CreepyPasta!FMA Attempt

Ed's Notes 23rd June 1914

'Do you believe in ghosts?'

Of course at least once in your lifetime you'd be ask that, At a random time or just asked when related to a paranormal topic, Its silly really, Someone 'haunting' you and someone 'rising from the grave', Its just nonsense, stories you'd scare your kids with for a bedtime story or at sleepovers with friends.

Of course, Me being the State Alchemist, part of the Military there was no room for petty ghost stories that'll scare you so much that you'd sleep with the light on or invite someone round to keep you company. You had to be serious about it and just brush it off like every other stupid story, But one event made me..question my thoughts of ghosts, Just recalling it made me really wonder about spirits who refused to enter the other world.

I'm sorry if this is boring you, I just needed to write this down, it happened quite some time ago during last year in September...I couldn't bring myself to tell anyone, Not even my brother Alphonse, it shook me up so much that even thinking about it is making my handwriting go beyond recognizable. Anyway, here it goes.

It was like any other day during the mid autumn rains at Central, Dreary weather which made the sky dark with black thunderclouds leaving the city in a strange evening darkness when it was just the middle of the morning, I had been given instructions to pick up some files at an office just a few miles away from Central, a building that seemed abandoned but the dim lights on the inside told it was still in use, It was on the borders of the cities, most likely used to keep track of any visitors that looked shady or suspicious.

This task was a small one so I notified my brother to stay at central and informed him I wouldn't be too long, Just an hour and I'll be back before lunchtime, Colonel Roy Mustang, my commanding officer had got me a taxi to get there, It'd save walking the whole way there and the drive took only 20 minutes max.

The place was..rather worn, run down and shabby, telling me its been around for quite some time now, a place that told a lot of stories from its days of use, And a story it DID have.

Apparently during the Civil war a officer had fled from the war zone in a desperate attempt to escape from court martial, he hanged himself in the lavatory  and his mournful and dejected spirit is still seen running through the house and if you listen hard enough...you could hear his cries.

The story I did believe but wondering spirit? I knew at my age that was clearly something that HAD to be made up rumors by children or adults wanting to scare one another, Pushing the story to the back of my mind I was set on completing the task and allowed no distractions and immediately forgot about it, Like a file being deleted.

Walking inside my eyes wondered,  the place was a mess in papers,they were overflowing on the desk and onto the floor like someone cramming an all night study session for a test, a lantern was dimly lit revealed a mess of pencils, rubbers and pens used to create diagrams and such that I couldn't tell what of, It wasn't important.

What was important was FINDING a guy which could give me the needed papers but the building looked empty..it was silent too, Maybe the person went out? But really, who would leave their post unattended? Rather foolish...I mean, I just walked right in! a terrorist or something could just come in and steal information! I shook my head, Maybe I was exaggerating..It was unlike me to do so, So I decided to take a look around, There were so many papers I couldn't possibly find the file I was looking for!

The place was rather big, So I made a search Maneuvering over the tattered books and papers, looking downstairs first I found no sign of inhabitants other than a recently used kettle and empty coffee mug, that was about it, It was when I left the kitchen area I found a stair case...the upstairs was dark showing no sources of light upstairs, just by looking at it, you wouldn't think of going upstairs when there was obviously no indications of anyone being up there, But...I felt like I SHOULD go up, I..I couldn't explain why but I just began going up, It was as if my brain wasn't connected to my legs and they had a mind of their own. The stairs creaked under my automail foot and again under my other, As I walked up the stairs I could see and almost feel the darkness embrace my whole figure..like stepping into an endless abyss, Once to the very top I felt along the walls for a light switch, I ran them along feeling up and down with each piece of wall I felt until I felt the framing of a doorway, Coming round the corner I peered in greeted by more darkness, My hands snaked round into the room along the wall on the inside of for a light switch...bingo.

With a click, a light came on but it flickered giving my vision a strange blur confusing my sensitive pupils, in annoyance I turned it off to ease my eyes and gave them a rub grumbling under my breath, I waited for the aching to pass until a sudden slam of the front door downstairs caused me to jerk startled and suddenly freeze.

