(A/N: This story mentions events that occur in my other fanfic "Broken Angel". You might want to read that first.)
Tintin stopped the motorcycle somewhere near the woods, which was surrounded by caution tape. A brown haired man who was on the other side waved at him.
"Good morning, Mr. Davis!" Tintin said as he ducked under the caution tape.
"Good morning, Tintin!" Mr. Davis said. "I'm glad you came. Where's Snowy?"
"He wasn't feeling too well. I left him with the Captain."
"I see."
"Where is everyone?" Tintin asked.
"They went out for a coffee break. Have you found anymore clues about the Coffin Killer?"
Tintin shook his head. "Not yet. Who was murdered this time?"
"This hole, here, is where Charles Parson was found buried alive."
Tintin sighed. This was the fifth death so far. "What do you know about him?"
"He was one of the detectives investigating the murders. The killer must have caught him."
"Do we have a motive for the murders yet?"
"Sadly, no. We did find, however, who the next victim will be."
"Really? Who?"
Mr. Davis smiled. "You."
Tintin barely had time to register his statement before Mr. Davis clamped a handkerchief over Tintin's mouth. The sickly-sweet scent of chloroform engulfed Tintin as black spots consumed his vision.
Tintin gasped loudly and sat up with a jolt, but his head hit something painfully, so he lay down again. He groaned as his eyes opened to pitch-black. Tintin reached in his pockets and found his flashlight. He switched it on and saw that he was in a very cramped box. He dropped the flashlight in shock and let out a shriek as he covered his hands over his mouth, trying not to hyperventilate. His wide eyes darted around the narrow space as he realized what this meant. The Coffin Killer had caught him. I can't believe it. Tintin thought angrily. It was Mr. Davis all along.
He steadied his breathing by meditating as he gathered his thoughts. He was stuck in a coffin, he had a limited amount of oxygen left, and he didn't know where he was. What if I die here? Tintin wondered. I'll die here, all alone, and what if no one finds me? Tintin started hyperventilating again and it took him a great effort to calm down again. Tears streaked his face, but this was no time to panic. He needed to find a way out of the coffin. Tintin pushed against the coffin lid, but to no avail. Closer examination proved that the coffin was made out of steel, sealing his fate. Tintin used the flashlight to tap "SOS" in Morse Code repeatedly in the hopes that someone would hear, although he had no idea how deep he had been buried.
Tintin could barely spread his arms and legs. He seemed like the walls were closing in on him... Tintin shook his head. He couldn't start hyperventilating again. Tintin took the time to reflect as his heart pounded in his chest. To the public, he was the brave reporter. No one seemed to know how afraid he was every time he stared down the barrels of guns, every time he was sentenced to death, every time he woke up in the clutches of a villain. When he was young it didn't really matter. But now he had friends that he cared about. What was the last thing I said to them? He had pet Snowy and told him to be a good boy until he came back. Tintin probably wouldn't. Captain Haddock had asked him to stop by for dinner. A flicker of hope sparked in Tintin's heart. The Captain would notice that Tintin was missing! But what if he doesn't find me in time? No one knows where I am. Even I don't know where I am. His hope disappeared. Tintin's letter to Chang should have arrived by now. How would Chang react when he found out it would be his last?
As Tintin lay there in the dark, memories flashed before him. I had a good life. But if Tintin was to be honest with himself, he didn't want it to end. He wished he could tell all of his friends how much they meant to him. But it was too late for that. Tintin didn't want to admit it, but he could feel his lungs getting tighter as they strained for oxygen. How much longer did he have? Tintin wiped the sweat off his forehead as he continued tapping in Morse Code.
Captain Haddock kept glancing at the empty seat at the table. Blistering barnacles, where was that boy? The excellent food Nestor had cooked seemed tasteless as he fretted, worry gnawing at his stomach. Finally, he couldn't handle it any longer. Captain Haddock grabbed Tintin's phone book and dialed a number.
"Hello?" the Syldavian-accented voice of Mr. Davis asked.
"Mr. Davis, do you know where Tintin is?"
"He isn't home yet? But he left the crime scene hours ago! Maybe he got caught in traffic?"
"Maybe." Captain Haddock said, but something told him that this was not the case.
"Do call me if- i mean- when he comes back. I do hope that boy hasn't got himself into trouble."
He probably already has. "I'll call you back. Good evening Mr. Davis." Captain Haddock hung up the phone.
