Ch. 3, Nightmare.

The sun had gone from mid afternoon to sunset by the time Ed made it back to Central Headquarters. If he was to find the root to his problem the first thing he had to do was retrace his steps from where he'd begun.

So far he'd been lucky, managing to avoid human contact on the run back. He turned a corner and headed for the back entrance so he might continue to avoid unwanted attention.

Then he made solid contact with something he failed to see.

"Oomph!" He coughed out, falling backwards and landing on his back. Groaning from hitting his head on the pavement he sat up quickly.

"Edward?" Said a feminine voice. Ed blanched and looked to see it was Lieutenant Hawkeye he'd run into. She too was on the ground, reaching for a clipboard she had most likely been holding before the crash.

"Oh, Lieutenant Ma'am!" Ed said moving to his knees. Before he could get up to help her she was already off the ground and unruffled like she'd never gone down in the first place. "This isn't like you, Edward." She said moving to help him up instead. "What are you doing here so late?"

Hesitant because of the days events Ed slowly accepted her outstretched hand and he was up off the ground. "I, I'm just taking care of something real quick. I won't be here long." He said to her. Inside he breathed a sigh of relief, so far it seemed like Hawkeye wasn't about to do anything unusual to him.

"Have you seen the Colonel by any chance?" She asked suddenly. Ed winced as the image of a half broken man trapped in a cage at his dorm room filled his mind.

"N-no, why do you ask?"

"He has papers at his desk that require his immediate attention, if you see him tell him to…" She paused suddenly, sniffing the air. "Do you smell something strange?"

Before Ed could process what she just asked him she'd already discarded her clipboard and had Ed pinned to the wall by his shoulders.

Ed felt his heart racing as Hawkeye bridged her nose against the side of his face, her cheek grazing his own. Taking care of Roy and Havoc was one thing, but Hawkeye was a woman! How the heck was he suppose to get away without doing any damage?!

"Edward, you smell so different today…" she whispered in his ear.

Another comment about how he smells, there was definitely a pattern beginning to take place…

Ed began to panic as her body crushed his to the wall, her lips bridging closer to his.

'No! This isn't happening! Hawkeye snap out of it!' His mind screamed since his voice died in his terror.

She pushed her mouth against his own.

'Stop!'

Suddenly Hawkeye let go and cried out in pain. At her feet a small black and white dog had his jaws clamped around her lower calf, growling lowly at his master.

Taking advantage of the situation Ed ran away to the back door, silently thanking Black Hayate for rescuing him as he went through the door, slamming it behind him.

Inside Ed ran helter-skelter, turning corners and running up stairs at random, hoping against hope that he wouldn't run into anyone in his wake. The as he reached a corridor he wasn't familiar with he spotted an open door and ran inside, finding it was a janitors closet.

Flicking on the switch he quickly closed the door behind him and locked it before collapsing against the wall, breathing in and out heavily.

Overcome by the fear that gripped him earlier Ed fell victim to the pangs of sleep and he closed his eyes, crossing his arms around himself in a tired attempt to protect himself.

--

They were chasing him.
No matter how much he ran, no matter how much he shouted for help,

They still chased.

The road he run on seemed cruel and long, his flesh leg pumped with each leap and the bearings in his left leg strained as he tried getting away,
Away from the people he knew and the ones he didn't,

All after him,

Wanting him.

Any second his lungs were going to burst he was so exhausted, his bangs plastered to his face from the sweat. He cried out, feeling tears of frustration cloud his vision as he ran.

Somebody help, he heard himself yell

He could feel the terrible pounding of his heart as both fear and fatigue took over,

Suddenly the footsteps that echoed behind him seemed more distant, and he could hear himself sob in relief…

He was going to make it,

He was-

Then suddenly his left leg locked up, refusing to support him any longer.
The world around him became surrounded by dirt and cement as he pitched forward, his forehead smacking the ground with a sickening crack.

Desperately he pulled himself along the ground with his hands, shuddering from the pain and trying to see past the flow of red that ran down the bridge of his nose. The footsteps were getting closer and closer now.

Crying out he clapped his hands and hit the cement with his palms, whimpering in shock when nothing happened.

The footsteps were closer now, he tried to crawl away again.

Something hard came down on his back, stopping his movement, and quite suddenly the footsteps that pursued him so viciously stopped, surrounded him.

For so many moments nothing happened. He could hear their heavy breathing beyond his own, could feel their eyes on him.

Suddenly he was flipped to his back, the horrible laughter of his captors rang in his ears as they pounced on him,

Tearing at his clothes…

Ignoring his cries…

He screamed.

--

Ed's eyes snapped open from the sound of his own voice. Shaking he looked around to see he was still in the same closet he hid in, feeling himself and his forehead he was still very much alright.

…but the fear…

The running…

The groping…

The faces…

Their eyes…

Feeling himself heave he turned to a mop bucket and coughed harshly until he felt his stomach held nothing more.

"This has to end…" Ed panted, wiping the residue and what he hoped the kiss from Hawkeye away with the back of his hand.

"One way or another, this has to end."

T.B.C.