Italy was walking past an old building when he heard screaming coming from inside. He immediately panicked and fished out his phone because he didn't know what to do. Nobody he called picked up apart from Romano who simply told him that he was probably just hearing the voices in his head screaming…
Canada was hanging from the ceiling by his hands, he was gagged, shirtless and bloody. His back was covered in long cuts from a wip and tears rolled down his cheeks. All he saw was blackness, he had gone blind about a month ago. He pushed the gag out of his mouth and screamed. "Help! Prussia! Please somebody help!" he cried before slipping into unconsciousness.
Italy gave the already opened door a light push and stepped inside the building, his entire body shaking.
He walked in further and looked around, occasionally calling out in the hope that he would find the person who had been making all the noise. The screaming had actually stopped which made Italy even more anxious. He noticed an opening which led to a basement and decided he should check it out down there.
He climbed down the ladder, with his back to the room he was entering, he then turned around and hopped off the final step, unprepared for the sight of his friend suspended from the ceiling.
His eyes widened and he felt himself been thrown across the room, but when he looked up after the incident, there was seemingly nobody there. His back was now in pain and he was struggling to pull himself up and help Canada.
"Well well well look what the cat dragged in! A pitiful weak excuse of a nation.." America declared circling Italy. "I guess I should've known that someone would hear my pitiful brother's screaming but… I thought that I would get more of a challenging opponent." He sighed before covering Italy's nose with a rag soaked with Chloroform.
Italy let out a feeble choking noise before his vision was consumed by darkness. He started trying to figure out what was up with America. He seemed fine the last time he had saw him and he and Canada had always been so close. What happened? So many questions made their place in Italy's head until his thoughts silenced and he blacked out entirely. Were it not for his stuttering heartbeat, he could have been considered dead due to the lack of brain activity. Not a single thought nor a single dream came about during Italy's short coma.
America chuckled "Stupid weakling.." Canada woke up, not sure if his attacker was around or not..
"I-It hurts… th-the pain…" He weakly trailed off starting to cry again. His mind was focused on his happy memories of having pancakes with Prussia and playing in the snow. "P-Prussia.." He wanted nothing more than to be wrapped in the albino's warm arms , but he knew that in all likelihood he would never see him again.
Italy woke up again after around half an hour, not remembering where we was at first. "Wh-what the heck?" he stammered, still weak after being knocked out. "Where am I?"
"I-Italy? I-Is that y-you?" Canada started to get his hopes up, maybe someone would help him. But then he realized he might be being tortured too. "A-Are you hurt?" he asked
"My back hurts a little and I'm dizzy….. but that's nothing compared to the state you're in! What is going on?" Italy has started to remember entering the building and the screaming, but he wants to know what happened before he arrived.
America laughs and kicks Italy down to the cold concrete floor. "What's going on is that I'm fed up. He needs to be stronger! Stupid dimwit.." Canada screams in pain as his twin brother hits him again with the whip.
"A-America p-please stop.." he whimpers as his back is whipped again.
"I don't understand…. you were being so nice just the other day. So… normal." Italy squeals as he forces himself onto his feat. "J-just leave Canada alone!"
America pushes him back down again and kicks Italy in his ribcage, "I was pretending! Can't you see? I'm always pretending!" He shouted kicking him again.
"Ow!" Italy cried out. "Th-then why now? Why pretend for s-so long?"
"I think that's enough talking for now." America said tying a gag around Italy's mouth and binding his hands with rope. "Now lets see what to do with you.." America wondered aloud.
"D-Don't do anything to h-him! I'll t-take five more th-thrashings and n-not scream or c-cry! J-just don't h-hurt him!" Canada pleaded, no begged, his brother.
Italy wanted to tell Canada not to get himself even more hurt, but all he could manage were muffled noises. He just hoped that America would ignore his brother and just get the torture over with.
"My, my, my, are we feeling brave today little Canada? Well I suppose I'll take you up on that offer.." America struck Canada each time more vicious and hard. Canada wanted to scream in pain, but he knew that if he did Italy would be hurt too.
