OwlCookies: maybe this chapter is a bit better?

I realized tht these past few chapters weren't getting anywhere :] but thts cuz theres a whole lotta chapters left. I felt like I shud spread out somethings… tht and cuz I don't kno wer this story is going so heheh yeah

XXXX

6, The Devil.

December 19. 6 more days. Ed and 2nd Lieutenant Ross were still missing. Sergeant Brosh was in the hospital and doing well. Al was alone. Well, at least he had the day's newspaper to entertain him. He brewed up a cup of coffee. On normal days, he wouldn't usually do this, but today after all the stress and fright, he felt like he needed one really bad. Al took a sip and began reading the headline. He almost spat it out.

Tourist John Wills Murdered by the Mysterious Killer

The picture underneath the headline was a bloodied version of the man Al had just recently spoken to yesterday! He read through the article, his heart racing.

This morning at 4 AM, John Wills was murdered. Just like every other victim, the killer left a note. Although it was messy, seeing that the victim struggled before the killer finished writing, 2nd Lieutenant Breda transcribed it to: "Every little lacky within even a hair-length of your words, will be killed before you wake, little Alphonse."

The hairs on the back of Al's neck stood up. Was the murderer watching Al at this very moment? Did he have Ed and 2nd Lieutenant Ross? He was shivering now. Al couldn't take this anymore. This was insanity. He didn't think he had enough strength to keep going. Trembling violently now, his eyes rolled to the back of his head.

"Brother…" were his last murmured words.

x.x.x.x.

"Alphonse! Al! Where are you?" Roy shouted, going through the Elric's house.

With his subordinates, they had searched every inch of the Elric house. After hours of pointless searching, they moved on to the rest of the city. That too, was also proven pointless, for they couldn't find even the slightest hint of where the two Elric brothers were.

"Damn," Roy grumbled. "Where the hell could they possibly have gone? The only lead is that Al was reading the newspaper, drinking coffee, and now the coffee's been spilled all over the ground."

"We could be missing something, boss," Breda suggested. "Maybe the killer left some clues that only alchemists can read and you didn't realize it and…"

"I thought you were the most logicalist out of all of us!" Fuery chirped.

Roy paused. "No, I think he's on to something." He pulled out the newspaper that Al had dropped. Some coffee stains were on it, but it was readable.

"Oohh, the colonel's gonna decode some magical message!" Fuery exclaimed excitedly.

"You can always trust the boss to do something as magical as that!" Falman commented, clapping his hands in applause.

"Damn straight!" Havoc and Breda exclaimed.

Roy glared at them. When the four men got the message, he went back to reading the newspaper, a pen was in his mouth as he concentrated. He crossed out some letters on the newspaper, and then his lips pressed together into a thin frown. Roy tossed the two items onto the ground.

"This is pointless! Why would a reporter hide something in the newspaper?" Roy shouted.

Sighing, Riza slightly patted his back. "At least you tried, sir."

Roy sighed in defeat. "Even the smallest clues we can get, it just leads us back in a circle. That bastard knows how to play around with our minds."

"Who's going next, I wonder?" Falman asked.

"Alphonse isn't in contact with anyone else besides us. And I guess, he knew that John Wills man," Roy replied. "Brace yourselves men. Prepare for the worst."

His subordinates saluted. "Yes sir!"

"So, boss, what happens next?" Havoc asked. "Are we going to keep searching because you know…" he nudged Roy. "I kinda have a date I need to get to…"

"Dump her," Roy said immediately. "She's my date today." He smirked.

Havoc slumped to the ground darkly, clinging onto Roy's pants. "Chief, you're so heartless…"

Riza cast Roy a slightly confused glance. Luckily, no one noticed. Roy smirked in return. (Royai keeps me going B3)

"Havoc, you're hopeless with women, give up already," Roy sighed. Havoc sulked even more.

"Heartless…" Havoc continued mumbling. "…Heartless…"

6 more days, Roy thought. How many more lives were going to be taken in those days?

XXXX

OwlCookies: yay. Short again. To bad ;-; I don't wanna make it longer… im running out of story ideas… im dooooomed