'd like to thank you for the kind review. :) Eventually, you'll see who this madman is, but that's still some time away. ;P
Tai Sora Potter: Thanks for the review. :P And yeah, I know what you mean with regards to keeping the characters IC, but it's good to know that they aren't too OOC yet. :)
Fullmetal Ai: Thanks, I'm glad that you enjoy the fic, even with the amounts of bloodshed:P
snwbnny: Thanks! And here's the new chapter, so um... :snatches cookie and runs:
Elric329: Heh, thanks for reading and reviewing!
Fooly Cooly girl: Thanks:D
silent:tears:fall: Lol, it's nice to see that the suspense and whatnot is paying off in the fic. :P Thanks for reviewing, too!
C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only: Rofl, eventually you'll see. :P Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Brickwall847: Heh, I also do feel sorry for those two, in a way. :P As for writing more horror stuff, I can't promise anything, but I'll try. ;) Thanks for reviewing as well!
Crazyanimefreak15: Thanks for the kind review! It's a relief to know that the OOC'ness isn't getting out of hand. :)
Until next time. :P
