A/N: Thank you to all my anonymous reviewers! I can't answer you obviously because you don't have an account, but I appreciate your comments very much! ^_^
Chapter 20-
Before anyone could answer Fuery's question, a swift vibrating noise echoed down the hallway. Just a split second after that a blur rushed past them, back the way they'd came, and an unexplainable wind blew them all back. The noise faded again.
"…Was that a vampire that just ran past us?" Hawkeye sounded oddly mystified. "It didn't attack or anything…" As she spoke another blur went past, again throwing everyone off balance. Then another, and another. Not a single vampire that passed them gave the group of humans a second glance.
"What's going on?" Falman asked sternly. Havoc picked up the still-unresponsive Winry and they all rushed down the hallway, back to the stairs. Several more vampires passed the team as they went, some going down the stairs, but most coming up. Mustang led the way down the stairs, everyone running down after him with their weapons drawn, just in case. The level below them had been thrown into utter turmoil. Vampires sped about every which way as fast as they could possibly go, making it exceedingly hard for the group to see. This time, the humans were completely ignored. The level of noise made it impossible for the team to talk with one another, so the Colonel and the others tried to get out of the way, but ended up having to go down several levels before they found a side-tunnel which had been completely emptied.
"What the heck is going on here?" Havoc shouted above the noise of thousands of feet running as fast as they could.
"I have no idea! Keep your weapons drawn and your guards up!" Mustang ordered. The team unconsciously formed a circle, going back-to back.
"Does anyone else hear that?" Falman asked.
"Hear what?" Mustang wondered, glancing around.
"I hear it!" Fuery said, shaking.
"Me too. What is that?" Hawkeye could barely be heard over the immense noise. Slowly, Mustang could hear something odd too- a bit like the rushing sound of a waterfall. A cold, forbidding feeling overtook the Colonel, and he suddenly broke the circle, going to the entrance of the side-tunnel. His team confusedly followed. They all glanced into the now half-emptied level, only to see something shocking.
A sinister, black liquid was flowing over the stairs, gradually getting higher as the rushing noise grew louder. The seven humans watched as it flowed over the topmost stair and onto the level they were on, spreading much faster now. The vampires avoided it at all costs, crowding hopelessly onto the stairs; however, they couldn't all fit and one unfortunate vampire got caught in the stream of liquid as it flowed over his feet. Hawkeye began to notice steam coming off the place where the submerged stairs would be.
The vampire attempted to maneuver away, but quickly cried in pain, moving from one foot to the other. The group of humans watched in horror as the vampire began to convulse, collapsing to the floor with steam rising off him readily. Mustang could only stand in shock as the vampire's very skin began to burn away, blood mixing in with the black liquid. Falman hurriedly turned Al away, and Havoc covered Winry's eyes, just in case she could still see what was happening around her. Although both teenagers had seen such sights before, as Al had seen similar things on his travels with Edward and Winry was an automail mechanic whose parents were doctors, for some reason the officers didn't want them to see this. Bullets and lacerations were one thing- seeing someone burn away from the outside in from some unknown liquid was an entirely different matter.
"Acid…" Hawkeye realized, referring to the liquid. "…The Homunculi are drowning the vampires out of their tunnels like rats… using acid…" Her eyes widened involuntarily, despite her attempts to quell her shock and disgust. The group turned away, unable to watch as the acid corroded its way through the vampire.
"What? The Homunculi aren't supposed to make their move yet, it's too early! We had another good 24 hours!" Havoc shouted.
"They've moved the date of their attack for some reason," Mustang mused. "Everyone stay calm."
Fuery still couldn't help but panic.
"It's coming towards us! Look!" he yelled, trembling. Mustang saw the acid out of the corner of his eye, steadily coming closer to the entrance of the tunnel they were in as the entire hive of the vampires gradually became completely submerged.
"We won't have time to get across the hall to the stairs- the acid's already covering that area," Havoc frowned.
"Even if we could get there, the stairs are too crowded. We wouldn't fit anyway," Falman told him.
"We'll have to stay here, in this tunnel." Mustang ordered authoritatively. Hawkeye looked at him in shock.
"But sir, this is probably a dead end tunnel! We'll be trapped once the acid reaches the entrance!" Hawkeye yelled.
"There's nowhere else but here to go, Lieutenant. Besides, look," Mustang gestured to the entrance of the side tunnel, backing away cautiously. The team gasped and swiftly backed up as the acid flowed through the entrance and slowly crept towards them. There was nowhere else to go, and no-one that knew where they were. They were trapped.
"Sir, what do we do?" Havoc asked the Colonel. Everyone looked at Mustang, silently asking for directions, asking him how they'd survive this one.
"Everyone, separate and head down the back of the tunnel and look for any exits or side rooms that could lead us out of here or, failing that, at least keep this acid off us. Stay away from that liquid at all costs. Make lots of noise in order to tell everyone else your location and that you're alright. Go," Mustang ordered, moving off as well. The group scattered, searching every room and smaller tunnel they came across. For what seemed like eternity they searched everywhere, constantly moving to the back of the tunnel and yelling out to each other, until…
…they hit a wall. The group came together at the very back of the tunnel, and no exits had been found.
"I didn't think I'd die like this," Havoc sighed sadly. "Always figured I'd die of lung cancer…"
"I only just got my body back…" Al whispered. "And… Brother's not even here…" He felt his eyes tear up.
Mustang stayed silent. He'd led his team into this. He'd made all the wrong choices and his team had to pay the consequences with him. He didn't have the right to speak. Hawkeye noticed his expression and guessed what he was thinking. She put her hand on his shoulder comfortingly, but he just bowed his head. The group was now sitting in a line with their backs against that horrible wall, and they could all see the approaching acid pick up its pace.
"I'm too young to die!" Fuery was panicking.
Al blinked. "Hold on, I'm younger than you!"
"That doesn't mean I can't be too young to die as well!" Fuery trembled. After he spoke, a rumbling noise came from above their heads. Everyone looked up as a line of light shined through a small hole above their heads.
"Ah! We're saved!" Al cheered, leaping up and trying to reach the ceiling, but it was far too high. Everyone scrambled to their feet, alternatively watching the spreading light and the acid just meters away. The light looked like a trap door, but it was simply too high for anyone to reach, even with somebody on someone else's shoulders.
"It's not opening fast enough!" Hawkeye shouted as well as she could, watching the acid. It was about five meters away.
But then the trapdoor opened, and a pale hand reached through and out of it. Al, being the closest, jumped up and grabbed it first, and was quickly lifted through the opening and up onto the next level. Just before Al was lifted entirely onto the next level, Mustang thought he saw an expression of utter shock cross the young man's face, but it had vanished just as fast as it came. The hand was offered once again through the space. Was it Ed?
Havoc passed Winry up first, then went up himself; Hawkeye was next closest, followed by Fuery. By the time it was just Falman and Mustang left, the acid was just half a meter away.
"Quickly!" Mustang shouted, making Falman go first. When he glanced down, the acid was mere centimeters from his right foot. The hand appeared again and Mustang grabbed it, pulling himself up with his own strength until he was hanging in mid-air about a foot above the acid. He watched as it covered the place he was just standing in.
Then, the mysterious hand pulled him up to safety, and relief flooded through Mustang's veins. He looked up, about to thank his unknown savior, and froze. Shock stopped any thought from forming and he sat there uselessly, his mouth hanging slightly open, completely unable to comprehend the impossible sight before him. His savior smiled knowingly. Mustang disbelievingly whispered the name of the man who had just saved all their lives.
"Hughes…?"