This chapter is particularly inspired by three separate video games.
1st: The Last Of Us.
2nd: Outlast.
3rd: Resident Evil series.
Shout out to Roxy for helping me with this chapter!
Alchemist Chronicles
Chapter 46 - Innocence
With their weapons pointed at the beast. It suddenly stops walking towards them and it turns its head, looking behind itself. Sniffing the air briefly, it then turns around completely and takes off down the hallway from which it came.
Roy immediately takes off after it with the group right behind him. It jumps over a high wall, leaving Roy and the gang stuck until Jean heads over to another door, ramming it open, leading the others to follow him through it as well.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(SS)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ed and AJ make it to a room with a glass covered riverine flowing through the corner of the room, the little girl slowly wakes up. Ed then gently places the girl on the ground as she slowly opens eyes, groaning lightly. She sees the both of them hovering over her. The girl's black eyes stare wide with fear at the both of them.
She then notices AJ's rifle. Panicking, the girl sits up quickly and crawls back, right up against a wall, grabbing the end strand of one of her blonde pigtails, trembling uncontrollably. Ed calmly tells the girl. "It's alright. We're not here to hurt you. We want to help you." The girl then points to AJ and her rifle. Ed turns to where she's pointing at and then looks back at the little girl. "Don't worry about it. She's with me and a friend of mine. She'll be the lookout so that way all three of us can get out of here safely, okay?" The girl unsurely nods her head.
Ed - "My name is Edward. And that's Janine." Nodding his head towards her as AJ waves hi. "What's your name?" He asks the little girl. "It's... (The little girl pauses for a moment) It's Madison. Maddie for short. Pa used to always call me that."
AJ - "Is that your father?" "Pa isn't pa ...anymore," Maddie says quickly, turning her head away sadly. Ed and AJ look at her confused. "What do you mean, Madison?" "He was changed... they said."
Ed asks. "Who said?" AJ also asks. "How many are there and what did they look like?" Madison tenses up quickly, staring petrified at the both of them. Ed sighs, bending down and apologizing immediately. So does Janine.
Ed - "Do you remember anything else, Maddie?" Maddie sighs and nods her head. "No." She pouts her lip as she starts crying, breaking AJ's and Ed's hearts. AJ drops her rifle and runs over to Maddie, pulling her into a hug for comfort.
Pulling away after a moment, AJ tells her in an emotional voice as she holds the little girl's face. "I know what it's like to scared like this, Maddie. To feel absolutely scared of everything. But no matter what you've been through, you need to stay strong... no matter what." Maddie pulls her into another hug as she starts crying harder. After a few moments, Maddie starts to settle down as AJ rubs her back gently and whispers words of comfort.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(SS)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The chimera reaches the waterway, sniffing the air intensely and turning to the right. Bursting through the door, the chimera roars loudly once he notices the girl missing from the room.
Roy and the team make it to the gap just as the chimera runs out of the room, heading in the same direction as AJ and Ed previously went.
A shift in the ground underneath them begins just as they make it to the hallway and the floor that is just a few feet away from them break apart, collapsing in on itself as a giant snake chimera with centipede legs crawls out and slithers and walks in the same direction as the panther chimera.
Roy and everyone else stares in shock before they resume.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(SS)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Standing up slowly, AJ helps Maddie stand as well. "We should go, Maddie. Let's get moving." Maddie lets go of AJ's hand and runs over to Ed, grabbing his hand. "Can we leave and find pa?" Maddie asks him.
Ed tells her. "Sure." Maddie smiles as Ed piggybacks her and AJ picks up the rifle. They move quickly walking through a new hallway with containers lined to the side of them. As they reach the end of the hall, Ed hears a familiar sound. Looking over the ledge, however, Ed realizes that it's the same elevator shaft that collapsed earlier.
Ed- 'Damn.' He says to himself. "Major!" AJ shouts. Ed turns and walks back to her as she's opened a door just to the side of them. AJ enters first giving them the clear after she checks it through.
As Ed and AJ make it back to the main lab with the circuit broad and large tubes. Just as they make it past the dead animals and broken glass, the double doors that once held the pipe open up with Tommy pointing a gun at the both of them.
