A faint scream filled the still Autumn night. Havoc's head jerked up. He turned to look at Breda, who was looking right back at him. They were the only two guarding the windows of the Elric's dorm at the moment.

Major Armstrong had gone to take a break ten minutes ago.' What could that have been?' To Havoc's knowledge, the only creature that did sound like that were humans. Coyotes were a close second but, Central was too populated to be inhabited by coyotes.

"What was that?" Breda glanced around the mass of trees surrounding them. "Sounded like a human's scream," A worried feeling built up in Havoc's chest. The scream was high-pitched and it sounded like it came from west of them.

"Should we get the others and check it out," Turns out they didn't have to. Seconds later, footsteps were heard. Falman, Hawkeye, and Alphonse appeared before them.

"Did the three of you hear that scream?" Hawkeye nodded. Havoc glanced at Al, who was looking around, waves of anxiousness coming off of him. 'You ok, kid?" Alphonse quickly looks at them. "I'm worried about brother, he hasn't come yet. I thought he'd be back from the library by now. That's usually where he goes to think,"

Worry flooded the faces of the others. Hawkeye turned to Al. "I'm calling the colonel. This may not be connected to the serial killer, but I want to be safe in case it is." Hawkeye disappears around the corner of the building. She returns a few minutes later with her face once again an expressionless mask.

"The colonel said that he'd be here in five minutes. He wants us to stay put until he gets here." Havoc pulls out a cigarette and lights it. One could cut the tenseness with a knife. Havoc thought he would suffocate in it.

The colonel got to the barracks within five minutes, exactly as he promised. His dark eyes scanned the group as he took in each of them. Then he turned to look at Havoc and Breda.

"First, we need to find Fullmetal. Then, we can worry about the scream. I don't want him alone," Mustang took charge and they started in the direction of the library. The library wasn't but a few blocks away from the barracks.

Hawkeye walked beside the colonel, glancing at him from time to time. She knew how much he cared for Ed, even he didn't want to admit it to himself. She knew how far he would go to protect his subordinate, who may or may not be like a son to him.

The sound of their footsteps was the only thing heard on the quiet street. Suddenly, a screamed fill the night air. Mustang's head jolted up and toward the sound, dread filling him. "That didn't sound like a woman." Alarm filled him. It had sounded like a male scream. "What ifー" Mustang didn't listen to the rest of Havoc's question. He took off, headed to where it sounded like the scream had come from.

"Colonel! Wait for us!" Breda yelled. They tore down the sidewalk, trying to keep up with him. As Mustang ran, the sharp tang of blood hit his nose. He skidded to a halt. He pulled his gun from his holster and nodded to Hawkeye as she came to his side. "Is it coming from the alley in front of us?" He whispered. She nodded, drawing her gun and motioned for him to follow her.''

Mustang didn't know what he expected to see in the alley as he and Hawkeye turned the corner. What he saw nearly made him vomit. A woman, laying on her back with no arms or legs and her eyes gone. Roy froze. Hawkeye gasped. He spun to see what she was looking at. He didn't know how he missed seeing the small red bundle a few feet away from the corpse, uneven breaths coming entirely too quickly.

"Fullmetal!" Mustang yelled. He quickly knelt by the boy, drawing him into his arms. The boy was shuddering and gasping hard for breath. "Move over a little," He didn't register that it was Havoc speaking until Havoc was trying to lay Ed flat on the ground. He looked up and saw Hawkeye and the others calling for an ambulance to take to morgue and Edward to the hospital.

Havoc pressed two fingers under Ed's jaw, then on his wrist. "His heartbeat is way too fast, I think he's having a panic attack, probably why he's unconscious. He most likely couldn't calm himself down after he saw her. Havoc motioned to the dead woman. Mustang cringed, he had had panic attacks before. They would leave him shaking for hours after. When he had one, it was either Riza or Maes who would help him through it. It looked like the kid wasn't any different from him.

Mustang looked up to Ed's face. It was pinched with pain and his mouth was open, searching for air that wouldn't come. His eyes trailed up to the bleeding gash on his forehead. He glanced at Havoc, who was looking at the wound. "Gonna need a few stitches," Havoc gently took hold of Ed's face, feeling for anything broken. "Nothing broken. My theory is that he tripped over and hit his head on the concrete."

