"Sergeant Carter!"

Harry snapped his eyes open at the sound of his commanding officer's harsh bark and lurched out of his seat, quickly standing straight and saluting. "C-Colonel Coleman, sir!" he exclaimed.

The female officer stared back at him with a cold gaze. "Why have you fallen asleep at your post, soldier? Your job is to keep an eye on the prisoner and make sure she doesn't escape," she reprimanded bitterly.

Harry gulped and briefly nodded, pressing his salute deeper against his forehead. "Y-Yes sir! I promise it won't happen again, sir!" he shouted nervously.

Colonel Coleman narrowed her eyes at her subordinate. "It better not, for your sake," she growled. "We have strict orders from the Führer himself to keep the prisoner under custody until tomorrow morning. You know as well that she's your responsibility, Carter. If you screw something up…"

Harry internally scream as the Colonel quickly slit her finger over her throat and made a choking noise before turning away and walking down the hall. He was about to drop his arm back to his side but stiffened as he heard Coleman mutter, "I can't believe he bred such a failure of a son."

Harry felt his heart skip a beat and he gritted his teeth, holding back a cry of hurt protest. Colonel Coleman knew how to shoot in the places where it stung. He waited until Coleman rounded the corner of the hall and out of his line of sight before he dropped his arm, allowing himself to sag back into his chair and let out a heavy sigh. "She really didn't have to bring my dad into this situation," he muttered.

Colonel Coleman, Harry's commanding officer, seemed to hold a grudge against Harry ever since he had been placed under her command. It was frustrating for the Sergeant, as he constantly put in extra work to please her, but to no avail. True, he had fallen asleep on the job, but he wasn't used to working the night shift.

Speaking of… Harry stifled back a yawn as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, copper pocket watch, clicking it open and glancing at the time. "Close to midnight? Jeez, it feels like it's later than that," he said to himself, snapping his watch closed and glancing at the door he sat next to. "It doesn't help that I barely got any sleep last night after finding that girl."

The girl… Harry couldn't help himself as he began to reflect on the night before. It all started out with going out to a local pub with a few of his military comrades to celebrate a promotion for one of his buddies. Said friend had so many drinks that he could barely walk without stumbling on his own two feet, and as Harry hadn't drunk much that night, he was giving the unfortunate task of walking his friend home. As he arrived at the apartment that his buddy stayed at, a sudden flash of light through the nearby alleyway had caught Harry's eye. His comrade, in his drunken stupor, had panicked and ran into the building, yelling something about war breaking out in Central, while Harry rushed to find the source.

What he found was something he hadn't been expecting. A red-haired girl was sprawled out in the alleyway, her feet barely hanging off the edge of an open manhole. Her shirt had been ripped open as a large pool of blood steadily spread from three long cuts from her chest to her stomach; she appeared to be barely alive. Harry had wasted no time in searching for help and finding a way to stop the bleeding.

Luckily, a janitor from the apartment had stepped out to take out the trash and was able to run back inside to call for help. A few minutes later, the medics arrived and took the girl away while Harry was brought in for questioning. He was able to give the police a brief report on his findings as a witness before being dismissed and sent home. He had assumed that would be all he would be involved in regarding the girl, but he didn't know how wrong he was.

Early the next morning, Harry was summoned to Central Command and brought to a meeting with Colonel Coleman and a high-ranking General, directly from the Führer himself. The General explained that the girl Harry had found was a dangerous convict that escaped from the State Penitentiary in Central. She had been critically injured from her attempted escape and was placed in Central Hospital until she recovered, to which she was to be placed under the Führer's custody and taken directly to him immediately. Until that time, the General placed Harry and Coleman as the girl's guards, and the two were given strict orders to keep the girl under their watch at all times. He also ordered Harry to keep his information about how the girl was found under confidential evidence. No one from the public or even the military, other than witnesses at the scene and the police, were to know about her whereabouts.