Tommy - "Well, well, well. What do we have here? More Amestrians soldiers. And this time it's just some urchins." Ed and AJ stare at him very dubiously. "Thanks for freeing the girl. Now hand her over." Tommy clicks his gun as AJ pulls out and aims her pistol as well.
Tommy snickers. "So one is a trained puppy. Let's see how long you'll last, hm?" AJ glares at him. Then out of nowhere the ground beneath them starts to rumble and shake, breaking apart in the direction of the dead animals when the same enormous snake from earlier emerges from the crumbled cement.
Spending it's thousand legs, it stares ferociously at all of them. AJ, Maddie, and Ed stare in horror at the creature. Maddie screams loudly out of fear. (Roy and the team hear it through the vents) Tommy then points his gun at the chimera, firing away at it. Lunging its tongue at Tommy, he dodges it.
AJ and Ed nod to each other quickly, making into the hall after running past Tommy. Fixated only on him, the snake rushes at Tommy as he follows the kids and makes to the double doors only to be stopped by the snake once its tongue is wrapped around his legs.
Tommy yells as it pulls him by his legs, with each of his hands holding onto both doors. The doors slam shut as he is pulled back into the room.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(SS)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Looking ahead, they immediately notice and smell of the burnt bodies. AJ glares at the doors, yelling. "THAT IDIOT!" Sighing afterward, trying to recollect herself from her outburst. Ed smiles lightly. "Glad the both of us can agree on that note." AJ then adds. "Well, that explains those distant gunshots from earlier." Ed nods his head.
Once they make it halfway down the hall, walking around the burnt corpses, Maddie wiggles in Ed's grasp and he stops, letting her down slowly. Ed and AJ look at her concerned as she tells them. "Pa is still there. We have to go back."
AJ - "Maddie we can't just-" (A bang on the double doors startles them) "We need to leave now." Ed tells the little girl. "We have to get you out of here, Maddie. I have friends on the outside that can help us find him." "What does he look like, Madison?" AJ asks her.
Ed stares at AJ in shock. "Just what are trying, Sargent?" "Do I really need to spell it, dude? You wanna get her out of here, right? So I'll head back and find this Pa guy as well as join up with the others cuz you know as well as I do if he's in there then so are the others including Kain."
(Boom)
(Boom)
(More bangs against the doors takes them out of the moment.)
"Edward, please." AJ pleads. "I'll cover the both of you. But you need to get her out of here." She points down the hall to the exit. Ed then grabs Madison's hand running straight for the room from which Ed and AJ first came from. AJ follows right behind them.
Once Ed and Maddie make it to the room, Ed stops at the door, holding it open for AJ. As Ed turns around to move out of her way, AJ pushes him in. Closing the door behind him, she locks it by its lock on the handle.
Ed - "What the HELL! Janine! Open this door now!" "No! Get her out of here! I'll join up with you later!" Before Ed could say anything, he hears a loud bang and something heavy slam into the ground several feet away. Then hears a pipe burst, shooting out rushing water forcefully.
He calls out to her. "Janine!"
No response.
Ed - "JANINE!"
Still no answer.
"DAMN IT!" He yells, unintentionally scaring Madison who backs away from him, running into the picture framed vent. Ed then moves quickly over to the vent, looking into it. "Maddie, wait!" He yells as he climbs in there as well following her.
As Maddie climbs out and turns to Ed, he makes it to her, picking her up quickly (He also notices Derek's dead body) and carries her past the hole, forcing himself to avoid looking into it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(SS)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The double doors bursts open and an off the handle door knocks the pipe off up above from its hedges and screws, releasing rushing water onto the ground beneath the door itself, swiftly. She runs straight the other way and up a flight of steps as soon as the snake throws itself at her, crashing into the room in which Ed and Maddie were just in, not that long ago.
The chimera then backs up a little and stares at AJ with its eyes fixed on her with inquisitiveness. As the snake moves closer to her, it suddenly stops. Turning to it's left, it then rushes back through the damp hallway, passes the destroyed doors, hitting the other wall at the far end. The rushing water has subsided by this time.
