Chapter 1: Silence of the Sacrificial Lamb (Deadly Life #04)
Warning: This fic contains intense violence, lots of cursing, character death, gore and blood, sexual innuendos (thanks Maggie), and possible spoilers for the Danganronpa series, most notably the first one. But hey, everyone lurking in this fandom has at least played the first Danganronpa so no need to worry much there!
With that said, please enjoy!
The heat thawed him out.
For the past few minutes or so, Kane was frozen, his feet firmly planted as he could only gape in horror at what he had accidentally created. The fire was getting stronger by the minute and all he could think about at that moment in time…
"...M-Maggie," Kane stared at the fire with a quieter whisper. Then the quieter whisper turned into a yell of desperation. "M-Maggie!"
She was inside! She said she would be! She said she was going to clean the Prison Lounge and now… now she was in danger. He had to do something. He had to do something and save her!
It felt like he had no control over his body because soon he found himself dashing headfirst into the blazing room. Compared to the Ultimate Revolutionary's Cell, the Prison Lounge's fire was not as large but definitely was still dangerous to be near. Yet he didn't care.
Kane had thrown himself inside so valiantly that he didn't care whether a cloud of smoke was quick to fill his lungs or how unbearably hot he was starting to feel. And as he hurried past the growing flames, he called out whilst coughing, "M-Maggie! Maggie! W-Where… Where are you?!"
"I-Is someone there…?" a weak voice alerted him to where the fire was getting closer to. It didn't sound like Maggie, but he didn't think too much about it. At least, not at that moment.
"M-Maggie!" Kane hurried over to the voice, trying to fight back against the looming flames.
...
...
…Only it wasn't Maggie. Kane stopped right in his tracks; his eyes widened as he found Titus in a worse state than he would've expected if he had found Maggie instead. The conductor was on the floor, a knife lodged in his stomach, and his body shaking. Somehow, he was feeling both hot and cold. Cold in that he was dying. Hot because of the fire.
"T-Titus?!" Kane widened his eyes. "W-What… What the…?"
"H-Help… Kane…." Titus's body shook. He looked at Kane, his eyes pleading him to help. But all Kane could do was stare. He was frozen again. Trapped with endless thoughts, feeding him with the foulest ideas that he himself knew was wrong in this situation.
Titus needed help.
But what was he going to do about it?
...
...
...
"I… I'm the blackened…" Kane repeated, hunched over as he felt the aftermath of his 'unnecessary shoe violations.' There was no need for him to put his shirt inside-out. He had already lost, and everyone knew it. Now he was just repeating words signifying his guilt. His misdeed. His sin... "I… I did it. I murdered Titus… It was me… I… I'm the blackened… I… I did it. I murdered Titus… It was me…"
He repeated this a couple of times before Monohebi finally interjected.
"In accordance with Mr. Amao's shoehorned psychological breakdown, I take it you are for sure ready to start the vote?" Monohebi turned to the fourteen prisoners, ignoring Kane and his mumbles. "No more interruptions? No more last-minute theorizing? No more anything of such?"
"Yes, we're finally ready," Cassandra sighed in relief before quietly adding, "Thank fucking Christ."
Everyone else merely nodded their heads slowly. They couldn't believe any of this had happened. They couldn't believe that Titus had died. They couldn't believe that Holland was the one who stabbed him. And to top it all off, Kane was the one who did the actual killing. Now they were to condemn him for the death of their friend…
They couldn't believe that all of this had happened.
Why?
Why did this even have to happen…?
"...How quiet," Monohebi noted before tipping his head. "Very well. I shall ready the vote."
It didn't take long before everyone's eHandbooks pinged, signaling a new application had just been added. Arthur and Mimi had long received their eHandbooks of course so they had access to the new application, just in case anyone needed a reminder. The application at hand read: 'Voting Booth'.
Wasn't much of a booth if it was on a tablet but okay.
When the prisoners opened up the Voting Booth, a list of all sixteen prisoners were lined accordingly in alphabetical order. Titus was the only prisoner grayed out but everyone else had the option to be selected by marking a checkbox on the side of their mugshots and names. Though only one could be selected.
As soon as one was selected, the option to submit flashed for them to see.
It was a quick and simple process. Voting didn't really take long. And it wasn't a surprise to see who had received the most votes:
...
...
...
...
...
Kane: 14
Holland: 1
...
"With the votes tallied, I can now formally give my final verdict on the supposed blackened of the case," Monohebi slithered, looming her head toward Kane, who was still murmuring to himself. Of course, for someone who had voted for Holland, Kane could still at least function in society properly. "My final verdict for Kanenoshin Amao, the Ultimate Pawnbroker:
...
...
...
GUILTY
...
...
...
...That is all."
If Monohebi had a gavel, she would've hit it on her throne. But she did not have gavel. Instead, all she could do was shoot her tongue out at least three times before rattling her tail.
"This Prison Trial has concluded," Monohebi announced. "Congratulations prisoners. You were correct. The blackened of this case was indeed Kanenoshin Amao, the Ultimate Pawnbroker. Do with that information if you will."
