After two more men had had their turn, Alice was almost unconscious with pain, fear, and revulsion. As the third man stood up from her body, she vomited onto the pavement. "Disgusting girl," a short, stocky man with dark hair spat. He kicked her in the ribs, sending another round of vomit onto the stones. "Who wants her next?" He asked, spitting on her face. One of the men holding her arms stood up, releasing her for a moment, but she had almost no strength to fight anymore. The next man kneeled down and she began screaming again, vainly hoping someone would hear this time. A warm voice spoke from the entrance of the alley.
"What the hell is wrong with you bastards?" A flash of lightening lit the alleyway and the man on top of Alice gasped and flew into the wall. Alice's mind was flickering between consciousness and the horror she felt, and the delightful blackness of unconsciousness. The voice spoke again. "Move." Alice listened, half-interested, simply waiting for the blackness to come and blot out the horrors. The rest of the men seemed immobilized by the sudden attack on their companion and simply stared blankly at the mouth of the alley. Alice tried to lift her head, turn, shift, do anything to see her mysterious rescuer, but her body had completely given out on her. "Please…." she whispered, almost inaudibly. "Help me…." The stranger stepped further into the alley; a red coat fluttered in a sudden wisp of autumn wind.
"She's half-dead, you filthy bastards!" A loud clap and a crackling sensation cut the air, and the men were thrown backwards and bashed into the stone walls. Blood splattered against the stones, and much of it sprayed across Alice's face and uniform. The young man bent down to Alice and brushed the hair from her face. "Who are you?" He asked her.
"Al…ice…" she breathed, slowly losing to the blackness again. "St-st-ate Al….ch-chemist…" He scooped her up off the pavement as if she were a child, and carried her into the light. The lamplight in the street shone off of his blonde hair and gold eyes, causing him to seem as if he glowed. The boy from the dream…she barely made the connection as she was slipping further away. "Ed…ward Elric…?" She managed to whisper before she completely lost consciousness.
"Damn them." Edward snarled before hurrying toward Central Hospital. From there he'd call Colonel Mustang and tell him to arrest the filthy men lying beaten in the alley. Edward briefly looked over the limp body in his arms. Bruises, cuts, and an enormous amount of blood covered her body, and she was still bleeding from where the men had taken their liberties. "Damn them!" He rushed toward the hospital, afraid he'd lose what he just fought to save. When he arrived, the nurses on duty took one look at Alice, still bleeding in Edward's arms, and rushed her off to the doctors and the operating table.