Harry frowned. He didn't see why everything about the girl was to be kept a secret or even why she had to be so heavily guarded. When he had visited her that morning, she had seemed kind, honest, and exhausted from her injuries. Maybe she was only acting that way because of her amnesia, which was probably a result of the doctors giving her a heavy dosage of pain killers. Maybe she didn't even have amnesia and was only acting innocent from experience of being a criminal.

Now that he thought about it, her appearance did seem strange as well. After seeing her up close, Harry noticed that she appeared very different from the average Amestrian, with her bright red hair and olive green eyes. The way he had found her was weird as well. What was with that bright flash of light he saw before he found the girl? And how'd she get those scars. As a Sergeant, Harry knew his differences between wounds, and he knew that her injuries hadn't come from a gun, which he thought that the prison guards would try to injure her with, or even a sword. With all this in mind, he was starting to suspect that the General had secrets up his sleeve about the girl that he hadn't informed either Harry or Coleman about.

Shaking his head, Harry chuckled to himself as he ran a hand through his fluffy-like hair. What am I thinking? I shouldn't be questioning the Führer's orders, he thought. Maybe it's because I'm exhausted… I wish Coleman would help me out instead of bossing me around.

Even though Coleman was placed as the alternate guard, she had managed to weasel her way out of the job by hoaxing that she was behind in paperwork and had other subordinates to take care of. Harry had been stuck sitting in a chair all day with only two small breaks for lunch and dinner in between watch times. He couldn't blame himself for accidentally falling asleep on the job. Besides, it wasn't like he was going to make a major mistake if he fell asleep; the girl had been unconscious or resting for most of the day anyway.

I should at least check on her to make sure she's alright, he thought, standing and stretching his aching joints.

Before Harry had fallen asleep, he had heard soft whimpers coming from behind the locked door. When he opened it to check, he had found the girl curled up in her bed, looking as if she were in pain. Harry had attempted to wake her up, but she had remained in her fitful slumber, her nightmares keeping her away from the real world. It pained Harry to watch the young girl suffer from whatever plagued her mind, but he knew he was at a loss for assistance. All he could do was stand by and watch helplessly, ready to take action if her fits would escalate into kicks and screams. Eventually, however, the girl had relaxed and appeared to be at peace again, allowing the Sergeant to return to his post and fall into his own world of dreams.

Now, in the eerie silence of the empty hospital hallways, Harry could hear nothing from the other side of the door. He took it as a good sign and dug through his pocket, taking out a small key and unlocking the door to the girl's room with a soft "click". Quietly pushing the door ajar, he opened his mouth to whisper to the sleeping girl when the scene before him made the Sergeant freeze.

The hospital bed was empty. A gown lay crumpled in the corner and the clothes and food he had left for the girl had vanished. A string of tied-up sheets were knotted around a bed post and hung over the ledge of an open window that gave out the midnight view of Central City.

For several moments, Harry stood as stiff as a board as he took in the room, his mouth hanging open as realization slowly dawned on him. A single thought crossed his mind.

Sergeant Harrison Carter, you're a dead man.

I sighed wearily as I paused in my walk for the hundredth time and looked around at my surroundings. I had stopped in the middle of an empty street, paved by concrete and lit up from nearby streetlights. To my left were rows of middle-class buildings, all looking exactly alike, and to my right was a stone bridge crossing over a river flowing between the streets. With the clear, starlit sky above me, I would have enjoyed the peaceful nightlife of Central City.

Sadly, I was more focused on trying to find a map.

"I'm really starting to get sick of being lost," I grumbled. "It doesn't help that most of these Central buildings look exactly alike as the ones a few streets away… Or did I just go in a giant circle?" I paused and looked down, continuing to mumble. "There's no way I could've. I was walking straight the whole time… At least I think I was."

I had lost track of how long I had been wandering as well. Half an hour? An hour? I couldn't tell. I hadn't even run into any civilians to ask for directions. Hell, I didn't even know where I wanted to go.

I glanced back in the direction I had come from and frowned, uneasy. "I wonder if Harry or anyone else in the hospital noticed that I'd left yet," I muttered. "If they have, I should try to find someplace that's at least a good hiding spot."