Italy winced as he watched Canada being struck. He could see the pain in his eyes, but he wasn't making a sound. Italy felt so guilty that Canada was staying strong to protect him, but there wasn't a lot he could do.
He wanted to look away, but he kept his eyes locked with Canada's as it was his only means of communication. He tried to express how sorry he felt through his gaze, without America noticing.
Canada's blind eyes just stared off into the darkness as he tried to stifle a whimper. "I thought you said you wouldn't make a sound!" America yelled as he whipped Canada again. This time he didn't hide his pain, he cried and screamed.
"I'm so sorry! I'm weak.." Canada manage to get out between the whippings.
Italy got the gag off and tried to reach for his phone, but America had tied his arms really tightly and there was no possible way of him moving.
"Somebody will hear us you know." Italy threatened. "Somebody who's strong enough to fight you. Unlike me…." He trailed off, sadness evident in his voice.
"Stupid boy don't you see?! No one can hear you down here. True you might've heard Canada, but I assure you that now, thanks to a few locked doors, the sound won't get through." America stated and picked up Italy before setting him down on a plastic folding chair. The blonde took out his knife and rolled up Italy's sleeve, placing a few harsh cuts on his pale wrist.
Italy winced, but a few slashes on his wrist weren't going to make him scream in agony or anything. He didn't tell America this of course or else he'd only do something worse.
"Oh wait you think this is the main thing?" America chuckled. "Oh we are only getting started!" and with that he poured a chemical into his wounds. He smirked knowing that it would sting and hurt like heck.
"Wh-What are you doing to h-him? P-please stop.. p-please.." Canada meekly called out.
Italy held back a scream, There was no point in it now that nobody could hear and he wasn't going to give America the satisfaction. "I-it's fine Canada. I'm f-fine." Italy reassured him.
Canada started to softly cry again "Y-You shouldn't have tried t-to save m-me.. I'm n-not worth it.." he shakily replied.
"Oh shut up and grow a pair!" America yelled before going over to Canada. He cut off Matthew's binds and let him fall to the floor with a thud. The blind man rubbed his wrists and curled up into a ball, wishing he was back home and safe in Prussia's arms.
"Leave him alone!" Italy yelled through his tears. "What the heck America? He's been nothing but good to you!"
"That's the point! He needs to be stronger, not weak!" America scolded Italy before rushing over to a table and grabbing a big machine, nails, and a hammer. He hammered the nails into Italy's wrist, making sure to twist them a lot just to make it more painful.
Italy screamed in pain. He wanted to say something but he couldn't. His vision was blurred and he could feel his warm blood trickling down his wrist and onto his fingers. I give up. He thought. I just hope somebody is able to save Canada.
"Oh we haven't even gotten through the hard part, poor Italy.." America's face was plastered with a sinister smile as he attached two wires to the nails and hooked them into the machines.
Canada's sobbing grew louder when he realized what his brother was doing to Italy. This is all happened because I'm weak.. he thought "I hate y-you! S-stop right n-now!" Canada yelled standing up and trying to walk towards the sound of America's voice.
"C-Canada, don't! Go sit ba-back down please." Italy strained to talk as he closed his eyes tightly and prepared for the immense pain about to hit him.
America sighed and rolled his eyes. "Hang on a sec." He said and went to his brother. He knocked him to the ground several times until he went unconscious again. he turned to the machine and pushed a red button, sending electricity throughout Italy's body.
Italy couldn't make a sound. The pain was excruciating and eventually knocked him out, but it wasn't like when he had been knocked out before. This time he could still hear and feel everything that was going on. He felt suffocated and just wanted to die before things could get worse.
Canada woke with a start trying to sit up, but finding his body was unable to. "Oh so good of you to wake up and rejoin the party!" America said with a fake cheery tone. America had apparently put him in a plastic folding chair as well with a bucket of water in front of him. "I'd make sure to hold my breath if I were you.." America stated, pulling Canada's blonde hair and holding him under water. Canada violently thrashed his legs around before America tied them with a rope to the chair.
Italy could hear what was happening, but as much as he tried to wake himself up he couldn't. His body was too weak to stay awake and yet somehow he was clinging to life.
