Misery Looms

Chapter 10 - Questions

"Brother, what happened?" Al asked, walking into the room and closing the door.

Ed stood by the window, staring out into the night. The curtains were off to the side swaying in the breeze from the half opened window. Ed moved to sit on the bed, but moonlight hit his face turning skin pale.

"Nothing," Ed said. Though it was an utter lie because there were no words to explain what happened.

"Nothing? Even after the murderer was spotted next door?" Al said in disbelief. 

Ed nodded and added in a quiet voice, "I would like to be left alone."

"But-"

"Please," Ed said, eyes never left the star dusted sky.

Al left the room while thoughts ran free. Ed was keeping secrets, but why was more important than what at the moment. Al walked down the stairs. Maybe something happened in the abandoned building. Was that what Ed was trying to hide? Or maybe it was nothing and Al was reaching for answers. Though this wasn't the first time in the last couple of weeks Al had the feeling Ed was hiding something. Roy rounded the corner when Al was at the bottom of the stairs.

"Did Edward mention anything we should know about?" Roy asked.

"No, brother said nothing happened," Al said, walking to the front door.

"And you believe him?" Roy asked while walking with him.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"The murderer was next door. Not to mention Edward went to the abandoned building, the last place he remembers trying to seek out those memories. It's strange nothing happened with the murderer or with memories resurfacing." Roy said, opening the door and Al walked out.

"I understand, but we have to believe brother is telling the truth and if not we have to believe there is a reason why." 

Roy nodded, "Well, have a good night." And was about to close the door when - 

"Mustang, brother doesn't like troubling people, especially when he feels responsible. Please, keep an eye on him for the next little while." Al said then walked away.

Roy closed the door not wanting to let the autumn cold in any further but stood in the hall thinking. It was the truth. His pride got in the way of asking for help. Roy walked to his bedroom, turning off the lights along the way, but stopped in front of Ed's door and knocked once.

"Edward, can I come in?"

There was no response.

Roy knocked once more and said, "Edward, I'm coming in."

The room had an autumn chill from the half opened window. Ed was asleep, exhausted from tonight's events. Roy walked to the window cool glass chilled his fingers. Winter was around the corner which came with long nights. Gripping the curtains, he glanced over at Ed. How was all of this really affecting him?

At the beginning, there was a riot, but as Al said Edward didn't like asking for help, didn't like to trouble people with his thoughts. While closing the curtains another thought wormed its way in. Roy forgot to go food shopping. Though that realization didn't mean a lot, it was the conclusion that was worrying. Was Edward not eating?

Roy walked over to the bed. Ed most likely had sneaked out and got food. Roy pulled the covers up. It was a small gesture, but it felt nice, especially after what happened tonight. It was like apologizing without saying the word.

Tired legs carried Roy out of the room. Tonight was draining and the thought about tomorrow wasn't inviting. More people would be questioned and the case file, which Roy couldn't wait to read, would be getting larger as the day went on. He still couldn't believe the murderer didn't make a move. However, maybe that was their planned and this was a game. Roy headed to bed. Tomorrow, hopefully, something could come out of these people's deaths. That's what everyone hoped for after every new victim.

The beating of rain made music on the pavement, but it sounded far away, muffled even. There was a small click, metal pressed against flesh. Thoughts about running, fighting entered Ed's tired mind, but his limbs wouldn't move. Hands were shaking, knees were weak, heart was beating, until thunder crackled overhead and a shot rang out. The world went black.

Ed's eyes bolted open, sweat clings to the back of his neck. It was a nightmare. Skin prickled with fear. It felt real, but as Ed's tired mind tried to figure it out. Details slipped out of reach until the dream was nothing, but an empty memory. Exhaustion slowly crept in and Ed was asleep.

Roy sat at the oak desk, papers littered the surface. Eyes scanned over the folder. There were pictures that matched up with the report giving life to the scenes. It was hideous blood was pooling on the floor, spattered on the wall, but there was one place where the blood looked like it was placed there on purpose or the murderer was getting lazy.

Bloody hand prints covered a window, but that clue didn't tell them anything. It was what laid beyond it that made the murderer look lazy. Across the window was the adorned building. If anyone was sitting there they would have a perfect view into the building.

The murderer watched Edward. The folder was tossed onto the desk where it laid open. The only reason the murderer killed that family was to watch Edward? Roy flipped the page. There were many close up photos of the wounds inflicted. Every family member was killed in the same way their throats were cut. There was a change in their MO again, but why? Not only that, but the murderer wanted to make sure anyone who stumbled upon the body knew it was them. There were two puncture marks on the wrist.

Flipping the page, this one was the full report. Roy only skimmed it, but stopped and read a bit slowly. After arriving at the crime scene and established that there were no survivors, a team of officers went around the neighborhood making sure other families were ok and to track the murderer or at least have a sense on which direction they had gone, but there was nothing. Not even the dogs could pick up a trail.

There was another group who went to check out the building next to the crime scene, the one where The Fullmetal Alchemist was spotted coming out of, but the building looked the same as Maes Hughes has described it as in the original report.

Roy closed the folder that was filled with nothing useful and turned to another folder on the desk, which held the case file for Sarah and another victim who was killed last night. Five people had died last night and it hasn't yielded any answers and it didn't look like it will. It was their fault, there was something missing; something that was right here in all the deaths.

Roy stopped that line of thinking because it was easy to big a hole of guilt, but it wasn't easy to get out. The loss of these people was not his or Edward's or the military's fault nor was it the victims. The only person to blame was the murderer.

But even with five people dead, Edward had not been a target. What was the murderer waiting for?