He was chained by his wrists to the cold, brick wall. His body sagged against the wall, with his hands biting into the metal shackles that bound him steady. His hair was no longer sticking up like it usually was. His mouth was open, gasping for air. His clean white shirt was torn in many different places with splashes of blood here and there. Someone was beating Shinichi with a whip. Light from a small flame illuminated the room. It flickered because a gentle breeze had come in from the window bars. It seemed to her like hell….
Ran woke up with a start, a small bead of sweat forming on her brow. The white curtains swayed left and right by the wind from the open window. The dream…was terrible. Ran had been tossing in her mind the possibilities of where Shinichi was. He was gone for a bit too long solving cases. Now, she regretted thinking about it before she slept. Pushing off the covers, she slipped into her fluffy slippers and walked to the window. She peered out into the lighted streets. It was starting to snow already. She decided to walk downstairs to clear her mind.
She changed from her sleeping wear into a sweater and running shoes. She tiptoed quietly from her room to the front door, took off the safety chain from the door, and exited. Ran walked down the stairs, hearing her footsteps echoing off the bricks. She emerged from the passageway.
Ran had to blink a few times to allow her eyes to adjust to the sudden brightness. Her mind was empty for a second, but then she remembered that Conan hadn't called to say he'd be back for dinner. In fact, he didn't come home to sleep at all! "I wonder if he's at Dr. Agasa's. He should call to make me not worry about him. When he comes back I'll…" She trailed off because as she was staring at the empty road, she saw a black Mitsubishi Eclipse come by. The passenger window at the back was starting to fog up but she saw the people inside very clearly. Conan was lying on the back seat with his head facing out to her. He was gagged and tied up. To his opposite, she could see the hair of a girl sitting there, bound also by the hands. That was all she saw before it sped away.
"What is Conan doing there?" She said aloud in horror. She ran in the direction of the car, trying to catch up to it, but it was going way too fast. Ran finally stopped about a block away from her house. She was baffled and terrified at the same time. "I'd better tell this to Dr. Agasa." Ran said as she was running to a nearby telephone to make the call.