After what seemed like a lifetime America pulled Canada back out of the water. Canada gasped for air and started to cry before America pushed him back down again. He wanted to just go ahead and die, he knew he wouldn't last much longer. But he had to try and hang on, maybe he could see Prussia one last time..
Italy's hearing started to fade away and he was left only with his thoughts. He was trying to think of happy things and ignore his pain. If he was going to die, he didn't want his last thought to be one of America torturing him and Canada. He went through memories of his friends, but that only reminded him that he was likely to never see any of them again.
When Canada was brought up again he gasped before speaking. "I-I'm sorry Ita-" He started to say before being forced into the cold water again.
Italy's pain subsided as his body went numb and his heart was working triple time to keep him alive. He could feel it jittering inside his chest, so he focused on that and blocked out everything else.
America pulled him out of the water and let go of his hair. "Do you want to apologize to me now?" America asked.
"S-sorry." Canada weakly replied.
"Louder!" America demanded.
"S-Sorry!" Canada shakily yelled.
"That's more like it.." the torturer said with a twisted smile on his lips before walking over to Italy. "Wake up little Italian!~" He said.
Italy could hear America's voice, but he couldn't hear what he was saying.
Suddenly he woke up again, but he pretended to still be knocked out.
"I said wake up!" America angrily yelled punching Italy in the face. "Fine I guess I'll just go torture Canada again.. Coward." His voice trailed off as he walked towards his fearful brother.
"N-no! I-I'm awake, I'm awake." Italy shrieked. "L-eave C-Canada alone."
Canada wanted to scream and tell him to leave Italy alone, but he couldn't say anything. For what seemed like the hundredth time that day Canada started to cry again.
America turned around and walked towards Italy. "Good." He said with a playful smile. "In fact I find that… shocking!" He roared as he pushed the button causing electricity to go through Italy again.
Italy screamed in pain. "Why didn't I die?" He muttered to himself. "Why?" Tears spilled down his cheeks.
"I-Italy! P-please stop America! Please!" Canada begged thrashing around in his chair. "O-only a coward t-tortures a blind man and a w-weak man!" He yelled, angering his brother.
"I'm the coward?" America spat. "If I was the coward then you two wouldn't be in this situation!"
"Bullocks." Italy mumbled, which caused America to turn around to him.
"You never learn to keep your mouth shut do you? Well, I guess I'll have to teach you." America took out a knife and forced Italy's mouth open.
"I hope you won't miss your tongue Feli." America grinned creepily as Italy gulped deeply.
"N-No! T-Take mine instead!" Canada said with a sudden stroke of bravery. Surely his own brother couldn't be that heartless… Right?
"Somebody is quite the little soldier today." America rolled his eyes. "Well, if you insist."
"America, no. C-Canada stop sacrificing yourself for me! I deserve this more than you do." Italy protested.
"Ugh, you two make up your minds or I'll cut both your tongues out! In fact I'm considering it." America growled. The fact that people could be so willing to take a beating, have their tongue cut out or even be killed for a friend disgusted him. He couldn't understand how anybody could value somebody else life over their own whether they be friends or family.
"T-Take my tongue! I-Ignore Italy, I'm t-the one you have a problem with!" Canada pleaded. He wouldn't even miss his tongue, no one ever listened to him anyway. His only regret would be that Prussia couldn't kiss him anymore, but Italy would never be able to eat pasta again. He knew what he had to do. "P-please! Plus I'll stop s-screaming.." He trailed off, hoping that was enough incentive.
"Oh, but I looooove your screaming little brother. Lets me know I'm doing my job right." America smirked. "On the other hand, you are right. It's you who I want to hurt, this cutie just happened to get in my way."
He patted Italy's head in a patronizing way. "I'll leave it up to you Italy. Whose tongue should I cut, hm?"
Italy didn't know what to reply. He'd prefer it be him, but if he said so then Canada would try and protect him which would just make the situation worse.
"I don't have all day." America hissed.