I surveyed my surroundings, taking a closer look. It seemed like the street ahead of me would only lead me down a similar street with more buildings that, of course, all looked exactly alike. I turned towards the bridge and noticed an alleyway between two shops at the other side. "Come to think of it, it's a bad idea to walk in these open streets if anyone's looking for me," I said to myself. "My best bet would be hiding out in the alleyways. Maybe I might even run into some hobos that know this city and ask for directions. Unless they try to mug me."

Shaking my imaginations out of my head, I stepped onto the bridge and began to cross it, taking a third glance around. Now that I think about it, this city is pretty different, I thought. For a big city like this one, it's not as… oh, what's the word… Modern? Defiantly not like Minneapolis-

My thoughts came to a halt as I suddenly noticed the silhouette of a woman standing in the center of the roadway. I stopped in my tracks and hesitated, trying to adjust my eyes to the darkness. I hadn't noticed her earlier at all. Either I had overlooked her in the darkness, or she had just appeared out of thin air.

A streetlight across the bridge gave me a better view of the woman as I quietly stepped closer. Long, black hair covered her facial features while her body was turned towards the water flowing under the bridge. She was leaning against the parapet, her arms propped on the stone and her hands cupping her chin, appearing to be at ease.

…As much as I appreciate that I'm not alone now, why is there a random civilian on a bridge so late at night? For a moment, I hesitated. She seemed familiar, as if I had met her somewhere before… As if she was someone I feared…

Come off it, Sabrina, I scolded myself. The dark is just probably playing tricks on you. Besides, if you're going to get anywhere, you can't assume every single person is an enemy.

I pushed my fears aside and began to approach the woman. "Excuse me!" I called out. "Can I ask you something?"

The woman barely turned her head in my direction, her hair covering her eyes. I smiled in a friendly manner and waved. "I'd hate to bother you, but I'm a little lo-"

My breath caught in my throat as the woman turned to face me and stood at full height. She brushed her bangs aside, uncovering her violet eyes as a cool smile spread across her luscious lips. My eyes drifted down to her chest, where a red tattoo was marked just above her revealing cleavage.

No… Not her… Not them… Not again!

"There you are," the woman said, her voice silk smooth. "You've been causing some unnecessary trouble for running off like that."

Panic and fear made my body freeze up and my heartbeat quicken. I shakily took a step back and she matched my footsteps, strolling towards me, her hips swaying. "You have nowhere to run," she said, a smirk playing at her lips. "Save yourself the trouble and give yourself up."

A growl sounded from behind me and I whipped my head around, looking back in desperation. A short man stood at the end of the bridge, staring at me with empty, glowing eyes. His body and head were round with fat and a trail of drool was sliding down from the corner of his wide mouth. "Lust, can I eat her?" the fat man asked, his voice high and shaky.

Eat?! I felt my eyes widen in horror. "No Gluttony. She's an important sacrifice, and we need her alive," the woman, Lust, spoke up.

Sacrifice? For what?! And what the hell's with these names?!

The fat man called Gluttony pouted and sniffed, but his expression lifted as Lust continued, "However, she's been very troublesome and she needs punishment. I suppose you can take a few bites out of her."

A wide and toothy sneer spread across Gluttony's face and he lunged towards me, letting out a howling cry of hunger. I swiveled around in time to see the woman leap forward, her fingers extending into long, sharp claws as she reached out for me.

For a split second, my mind raced. Time seemed to slow as I looked over my options. Two people were going to attack me from either side and a river blocked any other access of escape. I wasn't a very good swimmer either; I could easily get swept away by the current. That left only one option.

Time to go up, up, and away.

I clapped my hands together and crouched, slamming them onto the ground. A bright, blue light flashed and alchemical sparks shot out from beneath my palms, spreading out in a wide radius around me. A moment later, the stone under me quickly rose up into the sky, launching me above my two attackers. The growing stone tower began to lean towards the look-alike buildings and I urged it forward, preparing to leap towards the rooftops.

