miroku-has-darkness - Maybe. If you thought those were sad, just wait until the next couple chapters. Crazy stuff.
Sunkissed Lavender - Yes yes, very scary! Whoo-hoo! I mean...no. Edward has more punishment on the way and trust me, it gets worse. More for us loyal FMA fans to read/watch than Edward actually doing it. You'll see. It makes me sick and sad just thinking about it.
soupcan - Well, please update soon reviews are okay when they're from loyal fans like yourself, but I hate it when just random people pop from no where and are like 'update soon!' Yours was fine though thank you!!!
PrincessZidet - Right no cliffies. And as for what's up with Al, he's just being an emotional wreak. I'd worry more about what's up with Edward. But that's just me.
Chapter fourteen - Days passed
When Edward woke the next morning, it took himself a while to remember just where he was. He seemed to be like that a lot lately. He kept waking up in strange places, unable to remember what was going on. When he saw Alphonse wasn't at his side, however, he remembered perfectly.
He let out a loud groan as he lay there rubbing his temples. He was trying to figure out just how to get out of Birkenau and back to Alphonse; a task that was much easier said than done. It was almost time to get up from the sounds of shuffling he heard above him. The bunk was rocking a little bit to where Edward was afraid it might fall and crush him.
Things in the prison barrack in Birkenau were different than the ones back in Auschwitz one. The barrack was smaller for one thing, and the bunks were only made for three people. One on top, one in middle, and one on bottom. Which Edward was on the bottom right now.
It was drafty and most of the men there were sick; probably because they had been shoveling dead bodies, so long to where disease had spread. Edward only hoped that nothing would catch onto him anytime soon.
As a man came into the barrack and started barking orders, Edward couldn't help but feel a strange feeling. They mentioned a punishment the day before, which so far was only having him watch the gas chambers in action. Something he didn't want to relive. He was afraid to face the death again but knew he would have to.
He found himself constantly saying it was better that he was doing it, rather than Alphonse being there to do it for him. It didn't make things better. He was worried about his brother and wished he could at least let him know that he was still alive, and that the gas wouldn't come upon him. Or so he hoped.
Once out of the barrack, they were served their breakfast. It was even mushier than the soup they got back in Edward's home barrack, but the men didn't notice. To them it was just breakfast. Edward ate it reluctantly and nibbled on a moldy piece of bread that he ended up tossing away. He felt bad about it, but all it would do would get someone sick; not that the mush wasn't doing the same thing.
After the meal, Edward and a few other men were taken to the gas chamber; number four from what the SS men said. Their job was to clean it up for the arriving train that would be there in an hour. That meant making sure any dead bodies were cleared and that any items were to be brought to the SS man in charge.
Edward didn't feel up to the task but didn't protest as he nodded and walked inside. There wasn't much to clean anyway, so the job would be easy. The men had no face masks on this time, so they could smell the air inside. Edward held his nose after so long though; the smell was too strong.
The gas was all gone, but traces of it were here and there, making it sometimes difficult to breath. The dried blood all along the walls and ground made the air stiff, which turned Edward's stomach in all directions. He fought to hold his breakfast down though as he cleaned up what little there was.
It was about an hours work, and by the time they had finished the people had arrived. Edward looked at them sadly; just like the last batch, their hopes were high and they dreamed of going to a better place. A place Edward knew didn't exist.
"Bring the boy up here!" A German soldier said from the roof. The SS man in charge of watching their little group nodded and smacked Edward over the head. Edward jumped slightly, like a dog would, as he headed up the stairs to the roof. He knew what was coming.
On the roof he saw SS men, German soldiers and the laughing man from before. The man motioned for Edward to come over, and he obeyed. Once he got over to the third window in, he knelt down like the laughing man was. He pointed down the open window to show Edward the people filing in.
"Your turn to drop the gas today boy," he said in an almost friendly tone.
"I did it yesterday," Edward said in monotone; he was still half asleep.