"P-please Italy! Th-Think about it! Y-you could never eat pasta a-again! O-or kiss someone! Please j-just let him cut mine, t-this is between him and me!" He yelled, determination in his eyes.
"I- I don't-." Italy stammered trying to think of what to say.
"Oh shut up you sniveling little idiot." America smacked Italy across the face and then leant down in front of him. "I've decided I'll need to talk to you both anyway, but you'll need some sort of a reminder not to speak out of turn." America took his knife and left small, but very deep scores across Italy's lips, so it almost looked as if his mouth had been sewed up with thick red thread. Italy sniffed and refrained from making another sound after that.
"Wh-what did you do to him Alf? I-I mean America.." Canada wanted to cover his mouth, he knew he had made a mistake.
"I finally convinced him to be quiet. Would you like me to demonstrate for you Mattie?" America spat. Italy considered trying to stop him, but he knew it wouldn't improve things so he kept his silence.
"I-I'm sorry I didn't mean to c-call you that." Canada decided that there was no point in making it worse. "The Alfred I know is gone nwe.." He muttered under his breath.
"That's what I thought." America said before turning back to Italy. "I kind of based Italy's new look after the Joker. Nice, eh?" He chuckled to himself.
"You're crazy." Italy snarled, trying to ignore the pain spreading through his lips.
"Crazy? No no no sweetie." America made himself eye level with Italy and placed the shiny surface of the knife against his cheek. "I'm not crazy. I'm the hero. And heroes eliminate anybody who gets in their way.
Canada screamed again and cried. "N-No! Please you didn't do that to him, d-did you!" He yelled crying again. He wished that he could take all of Italy's pain and give it to himself.
"I made it my own a little bit, but yeah that's basically what I did." America grinned, knowing that Italy's injuries were bad but also that Canada's image of them in his mind would be extremely over-exaggerated due to the imagery he had given him.
"I-I'm fine." Italy croaked as a tear slid down his cheek.
"I think it's an improvement to the way he looked before." America joked, twirling his knife in his hand.
"You're a m-monster.." He trailed off shedding a tear. He could only imagine what Italy's face looked like but he knew it wasn't good. "I-I'm so s-sorry Italy…"
"It's okay this isn't your fau-"
"Of course this is his fault Italy, can't you see?" America interrupted. "None of us would be here if my brother wasn't so freaking weak."
America starting thinking of everything he knew that Canada was self-conscious about and specifically pointing out these things to make him feel small.
Italy cried out of lack of a better thing to do.
"I-If I pr-promise to be strong can y-you let Italy go? P-Please.." He trailed off and vowed to take all of his torture without a sound. No matter how much America hurt him, he wouldn't give him the satisfaction of hearing him cry. He was going to be strong to save his friend.
"Oh please, do you think I'm an idiot? If I let him go then he'll come back with all his little friends behind him and I simply haven't got the energy to to fight that many people." America shakes his head. "I suppose I'll lay off him for a little, but no way am I letting him out of here."
Canada sighed in relief. "Th-thank y-you.." He tensed his muscles up and prepared himself for whatever sick torture America was going to inflict upon him.
"Hm… what to do, what to do… I have plenty of ideas, but which one to use?" America paced back and forth, thinking of all the means of torture he had prepared. "Well, I'd better clean my knife off first."
America lifted up a lock of Canada's hair and used it to clean Italy's blood off the blade of the knife.
"Did you just-?" Italy spluttered, sending blood spilling down his chin.
As promised Canada didn't make a sound, instead he just stared into the darkness. He tried to concentrate on his memories of his boyfriend, Prussia. Of their happy mornings together eating pancakes and making igloos and walking to the park together. He knew he will love Prussia until his last breath, and his only reason for trying to hang on to life. Well, him and Italy.
Italy felt sick as he watched Canada being tortured. He wasn't making a sound yet Italy could obviously see that it was hurting him.
America was carving words into Canada's skin. Anything he could think of which Canada didn't like about himself, he wrote and even though Canada could not read the words it gave America a sick satisfaction to watch the blood dripping down. It was almost horror movie like and he enjoyed the thought that he could be one of those clever, mysterious murders who only get caught because they crave attention. Yeah. He liked that.
