"Damn it Winry, turn on the heat, would you?" Ed complained while reading a book.
"The heat is on," Winry snapped, "And if you're so high and mighty, why don't you do something about it?"
"Fine, I will!" Ed yelled, slamming the book down on the coffee table.
"Could you be any louder?" Envy grumbled, fidgeting around on the couch. His arm was only a bit swollen, and the swelling was going down on it's own at that point.
"Yes," Al stated. Ed got off the end of the couch while Envy stretched out his feet. Ed stormed into the entryway and they all heard the front door open and close.
"What the hell is he doing?" Envy inquired.
"I have no idea," Winry sighed, sitting down where Ed had been, forcing Envy to curl up his legs again.
"You people have no idea what personal space means, do you?" Envy growled.
"Oh, sorry," Winry said, standing up.
The front door slammed open and closed again, and Ed came in carrying a large log and several small twigs. Envy understood his intentions now, and watched silently as Ed placed the wood in the hearth and failed to get the fire going.
"Put newspaper at the bottom," he commented after a while. Ed grumbled something incoherent but listened all the same. Once he had the fire started and a healthy crackling noise filled the house, he plopped down at the foot of the couch.
"You guys just don't want me to be able to spread out my legs, do you?" Envy asked, rolling his eyes.
"Stop complaining," Ed said, and grabbed Envy's feet and placed them in his lap. Envy looked intently at the floor in response.
"Look who's shy all of a sudden," Winry taunted, smiling.
"I'm not shy,' Envy deadpanned.
"Oh, really?"
"Really."
"Come on, you guys, I'm trying to have a quiet moment," Ed groaned, leaning his head back against the couch. Just to piss him off, Al turned on the radio.
"The strange behavior has not been explained as of yet. Violent tendencies have been reported in several homes in the Risembol area, although it seems to be restricted to that area. Professionals say that the rats could contracted a rare mental disease -"
"Rats?" Al asked.
"Ed, you got jumped on by that one rat a few days back, remember?" Winry asked.
"Yeah, I wonder if it -" Envy started.
"Enough of this nonsense," Pinako scolded, turning off the radio, "The rats do not have some strange mental disorder. The market has probably introduced a new pesticide that doesn't work, is all. I don't want you getting all worked up over this."
"We're not worked up, but the rat that attacked Ed was acting a little weird," Envy pointed out.
"Yeah," Ed agreed, "Not to mention I don't think I've ever seen a rat that big."
"Maybe we are getting a little too excited about this," Winry reasoned.
"Well, I don't think -"
Scratch, scratch…
"What was that?" Winry jumped a bit.
Scratch, scratch…
"It's coming from the front door," Ed said slowly, moving Envy's feet off him and standing up.
"Don't open it," Winry pleaded.
"It's probably nothing," Ed smiled, turning back to her, "And even if it is a rat, what's it going to do that I can't deal with?"
Winry just stared at him. Ed sighed and made his way towards the door. His hand hesitated momentarily on the doorknob.
Scratch, scratch…
He turned the handle, reassuring himself with the same reasons he'd given Winry. The porch looked empty to him. The small space of light created by the door held nothing more than the wood of the porch.
"Ed?" Envy limped up beside him.
"I don't think there's anything out here," Edward said slowly, and began to close the door. A small squeaking noise stopped him, as a rat scurried into the light.
"Ed…" Envy warned. The small rodent let out a loud screech before it jumped at Ed's leg.
"Ah!"
The rat gnashed it's teeth against the metal of Ed's only remaining automail, searching for flesh to cut through. Envy took in Ed's frozen stance, and moved to remove the rat himself. The rat turned and clamped down on the flesh between Envy's index finger and thumb.
"Ow!" he yelled, grabbing into it with his other hand, squeezing it until it stopped holding on.
"What the hell?" Ed asked, turning to look at the rat that was being squeezed to death in Envy's hand. He watched as its red eyes bulged in its last moments of life. Wait, red eyes? The rat was black.
"The bite… it's not healing…" Envy murmured.
"Did you see its eyes?" Ed asked.
"Yeah, they were red," Envy nodded, "That's weird, since it wasn't an albino."
"My thoughts exactly."
Ed's eyes narrowed as he eyed the rat. He could've sworn it seemed… familiar somehow. His eyes widened when recognition hit him like a ton of bricks. He grabbed Envy's left arm and dragged him outside into the night, and shut the door. He took in a sharp breath when he looked into the unnatural red glow Envy's eyes sported in the dark.
"God," Ed gasped, dragging Envy back inside and slamming the door.
"Winry!" Ed yelled, entering the room again.
"Was it a rat?" she asked cautiously.
"Yes," Ed deadpanned, "Winry, I have to ask you something."
"Uh, sure," she said.