"No, what you did was watch and wait for someone to help you drop it. Today, you're really going to drop it." The man said as he patted Edward's shoulder. Reaching to a nearby basket he handed Edward one of the gas balls, which Edward took out of reaction.
"I can't do it," Edward said shaking his head, "find yourself some other slave."
"Listen here you little bastard," the man hissed, getting sick of Edward already. "You will do as we command. You got that? If you don't, then your brother will be on the top of the list for one of these." He said narrowing his eyes and he looked back to the gas chambers interior.
Edward frowned and tried to sum everything up. It was all a game to these people. All a sick twisted little game. They didn't care that they were taking human lives. They sure as hell didn't have any morals about it either.
It was all a game; and they wanted Edward in on it.
His eyes widened slightly as something clicked in his mind. If he went along with this…this game…maybe they would let the brother's go. Good behavior should by them release right? It was worth a try.
"The doors are shut!" A Jew said from the corner as they all got into position. Edward took in a gasp of air, ready for whatever came his way.
"Now then, you'll go after Hougen," the laughing man said with a short nod to the man beside them. Edward said nothing as he continued to look down at the people, who were by now starting to worry.
"Now!" One man shouted from the side, and the game had begun.
The first bomb dropped, and started the first series of screams. Then the second bomb came and another wave hit. The third one had almost no new screams since the second bomb had hit both areas.
"Now!" The laughing man shouted to Edward.
Edward suddenly found it hard to breath again. He could hear his heartbeat and nothing more. The screams were muffled along with the commands. All he could see anymore was him and the gas bomb in his hand. Alphonses face flashed in his mind, only a moment and he knew what he had to do.
If it was the only way to get out…
…then so be it.
Edward looked down in the hole below, the people squirmed and coughed a little bit. His hearing had come back so the screams were heard clearly again. Edward stared at the ball in his own hand, eyes glazed over. He didn't feel anything anymore. Just an empty feeling and a voice in his head that yelled at him to keep going. To move on and fight for his brother. "This is for Al…" He whispered as he let his hand open and drop the object down.
In the midst of all the confusion and screaming going on, Edward didn't even notice the trace of a smile spread across his lips.
"Hey kid, not bad for your first drop in." A German soldier said after the gas had cleared and they were moving bodies. Edward said nothing as he moved a few bodies out of the way so he could gather up any possessions. It didn't bother him anymore…
"That was his second. First solo mission though," the laughing man said from the side lines, watching them clean up. Edward's theory was correct though. It was just a game to them; one they laughed about after it was done.
"Well he did very well for whatever mission it was. I remember my first drop in. Scared the crap out of me! Literally," the German laughed again with a weak cough after ward. He was an older man, probably late fifties; but it didn't stop him from commanding the area.
The laughing man was, from what Edward understood, some kind of high ranking officer in this place. Probably a colonel or something in Edwards standards. "Yeah I remember my first drop in," the man said with a little laugh as he shook his head. "It was exhilarating. Gave me some kind of high to hear those people screaming."
"Yeah I know, it was like-"
"Is that why you do it?" Edward suddenly asked as he walked passed them, carrying a few items. "Is that why you kill people?" He asked narrowing his eyes, daring them to answer.
The laughing man grinned playfully and nodded, "That's why I kill. To watch the men and women squirm underneath me. We are gods here. Himmler and Hitler and all those other men may control the world; but we here control this world. We are these peoples gods. What we say goes, or they do." He said as he shrugged, telling Edward that was all the answer he was going to get.
"Don't be so disgusted in us boy," the older man said again with another cough. "We were once just like you and look at us now. On top of the world!" he exclaimed throwing his arm up in the air.
Edward narrowed his eyes again then walked on, "I'm nothing like you people…" He muttered under his breath.
"How is he doing then?" Himmler asked a SS man that was standing perfectly still in the middle of the room. Himmler's office to be exact.
"He is obeying orders nicely now," the man responded with a nod. "By the end of the week he should be ready to go back to Auschwitz."
"Excellent," Himmler said nodding, "and how is the other golden eyed boy doing?"