"Why Captain, where in the world do you think you're going? You haven't even finished your dinner yet!" Professor Calculus asked.
"I'm going to find Tintin." Captain Haddock responded as he put on his coat.
"You're going to dine on fin? Why, Captain, I can't believe you were so rude as to not invite me!" Professor Calculus said as he indignantly followed the Captain into the car. Years of living with the Professor had taught Captain Haddock not to argue with him. Snowy barked and ran into the car.
"No, Snowy, you're sick. Stay at home and rest." Captain Haddock ordered. Snowy sat down on the seat stubbornly. Captain Haddock sighed as he started up the car and drove away.
It was getting harder for Tintin to breathe, even though he was meditating. Suddenly, the coffin lid opened and Tintin shielded his eyes against the harsh light. Tintin breathed in the crisp autumn air and felt its cool wind brush his skin. Was he free?
"Tintin? Tintin!" Captain Haddock said with excitement. He pulled Tintin out of the coffin and embraced him. "I thought I lost you!"
Snowy licked his face eagerly. "Yeah Snowy, I'm happy to see you too." Tintin said as he rubbed his dog's ears. "How did you find me?" he asked Captain Haddock.
"We caught Mr. Davis. He had no choice but to tell us where you were. Don't ever make me worry about you again!" Captain Haddock said. Tintin nodded as he wiped tears of happiness from his eyes. "Come on, Tintin. Let's go home."
Tintin smiled as he stared up at the coffin lid, lost in a daydream, oblivious to the darkness that was slowly sucking the life out of him.
"I'm sorry sir, but only authorized people can-"
"Harry! They're Tintin's friends, let them in." Mr. Davis said. Captain Haddock smiled in gratitude as he ducked under the caution tape, Snowy and Professor Calculus behind him.
"Mr. Davis! Something's happened to Tintin!"
"He still didn't come back?" His bushy eyebrows furrowed in concern. "Something is wrong."
Snowy suddenly growled at Mr. Davis and was restrained by Captain Haddock. "Woah, there. I'm sorry, Snowy doesn't usually act this way."
"He must have smelled the remnants of the body." Mr. Davis replied.
Snowy wriggled out of Captain Haddock's grasp and sniffed the ground, walking away. "He's found a trail!" Captain Haddock said as he kneeled beside the dog. "What do you smell, Snowy?"
If Snowy could talk, he would have described the sweet smell of chloroform (which he knew all too well), the strong scent of Mr. Davis's cologne, and Tintin's faint smell of newspaper ink as they moved in a path until Tintin's scent disappeared and Mr. Davis's trail continued in another trail. Snowy suddenly caught the very faint smell of Tintin underneath him. He started digging.
"He must have found a bone." Mr. Davis said in disapproval. "We've wasted our time."
"Oh my, Captain! Captain, my pendulum tells me there is a steel coffin buried here!" Professor Calculus said as his pendulum swung wildly.
Tintin heard muffled voices above him and jerked awake, not daring to believe it. He tapped his flashlight against the coffin lid as hard as he could. The voices stopped. Tintin decided to risk the oxygen. "HELP!" he yelled, banging against the lid. "I'M STUCK!" Tintin broke in a coughing fit. His head spun wildly as his lungs strained for more oxygen, but there was none. Tintin could barely register the dirt shifting above him. He fought the tantalizing urge to fall asleep. I can't fall asleep. I've got to stay awake... for... my... friends... The darkness engulfed Tintin as his eyes slid shut and he stopped moving.
"You're digging too slow!" Captain Haddock complained as Harry wiped the sweat off his brow. He wrenched the shovel out of Harry's hands and started digging as fast as he could, yelling, "TINTIN! TINTIN DON'T WORRY! WE'RE GETTING YOU OUT!"
"I still think this is a load of old bull." Mr. Davis mumbled, but everyone else's attention was fixed on the hole.
The shovel hit something hard. Captain Haddock wiped the dirt off, revealing the steel coffin underneath. Everyone gasped in shock. He yanked it open and gasped. He pulled out the limp body and felt for a pulse. There was none. "TINTIN?" Captain Haddock shook the boy desperately. "TINTIN!" Captain Haddock started slapping the boy's face until some part of him came to his senses. He laid the boy back in the coffin and pressed against his chest. "Come on Tintin, breathe." Tintin's body jerked, but there was still no pulse. "Come on, Tintin, breathe, dammit!"
