Title: The Long Road Ahead

Author: S J Smith-Evil_Little_Dog

Rating: Teen

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, I don't make any money.

Summary: They need a doctor, right now.

Winry lay in the backseat of the land yacht, eyes covered by her forearm. When Alphonse glanced in the rearview mirror, he could see the strain on Edward's face, and pushed the pedal to the floor.

"Not so fast, Al! We don't want to attract too much attention."

"Right!" He backed off the gas, and tried to keep his eyes on the road.

The night hadn't been too bad, to start. Winry somehow sniffed out another engineer who'd known Pinako back in the bad old days, and they'd been offered shelter for the night. Dominic was a hard man, with a son and a very pregnant daughter-in-law, but when the woman's water broke, he'd turned into a gibbering fool, running out into the night to try to find a doctor.

Whatever got him, it let out a paean to the skies, and back tracked him to the house. Satilla's screams were answered by the creatures outside, and it was up to Edward and him to protect the house, keep it safe, because Winry had to help deliver the baby. Morning couldn't come fast enough, but at least they knew the baby was healthy, and the remaining le Corts safely ensconced with another family before they left that town in the rear view mirror.

The problem had been getting to their car.

Winry had chosen the behemoth they used for transportation, saying a big block engine was easier to get parts for, not to mention, easier to repair. It also had big enough bench seats they could sleep in the car, if they had to, and Alphonse wouldn't say it was a regular occurrence, but it happened often enough. He glanced in the mirror again, catching a glimpse of red as Edward wiped blood from Winry's neck.

They'd hidden the car in a warehouse. She'd run ahead, yelling at Alphonse to toss her the keys, too pumped at the sight of the baby, even after what happened to Dominic. And that's when the creature struck.

Coming out of the shadows, it lunged at Winry, slicing through her shirt, ripping through her skin. Winry didn't scream – she had more sand than that – but she went down hard. Edward barreled into them, knocking the monster off Winry, punching its skull with his right arm. Alphonse pulled his gun, yelling at Edward to get out of the way. Edward rolled and Alphonse took his shot.

The monster's head exploded, bone and brains flying everywhere. A shard sliced Edward's cheek and he brushed it away as if it was a buzzing fly. Getting to his feet, he scrambled back to Winry, screaming her name.

Bloodied, she sat up, pressing her hand against the wound. "I'm okay," she gasped as Alphonse slid to his knees next to her.

"You're not okay," Edward snapped, sliding one arm around her back and the other beneath her knees, cradling her against his chest. "Al, get the car!"

"Yeah!" Fishing the keys from his pocket, Alphonse ran to the car, unlocking it. He still checked before opening the doors, slamming the back door closed after Edward climbed inside with Winry in his arms.

"You idiot!" Edward snapped, tearing off his shirt to use as a bandage. "What did you think you were doing?"

Alphonse slid behind the steering wheel, thrusting the key in the ignition. He turned the key, the engine igniting with a roar. Backing the car out of the warehouse, he glanced in either direction. Winry needed a doctor, something better than the sawbones Dominic had gone to get, but who knew what direction to drive to find someone skilled enough to work on a monster's bite?

"Get us out of here, Al!" Edward shouted from the back seat. "Winry, hold on, please."

"I'm fine," she repeated, but her voice sounded blurrier than it had.

"You little brat," Edward said hoarsely, "you know better than to just – just run ahead! Look at this, you're getting blood all over the back seat…where's Al gonna sleep now? Winry?" He sounded desperate. "You're not doing this to me. You're not going to – to die. You can't! You're not leaving me – us – here. You're going to be okay!"

Alphonse gritted his teeth together and floored the pedal again.

~ end ~