"Eh-5583 is doing fine. He has been working hard everyday, though he still has trouble when it comes time to give out the beatings."
"He'll learn in time," Himmler said smugly. "The reports on these boys, they are..?"
"Being destroyed as fast as they are written sir."
"Good. I want no word leaking out about these two. If they are the perfect Aryans or whatever else they claim to be, I want no one knowing about it. As far as the world is concerned these boys are just Jews like the others, and as such have no place in history books."
"Sir, if they aren't important like you claim…then why bother with special treatment for them?"
"Because, "Himmler said looking out his window, gazing in the direction of Birkenau. "Life gets boring even in the midst of war, and messing around with lives only makes things more interesting…"
The next day was like the one before it. An early wake up call, then breakfast of mush and moldy bread. Edward actually missed the bread back at the home barrack. He missed the men there; or at least the ones that didn't try molesting his brother. Alphonse... That was what he missed the most.
He sighed as he picked apart the bread, sorting it out so he only ate the good parts. He didn't want to get sick in a place like this. Even if his mother was nearby as a nurse, he didn't want to risk anything. So he ate in silence and listened to the coughs around him. Today would be another day of pain for the older Elric. Another drop in was awaiting him and he didn't exactly look forward to it.
"EH-5582! They're calling you!" Their leader said as he looked at the men, not knowing Edward well enough yet. Edward shrugged and got up, setting the rest of his breakfast aside, which a few men jumped on soon after. He ignored them and started walking in the direction the man had pointed out. This wouldn't be fun...
When he got to where they wanted him, he was greeted by the laughing man from before. He seemed a little more friendly to Edward; almost like they were friends.
"EH-5582, Edward Elric," he said grinning. The man was older than Edward by a few years, you could tell by the look of him. He had a deep voice but a lighter laugh. His eyes were blue and hair was dirty blonde from what Edward could tell. Aryan working for Nazis by the looks for it, because he certainly wasn't a prisoner. "So glad to see you again," he said motioning Edward to follow him.
Edward narrowed his eyes but nodded as he followed the man. He was off in his own thoughts so when the man introduced himself properly, Edward hadn't heard. They reached the nearest gas chamber, number three, and stood outside. The man smiled as he looked at it, almost proudly.
"Here we are," he said looking over at Edward. "This is our assignment for the day."
"Excuse me?" Edward asked with a frown, he didn't like where this was going. Not one bit. "I don't have assignments. I run and run and keep running until it's time to sleep." He explained bitterly, thinking about Alphonse yet again.
"Not anymore. We're training you to be a soldier like us," the man said as he started walking into the chamber. Edward paused and just stared. They wanted him to be one of those men? To kill people mercifully? Was that it?
"I'm not going to be like one of you," Edward said as his legs began to move forward to follow obediently. "That thing yesterday...it was a one time thing. It won't happen again."
"You say that kid, but everyone here obeys or it's death to those who don't." He said as he looked around the interior of the room. "Well, it's kind of dirty in here, but it doesn't matter." He looked back to Edward, "ready?"
"For what?" Edward asked narrowing his eyes as the man reached to his side and lifted up a small wrapped object. A whip, about as thick as a pencil or so.
"Sorry kid, but I have orders. Turn around and present your back." He muttered something else in another language then waited for Edward to move. Which he didn't at first. He had to think of something.
Very slowly and carefully, Edward lifted his shirt up a bit to show his stomach; he couldn't help but notice the rib cage slowly beginning to show. He took the neck hole and lifted it over his head, but kept the shirt sleeves drapes over his arms so you couldn't see the auto mail. What little bit you could was covered in mud that had just wiped off the shirt.
After making sure there were no smug remarks, Edward turned around and stood against the wall waiting. This must have been part two to his punishment...
There were no other words spoken as the whip was untangled and ready for the beating. Edward was still and tried to let his mind go elsewhere so he wouldn't notice; but he failed as the first crack came. It hit its target and he winced from it. It wasn't very hard, but hard enough.