Tintin opened his eyes to darkness. Was this heaven? Tintin gasped as he felt something press against his chest. This couldn't be heaven. You weren't supposed to feel pain, right? He heard his father's voice and he shut his eyes. "Nononononononono. You're supposed to be dead Father!" Tintin yelled. Was he in hell because he was a murderer? The voice continued, except it got louder and angrier, confirming his fears. "Father, I'm sorry! I didn't do anything, I swear!" The voice got louder, louder, LOUDER as Tintin braced himself for the pain, whimpering.
Suddenly, a voice broke through. "Tintin!" it said. "Breathe! Wake up, please! Don't leave me like this!"
"Ca-Captain?" Tintin asked, hopeful.
"I feel a pulse! Blistering barnacles, come on Tintin, you can do it!" the voice continued. Tintin's father's voice faded away. Tintin felt himself rising higher and higher as he saw the darkness tear apart as light engulfed his vision.
Tintin gasped as his eyes shot open to see Captain Haddock's worried face. "Tintin!" the Captain said happily.
Tintin's face scrunched up until he couldn't fight it any longer. He burst into tears and buried his face in Captain Haddock's shoulder. "I was all alone and I thought I wouldn't see you again and I couldn't breathe and it was so dark and I was so sc-scared!" he sobbed.
"It's all right now, Tintin. It's all over." Captain Haddock assured Tintin.
Snowy barked and lept into Tintin's arms, licking his face eagerly. "I missed you too, Snowy."
Tintin looked up to see Mr. Davis's face peering into the hole, a false smile etched on his face. His eyes widened. "It was him!" Tintin yelled, pointing at Mr. Davis.
"What are you talking about?" Mr. Davis asked.
"You know full well you drugged me and tried to bury me alive!" Tintin accused, climbing out of the hole.
"My dear boy, are you sure you're feeling all right? Perhaps not all of the oxygen has reached your brain yet. Has anyone called an ambulance yet?"
Captain Haddock climbed out of the hole, furious. "If you're lying, you had better count your prayers and hope that your death will be nice and swift, because I'm telling you, it won't be."
Mr. Davis's eyes darted around at everyone's accusing glares as he backed away. Suddenly, Mr. Davis pulled out a gun and pointed it at Captain Haddock, firing the trigger. Captain Haddock seemed to fall in slow-motion as he collapsed in the hole.
"CAPTAIN!" Tintin screamed in horror as he jumped back in the hole. He knelt by the Captain and panicked when he saw blood seeping out of the wound. "Captain? Captain, can you hear me?"
"Oww..." Captain Haddock muttered. "My back..."
Tintin couldn't believe it. "I thought you died!"
Captain Haddock looked down at his pocket and a smile crossed his face. "I knew whiskey would save my life one day." he said as he pulled out broken glass and the bullet.
They climbed out of the hole to see that an officer had caught Mr. Davis and was handcuffing him. "Let's go home." Tintin said.
Further interrogation revealed that Mr. Davis, distraught over the bankruptcy of his father's old coffin company (which had left him and his family very poor), had decided to take out his anger by burying innocent people. Tintin could have easily been one of them. Mr. Davis should have been sentenced for life, but he had successfully pleaded insanity. Tintin had barely caught the look of triumph on Mr. Davis's face as he was taken away.
Tintin opened his eyes to see Mr. Davis cackle insanely before shutting the coffin lid. Tintin screamed and shoved against it. It was already getting harder to breathe. "LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT! LET ME-"
"OUT!" Tintin yelled, shoving the blankets off of him, his hands waving wildly in the dark. Snowy barked as someone turned on the light.
"Tintin, what's wrong?" Captain Haddock asked, concerned.
"He- he- he- he was still there!" Tintin screamed. "He trapped me in the coffin again, and I couldn't breathe, and it was so dark!"
"Tintin..." Captain Haddock said as he sat down on the bed next to him. "Mr. Davis is gone. He got off far too easily, but at least he can't hurt you anymore."
"What if he escapes? What if he kidnaps me? I don't want to be trapped in that coffin again!"
"You've got me. You've got Snowy. You've even got Professor Calculus's pendulum. Never thought I'd see it get put to any good use before."
Tintin smiled and wiped away a stray tear. "I guess."
"You think you can get back to sleep?"
Tintin nodded and laid back down. He fell asleep with the comforting knowledge that he was loved by his friends.