The tower suddenly jerked and I gave out a cry as it leaned too far forward and began to fall to the ground. Taking a fast moment to brace myself, I leaped forward and reached out for the nearest rooftop, the distance between myself and the building closing. My fingers reached the edge and I gripped on, feeling my body swing and slam into the wall, almost knocking the breath out of me. I glanced down at the ground and saw the stone tower crumbling, pieces of debris splashing into the river and others smashing into the street. No doubt the collapse would make some noise and attract the attention of any civilians in the area, but my number one priority was getting away from my pursuers.

Who were starting to approach the building that I hung from.

Adrenaline kicking in, I pulled myself up to the roof and scrambled to my feet, sprinting across the flat rooftop. A hungry cry from Gluttony pierced the silent night before I heard a loud crunching sound behind me and the ground under my feet shook. Stumbling and glancing over my shoulder, I saw him land on the rooftop, his weight causing cracks to spread across the roof and making a dent under his body, before he snarled and charged at me, almost going on all fours.

Despite his seemingly massive weight, Gluttony caught up to me in a matter of seconds and lunged forward to tackle me, his mouth wide open and his tongue flying out. As his body left the ground, I quickly skidded to a halt and ducked low, feeling his belly skim over my head before he crashed into a vent a few meters in front of me.

Quickly standing and whirling around, I faced Gluttony as he pushed himself up from the rubble. He turned towards me and I felt a shiver run down my spine as his blank eyes and teeth glowed in the moonlight, a wide sneer spreading across his fat face.

Dammit. This guy is too fast to outrun. And I doubt I can beat him in a fight either, I thought, grimacing. Just what the hell is he?!

"I smell your blood… I want to eat your blood!" Gluttony exclaimed, his voice quivering with delight.

I winced and briefly pressed a hand to my chest. Pain had begun to sting across my body and I had barely realized it until then. If I pushed myself any further, my wounds would reopen if they hadn't already started. I had to get away from my two attackers before then.

Speaking of which, I realized with a start, where did that lady go-

I heard the air ripple behind me and I spun around as Lust leapt forward, slashing at me. Her dark and elongated fingers came into contact with my body and teared through it, ripping apart my t-shirt and bandages. I opened my mouth in a silent gasp of pain and surprise as blood spurted out of my reopened wounds, beads of blood flying through the air as Lust flicked her fingers and smirked at me. I wrapped my arms around my body to try and cover up the wound and doubled over, emitting a harsh cough as I stumbled back a few steps. My heels stepped over the edges of the rooftops and I pivoted backwards, losing my balance as gravity took over and I plummeted into an alleyway.

I screamed out as my back slammed into a pile of trash bags, hearing a loud "CRUNCH" and praying that it was merely from the junk and not from my already injured body. The world around me spun and my vision faded in and out as I gripped my chest, heaving and panting from the building pain. I barely even realized Lust had jumped down and landed in front of me until she leaned down and cupped my chin in her fingers, tilting my head back and forcing me to look into her vivid, violet eyes.

"You've already caused enough trouble for us, little sacrifice," Lust said, a cold smile spreading across her lips. "Just give up now before we're forced to hurt you even more. Not that we wouldn't enjoy it."

I gritted my teeth and went to clap my hands together, but Lust was quicker. A clawed finger shot out and dug into the palm of my left hand as I lifted it, pinning it against the bricked wall. Burning pain shot through my arm and I screamed out, feeling my body uncontrollably convulse.

"Your alchemy won't help you this time," Lust said, the pain escalating as she dug her finger deeper into my hand. "It's pathetic how you rely on alchemy as your only weapon. And now that you can't use it, you're hopeless."

I glared at her, feeling tears of pain escape the corners of my eyes. "D…Don't you dare underestimate me," I growled, my voice weak and trembling.

