Warning: More torture.
Chapter 12
In the Batcave, Batman has finally changed the tracking device to detect the signal coming from Robin's communication system located in the boy's belt. Racing to replace the system back into the Batmobile, Batman finally feels a small amount of hope that he hasn't felt since Robin first disappeared.
Noticing Alfred entering the 'cave, Batman pays him little attention as he inserts the device back into the car.
"Success, sir?" asks Alfred, afraid to hope.
"It's picking up Robin's belt," replies Batman, as he slips into the car. "I only hope that Robin is wearing it."
Shutting the door overhead, Batman starts the Batmobile and drives out of the Batcave.
………………..
Opening his eyes, Robin wonders how long he's been unconscious this time. Not long after vomiting, the Boy Wonder passed out. Glancing around the room, Robin sees nothing and hears even less. Breathing in and out, he waits to see what's going to happen next.
Hearing the sound of someone walking up behind him, Robin tenses to see who will walk around from behind.
"Have I broken you yet?"
Saying nothing, Robin waits and watches as Holdsworth walks around to face him. Noticing the knife in Holdsworth's hand, Robin wonders if the criminal is going to pick up where he left off last time.
Placing the blade on Robin's upper inner thigh, Holdsworth raises his eyes to lock with the blue ones behind the mask.
"Do you know what's directly under your skin here?" questions Holdsworth.
"Yes," responds Robin, wondering what the killer intends to do.
"If I cut your femoral artery, you'd bleed out in less than 20 minutes," says Holdsworth. "Even the smallest nick and you'd be dead."
"I know," replies Robin, waiting.
"But," says the criminal, removing the blade from Robin's thigh, "that would end the game far too soon."
Breathing deeply, Robin relaxes a little upon feeling the blade gone from his skin. As Holdsworth takes a step back from the Boy Wonder, Robin wonders if this is all that the man intends to do this time. But just as that thought finishes crossing his mind, Holdsworth takes a step back in and drives the blade into Robin's left thigh, just above the knee. Crying out, Robin shuts his eyes against the pain.
"Does that hurt?" questions his tormentor.
Refusing to reply, Robin says nothing.
Twisting the blade, first to the right and then to the left, Holdsworth draws whimpers of pain from Robin.
"Do you want me to stop?" asks Holdsworth. "Do you want me to end it all?"
Knowing that the criminal doesn't just mean the immediate torture, Robin keeps his silence.
Jerking the blade from Robin's thigh, Holdsworth drops it to the floor. Taking his pointer finger, the criminal drives it into the open wound. Crying out at this new invasion to his body, Robin's body shakes in his pain.
"All you have to do it tell me to stop and it will be over," says Holdsworth calmly, before drawing his finger from the wound.
Raising his finger to his mouth, the criminal sucks the finger clean of blood. Deciding he wants more blood, the Holdsworth lowers his mouth to the wound.
"No!" cries out Robin, knowing what the killer is going to do.
Ignoring the boy, Holdsworth draws on the wound, sucking blood into his mouth. Finding that he's not getting enough blood, he thrusts his tongue into the wound.
"No!" screams Robin, trying to jerk his leg away from the invasion.
Lifting his mouth from the wound, Holdsworth runs his tongue around his lips to get the last traces of blood from his mouth. Stepping away from the Boy Wonder, he smiles calmly at the boy.
"We are not done yet," says the man, before he turns to walk away. "Oh no, definitely not."
