Chapter 13

Another scream tore from Shinichi's throat as his muscles contracted painfully. His body seized with convulsions, the electricity flowing through his body and damaging every nerve and muscle he had. His voice, hoarse with screaming, died out as Valentine lifted the prongs from his skin, leaving behind another set of burns on his torso. He panted for breath, his tongue dry and lips cracked.

These weren't the only burns he had. The ones on his wrists and ankle were far worse, since the area of metal—from his chains and ankle monitor—was bigger than the bits of metal sticking out of the cattle prod. But at least he could feel them; he wasn't going into shock yet, which meant he still had a chance.

His muscles shuddering uncontrollably, Shinichi tried to stop shaking, but just like all the times before, he had no control over his body. His vision blurred as a blonde head of hair overtook his vision.

"Shin-chan~! So this is where you've been!" A laugh. "I swear, you're going to end up just like Yuusaku, always hiding from Kaa-san!"

Shinichi blinked slowly, confusion clouding his already clouded mind. What was that? A hallucination? A memory?

Before he had time to process it, his vision focused and he saw past the blonde hair and into Valentine's face. Her lips were moving—speaking into a phone?—but he barely caught what she said.

"…Pupil dilation within normal range for someone who has experienced 15 milliamperes. Pulse rate is roughly 190 beats per minute, subject possibly approaching cardiac arrest…" Valentine's voice faded in and out, her melodious tone soothing to listen to after what felt like hours of screaming and pain. It was reassuring; as long as she was talking, she wasn't hurting him.

This wasn't the first time she called someone to comment on his condition. Shinichi could never work out what for or who she was calling, only that it definitely wasn't Papa—he would've heard him bellowing at Valentine. But any break was a good break. Now, if only she gave him enough time to figure out a way to escape this mess. If only he could gain muscle control back for a moment, then he'd kick the bag off his foot, bringing Interpol down on their heads.

Assuming that the electric shocks hadn't destroyed the monitor's circuits.

Shinichi could barely see his torturer walking away from him, his eyes were so blurry. He hung limply from his chains, irritating his burned skin further, but he couldn't help it. The electric shocks left him defenseless, unable to even keep his feet on the floor. He helplessly watched Valentine return, her phone replaced by a hunting knife. She ran her fingers through his hair.

"I'm sorry about this, kiddo." She sounded exhausted, not that Shinichi cared. But it was like she'd been deflated, all the energy drained out of her. A cold shiver ran down his spine as the orange and red rays of sunlight peeking in through the shattered windows glinted off her knife.

"I know I said I'd make it painless for you, but… Boss wants me to make a statement. And since he freed me… well, it's not like I can say no." Lifting the blade, she pressed the edge of it against his throat. Shinichi swallowed, the hunting knife scrapping across his skin. His eyes flickered around the room, hoping for some chance of escape. Could he kick her? No, he still didn't have enough control over himself for that; it would be weak and ineffective. Wait, what was that…? "But I swear this time, it will be fast, alright?"

Before she could press the blade deeper, Shinichi croaked out one word. "Heart."

She looked perplexed. "What?"

"Heart." He forced out again. Stall, stall, stall. He had to keep her talking, just a little bit longer— "Faster."

"Well, yes, I suppose so…" She muttered to herself, completely oblivious to what was behind her. "It certainly is faster. And Boss did say that there should be a large amount of blood, so that's taken care of… But are you sure? It's probably far more painful." Shinichi managed a nod, both to her and whoever was behind her. "Alright then."

As she moved to plunge the knife under his sternum, Valentine screamed out in pain, a playing card now lodged in her hand. She dropped the knife as a voice called out, "Freeze! Put your hands in the air! This is the police!"

She whirled around, a wild snarl on her face. "Who—?"

Hakuba emerged from the dark, pistol trained on her. His eyes flickered to Shinichi but did not stay, preferring to keep his focus on Valentine. Kaito was with him, skirting along the edge of the platform to get to Shinichi. He could only watch dully as Kuroba started picking the locks of his shackles.

Valentine had yet to obey and brandished her knife in her uninjured hand. She sneered. "So this is all Interpol sends against me? A child?"

Hakuba's voice was cold and steady. "The swat team is only a few minutes away, along with the rest of Interpol's agents and an ambulance." He held his gun as steady as his voice. "You've lost, Valentine. Put the knife down and surrender."

Her eyes slid over to Shinichi, looking… amused? "Am I?"

Before Shinichi could process the question, Kuroba opened his cuffs, ripping away burned skin with the metal. His arm felt aflame, shredded skin and muscle torn apart, leaving nothing but blood. Shinichi caught one look at Kuroba's horrified face before he completely blacked out.

The sound of a gunshot followed him into the darkness.