The fic continues…
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Kajuka Mai emptied a non-fat creamer into her coffee, stirring the tepid liquid with a plastic straw. "Shizuka, hon, are you sure you don't want anything to eat?"
The girl in question shook her head. "No, thanks. I'm fine."
Mai sipped at her coffee then made a face, putting the cup down. "Damn instant. What we need is some real coffee around here." She sighed and returned to the subject of food. "You need nutrients, girl. You look tired."
Shizuka managed a wan smile. She really wasn't hungry. The reason she looked worn out was simple – she hadn't slept in two days. Now that she was no longer on so many painkillers, she had to rely on her body's natural rhythms to send her to sleep. Unfortunately, terrifying and horribly graphic nightmares were making sleep impossible. She examined the bandage on her left arm. "I think I need some more of those sleeping pills."
The older woman frowned. "Trouble sleeping, huh? You having nightmares or something?" When the girl nodded in response, Mai shook her head. "Listen, hon. Pills are great. They really are. But sooner or later you're going to have to face what's really bothering you. Trust me, I speak from experience."
Shizuka nodded again quietly. She knew that Mai's first time with a man had been…unpleasant, to say the least. Bothered by nightmares, the woman had used sleeping pills to help her sleep and continue working; over time, though, she developed a dependence on them. Those first few weeks without her pills had been hellish, and she didn't want Shizuka to go through that.
"It's just…the dreams seem so real," she whispered.
Mai nodded sympathetically. "Do you want to talk about it?"
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"I'd rather not talk about it."
"Please, Miss Jounouchi. We're just trying to get to the bottom of this."
Shizuka sighed, rubbing her temples. Why was it that everyone and his brother had to interview her? But this was the police. Given her current profession, it was probably best that she didn't upset them too much. "Fine," she said. "What else do you want to know?"
Captain Sumeragi shifted in his seat. "Could you give us the time frame again, please?"
"When it happened? Around 1:30, I would guess."
Sumeragi paused. "Is that a.m. or p.m.?"
"A.m.," she said, barely refraining from adding "you dimwit." "Anything else?"
The captain glanced at Rishid, who seemed distracted. "Ishtar? Anything else?" he asked sharply.
Rishid folded his hands quietly. "Miss Jounouchi, is the injury to your left arm one that you sustained in the fight with your attacker?"
She nodded cautiously. The bandages had come off just yesterday, and the arm was still quite tender.
"May I see your arm, please?"
Shrugging, Shizuka extended her arm toward the man. It was a strange request, but at least he was polite about it.
"Lieutenant—"
"Humor me, Captain." Rishid leaned closer, examining the angry raw wounds that crossed the girl's arm. His eyes grew wide as he realized what he was seeing. "Miss Jounouchi, I would like to photograph this for our files…"
"Ishtar!" Sumeragi stage-whispered.
Rishid conveniently ignored him as the girl consented. Explanations would have to wait for the moment…
Ten minutes later, captain and lieutenant were leaving the hospital.
"OK, Ishtar," Sumeragi said, "would you mind telling me what the hell that was all about?"
Rishid answered calmly as they passed the automatic doors. "I think the marks in her arm weren't just random. It almost looked like writing—"
"—Ha!" The captain shook his head, chuckling. "Writing. Right. I don't know where you went to school, but that did not look like writing to me. Unless we have a killer with terrible handwriting." He chuckled again at his own joke.
Rishid ignored the crack about his education and chose to shrug mildly instead. "Or unless it's a writing system you're not familiar with."
The captain shook his head. "Listen, Ishtar. I like you, so I'm going to give you some advice, here. Let's follow our other leads first, before we check out the possibility of a messy writer with a violent streak. Might be a little more productive, OK?"
Rishid nodded slightly. "Whatever gets us to the bottom of this case."
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After lunch Rishid spread the photos from the case files over his desk, arranging them in chronological order. A certain thought had been bothering him since his last visit to the hospital, and he needed to face it directly.
Starting with Shizuka Jounouchi… The marks on her arm really did resemble hieroglyphs. But maybe that's just because you're familiar with the writing system. You could be seeing order where there is none…
For argument's sake, though, let's assume that it is writing. What's next? He scanned the other photos. An awful realization was slowly beginning to dawn on him. Gods have mercy…
Some of the girls' bodies were twisted at awkward angles, and not all of the words were visible. He pieced together what he saw:
File 1. Photos 1-A, 1-B: Mihoko Yamata
to……..refuse….burden
File 2. Photos 1-C, 2-E: Ami Hinoto
he…..cast out
File 3. Photo 3-F: No name available
Gods tear………..asunder
File 4. Photo 1-C: Yuki Honda
may………his flesh…bits
File 5. Photo 1-A. Shizuka Jounouchi
it is written
Rishid sat frozen, hardly believing the message…refuse burden, cast out…
He held his head in his hands, still staring at the photos. "And to he who refuses this burden," he whispered, "may he be cast out. May the Gods tear his mind asunder, may the jackals tear his flesh to bits. As it is written, so may he be judged…"
By the Gods…
Malik.
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Heh heh heh…Suspenseful ending, eh? Hopefully will have more up soon. You know what makes me write faster? Reviews. ; ) Click the review button below if ye want