TRIAL END
When the Trial officially ended, everyone couldn't bear to look at Kane. Whether it was disgust or just out of sheer hate for what he had done, it didn't matter to Kane. He knew what he had done. He knew what he had tried to do. And most of all, he knew what he was now:
A criminal.
A murderer.
The blackened who killed Titus Erskine.
It was quiet. Too quiet. No one dared say a word. Not even Cassandra, who you would expect would probably trash on Kane for what he did. But even she was quiet.
That's when Monohebi slithered toward the prisoners with a flick of her tongue.
"Well, I suppose if no one has anything to say to the blackened of this heinous crime," Monohebi began as she quietly added, "As well as the destruction of this esteemed facility."
Monohebi glanced toward Kane as she continued to speak.
"I shall now begin the pu-" Monohebi was quickly interrupted by the solemn voice of Barracuda, who could only look at Kane with a frown.
"W-Why Kane?" Barracuda asked. "We… We trusted you. Every one of us did. But you took that trust and then… then… beat it to death! H-How could you do that to us?! Why did you kill Titus?! Why?!"
Kane didn't say anything. He had long stopped mumbling how he was the culprit of this case. Now, he was filled with nothing but shame and silence.
"Oi, say something!" Haruto glared at Kane. "At least tell us why the fuck you went ahead and betrayed everything we were working towards!"
"If your reason is because of your family then you will have to consider what I had told Holland earlier," Ina gave Kane a cold stare.
"Speaking of family, you never got a motive video, so I just don't get why you would…" Maggie silently trailed off as she looked at Kane, trying to understand why he would do something like this.
Kane looked at Maggie. Then he sighed, looking away with a saddened expression.
"...I'm sorry you guys," Kane apologized. "I just… Yes. It was because of my family. Because of Grandpa. The one person I cared most in this world."
There was an audible scoff coming from Cassandra.
"And that gave you a right to try to kill the rest of us?" Cassandra glared at Kane.
"Cassandra…" Maggie looked at the unknown talent before getting interjected rudely.
"No, she has a point," Arthur nodded before sharing Cassandra's cold stare at Kane. "It's as Ina had stated earlier as well. We all have people back home that we wouldn't want to lose. Why is it that you should be the one to break? Especially since you never received any video to corrupt your mindset in the first place?"
"I… I didn't need a video to think about leaving," Kane clenched his fist with a gritting of his teeth. "I wanted to leave ever since I woke up in those accursed cells! And I know I wasn't the only one who had that thought!"
There was a slight pause as the people who shared his thought took that into consideration. Then Kane continued.
"...And... Grandpa was the only person on my mind throughout my time here," Kane looked down, closing his eyes as he tried to avoid any tears. "I… I had to go see him! I just had to!"
"...Why Kane?" Yuumi asked Kane.
"B-Because… Because he's in the hospital," Kane shivered. "A-And he doesn't have long to live! I have to be there because I made him a promise! Th-That I would come visit him until he passed on. And that I would be there to take care of his legacy! Th-That's why I wanted to leave! I made Grandpa a promise! And I… I w-wanted to keep that promise to him!"
"So... all that talk about wanting all of us to escape together," Zuri rubbed her arm as she avoided gazing at the culprit's face. "Was that a lie?"
"I… N-No, that wasn't," Kane looked hurt that Zuri would think that. Who could blame her though? He was willing to fly under the radar, even if it meant letting everyone die for his own survival.
"Was anything of what you promised true?" Barracuda asked Kane with a sad look.
"Y-Yes, I really wanted us to escape t-together!" Kane desperately stated. "L-Look, I may have killed Titus but I still meant it when I said I wanted all of us to escape! Y-You… You have to at least believe me…"
"C-Could it be that maybe you tried to save Titus?" Yuumi asked, looking a little hopeful when she came up with that theory.
Kane looked at Yuumi, silent and surprised.
"What do you mean?" Abigail looked apathetic about all of this. "He killed Titus."
"W-Well, I want to hope that Kane accidentally killed Titus!" Yuumi exclaimed. "Like, maybe he didn't mean to pull out that knife! That it was all an accident! Or maybe he did it out of good will. Like Titus was in so much pain that ending his life was better for him! Anything like that!"
"...Well Kane?" Arthur folded his arms and closed his eyes with a slight sigh.
Kane didn't say anything.
Instead, he thought back to what he remembered during his crime.
"H-Help… Kane…." Titus's body shook. He looked at Kane, his eyes pleading him to help. But all Kane could do was stare. He was frozen again. Trapped with endless thoughts, feeding him with the foulest ideas that he himself knew was wrong in this situation.
Titus needed help.
But what was he going to do about it?
"W-Who did this to you?" Kane squatted down to Titus, albeit a little too slowly. Titus didn't respond. Any attempt to speak further from him would only induce more pain. All Titus could do was stare at the knife lodged in his stomach. He made no attempt to pull it out.
Why would he? And how could he? He was losing energy by the minute, but he gave a look toward Kane, pleading with him to help.
