Crevice
"What the hell," the blonde alchemist cursed aloud.
Mustang had taken him to the now empty apartment building to show him what had been found. The man that once lived there had disappeared and hence the apartment was part of the investigation--one Edward had been literally drug into against his will.
Seriously, he had better things to do than search a deserted apartment room. But, Mustang had promised new information about the philosopher's stone if he helped. Honestly, Ed believed he was the last choice of a long list of refusing soldiers and higher ups.
Edward had been picked for this job by default.
"Hm…it appears the man ducted taped every single crease and crevice of his room. As if ...he was trying to keep something out," Roy said as he surveyed the room with dark eyes.
The blonde scoffed, kicking aside an used up roll of tape. "Yeah, I got that much, shit-for-brains. But, what was he trying to keep out is what I want to know. He sure used a hell of a lot of tape."
Roy nodded taking a few more steps into the room. The place was a wreck. Scattered about were used up tape rolls. Papers lay everywhere as well, along with a number of bottles and cans of assorted alcohols.
Red duct tape did indeed cover every single opening in the small room--expect the front door, which stood ajar. Both men circled the room, their eyes following the trails of crimson along the floors and walls, down the cupboards and up the closet doors. The man even went as far as to seal the spaces in between the floorboards, the cracks in the walls and ceiling; even the refrigerator was taped shut. The giant window that provided the room with sunlight, was taped around; closed off from anyone trying to get in or out of the apartment room.
"Maybe he was drunk," Edward said in distaste as he kicked a half-full bottle of beer.
"Perhaps. You're the one who's going to find out, Fullmetal. You have until tonight," Mustang stated as he turned to leave, "before I come back to see what you've found. Good luck." With that, the colonel left, leaving Edward gawking in his direction.
Edward sighed and began ripping the tape off. Seeing all the red irked him to no end. Soon, the red tape was completely gone and he was left with seven bags of it.
"Damn…what the hell were you trying to keep out, man?" Edward bent down picking up a piece of paper that was stuck to his boot.
Black ink was spelt on it…along with the words, "Someone's watching me." repeatedly. The chibi-alchemist blinked and picked up another piece of paper. The same was on that one. In fact, all the paper on the ground had that written on it.
"Hm….well, that's reassuring," Ed said aloud shakily. He noted the writing style the man had was incredibly shaky as well, like he was frightened.
Or someone was really watching him…
At the exact moment, a girl's laughter filled the room. Creepy, bone-chilling laughter.
Good God…someone is in here. The blonde thought as he snapped his head up, causing him to look directly into the room's long mirror.
At first, he only saw his horror-stricken face. But as his amber eyes scanned the room through the mirror…that's when he saw her. She was standing in the corner, clad in a white gown. Laughing.
Ed spun around, looking at the corner where he saw the girl's reflection. But…there was no one there.
"Wha…what the…hell?"
After searching the room twice, Ed found no trace of the woman ever being there. Ed shook his head. He had been hallucinating, that's all. He had imagined the laughing and the girl standing in the corner. At least, he hoped he was imaging it all.
A little later, the only thing he had found was a journal, which he now read. The pages were written in the same handwriting as the papers.
The journal told of why the man went to such an extent to tape everything up. And it told what happened to him. Sort of. The last word on the page trailed off…like the man was to afraid to write anymore. Or he was taken away.
'God…She's after me…I hear her laughing at me. Mocking me to come and find her. What did I do to her? Why does she taunt me with death….'
The first entry left off there. The next two pages, on the other hand, told more about what the man went through.
'I heard it again. The laughing…the laughing, the laughing! She won't go away…and I'm afraid she's going to get me one of these days.
I have to do something to prevent her from getting in…I know…I'll tape everything shut, so she can't get in. Then…I'll be safe.
I did it…I did what I said I was going to. Everything is sealed…every crack, every space in the room is sealed. She can't get me now…she can't get me now! …' Edward turned the page, his hands trembling. He had saw and heard the girl, too…
'…God, help me. If anyone reads this…DON'T UNTAPE ANYTHING. SHE'LL GET TO YOU, SHE'LL GET TO YOU!
She can't get me
…she…she's laughing again…why? Why? I sealed everything up…Oh God…the window…the window….SHE CAME THROUGH THE WINDO---'
That was all that was written. The ink from the pen trailed down to the bottom of the page.
"He…he didn't have time to fini--.." And neither did he. For, the girl's laughter erupted from the corner again.
Ed spun in that direction, his body shaking uncontrollably. He was horrified when he didn't see anything in the corner except a desk. Nothing was there…
That's when he saw the hand creeping up from the space between the wall and the desk. Long fingernails scratched the wall as it crept up from the gap, reaching out towards him. The blonde screamed.
He ran about the room looking for some tape to do as the man had done before. He needed to make sure the girl didn't get him. Soon enough--thank God--Ed found some tape in a desk door.
Hurriedly, he taped up the cracks in walls and ceiling, the spaces in between the floorboards, the refrigerator, the window--he made sure that was sealed up--and the spaces behind the furniture. He kept having to come back to the one desk door to retrieve more tape--thankfully the man had thought to stock up on it.
Ten tape rolls later, the job was done. That woman wasn't going to get him. He was safe. He had nothing to fear now…
Laughing filled the room again. And Edward realized with horror that he hadn't taped the desk door shut. He turned to it and screamed. The pale hand was reaching out of the door, groping the air for his flesh.
Edward couldn't do anything but scream.
-/-/-
At sundown, like he had promised, Mustang returned. He found the room empty, the red tape was still as it had been earlier.
"It seems Fullmetal got scared and ran off," he said as he noticed the garbage bags filled with tape.
The older man blinked, confused.
"The hell did you do, Edward," he asked the air as he shook his head.
Suddenly, the room vibrated with a girl's laughter. Bone-chilling, haunting laughter. The girl had found her next victim.
This was based on a short film I saw with my friend, TaintedBlaspheme, called Crevices by Norio Tsuruta. Flipped me out…and I hope my FMA version of it scared you, too!
Ele.