AJ takes this opportunity to run, passing an opened door and over to the doorless fourway, looking over the hole a little, noticing the dead chimera before she turns and heads to catch up to Ed and Maddie.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(SS)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As Ed makes it to the double doors from which is not that far from the exit, Madison stops and looks back, behind them. "Pa..." She says sadly. Maddie then looks back at Ed. "I can't leave." She tells him as she lifts up her sleeve, revealing an Ouroboros tattoo on her left arm.
Ed stares in shock before he walks up to her quickly, holding her arm. He then asks her. "Who did this to you, Madison?" "He knew Pa. Betrayed... us." "Can you at least tell me what he looks like Maddie?" Ed asks. Madison turns her head away, sadly.
Bending down to her level, he asks her. "I need a name Madison, please." She sighs and then tells him, only one word.
"Frank."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(SS)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As the chimera runs through the laboratory, breaking large containers. Causing glass to scatter all over the floor, Roy and others continue pursuit. Making it back to the steel-plated fenced bridge, the chimera slows down and stops in front of the door, staring at it.
The team makes it halfway on the bridge when the snake/centipede chimera bursts through the wall, breaking it apart, jaw ridged open, attempting to eat the panther/human chimera as it's holding its mouth on both ends, open wide.
The panther growls and roars loudly as it breaks out of the snake grip, jumping on it's back and running down it, back into the room the snake just broke out of. The snake then immediately turns around, following the other chimera as they continue fighting.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(SS)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AJ runs down through the hallway and makes it to the room in which Ed and Maddie are in. Ed immediately walks up to her. "Don't ever try that crap again, Janine! I don't need him, Chris or Al. Hell even Roxy trying to ring my neck if shit hits the fan regarding you."
AJ - "So why are you still here? Why isn't she outside where it's safe?!" Pointing to Maddie. "Don't change the subject!" Ed shoots back. "I am going to if it means making sure a civilian isn't in danger anymore! Like for real, Major? Get it together." She replies, crossing her arms.
Ed stares at her for a moment, then tells her. "Grab Madison and wait for me outside, Sargent. I'll join up with the others once they arrive back here." AJ then sighs unsurely, looking away. "Come on, spill. What's on your mind?" Ed asks.
AJ - "When he said little girl, I... I selfishly thought it was me." After a moment of deliberating in his mind, Ed tells her. "We'll continue with this once everything is over with, okay." "...yeah." She sadly replies. Then she grabs Maddie's hand and heading for the exit. Ed runs back the other way, gun in hand.
Just as she makes it to the door of the room that is just a few feet away from the entrance, a bullet strikes AJ in her left arm. She yells in pain as she falls on her back, passing out from the pain. Maddie screams as she sees the blooding pouring from AJ's shoulder. Maddie then backs away and takes off running out of the room, into the hallway, running in the opposite direction. Ed hears the screams once he makes it to the four doorless room and immediately heads back.
The panther hears Maddie's scream and runs in the direction of it. The snake follows it close behind. Roy waits a few moments, then slowly follows them as well, with his troops right behind him. A lone hand is on the side of the doorway inside before the hallway.
Once they make it over to the doorless ways, Roy stops and stares on horror as the snake consumes the dead chimera that was inside of the hole. As the snake licks it lips afterward, it then slithers and walks with its thousand legs towards the exit as it hears several gunshots.
The panther makes it to Ed's location, who then points his gun at the chimera. Firing some shots at the beast, it moves swiftly before it lunges forward at Ed, who rolls to the side, dodging it. Quickly stabbing the panther in the side of his stomach with a pocket knife before the chimera quickly grabs him by the back of his jacket and tosses him to the other side of the room.
Groaning as he lands with a thud against the wall just the snake breaks a side wall and aims right at the panther who is still injured from the wound Ed just gave it. The panther jumps over it, pulling the knife out from it side, lands behind its head and stabs the snake right on the side of its neck.
The snake screeches loudly as the knife pierces its skin, knocking the panther backward. Back on his feet, Ed fires away again at the snake. Turning his head, Ed sees AJ on the floor unconscious. He also notices her wound on her left arm. Ed yells. "JANINE!" as he runs over to her.
