Chapter 7: Escape

Thanks again to all my readers, and sorry for the delay. We had a major winter storm, and it delayed my work by two weeks because my work depends on others' work, and their work was delayed. So, I've spent the last two weeks trying to do four weeks' worth of work.

Anyway, I'm all caught up, yay!

I hope you enjoy!

Last Chapter… A few seconds ago…

As soon as Damien left, they knew from previous experience that no one was likely to come until the next day at the earliest. Mustang shifted his position and, using one toe, attempted to wiggle out of one boot.

Mustang's voice was raspy as he spoke, "We haven't been here long enough to be sure, but aside from the first day when Damien came twice and Casper once, they've mostly left us alone. They shouldn't be back today."

"And?" Edward's throat was still raw and his mouth dry, but the little bit of water had done something to ease the rawness, even if it did little to quench his thirst.

Mustang paused his movements, allowing a wave of vertigo to pass. "If we're alone, we can escape, especially now that I have the key."

Edward's eyes widened, "Wait? Since when?"

Mustang smirked, "yesterday. Casper dropped the key when he attacked me."

Edward's smile widened. Maybe we do have some luck after all!

Once Mustang managed to slip off his boot, he drew his legs underneath himself, and using his arms to balance himself, he pulled himself into a standing position. Mustang had to pause due to another wave of dizziness that assaulted him. His stomach rolled a bit, and he had to take deep breaths to quell the nausea.

As soon as both the dizziness and nausea settled, Mustang slowly and carefully used his toe to grab the key. It took many painful minutes, but he was finally able to grab the key. Mustang rested his back against the wall and braced himself using the chain.

"How are you going to get the key from your foot to your hands?"

Edward was looking toward Mustang with an askance expression, listening as intently as he could. There is no way he's flexible enough to get the key from his foot to his hand.

Mustang grimaced. If he dropped the key, he would have to pick it up again.

"I'm going to pass the key to you, then kneel, and you'll pass the key to me."

"Wait? I'll have to take that thing? You've touched it with your feet! Not to mention it's dark! How is this going to work?" Edward paused and, in a much softer voice, asked, "What if I drop it?"

"Fullmetal…"

Edward froze up.

Mustang grimaced, "Do you want to escape or not? If we're going to escape, now is the time, right after they've come to see us and before they come again. We'll work it out. I'm going to try putting it in your hand. Then, I'll reach over and try to take it with my teeth. The chains won't let us get close enough to pass it by hand anyway."

Edward huffed, and the sarcasm that laced his following thoughts was biting. Yeah, simple. Well, I might as well try, not like I can convince him to think of smoothing better.

Mustang balanced himself and brought his foot up with the key toward Edward's hands. Edward sat very still, and as soon felt Mustang's foot, he felt around for the key. Once he was able, Edward grasped the key tightly. With his wrists encased in the block of wood, he could not maneuver well, and he knew he would never be able to unlock his own shackles.

"You got it?"

"Yep!" Edward was elated, "Well, seems like your plan wasn't too bad of a plan, after all, Colonel Bastard."

"Fullmetal…" the warning in Mustang's voice was noticeable.

Edward stood at Mustang's insistence and feeling the key, turned it so Mustang would be able to grasp the end that acted as a handle. Mustang moved as close as he was able to Edward. He pulled against his restraints as he reached his head toward where Edward's hand should be. Once he nudged Edward's hands, he felt around and with his teeth to grasp the key.

Once Mustang had the key, he maneuvered it so he would be able to attempt to slip the key into the keyhole. His breathing turned shallow as he focused on aiming the key in the dark. He had to feel around and pray he did not drop the key. Just as he was about to take a break, his jaw tense from holding the delicate key, it slipped into the keyhole and held. Mustang pulled back, admiring his work.

"Did you do it?" Edward's voice was hopeful. He had waited patiently, but when the sound of movement ceased, he could not help but ask.

"Almost. I just need to turn it."