Canada wanted to scream and yell in pain, but instead he just sat there motionless. He could feel something being carved into his skin, he could tell they were words, he just couldn't tell which. He wanted to ask America, but he didn't know if that qualified as making a sound. Deciding not to chance it he sat in silence as his own twin brother laughed while hurting him. How did this happen?
Italy tried pulling at the ropes around his wrists again, but he wasn't getting anywhere. At this rate he and Canada had no chance of escaping.
"Hey may I ask what you're c-carving?" Canada carefully asked, trying not to stutter.
"Oh you know, just the usual stuff about how nobody cares about you and how useless you are." America sneers, stopping carving and stabbing the knife straight into Canada's arm. "That was a full stop."
"STOP IT AMERICA! JUST PLEASE STOP!" Italy cried helplessly. He felt so scared. He just wanted somebody to help them but nobody was going to come.
"I-its fine Italy. I'm perfectly fine. N-No need to worry." Canada said trying to smile. He eventually managed to and tried to reassure him. If I can convince America this will stop. I can go home to Prussia and Italy can go home to and eat pasta.
"Yes Italy, he's fine. 'Atta boy Canada, you really are being so brave today. Don't you think he's so brave?" America taunted.
Braver than you is what Italy wanted to say, but something told him it was better to keep quiet.
Canada just sat in silence, seeing only darkness. He could hear his own heartbeat, dim and faint, but existent. The blood from where America had stabbed him trickled down his arm and dripped onto the floor slowly once it reached his fingertips. Canada smiled again, it was actually kind of comforting to him, the steadiness of the liquid and the warm sensation on his arm.
Italy refrained from opening his eyes because the sight of blood was starting to make him sick.
America eyed up his two victims, unsure of what to do next. It didn't seem like either of them were fighting back anymore.
Canada closed his eyes and began to softly sing a French lullaby under his breath. It always calmed him down when he was by himself, and now was no different. He just hoped his brother wouldn't notice.. He heard the footsteps walking towards him and stopped his song.
"What does it take for you to keep quiet?" America groaned as if Canada was in the wrong. He then placed the knife blade gently on Canada's shoulder blade, then in a quick, sudden movement he brought it down so far that the blade collided with Canada's bone.
Canada wanted to scream in pain, oh god he wanted to scream in pain, but he just couldn't. "I-I'm sorry!" He cried and jerked upward in his chair. "I'm s-sorry! Also, j-just so you know, if you d-don't patch up at least s-some of my wounds I'm going to b-bleed out soon.." Canada stuttered trying to control his breathing. He closed his eyes tight, trying to block out the pain.
"Hm, I guess you're right." America took some bandages and lazily wrapped them around Canada's deepest cuts. "There, is it all better now Mattie?" America put on a baby voice and patronizingly ruffled his brother's hair.
Canada flinched at the touch as America's voice sent shivers down his spine. "Y-yeah actually. Th-thank you.." He said, trying to keep conscious and alive. Maybe, just maybe, if his brother was crazy enough he would let them go… They just had to play their cards right.
"You haven't said much Feli." America stated.
"I ha-haven't had m-much to say." Italy's voice was shaky and weak.
"Oh come on Italy, I thought you were supposed to be the fun one!" America rolled his eyes. "Come on, let's play a game!"
"Wh-what do you mean a g-game?"
"I know! Let's play tag. I'll let you out of your chair and then I chase you, sound fun?" America doesn't give Italy a chance to reply before cutting the ropes he was tied with. "Come on Italy! Get up!" America said in a voice that somebody would use when talking to a dog. "Need some help?"
"N-no. I'm g-getting up." Italy rose to his feet but he couldn't walk at all no matter how hard he tried.
"Pathetic." America hissed, pushing Italy to the ground so that his head slammed off the floorboards.
"L-leave him alone? D-do you want to play a game? Fine lets p-play blind man's bluff!" Canada struggled to get out of his ties, eager to face his brother. He was, after all, a real blind man.