"When Envy was throwing up the stones," Ed started.
"Yeah?"
"What did you do with them?"
"Oh God," Envy breathed, making the connection.
"I threw them out, why?"
"Oh God, oh God, oh God."
"So they would've ended up at the dump, right?"
"Yeah, I don't see why it matters," Winry crossed her arms.
"Matters?!" Envy burst, "Did it ever occur to you that those stones have the ability to kill everyone in this city?!"
"I don't see what harm they're doing at the dump," Winry snapped.
"Being eaten by rodents, maybe?!"
Winry stopped talking and let her brain make all the connections.
"So, the rats are sort of… becoming homunculi?" Al asked.
"Now, we have no proof that that's what's going on," Pinako said sternly.
"Not if they're eating it, no," Envy said, ignoring her, "It has to be introduced directly into the bloodstream for that to happen, disregarding that a homunculus is an artificially created human."
"Then what is happening?" Ed asked.
"This is just a guess, but it's probably changing their mental patterns, and making them get larger, as you pointed out."
"The radio said they were exhibiting violent tendencies."
"That's probably the difference in brain pattern. Sort of like rabies or mad cow disease."
"This is so creepy."
"Well, I say that if it really is the philosopher's stone, this is the military's business."
"I was in the military a month ago, Granny."
"Yes, but you aren't anymore, and don't you dare forget that."
"Yeah, but the military's a little busy right now. My quote on quote family kind of destroyed it."
"So Brother's sort of the closest thing to military we've got."
"I still don't want him trying to deal with this on his own."
"He won't be on his own," Envy said, "I'll help him, and I know Al will too."
"Yeah," Al agreed.
"I'm not about to let him take this on alone either," Winry said, going to stand by him to prove her point. Pinako made a resigned noise in her throat and walked off.
"Well, I think we just formed a damn resistance," Envy commented.
"It would appear so," Ed nodded.
"So, what now?" Winry asked awkwardly.
"We rest," Ed sighed, "I don't feel like going to a rat infested dump in the dark. I don't know about the rest of you."
"Yeah," Winry agreed.
"Good idea," Al yawned.
With that, Al and Winry both went upstairs.
"What, you're not tired?" Envy asked raising an eyebrow.
"No,' Ed mumbled, "I think I'll just stay up and wait for the fire to go out."
"Okay," Envy said, and tried to place himself in a slightly more comfortable position. Ed grabbed a pillow off the armchair and handed it to him.
"Here."
Envy gazed at him before smiling and accepting it.
"Thanks."
Envy took it and fell asleep.
"Look at them," the voice resounded off the walls, "Look at all of them."
He unwillingly turned his head up to see all the faces of the humans he'd ever killed. They laughed at him, taunted him, looked down on him.
"You don't deserve to live, you pathetic, disgusting, ugly thing!" the familiar voice of Roy Mustang echoed without a source. He felt his body being engulfed in flames.
"William?"
He turned around and faced his mother.
"Mom?" he asked.
"You killed me," she said, "Why did you kill me?"
"I didn't kill you!" he yelled, "I'm sorry, Mom!"
"How could ever accept the apology of my murderer?!" she shrieked.
"We will never forgive you!" the voices above him rang.
"You're nothing but a murderer!"
"Disgusting!"
"You never will be half of what we are, scum!"
"Cheep imitation!"
"You're mother is dead," his father stated sadly, "She killed herself when she found out what you'd become."
"What?"
"She's dead!" he yelled, "She's dead because of you! You killed her!"
"Sick!"
"Disgusting!"
"Unwanted!"
"Ugly!"
"You don't deserve to live!"
Envy woke with a start. He was breathing heavily.
"Envy?" Ed asked, sitting up from the chair he'd fallen asleep in.
"What?" he whispered.
"What happened?"
"Nothing," he said, composing himself again.
"You had a nightmare, didn't you?" Ed inquired.
Envy sighed, "Yeah. Like I said, nothing."
"What was it about?" he asked.
"Nothing."
"Envy?"
"What?"
"You didn't go to heaven, did you?"
Envy sighed. Ed was just too smart for his own good.
"No," he murmured, "No, I didn't."
"Envy?"
"Hmm?"
"I'm sorry."
Author's Note: Sorry if the ending was a bit depressing, I'm just trying to move Ed and Envy's relationship forward bit by bit. Now, how many of you saw something going on with the rats? How many of my readers can see into the future? Also, did you catch that little hint I threw in there? Go back and look for it if you're REALLY bored. It has something to do with later chapters. And, yes, this is turning into a bit of a scary story. Sorry about that. Well, no, I'm sort of not. I've never written a scary story before, and it's fun! Please tell me what you think! Review, review, that's the plan, if I can do it, anyone can!