Mustang rolled his jaw and went for the key again. If he thought being able to slip the key in the keyhole was hard, turning it was even more challenging. Now, he had less traction since only half the key was out, and he only had so much room to maneuver his teeth around the shackles, but eventually, he heard the click, and one of the cuffs opened.

"It was the right key!"

Edward's head jerked upwards, and he immediately squeezed his eyes shut from the pain that throbbed through his skull, but inwardly his hopes rose, elation temporarily pushing back the dizziness and lethargy that had plagued him for the last few days.

"What do you mean it's the right key?"

Mustang made a face but told Edward the truth. "Well, Casper did drop the key, and it looked like a key to the cuffs, but I wasn't absolutely positive."

Edward merely grumbled at Mustang's response. Really, Mustang? "Why didn't you say anything? What would we have done if it was the wrong key?"

Cringing, Mustang replied, "Not sure." I didn't want to worry you.

With one hand free, Mustang quickly unlocked the other cuff. The sudden loss of support caused him to sink along the wall and back down into a sitting position.

"What are you doing?" Edward's voice held irritation and what might have been concern for his commanding officer.

"Edward, I've been sitting for the past few days, and we both haven't had any food and very little water. I'm tired and dizzy and not altogether steady on my feet. We're going to have to be careful when we leave. I'm counting on Damien bringing us water pretty close to the time they brought us in, which was in the evening. He just seems like the type to take a literal stance on the concept that people need water every two days. It'll probably be pretty close to nightfall when we actually make it out of here if it's not night already. I'm hoping that they only have a small number of guards stationed and that we can leave while they sleep."

Edward nodded. Sounds good to me.

Maneuvering in the dark, Mustang tried the key on Edward's cuffs, and unfortunately, it did not unlock the cuffs.

Edward sat patiently. When Mustang stopped moving, he did not feel the shackles release. He waited only a moment before he began to speak. However, Mustang cut off Edward.

"Your cuffs require a different key. I'm going to go look for the other key, Edward. I will be back."

"Wait. What?" Edward felt a bit of panic well up in him.

Mustang lowered his voice. He heard the thinly veiled panic in Edward's voice, and he understood. No one would want to be left behind while their cellmate left.

I'm not going to leave you behind, kid.

"I need to go find the key so I can get you out of here. I'd use alchemy, but I don't have anything to draw the circle with. If it's easier to find something to draw with, I'll grab that instead."

Mustang slipped over toward the door. He guessed that the door was unlocked since he never heard a deadbolt or lock click when the men entered.

He was right.

While Mustang was moving toward the door, Edward felt the slightest pangs of fear curling inside him. He did not want to admit that Mustang leaving him behind made him nervous.

Mustang opened the door and slowly poked his head out, checking in both directions. A long white hallway greeted him with lighting at regular intervals. Finding the light switch just outside the door, Mustang flicked it so Edward would have light while he was away.

"They'll notice anyway if they come back that I'm gone, so I'll leave this on. I'll knock twice before I come back in, so you know it's me." Mustang looked back into the cell and then reached up to check above the door. He could feel his ribs protesting the movement but pushed forward.

Mustang grunted, "It looks like they don't keep the keys by the door."

Edward used asking a question to try to hide his nervousness. "Who does that?"

"Some people keep their keys on top of the door jam. Since Casper seemed relatively untrained, I figured they might make the mistake, but it seems like they haven't."

Mustang looked directly at Edward as he spoke. "I'm going to close the door if they walk down that hall. I don't want to wave a red flag that something is wrong."

The fear Mustang heard in Edward's voice when he told Edward he had to find the key was still nagging at the back of his mind.

Edward only nodded, and as the door closed, a vision flashed through Edward's mind of a morning long ago when he was much younger. This time, thankfully, the person leaving was facing him as the door closed. As Mustang disappeared from Edward's view, he never once turned his back.

Once the door was closed, Mustang leaned against it. While Edward could see Mustang, Mustang tried to hide the pain from his bruised ribs and ankle. After the short walk to the door, his ankle, the one Casper decided to grind into the floor, was aching.