"Is he alright?" Alphonse hurried over. He carefully brushed Ed's bangs from his face. Alphonse noted just how small his brother looked as he laid unconscious on the ground. He prayed that his brother would be alright as Havoc checked him over.

Havoc carefully opened Ed's eyes, staring into unseeing golden eyes. "Pupils are a little dilated, but that's to be expected with a minor concussion," Havoc frowns and his blue eyes stared down at Ed's pinched expression and how he was still struggling to breathe.

"I'm going to wait for the medics to get here to take care of his breathing. I'm not sure how to calm his breathing down while he's unconscious," Alphonse rolled Ed onto his side, in hopes of helping Ed breathe easier. Mustang stood, ignoring the pain in his back.

"Watch him in case he wakes up," He places his hand on Ed's forehead, then he stands up and makes his way to the corpse. Bile rises in his throat as he kneels down beside Hawkeye. He places his hand on her shoulder to steady himself and to make sure that she's there with him.

"I'm thinking that she died after her throat was cut. Thankfully, all these other wounds were after she died," Mustang scoffed at that. It was sad that it was 'thankful' that she had died before her arms, legs, and eyes had been cut out. Hawkeye picked up the hunting knife laying beside her. Carefully, Hawkeye shifted the clothing from the bloody wound on the woman's chest. They gasped in horror at what was carved into her chest.

So you thought searching death records would reveal why I'm doing this? You're sadly mistaken, boy. The next person I kill will be that little girly if you don't meet me at 12:30 on the 12th and don't stop looking.

Mustang's blood froze. Fullmetal had discovered who the killer was? Was that what he had been doing at the library all day? The carvings still bled at a steady pace. A look of horror came to Mustang's face and he turned to Hawkeye who shared his look. The carvings looked only minutes old. He turned his gaze to the darkness that hid the rest of the alley. If his hunch was right, the killer possibly had been hiding in the shadows as Ed walked through.

Hawkeye pulled a flashlight out of her holster and he drew his gun. The light illuminated the darkness. Mustang's pensive expression scanned the area as Hawkeye continued down the alley. Suddenly, something red met his peripheral vision. There! "Lieutenant," He called. She turned back to him and pointed the light where he motioned.

A bloody pair of pants and a shirt met him as he got a closer look. The shirt, which has probably once been white, was now a deep crimson. The pants were not as bad, but still had quite a bit of blood on them. He turned back to Hawkeye. "Did you also call for backup?" Her chocolate eyes flicked to the bloody clothes and then to him. She nodded. Mustang could tell that all of this was beginning to get to her.

Hawkeye prodded through the clothes with her hunting knife. Mustang stood up to go wait for the backup and the medics that would be arriving any minutes.

'Our killer hasn't left anything at the crime scenes before. What happened this time? Is it that he hadn't expected Fullmetal to come this way and he carved those words for when Fullmetal woke up?' He shook his head. 'None of this makes sense. He's so good at hiding. We need to catch the bastard, and soon.'

Mustang's thoughts were broken by Hawkeye screaming his name. He spun around. Hawkeye's normally passive face was lit up with excitement. Why was she excited. He took off and skidded to a halt as he got back to her. She shined her flashlight a few feet beside the bloody clothes and the light reflected off a knife.

Wait, a knife! Their killer had never left a single weapon at the crime scene either! This was a breakthrough! Could Ed have spooked their killer a lot more than Mustang initially thought? "Don't touch it. This could be evidence that can be used against our killer," Hawkeye nodded to him.

The medics and military backup came a few minutes later. Relief flooded him as he watched the medics finally get Ed's breathing under control. "Poor kid, he must've been scared to death," Al hummed in agreement.

The medic grabbed the ambo bag and attached it to Edward's face. The stretcher was pulled into the back of the ambulance and the medic continued pumping air into Ed. "Is it alright if I do that?" Al glanced at the bag and then back to the medic. The medic nodded

"Is it alright if I ride along to the hospital?" The medic's questioning gaze studied him for a moment before he nodded. Hawkeye saw as he climbed into the ambulance and made her way over.

"Lieutenant, I'm going to the hospital to make sure he's ok. Wrap up here for me. Have the team meet up at the hospital." He gave her his orders. She gave him a small smile and saluted. "Sir," She made her back over to the corpse. "Ready to go? One the medics asked. He nodded and made himself comfortable beside Al.

