Warning:
Description of the "traumatic event", which includes more child deaths. Also, some severe swearing.
Notes:
Everyone responds to traumatic situations in different ways. I, myself, didn't actually throw up when I had to go back to the location, but it felt like I would. The idea for that part of the reaction, like I said last chapter, comes from FMA.
Once again, any italics that start to form its own paragraph rather than on the same line as a character's actions is a memory/flashback.
Chapter 4
Shinichi paused at the ramp that led onto the ship with a wince. The gnawing feeling in his stomach had only increased since he got closer, and he wanted to turn and run the other direction, far away from the ship.
His left hand clenched around the material of his shirt in front of his abdomen as he struggled to get his breathing under control. Come on…you faced down the Black Organization. You sat in an abandoned house while a child died in your arms. You can handle this. The bodies aren't even there anymore.
Bodies…right…there had been bodies of kids in the room with him when he had been kidnapped.
Yusaku stopped and looked behind him when Shinichi spoke.
"No older than five…he had blond hair. Most recent…he must have been killed on the spot. Another, possibly eleven…also stabbed to death. Furthest one was the teenager, just under the window. Maybe around thirteen…brown hair…"
Yusaku waited silently. He knew the information, of course…they had found out who the people were and how they died when the autopsy was performed on the three bodies found on the ship.
Shinichi squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them and started up the ramp. I have to remember…that man's face. I looked directly at him when he was taunting me…
They got to the deck of the ship, then proceeded towards the stairs that led below deck.
Shinichi coughed and stumbled from the smell that came from below deck. Though the decaying fish had been cleared out, it was more of a memory of the smell.
Yusaku shook his head when he saw his son pale and double over. "I think this is enough, Shinichi…we shouldn't push it…"
"N-no…I'm not stopping." Shinichi regained his breath and quelled his nausea, then stood up with a determined expression, and walked past his father down the stairs.
Yusaku smiled slightly. Sometimes, I can't tell which side of the family he gets that from…
Shinichi trembled when he reached the bottom of the stairs. There was some dried blood that was on the wall, but only enough for a small injury. He dragged us when we were unconscious…
The first room they came to was like an office, and contained a desk with a phone on it.
Shinichi sucked in a breath.
"Here we are, brat. Here's where you'll beg for your life so your parents know I really do have you."
"And if I say 'no'?"
"Then you die. I have no qualms in killing children. Ah…the phone is ringing."
The boy narrowed his eyes and tried to pull out of the ropes that held his hands behind his back as the man spoke into the phone that had a voice scrambler attached to it.
"…yes. And, he's right here. Say something, brat. Or I will kill you."
The child glared at him, then shouted into the phone. "A ship that smells of…!!"
Pain cut him off as the man kicked him hard in the gut, enough to knock the wind out of him and cause him to gasp and sputter.
"Damn brat!" the man snarled.
The child didn't hear whatever else the guy said to his parents, since his ears were ringing, but flinched moments later when the boot came down on him again and again.
"Fucking little asshole! If I didn't need you alive a bit longer to seal the trade, I'd kill you right here and now!"
He coughed in pain, but tried to glare at the man. Then, he grinned. "M-my father is a great detective. H-he'll figure it out…"
"Brat!!"
More pain. Then, he realized he was being carried.
"Awake again, huh?"
When did he black out?
Must have been one of the kicks to the head…
He flinched when he was thrown in a room that reeked of something rotting and dead fish.
"You can keep these others company while we wait for the call in return. Of course, you'll be joining these others once I get that call. I'll enjoy killing you, brat."
"Shinichi? Hey!"
Shinichi wiped sweat from his chin, then realized that he had been leaning against the wall for support.
Yusaku had a hand on his shoulder and a frown on his face.
Shinichi coughed a couple of times, then doubled over. It felt like his stomach was trying to tie itself into knots while his palms were clammy like the rest of his skin. Sweat rolled down his face as he gritted his teeth against the overwhelming urge to vomit.