That bastard did more damage to my ankle than I thought.

Mustang did not want Edward worrying more than necessary. Mustang rolled his shoulder. Although it had been a few days since Damien's assault on Mustang's ribcage, Casper's recent beating had exacerbated the bruises. The exertion was wearing on him, but Mustang steeled his mind.

He stood straight and began down the hallway. I have to find that key or something to draw the circle. Heh, if I can find the kitchen, that might be good too. Then, I can bring back food and water for our escape.

Edward sat in the now lit cell and found he could not find a comfortable position. Edward would shift every few minutes. Worry gnawed his insides, and it felt hard to breathe.

What if he doesn't come back?

Edward shook his head, trying to dispel the sense of foreboding.

Mustang wouldn't just leave me here, but what if he's caught? Will they bring him back here? Will they kill him? Would they even tell me, or would I be left here alone?

If Edward was honest with himself, being alone scared him, and dying alone frightened him even more. No one would be able to tell Al, and Al would be left all alone. The thought of leaving his brother alone without fulfilling his promise made Edward curl up as much as possible. He shivered. The room felt so much colder.

He's hardly been gone, and I'm already assuming the worst…

Mustang crept, limping down the hallway, looking in as many directs as he could at once. He was determined not to allow anyone to sneak up on him. They did not have the time for him to be captured again. He soon found the stairs leading up to the main part of the building. Taking one at a time, he finally reached the top. Leaning against the wall, he steadied himself and then carefully looked around the corner to the hallway beyond the stairs.

No one was in sight, but Mustang listened intently before proceeding.

He heard nothing.

Mustang took the last step into the hall above, and then choosing a random direction, continued on his way. Down the hallway, he came upon many doorways. Mustang did not dare open any of the doors, just in case one of the rebels happened to be inside.

I'll look around a bit before risking that.

It was good that he did not, for the rebels had set up these rooms as their living quarters, and all but two were occupied.

A little farther down the hall, one doorway opened into a large room that obviously served as a mess hall. Another open doorway led from the mess hall into the kitchen. Windows lined the far wall of the mess hall, but he could not see anything due to the darkness outside, and he was too preoccupied with making his way to the kitchen to note anything more than that it was night outside.

Mustang slipped into the kitchen and rummaged through the drawers, cabinets, and fridge as quietly as possible.

He found several dried rations, rolls, and bags of chips in the cabinets. Fruit was laid out in a bowl on the counter, and the fridge held mostly unprepared foods, which he ignored.

We won't have time to cook while on the run.

In the drawers, he found that they mostly held cooking and eating utensils and supplies. However, one also contained some other supplies, including a few pieces of chalk, pens, paper, and one lighter.

Yes! Mustang was elated. Some more luck! We can use the chalk, and I could use the lighter!

Mustang quickly pocketed the lighter and, scooping up all the chalk, placed it on the countertop for the moment.

When he moved to the lower cabinets, he found more cooking supplies, but he also found one cabinet full of water canteens. When he saw the canteens, he smiled. They could take water with them.

Mustang grabbed two of the canteens and began to fill them with water; propping the canteen under the sink, Mustang continued his search.

In one corner, he found a backpack. It looked like the one he had been carrying before their capture. Looking around, he tried to spot another but did not see a second one. Mustang hefted the pack onto the counter and was surprised by its weight. The backpack was not empty. Stuffing a roll in his mouth looked inside and found his and Edward's coats. Mustang smiled as he pulled them out.

As he continued to chew on the roll, he switched out the canteens, fitting the cap onto the one now full of their precious water supply, and shoved it into the small pack. Inside one of the drawers, there were small bags for storing food. In one, he shoved the rest of the rolls, and in a second bag, he shoved all the apples from the bowl. He then thrust both bags into the pack, shifting the canteen to the side, so he would be able to reach it.