The ride to the hospital was a quiet one. It didn't take too long to get there. Mustang was thankful that Ed didn't wake up. He knew the kid would have been panicked. He inwardly cringed as he remembered waking up in an ambulance once and nearly scared the paramedic half to death.

He breathed a sigh of relief when they got to the hospital. Edward was rushed into the emergency room. He and Alphonse began the agonizing wait in the waiting room.

Ed's head ached.

He wasn't sure why it ached.

He just knew that it did.

Something pinched in the crook of his arm. He shifted uncomfortably, face turning into the pillow to escape the discomfort. Someone touched his forehead, brushing gentle fingers through his hair.

Ed instinctively leaned into the hand, searching for comfort. His breathing increased when the handly suddenly went away. He yearned for it to return, to send him back into deep unconsciousness.

The hand reappeared as suddenly as it disappeared. His breathing slowed. The hand froze in his hair as a door opened. Ugh! Why couldn't he get any peace in quiet? He was so tired.

"How is he?" The voice, Mustang. Ed inwardly groaned. Great, just his luck to be chewed out by the bastard just when he woke up.

"I think he's waking up," A female voice, Hawkeye. "He's been breathing heavily for the last few minutes." Why had he been unconscious in the first place? Ed searched his tired mind for a clue. Hadn't he been walking back to the dorms from the library? Suddenly, it hit him.

Blood.

Gouged out eyes.

Missing limbs.

Unable to breathe, limbs curling in on themselves, darkness.

Ed's eyes flew open and he bolted upright, chest heaving. He had to tell them. Tell them he knew who the killer was, that this would be over soon. If only he could slow his breathing.

"Woah, kid," Mustang put a hand on his shoulder. "You're ok, you're going to be ok." He looked his superior in the eyes and was surprised to see genuine concern. "W-Where am I?" Ed looked around the room, taking in the white walls and the smell of bleach.

"You're in the hospital, Ed. We found you in an alley not too far away from the library." Hawkeye's gentle voice broke through to him. "You were a little banged up, had to have a few stitches." His breathing slowed as Hawkeye and Mustang talked to him. His hand trailed up to his forehead, feeling the bandages. So that was why it ached.

"Where's Al?" He wanted to see his brother, wanted him not to worry too much. Mustang's frown turned into a smirk. "He's trying to find a doctor. He heard you waking up." Ed nodded, settling back against the pillows. The image of the girl came back to his mind. He shuddered. "Are you alright?" Hawkeye's face showed her concern.

He nodded. "That girl…" Ed stopped, trying to find the best way to word his thoughts. Mustang's smirk slipped from his face. He nodded. "She was long dead when we got there," He looked down at the bedsheets. He could have saved the woman if he'd only been a few minutes earlier.

"It's not your fault. You didn't kill her, our killer did." Suddenly, he's reminded of the identity of the killer. Before he can say something to Mustang, Al and a doctor come into the room. "Brother, you're awake!" His brother shouts. He smiles. His brother is safe, he can relax.

"How are you feeling, Major Elric?" The doctor, a white-haired man with blue eyes and a kind face asks. "I'm feeling ok. My head aches a little," He admits. The doctor chuckled and fished his stethoscope from out of his pocket.

He shudders as it touches his skin. The doctor listens for a moment then places it back in his pocket. He nods and takes down a few notes. The doctor looks back up at him with a smile on his face. "You seem alright. I think you'll be fine to go in an hour or two." The doctor shook Ed's hand and left the room.

Mustang stood up and stretched. "I need to go back to HQ and give a report. You're going back to HQ when you get out so we can get your statement."

Ed nodded. He was glad that he wouldn't be here much longer. He remembered what he wanted to tell Mustang earlier. "Wait! I just remembered what I was going to tell you earlier!"

Mustang turned back to him, a look of perplexion on his face. "I think it would probably be best if you waited until we got to HQ where I can write down your report." He nodded. Mustang made his way past Al. Al sat down beside him.

"I'm glad you're ok, brother. You scared me for a minute there." Ed frowned. He hadn't meant to lose consciousness in the first place.

"Sorry, Al. I...saw her and then...I just couldn't breathe. I was really scared and I had just hit my head. I think I might've passed out either way." Al nods. He hates that his brother is so understanding. Al should have been yelling at him right now.

