Broken↩️🪭 ✔

Chapter 2

Another few months of searching all over Amestris when by for some sort of sign of Edward's whereabouts and they were still not successful. Roy was really starting to doubt himself as an officer. The guilt was taking over him every day and Edward was still out there all alone, not even in his own body. He probably wasn't even in his right mind. Riza was so worried about Roy that she asked Maes to help her figure out a way to keep Roy from obsessing over the issue.

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"You know how Roy is, Hawkeye. Ed is one of his and he's very possessive over his things. Not knowing is the worst part about everything."

"I know that but..."

Maes understood that it was hard for Riza to see her superior going past the point of loyalty and into obsession. He was determined and obsessed. He wouldn't rest until Edward's true whereabouts were found or a body was found.

They were just about to cross the street when a hay truck stopped in their path. Maes had pulled Riza back just in time before she had gotten ran over by it by being so lost in thought. Riza was still lost in thought as she looked over at the loose hay that was in the back of the truck when she thought she saw a little face peeking out of the hay. She shook her head and blinked a little and looked back at it. She was definite now. There was a face in the hay and it was staring straight at her.

"Hughes, that hay truck is hauling people underneath that hay!" she yelled, running after the truck when it began to take off.

Maes was right behind her, mostly running after her than the truck as Riza ran after it. As she got slightly closer to it, the face moved to show a head and shoulders and an arm that was reaching out of the back towards her.

It was Edward.

"Edward?! EDWARD!!!!" Riza screamed, racing after the truck and holding out her hands as far as they would go.

Edward didn't yell back at her but she could tell he was trying to reach as much as he could as well. The truck was speeding up as it left the traffic of the city but it didn't stop Riza from chasing it as quickly as she could. At one point it stopped at a stop sign and Riza thought she could make it, that she was almost there, but it took off too quickly and left her choking on the fumes.

Coughing, Riza fell to her knees in horror as she watched the truck zoom away and another large hand grabbed Edward's face, pulling him back into the hay. Maes finally caught up with her, breathing heavily as he leaned on his knees.

"Are you alright?" he asked her.

"That was Edward... I know it was him. He was in the back of that truck..."

Maes looked at her in worry and picked her up from the street.

"Hawkeye, it was just a hay truck. There was nothing in it. You're delusional. Have you slept any?"

Riza looked at Maes as he stared at her and she shook her head.

"If Roy doesn't sleep then neither can I. I have to protect him."

"No... you don't... Riza, look at me." She did and Maes hugged her tight. "You need rest just like your superior does. I'm taking you home and then I'm going to go and yell at him for being so hard on you."

Riza left with him but looked back at the road leading out of the city. She knew what she saw... she just knew it.

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"Roy, you have to let this go. It's been a year and three months. Now that Riza told you about the hay incident, you've got the police force checking out every hay truck that leaves the city and still no one has seen any people –children or otherwise- being smuggled away. You caused your subordinate to get inadequate hours of sleep and she hallucinated seeing Edward in the hay. Do you hear me, Roy? Hallucinated. There's no truth in it. Let it go."