All the while, Mustang was listening intently for anyone moving about in the hallway. His nerves were on edge with the thought that anyone could come into the room, but he kept going. The little bit of food helped immediately and immensely. Mustang was well aware that it would take more than one roll to make of for the days of missed food, but rolls were starch, a quick energy source, and the roll took a small edge off the hunger and dull ache in his head.

Mustang turned and grabbing the second canteen, also fitting its lid securely, and then put it on top of the other items in the pack. Mustang then took two of the cans of dried nuts and fruit each and also put them in the pack.

Peering into the now almost filled pack, Mustang could see that the apples took up a lot of room, as well as the canteens, but he knew it would have to do. Looking around, he decided to grab one of the larger knives from the knife drawer. One of the knives was a bit more like a hunting knife, and Mustang knew that they would probably need to hunt if they were going to survive.

I've done some trap hunting. We'll make it between our alchemy and this.

Mustang nodded to himself, slipped the pack over one shoulder, pocketed a piece of chalk, and slipped the rest of the chalk into a side pocket of the pack.

They have chalk… if any of them are alchemists, I might as well take the entire stash from here. It's probably not all of it, but hopefully, it will be a nuisance.

Mustang looked over the kitchen one more time and, carrying their coats over one arm, left, slipping quietly into the hallway. Mustang continued to look all around him and made his way back toward the stairs to the basement. Listening intently, he heard snoring through one of the doors and someone shifting like they were having a hard time sleeping through another. Mustang picked up his pace while still keeping his footsteps quiet and made his way back toward Edward.

Mustang knocked on the door twice and then, slipping inside, shut the door behind him.

Edward had immediately perked up the moment he heard Mustang knock. He uncurled himself and tried to look as nonchalant as possible.

He came back!

Edward was watching Mustang expectantly as he entered. The pack over Mustang's shoulder and coats over his arm surprised Edward. Mustang could only smirk at Edward's expression.

"Well, I ended up needing to grab chalk to draw a circle. I didn't want to risk looking through rooms while people were sleeping."

Mustang's grin grew as he lifted the pack's strap from his shoulder, "I also grabbed the pack and filled it with food and two water canteens. Our coats just happened to be inside it first."

At the mention of food, Edward's stomach rumbled.

Taking out the chalk, Mustang sketched a circle, and with a flash of alchemic light, the cuffs fell open, and Edward's arms fell to his lap. Mustang rummaged in the pack, and bringing out one of the canteens, handed it to Edward, who grasped it and drank greedily. After a few moments, Mustang put one hand on the canteen, forcing Edward to lower it.

"I know you want to drink as much as possible, but you'll want to give your body time to process. You'll also need some food, but we'll need to be careful. I know you're hungry, and it's only been a little while, but we'll still need to be careful we don't eat too much and make ourselves sick."

"Yeah, yeah, I know that bastard. Now give me some of the food."

Mustang gave Edward a long look but handed him a roll of soft bread, "we'll start with that. I had one while searching," Edward glared at Mustang, but with his mouth full of bread, he could not retaliate.

Mustang merely smirked and continued, "I only had one, just like you are now. I wanted to be sure to have something in my system if I happened to run into someone. I'll have my next when you do. We'll keep each other accountable."

Hopefully, that will help us both stay on track and give Edward some semblance of control. He'll appreciate that, and it will make my life easier too.

Casper tossed and turned in his bed. He could not fall asleep. However, someone who he presumed to be one of the guards had been moving around the kitchen minutes before and disturbed his sleep.

Although Mustang had been trying to be as careful and quiet as possible, he could only do so much, and the lightly sleeping Casper heard him.

After trying to fall back asleep, Casper gave up and, tossing aside the sheets, quickly dressed.

I may as well take a walk rather than toss and turn.

Casper left the room just as Mustang disappeared down the stairs. However, Casper turned in the opposite direction and, walking past the kitchen, continued toward the front of the building, where the guards kept a lookout at the front door.

There he found the two guards staring out while idly chatting. Casper made a mall noise to alert the two men that he was approaching.

