One Foot In Front of the Other

Chapter 7 Drenched in Scarlet

When I woke the next morning, I was not fully coherent. The first thing I was aware of was pain, followed by a burning sensation in the pit of my stomach as I gagged. There was nothing in my stomach though, and I ended up dry heaving, whimpering as every movement tortured me. I fell back against the bed when it was over, the room spinning wildly around me. For a minute I had no idea where I was, or why the heck I was in so much pain, but everything came back to me at the sound of Ed's voice. "Hey, how are you feeling?" I had no clue what he was saying, though. I stared at him blankly for a moment before whispering, "I... think I'm... gonna... pass out..." That was all I managed to get out before I lost consciousness. 

(I'm not really sure how to switch POV. Usually I just start a new chapter, but this would be sooooo short if I did that... I'm gonna go kinda third person now lol sorry everyone I stink at this) 

Ed sighed as his friend blacked out. Though he supposed it was a normal response to such a severe level of pain and exhaustion, it still worried him. It had been about a week since her surgery, not that she knew; she'd slept most of that time. She'd woken on only a handful of occasions; usually to be sick. Sometimes Winry woke her to give her food, and though she was never hungry and often vomited not long after eating, she didn't protest when she was commanded to eat. Ed shook his head. She didn't protest about anything anymore. She hadn't even raised a complaint when Winry had decided to hook her up to an IV in a desperate attempt to get her some nutrients and water, even though Ed could clearly see the fear in the eyes of the pale, thin girl at the very thought of the needle. That's what worried Ed the most; her lack of protest. In the past, if he had had to compare her to something, he would've chosen the stars. She was a burning ball of energy, bright and happy and tireless, illuminating his night sky. He loved her for that, though he rarely said it. But now she was always tired, and anyone who could have seen her before would have been shocked that this was the same girl. It was almost painful, looking at her now. Ed's train of thought was derailed by a soft whimper from the unconscious form next to him, and he winced sympathetically as he was reminded of her torment. How long had she been out now? Half an hour?  He glanced over, surprised she had woken so quickly, only to realize she was still unconscious. She moaned restlessly, her left hand tightening around a fistful of sheets as her breathing sped up.  Ed could only watch in horror as her cries became more frequent, escalating into screams as she tossed and turned. "No..." He whispered, his golden eyes wide, "Dear Lord, no...! Hasn't she suffered enough?" A broken sob escaped the girl's throat, finally jolting Ed out of his trance-like state. He was by her side in an instant, desperately trying to wake her. 

(switch back to original POV)

Where was I? It was dark, and it was cold. I turned in a circle, searching for even a glimmer of light, but I was unable to see anything. Then, suddenly, the world around me changed in a flash,  filling with sound, shape, and color. I gasped as I tried to figure out where I was, and finally realized I was in Central City. I wasn't sure why I was in Central, but I quickly realized it didn't matter. The sounds of battle mixed with the whine of alchemy filled my ears, and I turned to face the commotion. Time slowed as I saw Ed. He had turned away from the battle triumphantly, a cocky smirk painted across his face. But what he didn't realize was that he hadn't won. He didn't see Kimblee behind him, holding a jagged knife high above his head. I screamed for Ed to look out, but though my screams tore my throat raw he couldn't seem to hear me. I ran towards him, praying I would be fast enough, but it felt like I was running on quicksand. I could only watch as the knife was forced into his flesh, far too close to his heart to be healthy, then ripped free, scarlet spurting in its wake. I screamed again as Ed stiffened then fell, coughing up mouthful after mouthful of blood and he couldn't stop and oh gosh there was so much blood... there was so much blood!! His eyes met mine but my breath caught in my throat when I saw them. They weren't right. They were too panicked and the fire in them was fading as the brilliant gold dulled with every passing second. He reached towards me, and his lips moved as if he were trying to tell me something, but I was too far away and I couldn't hear. Then he fell back onto the pavement and  oh gosh don't die please don't let let him die!!! Dear Lord, please don't let him be dead...! I finally reached him, slipping in the blood and falling heavily beside him. I sat up shakily and pulled him into my arms, searching for even the faintest sign of life, but his eyes were glassy and he wasn't breathing and he was so cold... so cold... cold and dark... All the light and color faded until I was left with nothing but the corpse in my arms. A broken sob escaped my lips as I realized I was alone in the dark, and I simply knelt there, screaming and crying as I held him in my arms. I was soaked in his blood. He was gone for good, and I hadn't even told him I loved him. Pain flooded me as everything faded, and I could almost hear a voice calling my name, but it didn't matter. It hurt so much...

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Sooooooo sorry if that was crappy. I feel like that was one of the worst scenes I've written it was awful but I kinda needed it cuz if I cut it out it left a gaping hole in the story so yeeeeah sorry