Lust let out a cold chuckle. "You can't even boast with strength in your voice," she mocked. "Your useless taunts won't save you-"

She stopped as she noticed a bright glow emanating from my right hand, and I couldn't help but release a small smirk as her expression faltered. My hand was pressed up against the wall, where I had drawn a transmutation circle in my own blood. "I don't need to rely on clapping, you know. I'm still an alchemist at heart!" I managed to raise my voice to a yell, the light shining even brighter as sparks shot out.

A long and thin spear formed from the brick wall and shot forward like a bullet, cutting through the air and stabbing Lust through her shoulder. She gave out a surprised and pained gasp and took a few steps back, pulling her nail out of my palm and reaching over to grip the spear.

"You-," she began, only to stop again as I quickly clapped my hands together and slam them down on the ground, trying my best to ignore the surging pain through my palm. Through my pain and fear, I felt my alchemy strengthen beyond control and alchemical sparks crackled in the air as the ground beneath my fingertips burst forward, forming into three spikes and impaling Lust through her chest and palms. She choked as she was forcefully pinned to the opposite wall and coughed up blood, her body twitching and convulsing a few times. I staggered to my feet as the woman struggled in vain before going limps, her bangs falling over her face as blood seeped through her wounds.

I clutched at my own bleeding scars and stared at her limp figure. A tense silence seemed to fill the entire world as I realized that what I looked at was Lust's dead body.

Is she…? Did I really…?

I shook my head, answering my own thoughts. "You monster… I've watched you die before," I whispered. "You're not done yet-"

"LUST!" An inhuman screech broke the silence and I spun around to see Gluttony drop from the rooftops and charge at me. I had almost forgotten about him. Springing into action, I staggered back and clapped my hands together, pressing them to the ground. The concrete rose up and formed into a thick wall, posing as a barrier between myself and my two adversaries. A split second later, the wall shook from the force of Gluttony crashing into it and a crack went down the middle. Pain shot through my left hand and chest, and I gritted my teeth, hugging myself around the waist.

If I keep fighting like this, I'm gonna pass out! my thoughts raced. I gotta find help!

I whipped around and headed out of the alleyway, keeping a hand pressed to my reopened wounds to try and slow the bleeding. Each step I took sent pain jolting through my entire being, forcing my pace to a slow and stumbling jog as I headed down the streets of Central. My heartbeat pounded in my head and black dots danced in my vision as I glanced around for signs of help.

This isn't good! I panicked, hearing my breath come out in labored gasps. I'm either gonna pass out or they'll find me again and-

My thoughts halted as I caught on to a bright light shining through an open window of a small, nearby building. Help! Gathering the last of my strength, I rushed towards the light, staggering as I felt my mind become light and dizzy. I didn't waste any time checking to see if anyone was inside as I got closer. All I wanted was to seek help and shelter from my attackers.

I grabbed the windowsill as I reached it, about to pull myself inside, but I found myself lurching forward and toppling in headfirst. I fell flat on my face, with the rest of my body following, but I felt too strained and in pain to care. I moaned involuntarily and struggled to push myself up to my hands and knees, looking down at my chest as I did so. Blood was dripping from my wounds, which looked more torn up than before, and was coating the floor below with drops of crimson red.

A surprised gasp from above barely startled me, and I slowly looked up to see three blurred figures standing over me and looking down. All I could make out of them was that one was gray and tall and the other two were blonde, with one being a few inches taller than the other.

"Please…" My voice was barely above a breath. "I… I need your…"

The world around me spun and faded into black as my arms gave out, losing consciousness before I even felt my head hit the ground.

AN: Holy crap guys, a new chapter after a month of waiting! I'm sorry for the wait, school's been kicking my butt for the past few weeks with exams and projects, and it's been hard for me to even pick up a pencil and write a paragraph for this story. Hopefully by May, I'll be able to update more frequently.

Reviews are greatly appreciated too! While this isn't my first fanfiction I've ever wrote, it's my first one published on and I'd love your guys' opinions! Whether it's about the characters, the wording, or the story as a whole, I'd love to hear what you guys think.

Also, thanks to kiers and AlltimeFictionReader for being my first reviewers! You guys rock!

Until next time, sharia013 signing out. Hope you enjoyed!