Jimmy, a tall, broad-shouldered man, could almost be called a giant, comparatively turned around first. He, like Maria, had helped to capture the two Alchemists by taking care of Edward. Jimmy nodded solemnly to Casper. Isaac, the second man, a thin, wiry young adult, smiled broadly, however.

He waved and asked, "What has you up at this hour? It's the middle of the night!"

Casper merely shook his head, "I couldn't sleep."

Jimmy turned to face the outside world once more, but the slight stiffening and drooping of his shoulders indicated that the man had sighed in resignation. Isaac smiled sympathetically, "well, sorry to hear that."

Both Jimmy and Isaac were aware of Casper's reasoning behind helping to form the rebel group, but both also thought that Casper was too narrow-minded regarding their prisoners. They were entirely on board with the rebels' plans, but like Damien, they did not see a need to become overwrought concerning the prisoners. Having known Casper for a while, they could see the toll the rebellion was taking on Casper, but neither said anything and just allowed Casper to sit and listen as they began to talk once again.

Once Edward finished the roll, he gave the pack, which Mustang had hitched back onto his shoulder, a long look.

Mustang stood up carefully, "Can you stand? We should go now."

Edward only nodded and, using the wall as support, also stood. Edward stood slowly to try to avoid any dizziness. Mustang now stood by the door and, glancing over his shoulder, watched Edward make his way over to him.

"I didn't find an exit before coming back. I wanted to avoid running into anyone. I figure, considering our condition, that it would be better for there to be two of us just in case we happen to have any confrontations with our captors. Of course, I would like to avoid that, but…," Mustang paused, "it may or may not be possible."

Their eyes met, and then nodding, Mustang turned back to the door and opened it. Edward watched from behind. Although he rarely gave Mustang credit, at the moment, he could only think about the fact that Mustang had returned.

It made Edward feel awkward, but a feeling he had forgotten long ago filled his chest when he saw Mustang come back in through the door into the dingy cell. The feeling was a mixture of relief that Mustang had been successful, but also something else. Something warmer, but Edward pushed those thoughts aside in lieu of following Mustang into the hall.

As soon as Edward left the room, Mustang shut the door once more and flicked out the light.

"May as well keep up the ruse. If they happen to walk down here, nothing will tip them off."

Edward only nodded again and leaned against the wall, panting.

Turning to him, Mustang asked, "Are you okay? Do you need another roll? If you really need it, you can have it. I'm not sure how your automail affects how much food or water you need."

Edward gave Mustang a wane smile, "In general, I need a bit more, but not much."

Mustang's eyebrows rose, almost disappearing into his fringe, "really, with how much you eat?"

Edward glared at Mustang. Yeah, no, that feeling before. It didn't mean anything.

Edward pouted, "I'll be fine. Let's get out of here."

Mustang raised an eyebrow but turned, head shaking, and made his way toward the steps. Edward followed as quietly as possible. Then slowly and quietly, both made their way to the top of the staircase.

Casper left the two guards behind and made his way to the mess hall and kitchen, just as Mustang and Edward reached the top of the stairs.

Inside the kitchen, Casper grabbed a glass of water and, leaning against the counter, drank it and then placed the glass in the sink. Yawning, Casper decided he should go back to his room and try to go back to sleep. However, as he walked toward the doorway leading out of the mess hall, Casper's eyes were drawn to a series of keys hanging from hooks on the wall. One of the keys was missing.

Casper's eyes narrowed, did someone…? Oh, that's right. I took the key the last time I went to see the bastards.

Absent-mindedly, Casper patted his pockets, but he felt nothing. He did feel the gun at his waist, however. Every time Casper felt the gun at his side, it made him uncomfortable, even though it had become a habit to take it with him everywhere.

Damn that, Damien. He insists on us carrying the things even in the compound. I'm still not used to carrying the thing even if my aim had improved.

Casper shook his head and reminded himself he was wearing a different pair of pants.

I'll have to grab that key and put it back.

