Chapter 7: Seeing Red


Where are you? Where did you all go, you bloodthirsty bastards! Once I find you, I'm going to kill every single one of you! I'm going to send each and every one of you to hell if it's the last thing I do!

Gritting his teeth in anger, Roy furiously scanned the street from a shadowed alleyway. He had seen black smoke billowing from several buildings near the center of town and assumed that was where he would find his parents' murderers. The streets were abandoned and empty except for the smoke that hung like heavy clouds throughout town. With the threat of a Drachman raiding party in the area, everyone had holed themselves up in the safehouses scattered throughout town.

Windows were smashed and doors were splintered. The Drachman raiding party had spared no household or store from devastation. He gripped his father's rifle in his hands so tightly that his knuckles had gone white. Roy could not think. He was filled with hatred, filled with lust for blood. Suddenly, he heard footsteps coming from down the smoke-filled street. He peered around the corner of the alley to see three Drachman soldiers.

This was his chance for revenge. This was his opportunity to kill those who had killed his parents. He did not really care if he was going to die. If that were to happen, he would kill as many as he could before that time. All that filled his head was pure hatred.

Roy leaped into the street from his hiding place. Crouching and aiming his father's rifle at the foremost soldier, he aimed carefully for the man's chest. This was it. He would avenge his parents' deaths starting with this soldier. He could see it all happening. The soft thud of lead piercing human flesh and the crimson blood pouring from the hole in the soldier's chest. The slow fall of the man as his knees gave out and he crumbled to the ground. He allowed the slight sensation of glee take over his body at that moment.

Oh, how sweet is revenge. Roy smiled. Die.

Roy pulled the trigger.

No gunshot.

Only the empty click of a rifle.

The soldiers saw the young teenage boy jump from the alley and pointing the barrel of a rifle down on them. They had backed up several steps in surprise. However, as Roy continued to squeeze the trigger of his father's rifle, the soldiers snickered and laughed to themselves at the spectacle.

"So you are a soldier, right?" The foremost Drachman scoffed as he approached Roy, who was still desperately squeezing the trigger over and over again as the soldier approached. "It looks like they never taught you how to load a gun. Did they, little soldier."

An expression of horror creeped onto Roy's face as the rebel slowly approached. In his rage for vengeance, he had not even thought about checking to see if the gun was loaded. No, no, no! This isn't how it's supposed to happen! Those bastards are supposed to die! Enraged, Roy ran forward, ready to swing at his enemies with the empty rifle.

The Drachman soldier deftly dodged the half hazard swing and then struck back with the butt of his own rifle. Roy found himself on the ground in a daze and seeing stars. The three soldiers had surrounded him and began to beat him with their own rifles and to kick him as he lay helpless on the ground. Soon, Roy lay in a broken heap on the ground with blood clouding his vision and pain ripping through his body.

A Drachman soldier pulled out a pistol. "Well, little soldier. I'll be so kind as to put you out of your misery. Any last words?"

"Go to hell." Roy managed to mutter from the ground.

"Defiant till the end?" The man snickered as he pulled the hammer back on his pistol. "And I thought Amestris was filed with cowards. Goodbye, little soldier."

As a mixture of anger and fear swept through his body, Roy shut his eyes tightly.

"Nooooo!"

Roy's eyes snapped open just in time to see Riza appear, half crying, half screaming, and brandishing a kitchen knife as she rushed towards the Drachman with the pistol. Her sudden appearance caught the soldiers completely off guard as they all turned in surprise to see the young teenage girl running towards them.

Riza? No! What are you doing here! You're going to be killed! Roy tried to get off the ground. He had to do something. He did mean to drag Riza into this mess, and at this rate they would both be killed. As Roy tried to push himself off the ground, a crash of pain shook through his body as one of the Drachman soldiers knocked him back to the pavement. Roy watched frantically as the soldier with the pistol merely laughed as he deftly dodged the knife and shoved Riza to the ground. She tried to get up but was kicked back to the ground.

"Riza!" Reaching an arm desperately out to her, Roy finally managed to struggle to his feet but was restrained by one of the Drachman soldiers before he could reach her.

"Oh? So you know her? Is she your girlfriend, little soldier? I have an idea." The soldier with the pistol pointed the gun at Riza. "How about she goes first? I'll kill her before I kill you, so you can watch your precious little girlfriend die."

"No! Leave her out of this! I swear if you lay a single finger on her, I'll kill every single last one of you!"

Roy yelled and struggled futilely as the Drachman soldiers laughed at his idle threats. The soldier walked up to the crumpled form of Riza and pinned her head to the pavement with his boot. As the soldier prepared to pull the trigger, his eyes met hers.

"No! Don't! Let her go!"

"I'm sorry, Roy." With a forced smile, Riza whispered softly as tears began to stream from her hazel eyes. "I couldn't be of any help after all."


Note: Alright, so I really enjoyed writing this chapter. However, I do feel like I need to apologize to everyone for a rather large switch in overall story mood. But as I've stated before, innocence cannot last forever. I hope I did not make anyone too angry with how I ended the chapter. Thanks to everyone for reading my story and your continued support. I greatly appreciate all of it. I would especially like to give a shout out to BlackBrightField2007, Red Walrus, Monk'ichii, and CherryLine101 for their reviews. Thanks for the support everyone!