A few more cracks and Edwards back began bleeding and went numb. He hadn't noticed it, but tears began streaming down his cheeks as he leaned against the wall for support. He was slowly finding it harder and harder to stay standing.
'Al...' He told his brother mentally as he squeezed his eyes shut. 'I'm sorry...I'm so sorry...!'
A few more cracks here and there until Edward had passed out for too much stress on his body. He fell to the blood stained ground where he just lay there. The laughing man shrugged then walked out of the room shutting the doors behind him. There was no point in waking Edward, that room wasn't in for a gassing yet. He'd be fine just sleeping there. Tomorrow would be another drop in day and no more beating should fall upon the once blonde male.
Edward just lay there, the pathetic shell of a once great alchemist. His mind was racing, his heart pounding... He knew he wouldn't last long there though. He had to do something, anything to survive. Then as he lay there motionless, chest moving very slightly, Edward felt his heart snap...
Just a little bit...
A few more days went by, and Edward lived a normal routine; if you could call it that. Mush for breakfast, cleaning the chambers, the drop in assignments, more cleaning, more mush, then bed. Then it repeated itself in a few hours.
It had been a long and painful weak. He was sore from the beating still, even after a week. He was growing thin and withered like the rest, but he fought as hard as he could to keep living. That meant, however, only looking to the future. Forgetting things in the past sometimes...
During their night time, when he was laying on his bed in the barrack, Edward found himself thinking back on the past a lot. The little pieces he could remember anyway...
It reminded him on the island they had stayed on when they were training with teacher. When they couldn't use alchemy and they had to survive a whole month on nothing but what they provided for themselves. None of the forbid art of turning things into gold, no science to lead them, no anything. Just them being there alone. They and them, being Edward and himself.
It was just Edward back then and it was just Edward now.
Edward frowned suddenly as his eyes narrowed. He stared up at the bunk above him trying to figure it out. It had always been Edward right? He couldn't' remember anymore. Parts of his past had been slowly dissolving into nothing. Bits and pieces remained, but for the most part there was nothing.
He couldn't even remember how he'd gotten there anymore. He could remember an apartment, a train, and then here. The screams that didn't bother him anymore. The sight and smell that use to make him sick had now been reduced to nothing more then an hourly occurrence.
He took in a deep breath as he tried to remember but found himself drawing a blank. If he ever did figure out what was going on, it'd be too late. He could hardly remember his own name anymore; let alone something from his past that had maybe once been important. Or someone for that matter.
"Edward! Your turn!" The older German man shouted from his end. Edward nodded and let his bomb drop. His daily routine of watching the people below in the gas chambers was going on. Noon the next day, almost a week had gone by since his first drop in. He had no emotions anymore as he watched the people underneath him.
Men, women, and children crying out for someone to save them. It always amused Edward to see people like that. Calling out for help when clearly none was coming. He even found himself laughing once in a great moon.
As the screams started to die down and their job was finished, the laughing man walked over to Edward and ruffled the fuzz on his head. Edward was slowly growing back his golden hair.
"Nice work kid, your getting good at it."
"Thanks," Edward replied as he got up from his window, stretched a bit then headed down the stairs.
"You'd be a great soldier if you ever wanted to be," one man said as they all headed off in their own direction. Edward shrugged off the comment as he gabbed his usual face mask to clean up the inside of the gas chamber.
"Well, see you later!" They called to him as he joined up with the other members of the clean up crew. Together they went inside and began to move bodies. Edward was still emotionless as he did his task, and no one ever spoke.
He frowned as he came upon a dead child, no older than five by the looks of it. "Okay, who's in charge of security?" He called to the others, who just ignored him anyway. "Children three or older are suppose to go to the furnace not the gas chambers!" He rubbed his temples, "damn Jews can't listen…" He muttered as he moved the body out of his way.
The moment he did, something clicked in his mind, but he did nothing more than continue. They were almost done moving bodies, with the pile outside the chamber as some kind of prize. Edward looked out at it then sighed and went to finish the rest of the work he had planned.
Item collecting.