Shrugging, Casper left the kitchen and turned toward his room. As he did so, he saw something that caused him to pause. He saw someone's back disappear around the corner of the hall, going toward the back of the compound.

Casper titled his head to the side. There was no reason for anyone to go toward the back of the compound in the middle of the night.

Now, who was that?

As soon as they made it to the top of the steps, Mustang paused and looked both ways. The sight of a light flicking on in what would be the mess hall had Mustang jerking back to the safety of the stairwell.

Edward looked at Mustang expectantly.

"Someone just went into the kitchen," Mustang whispered.

Edward made a face.

Casper had just entered the kitchen, and although they did not know who it was, both alchemists knew that if someone was awake, it meant that their escape was in jeopardy.

"We don't know how long they'll be in there." Mustang shifted his position so his back was against the wall in the direction of the kitchen. He wanted to be able to see down the hall in the opposite direction as much as possible, without being visible from the kitchen.

Edward mimicked the movement, if only to lean against the wall while they decided what to do next.

Mustang slowly poked his head out and, seeing no one in the hall, quickly glanced down the hall in the opposite direction of the mess and kitchen. Down the hall, only a few meters, there was another hallway branching off.

"There's another hallway down the other way. It's close. Do you think you could make it?"

Mustang gave Edward a knowing look, and Edward merely nodded.

"Let's do it. The sooner we're out of here, the better."

Mustang checked one more time, and then while motioning to Edward, made his way into the hall and toward the hallway farther back into the compound.

Edward almost tripped on the top step but caught himself and followed. The short trip added only a few seconds to his quick trip from where he was to the hallway that was out of sight from the mess hall, but it was only those few seconds that allowed Casper to catch a glimpse of Edward as he turned the corner.

Once around the corner, both alchemists took a moment to rest. Edward's heart was hammering from nerves and the sudden burst of energy needed to move down the hall. After only a moment, they caught their breath and moved further down the hall they now occupied. Like the hallway to the mess hall, this one also had many doors leading off of it.

"Damn, where are we?" Edward asked.

The building made his skin crawl. The white walls and steel doors made the place feel sterile, almost like a hospital ward. Mustang had a similar feeling.

They soon came to another cross-section, and Mustang pointed to the hall leading perpendicular to them.

"If anyone comes down the hallway we were in before, all they have to do is look down this one, and they'll see us. How about we try this one and get farther from the mess hall since someone was in there before we really decide what to do?"

Edward shrugged, "Sounds good to me."

They quickly slipped across the hallway and then turned the corner. It had not been a long walk for sure, but fatigue began to wear on them.

In the hallway to the mess hall, Casper had made his way to where he saw Edward disappear moments before. The mess hall was about twice the distance from the stairwell than the hallway Mustang and Edward had just left, but Casper was moving much more quickly and had reached the hallway just after they disappeared.

So, when Casper reached the intersection, he could not see anyone, but Casper was well aware of the layout of the rooms. All the sleeping quarters were around the mess. The other rooms were mostly abandoned and unused.

Curious, Casper continued forward, slowly but surely catching up.

As they made their way down the hall, Mustang kept glancing back at Edward, and Edward was finding the attention irritating.

However, once they made their way to the end of the short hallway, Edward leaned heavily against the wall. At this intersection, each hallway led to a dead end. The hall in front of them had several doors leading off it but ended in a blank wall. The hall to their left led back to the hallway that led to the mess hall. The hallway to their left led to a door.

"I'm going to go check the door. Do you want to wait here for a moment?"

Edward grunted, "Wait here?"

Mustang smirked, "I don't think either of us was gifted with a lot of patience, but it's right there, and you'll be able to see me the whole time."

"I wasn't worried, Colonel Bastard!"

However, Edward leaned farther into the wall, and Mustang took it as a sign to continue while the younger alchemist rested a moment.

Just as Mustang turned the corner, Casper came to the intersection just down the hall, and looking around, saw Edward leaning against the wall. Casper could see that Edward was looking around the corner toward the side exit of the facility.