The guy was back?

There was a period of silence throughout the whole building before sudden footsteps pounded downstairs against the wooden floorboards..but not just ANY footsteps..there was also a scraping sound..something hard was being dragged across the floor sending a disturbing shudder down my spine, These footsteps..they were slow, heavy and sluggish.

Thud..Thud...Draag...Draaaaag..

I didn't dare call out for the person OR make any movement, I stayed where I was hidden in the pitch black room listening to the footsteps, My ears heated up with the sound of my heart pounding against my rib cage, I stared off into the dark focusing on what I was hearing than what I was seeing, Something in the pit of my stomach wanted the footsteps to leave, To go away...

Thud...Thud...

They did not.

The noise continued to ascend, in their repetitive rhythm..

Thud...thud...Draag..draag.

I felt my throat tighten when I heard the stairs creak, The thumps and dragging now accompanied with the stairs creaking adding more to the rhythm.

Thud..Creak..Thud..Creaak..Drag..drag.

My heart picked up another pace, and my stomach churned once the noise stopped at the top of the staircase, I didn't dare move, afraid I'd make I'd make a sound or bump into something giving myself away, wait..why was I EVEN getting scared? I-It was just the man right? Just with a heavy bag of..of shopping yeah! That must of been it! heh..I should go out and ask if he needed any help.

But I stayed glued to the floor, The thought of going out there vanished when the footsteps suddenly resumed..Now replacing the creaking staircase with heavy breathing, The breathing was one of a heavy smoker, slow and shallow breaths..someone who was taking their time with each breath, Like someone who had just calmed down after running, It made a uncomfortable lump form in his throat and shivers run up my whole body.

My worst fears were answered when the steps suddenly stopped Just outside the room causing the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. They got closer...and closer...

And stopped directly in front open doorway.

I didn't have any vision of the doorway and just stared ahead not daring to turn my head, I stared ahead in agonizing darkness..Then the steps continued. But they didn't pass the room.

They entered it.

The story..Rumors..everything came back to me like dead weights on my brain, I held my breath,,only hearing the footsteps walk into the room and the slow dragging sound..

Draaaaag...Thud..thud..

It was there..IT was in the same ROOM as me..and I couldn't see a damn thing but...Did I REALLY want to see the presence? It was true..it was worst not knowing THAN knowing..But all I knew was, I had to get out.

It seemed impossible to escape unnoticed, But the stairs were just outside the door, I could make a run for it, Just as I thought over my plan, The steps stopped.

My lungs by now had began to burn begging for fresh oxygen to drink on but I ignored its request, I had to keep focused on my next course of action but my train of thoughts were interrupted..

The skin on the back of my neck was suddenly coated in hot breath by the same wheezing breathing I had heard a minute earlier, I felt my whole body explode into a a fit of trembles which was enough to get me to sprint out the room as fast as I could, Slamming myself into the door opposite to the one I entered, I threw myself off it and thundered down the stairs, relying on my memory to navigate myself through the darkened hall and dimly lit stairs, During that time I could hear the same footsteps chasing behind me closing in with horrifying speed.

Thud..Thud..THUD THUD THUD THUDTHUDTHUDTHUD.

It was torturous and a Nightmarish escape, I didn't dare look back until I burst out the front door into the pouring rain and fell painfully onto my chest onto the soaking grass and gooey mud staining my black trousers and shirt and red trench coat..

Recovering I whipped myself around determined to find my chaser but all I saw...All I saw was..

Nothing.

There was no footsteps..Or creaking..or dragging or anything, Nothing...Nothing was there, But that didn't stop me from picking myself off the ground and taking off running, Running back to the taxi that had been waiting for my return.

When I returned to central, I was questioned why I was dirty and mostly why I didn't return with the needed files...I merely answered numbly 'No one was there' and he just nodded taking in my answer and dismissed me with no further questions..

Later on, I was asked by Alphonse what had happened and I just gave him the same answer like a robot, despite being a suit of armor you could see the concern in his red glows, He said..When I came back, I was extremely pale.

Like I had seen a ghost.

End.