"Shinichi!!"
If he talked, he'd throw up…Shinichi was pretty sure of that fact. So, he just stayed silent and attempted to get himself under control. It was ten time worse than when he had shown a few people the spot at Tropical Land where he had been force-fed the Apotoxin.
"Let's go back…"
Shinichi swatted his father's hand away from his shoulder, and his voice came out slightly hoarse. "No. I'm starting to remember. That I shouted a warning in that room…and the next room…he threw me there in with the bodies…" but…my stomach…
Yusaku rubbed his son's back when the teen lost the fight against his nausea. Be strong, Shinichi. You've come this far…
Shinichi coughed a couple of times, then wiped his mouth with a grimace. His entire body felt shaky, but he pushed himself back up and continued down the hallway. A storage closet on the right…that must have been where I was first thrown when I was captured…
He stopped when he reached a door on the left. Though his hand shook, he reached out and grasped the worn knob…then yanked the door open.
Immediately across from the doorway was a bare patch of the ground that had a few broken and splintered crates by the wall.
Shinichi steeled his resolve and stepped into the room even though his feet didn't want to move. There was nothing when he looked at the rest of the room…just dark patches on the ground and a broken window at the end.
But he knew that there once was something else there. It suddenly rushed back to him in a swirl and a throb. He didn't even feel himself fall to the ground. Didn't hear his father shout his name in concern. Didn't even realize that he had thrown up bile once more.
Then, everything went black as the memories returned…
His eyes widened, and he jerkily glanced over in the direction of the horrid smell. Three kids lay there, with crusted blood around them and on them. The smell hadn't been from fish or the ocean, but from the dead bodies of the kids…
The closest was no older than five, with blond hair matted with blood. He had on a pair of overalls, though it was difficult to tell with the dried blood and stab wounds. The body next to that was either ten or eleven years old…a girl. She had long hair that he couldn't tell the color of, and her blouse was caked in blood. Beyond her was a larger boy, probably around thirteen, whose unseeing eyes stared at the ceiling. All of them lay in a pool of what was probably their own blood and some sea water that had come in through a nearby tear in the side.
The crates behind him smelled horribly of fish gone bad and left out in the heat, and probably contained such creatures. That, mixed with the sight of the bodies and the smells combined…
The child threw up.
Despite his fear, the boy glared up angrily.
Beady gray eyes looked back at him from under a fringe of black hair. A long nose that looked like it had once been broken and not properly healed sat between his eyes and his mouth, which had a scar on the upper left of the lip. He wore a greasy brown trench coat and a matching dirty cap, with a pair of brown boots.
"You…you killed them…" Shinichi rasped.
"Oh…smart boy. Yes. And, you'll be joining them. You won't be escaping. Even if you broke the ropes, you'd have to step on the bodies to get to the other side of the room. I'll see you in a couple hours, then…for your final moments!"
Shinichi snarled as the man left and locked the door behind him. His mind raced. He felt sick, and he was scared…but he knew he had to get out. His father was smart, but he didn't know if the man could figure out which port the boat was stationed at with just the small hint. Even he didn't know where he was. Just that he was on an old fishing boat.
Shinichi choked on bile from the smell, then pushed that back and shivered in the damp air. The window was his only option. But that meant…
The child shook his head. He had to. There was no choice. Plus…maybe he could just step around them.
But first, the ropes…
He looked around, then spied the broken crates behind him. It would work, he hoped.
Shinichi slid over to a particularly shredded one and pressed the rope against the jagged piece of the crate, then started to move his arms up and down a bit.
It hurt…his head hurt, too, and he was a bit sore from the beating. The chafing was helping, but he knew that the only way to get out and help the other kids by telling the story was for him to get out alive.
He couldn't be scared.
He couldn't be apprehensive.
These other kids were counting on him to tell the police about where their bodies were.
Shinichi narrowed his eyes in determination and continued the slow process of cutting the rope against the wood.