Just as he makes it to her, A bullet strikes him on his right side. He yells as he leans behind the wall of the room. Whimpering, groaning and grinding his teeth, adding pressure with his hand to his side, trying to stop the bleeding.
'Damn it! (Pant) I can't die! (Panting) Not now! FUCK! (Panting) Winry. ... Al ... I- I've gotta to find a way to seal this up. (He tries to look around the room but as the room starts becoming blurry, he then leans his head against the wall, closing his eyes) Dammit! I can't make them cry! (Groans then pants) I won't let her cry because of this!' (A flash of Winry crying blurs his vision for a moment) Tears drop falls from his eyes after he blinks quickly a few times.
Ed then bites his bottom lip as he slowly stands up, fighting the pain and holding onto the wall with his other hand for support. He starts walking, leaning against the wall towards Janine. He stops once he sees AJ being pulled further into the next room.
Ed tries to walk again, but with his wound still leaking. 'Why ... does everything... feel so ...' He then collaspes and falls to the wooden floor, hard, face down, passing out.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(SS)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Roy and the others make it just outside of the room, Jean looks around the wall, seeing both chimeras still fighting. "Damn, these two monsters are still going at it! If only there was a way to-" Havoc holds his breath when he sees Ed on the floor, stagnating. "Captain?" Hawkeye asks him.
Jean - "It's Edward." Both Roy, Riza and the others stare at him in shock. "If he's in there, then that means..." Roy fixes his gloves and enters the room. He sees the blood streak going into the other room and Ed, who is facedown on the floor, not moving. The panther faces the snake, preparing to fight it. Once Roy's foot creaks the floor board, both chimeras turn their heads to him.
He glares at them as he snaps his fingers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(SS)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Waking up a few days later, Ed scrunches face as the sunlight hits his eyes. As he tries to pull himself up but a hand pushes him back down. "Easy homie." Ed turns his head, seeing Roxy on the side, sitting next to him. Underneath his hospital shirt, his waist is wrapped in bandages.
Ed - "Whe-Where am I, Roxy?" "The infirmary, Eddie. Baby sis is in the other room. Ya know he hasn't left her side since y'all came in." Ed makes a worried expression. "She'll be fine. Took a shell in the arm, tho." Ed raises an eyebrow, confused/worried a bit. "Her left. The Fucker got away, dawg. Same one who shot you as well. Metal matched too."
Ed sighs. "Does Winry or Al know?" Roxy shugs her shoulders. "I ain't called no one. Don't know if anyone else has since I've been in here wit ya. You've been out for a few days. A bit worried about you, ya know. Glad you woke up, tho."
Ed sighs again. "Thank you." "Pssf. All I did was stay in here with you. It was the others that saved y'all. But you're welcome, if you insist." She smiles as she looks away. Ed then tries to sit up slightly, grinding his teeth at the sharp, sudden pain on the right side of his stomach. He then sighs as he leans back into the pillows, taking a few slow breaths to calm himself down.
Roxy - "I uh. I don't know how to tell her about him. Ya know, about her pops." Taking another relaxed breath, Ed tells her. "I wasn't exactly close with my old man myself, so I don't know what advice to tell ya. Still dealing with stuff, ya know. (He sighs.) Hopefully, he'll change his mind, in time."
Ed then looks at Roxy. "Did she tell you about the other time recently when she got shot?" Roxy looks at him shock and disbelief, yelling. "WHAAATTTT?!" Roy and the others look over their shoulders as they hear her as well.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(SS)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Roxy storms out Ed's room and heads directly to AJ's room. Stopping directly at the doorway, she sees Roy sitting next to AJ, who still appears to be out cold. Her left shoulder is wrapped in bandages underneath her hospital shirt. Roy brushes a strand of hair out of her face as he whispers something to her. Roxy then notices a slight grin on AJ's face before it's replaced with a pained expression.
She watches as AJ slowly opens her eyes, smiling at Roy when she sees him. She sees AJ's mouth move but doesn't hear her at all. AJ then breaks into tears the next moment, as Roy gathers her into his arms, holding her close. Roxy also notices as he lets his emotions get the best of him as holds onto her with one hand, holding her head. The other is wrapped around her back, tightly.
End of Chapter 46