chapter 14

You clap your hands together and make the ground uneven, barely missing the attacks. Al yells your name, but you ignore him.  The men all charge at you, but you create a platform that you can stand on and raise yourself high above the men. They were all muttering things, the same things you heard when Ed pinned you down.  

You grimace and jump down the platform, away from the men. There was nothing you could do but defense. They all turn towards you, and all advance on you in perfect synchrony. You sigh and glance at Al, who was looking at you worriedly. You offer a smile.

Suddenly, all the men stop and stagger, falling to the ground. You freeze, surprised. "What...?"

"Ah. Look who came." A feminine voice says from behind you. You whip around to see a rounded doorway you didn't notice before. The prettier woman you saw the other day steps out, smiling, eyes glinting in the firelight. Her blonde hair was tied back into a ponytail, bangs brushing her eyes. Her blue eyes were heavily eye-shadowed, and she was wearing a black business attire. When she sees Al, her face brightens. "Looks like you brought company."

You hiss as the lady turns to the twitching people on the ground. "I see the experiment worked... But we'll have to discontinue it if they keep on attempting to kill you. Now that wouldn't be good."

Questions pound at your head. "What experiment, and why they want to kill me? Where did you get all these people? Who are you? What are you planning?"

"Woah, girl. Calm down a bit. Aren't these people the people you fought? They all despise you. Aren't you glad?"

You grit your teeth. "Even so, they don't deserve-"

The woman laughs, cutting off your talk. You grimace. "And to think you're so kind-hearted. How nice. Let me tell you a little secret: we accidentally released into the public that made people who have reason to hate, no, you, wether it be anger and heartbreak, to track you down and kill you. Now isn't that awesome?"

You could hear the evil in her tone and her face was smirking. You would wipe that smile off of her face. But what she said took you aback. People who have any reason to dislike you? So that means-

No, you refused to think that. The woman cackled. "I can see it in your eyes. Has a loved one reacted to that little ? Perhaps your friend, ?" The woman laughs more, making you want to pounce on her.

You clench your jaw, and notice that Al's being awfully quiet and still. Without warning, you jump out at the woman, pinning her down to the ground and press your arm-blade against her neck. She doesn't even flinch, but smiles instead.

"Tell me everything, or your head will be rolling on the ground in a second." You put on a tough act, flinching at your own words. There was no way you would actually do that.

The woman laughs again, and you start to get annoyed at her laugh. "Kill me if you want, girl. I'm nothing but a pawn to them."

The ground shakes, and you cling onto the lady's shoulders. "Oh, but there's not much time anymore. You should run away before-"

The wall behind her explodes forcefully, causing chunks of wall and dust to rain into the room. You were thrown backwards immediately, and your eyes start watering and nose and mouth starts to burn.

"(Y/N)!" Al calls out, coughing. Your back hit the wall, and you flinch in pain as the breath was thrown from you and you cough heavily from the dust. You feel warm stickiness seep through your throat, so you bend over and cover your nose and mouth with your hands.

A crazed laughing echoes throughout the room as the room clears and you wipe your mouth, leaving smears of red on your wrist. When the dust was barely se through, you see a obsidian frame the size of a door frame with a dark purple miasma in it. It lit up the room and sent sparks in every direction.

You stand up and hear the laugh again.

"I see my people have threatened you well! You even brought with you another sacrifice!"

You flinch, and suddenly, black ribbon-like arms shoot out from the portal and wrap around you, binding your legs together. You give a cry of surprise as dust gets inside your eyes and you were flung upside-down. You hear the same yelp from Al and your heart drops.

"Al! Are you okay!?"

Al doesn't answer. The arms strangle your legs and start to slowly pull you towards the portal, and suddenly, you're not in the big echoey chamber anymore.

[A/N: This isn't what exactly happens in the anime because I don't remember but it's something roughly similar so...]

Anytime today

What do you mean

That stupid shortyYou just had to ruin my plan.

You gasp, coming back to the present. All the feeling of frustration and excitement comes back to you, as well as your small liking for Al. You think.

The man starts laughing again, bringing you back to your senses. You grit your teeth in annoyance and move your arm-blade upwards, trying to reach your legs.

"Your laughing is very annoying, so I'm afraid we'll have to come back when you've calmed down a bit."

You bend towards your legs and slice through the thick arms and they start to flail. The tight knot around your leg loosens and slowly evaporates into small tetris-like pieces. You fall, head down, screaming and covering your head. You attempt to turn feet down, but end up bellyflopping onto the ground. Pain shoots through you and you loose your breath. Black clouds your vision and you lie there for a moment, regaining your composure.

"(Y/N)!" Al screams. You crawl up and see another set of arms racing towards you but you slice them away. Another set of arms race towards you and hit you in your right abdomen, sending you screaming in pain as your old wound opens again. You grit your teeth and stand up.

You cough heavily and spit the blood onto your hands, recoiling at the metallic taste left behind in your mouth. Your shoulder aches heavily and you clap your hands together and form a huge wall spanning from ground to ceiling all the way across the room. The little arms holding on to Al vaporize away and Al falls head first. You scramble upwards as the wall trembles and run to catch Al. He lands squarely in your arms and you flip him over to hold him bridal style. The wall trembles again and explodes, and you run towards the place where the entrance should be. You move your hands together and clap them from under Al and create a doorway, rushing through and out into the hallway. You close the entrance and turn right, stepping into the original, long, dark hallway. You trip up the steps and run out, the secret door closing behind you. When you get out, you drop Al and put your hands to your chest, breathing heavily.

With each expansion, your chest hurt, but you couldn't not breathe. You collapse onto the ground, the memory of your flashback coming back to you.

Blood seeps through your shirt, but you ignore it. You hear footsteps from within the wall, and your eyes widen.

"They're coming." Your hoarse voice says. You stand up and pick up Al again, who was staring at you with concern.

"(Y/N).. Are you okay?"

You nod. "I.. I'm okay. Let's go now." You jog out the store and wind through the streets, stopping every once in a while to catch your breath. Al insisted that he try to walk by himself, but you shake your head. "That'll only make us slower." You had said.

Soon, you find yourself in front of your hotel, and you glance behind you, hoping no one followed you. You take in heavy breaths and cough a little, but hold yourself up for Al's sake and step inside.

******

Uh... I'll add something interesting in the next chapter since this chapter was a little rushed hehe... Anyways, if you enjoyed this part, be sure to vote, comment, share, and most importantly, ENJOY!!

~Sky-chan

Word count: 1646 words