"The key…," Casper whispered.

Casper's face went white, and his eyes widened in surprise as the realization that he must have dropped the key in the prisoner's cell came over him. Shame and disgust also washed away all other thoughts.

Even so, how did they escape? How would they have picked it up or unlocked the shackled with their hands restrained above their heads?

Casper's thoughts settled on Mustang and his ever so persistent and irritating calm exterior.

This man is a devil. He killed so many and pretends to act like some kind of guardian for the brat, but they've both sold their souls. My son was innocent. These two are far from it with that cursed alchemy.

Behind Edward, Casper gaped at the young alchemist's back, and taking the gun from its holster, he lifted it, his finger drawing tighter and tighter against the trigger.

The gunshot echoed down the cement and tiled hallways, and Edward felt his world tilt sideways, but no pain, only a bit of pressure, indicated he had been hit. Casper watched as Edward hit the ground, and unseen by Casper, Mustang spun around at the sound of the gunshot, adrenalin pumping.

Edward!

Mustang was almost to the door, but he now began to sprint back toward Edward, his hand against the wall to steady himself.

Edward hit the floor with a grunt. The bullet had penetrated his auotmail knee at just the right angle to dislodge the top, plating slightly.

Casper's face hardened as he moved quickly toward Edward. If I destroy that leg, he can't run away.

Usually, Edward would be able to defend himself against an opponent, even a larger one like Casper, but hunger and thirst dulled Edward's reaction time. Seconds after the still echoing shot, Casper leapt forward and pinned Edward's flesh hand with his right and Edward's automail with his knee. Then, he dug his fingers onto the loose plating and pulled.

Mustang came around the corner to see Edward on the ground and Casper pinning the younger to the ground. Edward's struggles against the larger man did nothing. At the sight, Mustang's face went white, but the rest of him boiled.

Casper was so intent on incapacitating Edward that he hardly spared Mustang a glance. Mustang rammed into Casper, tackling him off of Edward and shoving him into the wall. Casper's head hit the wall with a sharp crack, and with a grunt, Casper went limp, sliding down the wall.

Edward lurched forward. "Don't kill him! I… I can't," Edward's eyes pleading. "His son… he…"

Casper lay on the ground. A small trickle of blood slid down the side of his head. Mustang turned away from Edward and bent to check the man's pulse. It was there, but weak.

Mustang gave a small sigh but relented. We don't have time for more anyway.

Turning back to the young alchemist behind him, Mustang nodded in reassurance that the man was still alive. Edward was clutching at his automail knee, from which they could now see the exposed wiring beneath. Some of the wires were dislodged, and some seemed to be torn in two.

Edward moved the leg gingerly, "it still works. Heh, Winry's a genius." Edward met Mustang's gaze, "I'll be fine. We have to get out of here now before the others come. Damn, guns are loud."

Mustang helped Edward to a stand, and together they turned the corner to be out of sight from Casper's slumped body and moved toward the door.

Behind them, they could hear shouts from the other rebels. However, they kept moving, and once they reached the door, they found it to be an exit. An icy chill radiated through the door.

Mustang pressed the door open.

Sheets of falling, swirling snow met them once they opened the door. A good four inches of snow covered the ground. A dim grey-white light was forming on the edge of the horizon.

Mustang looked at Edward, who shrugged in response.

Mustang looked outside once more and then turned back to Edward, "Either we brave it or hope that we can find a place to hide. The snow might provide some cover and hide our tracks."

"Yeah," Edward said, nodding in agreement, "Let's just hope we find shelter before it gets worse. If it does." The sarcasm in his voice was evident.

Mustang looked out into the world outside their prison once more, and Edward's eyes followed, then, as the sound of shouting drew nearer, they slipped on their coats and plunged into the world of deadly white.

Okay, so even a day without food can make you really lethargic, let alone something like five days. Hopefully, I didn't overdo it on emphasizing their condition.

Thanks for reading!