"Alright then." America grinned cutting the ropes that were restricting Canada. "But first I better make sure little Italy won't regain his energy and try and escape.
America roughly pulled Italy off the ground and through him back on the chair, resecuring the knots which would hold him down then turned back to his brother again.
"W-wait can't he play too? T-the more the merrier right?" He asked weakly standing up and trying to regain his balance.
America felt like Canada was trying to trick him somehow, but he thought he was too weak and stupid to pull anything so he shrugged and let Italy out again.
"S-so you guys know how to play right? It's like tag but the p-person who is it has to close their eyes and t-try to tag everyone. O-once you are tagged you have to be the blind man. So c-can I start?" Canada warily questioned taking a few steps forward.
"That certainly would be the easiest option. Alright, go ahead." America silently kissed the blade of his knife and pulled Italy upwards. "How many times do you think I can hit him with this while he's staggering around. I'd say a lot." he whispered to Feli.
"America don-" Italy started to protest when America smacked a hand across his mouth and muffled his words.
"Keep it shut pasta boy."
"What's going on?" Canada warily asked remaining where he was. He was pretending to be a lot weaker than he already was, in fact he had already regained a lot of his strength.
"Nothing. Just helping Italy up is all." America lied, his hand still stopping Italy from telling the truth. "Are we playing or what?"
A sick grin spread against America's face when he felt Italy trying to talk against his palm.
Canada immediately ran over to Italy an tapped his shoulder before whispering something in his ear. "Next time knock him out and take the keys." he whispered quickly so America couldn't hear. Canada quickly ran back to the corner in the back of the room, already hearing what America was planning to do to him.
After America let him go Italy noticed how close he was to the cloth that America had used to knock him out so he shoved it in his back pocket when he wasn't looking then walked back into the middle of the room.
"Come on Canada!" America prompted, twirling his knife between his fingers. "Come and get meeeeee!"
"I don't know w-where you are.." Canada lied, purposefully walking away from America. He was sure that Italy had thought of something and that soon they could escape. He just had to hang on for now..
Italy pretended to be cowering in the corner in the hope that America would follow him, which he did.
"Italy, you can't just stay in the corner. You have to play." he growled.
"S-sorry." Italy started to walk away then quickly spun around and pressed the soaked cloth against his torturer's nose and mouth.
Once America was knocked out, he walked to Canada's side as quickly as he could and hugged him. "Are you alright?" he asked.
He winced at the touch, his chest and back very sore, but still hugged him back tighter. "Yes. But we have to hurry before the stuff wears off again.." He said starting to walk towards America's body. He reached the keys and opened the door, only to be faced with a keypad next to the door which led outside. "Dang it! Oh maple, I have no idea what his code is!" He exclaimed, banging his head agains the wall.
"Shoot!" Italy groaned "Eh, England knows him pretty well, do you think if we called him he might have an idea what the code could be?"
"Are you kidding me? He's going to wake up in a minute! Let me see if I can guess it, I mean he is my brother.." Canada fumbled around with the keypad trying to guess the combination. He finally tried America's birthday 7476 and the door popped open. Canada stepped outside into the sunlight and breathed it in. "We did it!" He yelled, finally free.
America stirred and his eyes shot open."The-they're gone!" He spluttered, getting to his feet. "How?" He started to walk to the door.
Canada heard his brother's boots across the floor and grabbed Italy's hand. He started to run down the street, hoping he wouldn't trip over something and fall.
America saw Italy and Canada darting down the street, so he went down an alleyway to catch up with them.
Italy was trying to call somebody, but he couldn't run and type at the same time so he pocketed his phone and decided it could wait til they were safe.
"Italy where are we? I have no idea where we are, and if I make a wrong turn he could catch up with us." Canada wondered. He then felt warm blood trickle onto his his skin, seeping out of its loose gauze wrap. He gasped in pain and fell to his knees.
"Canada!" Italy gasped and leant down beside him. "I know where we are roughly and I grabbed some bandages before I ran out. We'll have to be quick though." Italy began bandaging Canada up again and luckily for them, a family was passing by America which mean that he had to slow down until they were in a different street.