This was when he was allowed to go and collect any valuables that might have dropped during the gassing or moving of the bodies. This was always his favorite part because that meant he got to see what crap people still carried with them. Then they gave them to the men in charge; which for Edward was a random SS man outside waiting for him to finish his job.
Nothing much had come up, just different knick-knacks. Nothing too fancy.
"Edward, we're going to the barrack now," one prisoner said as a few men headed out. "Are you coming?"
"I'm going to head out in a while," Edward said waving his head with a little smile, "save me some soup!"
The men didn't respond as the let the boy.
Edward sighed and dug around in the debris of mud and ash that might have blown in with the winds. He was a sad shell of a once great person. His spark for life had been drained, and all there was now was a Nazi creature. A sick little monster who could only remember death in his life.
His mother died. His father died. Everyone he cared about was more than likely dead, but he would never know. Now he was here in the land of the dead.
"Well, I guess that's all," he muttered as he shrugged and started to walk off. Or more, he was about to when a small click sound was heard under his left foot. Metal hitting metal. Edward blinked once in slight confusion as he looked down to see what it was.
Some kind of watch from the looks of it. Silver in color and dirty all around so you couldn't see the pattern on the outside. He bent down and looked it over, twirling it in his fingers. "Weird," he said as he stuffed it into his pocket. He ignored it for the time being as he headed back over to the barracks. Dinner sounded good.
"EH-5582?" A man shouted as he looked through the men, "Eh-5582?"
"That's me!" Edward said running over looking at the man, "is something wrong?"
"Under the command of Himmler, you are to be taken back to Auschwitz one where you will assume previous actions."
"I-I am?" Edward stuttered as his eyes went wide and almost to their normal look. Not the glazed over look he'd once had. "Why?"
"You are not to ask questions, now get going!"
"Yes sir!" Edward saluted as he ran off t head back to Auschwitz. It was still bothering though. That empty feeling. He'd spent a week there now but it seemed much longer; and no matter how hard he tried to the stench wouldn't come off.
It was a long walk from Birkenau to Auschwitz one again, but it was an easier trip for Edward than the second time. There was something different about him now, almost eerie. He'd gone for the stubborn bad ass golden eyed boy... To a mellow monotone slave to the Nazis.
He hadn't even noticed; they had just eaten away at him for so long he was finally becoming a creature he never dreamed of becoming. He ignored it as he thought a moment about what was back in Auschwitz one. That was where...Tucker was?
He frowned as he started to remember. He glanced down and saw many foot steps in the mud and snow slush. It made him remember running, then someone with him as he ran. A boy? That was it right? A boy Edward knew and loved...
He shook his head as he ignored it and then spotted the camp. When he was lead back to the home barrack and to where he'd be staying once more, everything started coming back. His brother, their real home, the promises made to each other. Everything.
Edward stopped outside the barrack and just took in a deep breath. His memories had returned but that hard feeling in his gut hadn't left. A week or so in a death camp as a slave killing other slaves would do that to you...
He licked his lips nervously as he hesitated to move. He didn't have to go far before getting caught.
"Brother? Brother! Your back!" Alphonse shouted as he ran over to Edward. Edward had to focus a moment to actually realize who it was running at him. He hadn't seen his brother in a few days so it was difficult at first.
When he remembered his brothers face, he smiled and gave a little wave, "hey Al," he said weakly. He was tired and seeing his brother was great and all; but he needed his rest. The next day would be a hard one. As his brother started asking him if he was okay and what happened; Edward stuffed his right hand into his pocket.
The blood stained glove was withered like the rest of his being...
There we go... I want you all to know I hated this chapter. I rewrote it like... Five times completely different and each one was crappy. This one was the best out of them so you can only imagine. I rushed things a lot, I'm sorry. Not only that, but you get no Al action!! Don't worry though, I'll have flash backs and stuff for what Al did in this time...
Gah! And sorry about the format! Something weird happened and I just wanted to post it as soon as I could. I will fix it later tonight I promise!!! EDIT: Fixed it!!! Yay!
Anyway, I have nothing more to say. RxR
- Kori