"Its ok, brother. Now, I want you to rest for a while." He rolled his eyes. "I'm not tired though!" He whined. Al let out a metallic sigh. "Just try, brother,"

He rolled his eyes again and nestled into the warm sheets. Exhaustion pulled at his eyes lids. He felt a comforting hand on his shoulder as exhaustion made way to sleep.

Mustang groaned softly as he fell into his seat. Finally! A moment to relax. "Boss!" Or not. He groaned as Havoc entered the room. His face was one of concern. "Was the chief ok?" Havoc asked quickly. Mustang nodded. Why did Havoc look so anxious?

"I don't think the propofol should be part of the plan anymore, sir." Mustang's head tilted. "Why is that lieutenant?" Mustang was curious and a little annoyed. If propofol wouldn't work, then what would?

"I read that propofol can have adverse effects when used on a person that has a minor head injury." Mustang nodded, that made sense. He was curious as to why Havoc didn't just ask if the plan had changed. It hadn't of course, his youngest subordinate wouldn't let a minor concussion get in the way of protecting others. It looked as if that his other subordinates knew that as well.

"What will you be changing it with?" Havoc's face relaxed, he must've been worried that he might not have been all that concerned. Havoc pulled out a vial of liquid. "Ketamine. A regular dose of knocks a grown man out within two minutes,"

Mustang frowned. Keeping Ed controlled for two minutes would be hard. The kid was a skilled fighter and would know how to get himself out a tight situation. It would probably take every member of his team holding him down to do the trick. "There is a downside to this drug though, it can cause hallucinations when the person is waking up. So someone may need to be with him when he's waking up."

Mustang nodded. He could probably get Al to do that and calm the kid down. The kid would probably angry once he fully woke up. He'd have to deal with that, hopefully without Ed killing him.

"I can get Alphonse to sit with him once he's woken up. He's dealt with Fullmetal's nightmares before, I presume." Havoc nodded, relieved. "Thank you, colonel." Mustang waved him off and started on his report of the events that had occurred. "Another thing, colonel." Mustang looked back up, annoyance flashing in his dark eyes.

"Will we be meeting the killer instead of Ed?" Mustang nodded, that was the plan. He hoped that their killer wasn't smart enough to know what their plan was. He clearly had ways of getting information. Which, to Mustang, was unsettling, to say the least.

Havoc smiled and left the room. Mustang looked at the time on his pocket watch, 10 AM. Ed would probably be allowed to go around 3:30, he would probably arrive around 4. Depending, on how long Ed's report took, it would most likely be around 6. From then, it would be six hours until Ed had to meet their serial killer. Mustang groaned, massaging his temples.

He could either keep Ed at HQ longer than necessary or he could let the kid go back to the dorms. The second option would work for them better. It would take convincing, though. Either way, a decision was going to have to be made and it would have to occur quickly. This really was going to be the longest day.

The sharp ringing of a phone fills the quietness of the small house. Its only two inhabitants, an elderly mechanic and her young granddaughter. The granddaughter groaned and pulled her pillow over her head, trying to drown the sound out.

She heard her grandmother pick up the phone downstairs, she sighed in relief.

Only to groan a few minutes later when her grandmother yelled up the steps. "Winry! It's from central! Something about Ed!" Winry bolted up and jumped out of bed. She groaned. What had that idiot done to his automail this time?

Winry yawned and she walked down the steps. Her granny rolled her eyes as she came into view. She handed her the phone and stepped out.

"Hello, may I ask who I am speaking to?"

"Ah, Miss Rockbell, I'm calling on behalf of colonel Mustang for Major Elric."

"What has he gotten himself into this time?" Winry growled.

The man chuckled on the other end of the line, it sounded gravely and rough.

"Nothing too bad miss. His automail got a little banged up from a recent drug bust in central. He's doing fine. The colonel wanted me to call because he wouldn't." Winry rolled her eyes, of course, Ed was the type to put anything off automail wise so he wouldn't get a wrench to the head.

"Of course. I'll leave shortly. It shouldn't take me but a few hours to get there. Thank you for calling me."

"Of course Miss Rockbell. I'll arrange for someone to pick you up."

"May I ask who I'm talking to so I can that the colonel?"

"First Lieutenant Damien Anamala. You have a good day Miss."

"You too."

She hung up the phone and went to pack her things. She really couldn't wait to see her idiot again.