After what seemed like eternity, there was a 'snap' as the rope broke, and he was able to pull his hands free.
Shinichi stood up on slightly wobbly feet, then slowly walked over. The ground was wet, probably with the water that leaked into the room from the tear on the side. Still, it wasn't pleasant to walk on, as it gave the illusion that the giant puddles of blood around the bodies was still fresh.
He stepped over the body of the five year old, and carefully made sure to step on the ground between them. The kids were packed together tightly, but there was still a size difference, so there was space to walk on without stepping on the bodies.
"I'm sorry…" Shinichi apologized as he pushed back nausea. He continued his apology as he got over the next body, then paused at the final one.
Shinichi gulped back tears and, again, got over the final body. The window was on a level of his head, to which he was grateful. If it was higher, then he would have had a problem.
Shinichi paused and glanced back at the bodies. "I'll…I'll tell them. They'll find you. When I get out." He pulled his hand back, then let his fist fly into the window. It didn't break right away, and his right hand throbbed.
But, he just tried again, and punched out with his left hand this time.
The window broke, and Shinichi climbed up. There was no dock below him, but instead, it was all water. It was night time, so the water looked black below him.
Like a sea of blood.
Shinichi shook his head against it. He glanced back again at the bodies, then turned his attention back to the sea. Then, with a deep breath, he jumped out and plunged into the water.
It was icy cold, and he had to resist a gasp at the sudden temperature change. Sure, it had been chilly in the room of the boat, but the water was frigid compared to that. Like he had just jumped into a freezer.
Still, Shinichi swam back up, then gasped when his head broke the water surface. His hands and legs felt a bit numb already, and he had only been in the water for a few seconds. He knew he had to hurry.
Shinichi squinted in the dark, only illuminated by some distant lights in the port. Thankfully, the boat was docked, so it wasn't a long swim. It was still a painful one, as his body was still sore from the beating. The images of the bodies were still fresh in his mind. He had followed his father to crime scenes before, but none were ever as bad as that. Kids around his age and older…
Shinichi shook his head and moved his numb limbs to paddle to the dock. He had to push a bit off the cement of the landing, but managed to grasp the top of the dock pavement after a couple misses.
It was hard to grip onto it with numb fingers, but he finally managed on his fourth try. Then, he clasped his other hand onto the top, and half pulled, half pushed himself out of the water.
He wanted to lay there and get his breath back, but it was only a matter of time until the guy knew he had escaped. If the wacko had heard the glass breaking…
Shinichi shook his head and weakly got to his feet. He was a bit dizzy, and it was harder to breathe than before. But, he started to run. His legs were heavy between what he had seen, the swim in the icy waters, and his waterlogged cloths.
Still, he persisted onwards.
Since he had seen his father at scenes, he knew where the police station was. Especially now that he knew where he was. It hadn't taken him long to recognize Haido Port. He and Ran had visited the place a little over a month ago, after all, as their first step to the mysterious treasure hunt they had been sent on.
He stumbled a couple of times, and fell at least twice.
But each time, he picked himself back up. It was late, so nobody was on the street. Those that were out were drunks or people that didn't pay attention to the little boy that ran down the sidewalk.
Shinichi gasped for breath, but smiled despite his wavering vision when he saw the Haido police station.
He ran through the door, which startled the officers inside.
The door slammed open, so the two officers in the room looked up in surprise.
They were even more shocked to see a slightly injured, soaked, and shivering child with a serious expression on his young face.
"Haido Port…" Shinichi gasped out as his vision blurred. "Old fishing boat there…three others dead. The guy…who kidnapped me…"
His legs didn't want to support his weight anymore, and he vaguely felt his knees hit the ground as his 'vision' became more of swirled lights and colors.
"…killed…them…"
With that, he passed out. He had lucked out that he still had his school ID in his wallet, which had been in his pocket, else they would have had a field day calling his parents. Still, they rushed him to the hospital, and the investigation ensued…
TO BE CONTINUED…