Kane could only look back at him. Their eyes met. And Titus realized what exactly Kane was going to do. He weakly shook his head, painfully crying out, "N-No… P-Please… K-Kane."
Kane lowered his head as he gripped his hand on the helm of the knife. If Titus had a bit more energy left, he would've done anything to pry Kane's hand off of that knife. But Titus didn't. And for that, Kane jiggled the knife right out of his stomach, feeling a sudden blood spurt splatter his shirt.
He dropped the knife and watched as Titus's betrayed look slowly went cold. He was dead. And for a while, he had forgotten there was a fire raging beside him. He had pieced his every focus straight upon Titus's dead corpse.
And then he trembled and collapsed to his knees, tears forming in his eyes.
"...I…I'm so sorry…" Kane trembled, eyes wide as if he was in a trance that had forced him to commit such an act. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. P-Please forgive me… T-Titus."
Kane looked away from Yuumi's hopeful look. What was it that she asked again? That he did it out of the good of his heart? That he had tried to save Titus? That he wanted to give him mercy and spare his suffering? He and Titus both knew that wasn't true.
But Titus was dead. Which made it Kane's responsibility to say it himself…
"No…" Kane looked away, his face now with a grim expression. "...It wasn't an accident... I didn't try to save Titus..."
"H-Huh?" Yuumi's hopeful expression dropped. "Th-Then why…?"
"...I knew that removing the knife would've quickened his death," Kane looked away, avoiding the judgmental looks of his peers. "But I didn't kill him to end his suffering. I… I killed him because I could."
"Sick bastard," Cassandra muttered under her breath.
"I… I know I did something wrong but when I saw Titus dying there in front of me-" Kane started to mess with his hair with a look of anguish. "I knew it was fate… Fate telling me to commit a heinous crime! Fate telling me that I could get away with it! Th-That's why I removed the knife! That's why I killed Titus. B-Because I would've been able to get away with it…"
"...Because you knew you wouldn't be able to leave any evidence if you just went up and removed the knife," Abigail folded her arms with a frown. That evidence thing was practically the one thing that was throwing them off. Had he not accidentally started the fires, there was no doubt Kane would have flown right under their radar... and the rest of them would've been the ones on the chopping block.
"...So, you really did betray us," Yuumi looked at Kane, heartbroken. Any shred of hope she had that maybe he killed out of the best of intentions was gone. Kane was just like the rest of them. Arthur, Haruto, Holland… Mimi… "...I can't forgive you. I just can't forgive you..."
"I do not think any of us can," Ina frowned at Kane.
"...Damn it Kane," Jared looked away from Kane. To think that this was the person he had stuck next to for the past few days. To think he considered himself Kane's second-in-command. To think that he had trusted someone who turned out to be nothing but a criminal.
"...I'm sorry, for everything," Kane looked down, tears beginning to form in his eyes. He was their de facto leader and yet he had betrayed everyone by being the first one to actually commit murder. For that, he felt regret. "I'm, I'm so sorry…"
No one else could look him in the eyes. It was clear that they were all ashamed of him, Holland especially, who could only stand in the distance to avoid any type of gaze. It was all his fault. Holland was the one who struck first and for that reason, another person was going to die. It was his fault. He killed Titus. Kane was next. His once emotionless state was twitching and stricken with guilt for what he had done.
...
Monohebi perked her head open as the slow soft clacks of White Collar's shoes and metallic thuds of his cane resonated the room with echoes. No one saw his face but the mask itself gave it away that he was practically enjoying all of this.
Its sinister grin never faltered as White Collar slowly clapped his hands together, mocking them with a fake applause.
"How ironic it is for the first blackened of the game to be a young man named Kane," White Collar chuckled, amused. "And the circumstances in which this all happened. How it reminds me of a simple Bible story."
"He's here," Ina glared at White Collar.
"The tale of Abraham and his son," White Collar's mask grinned sinisterly. "The lengths we would go for the people we love. You all see it too, don't you? How willing both Mr. Amao and Mr. Delaney were ready to sacrifice you all for who they honor the most. For Abraham, it was God. For Mr. Amao and Mr. Delaney, it was their families. Intriguing how such a simple push can easily force them to offer the rest you up as lambs to the slaughter."
No one said anything towards that. They were too busy being reminded of what both Holland and Kane had done to them. In a way, they agreed with White Collar. How could they think to just sacrifice the rest of their lives?
It was surely unthinkable.
"...I wonder just how the rest of you will go on now that you have the mastermind of an attempted murder in your pitiful group," White Collar's gaze landed on the shrouded Holland, who in turn was still trying to hide himself from the others.
"N-No!" Zuri spoke up, a fiery gaze directed toward the devilish man himself. "Th-That's not true! Holland wasn't the true mastermind. While he did strike first and caused all of this to happen, none of this is his fault!"
"...Miss Auraline," White Collar's mask curled its horrific grin. "Do enlighten your fellow prisoners and myself. Who should be blamed for this tragic series of events?"
"You, White Collar," Zuri glared at White Collar. "It's your fault this happened. Not Holland. Not Kane's. You."
"...Your sense of optimistic justice is admirable," White Collar stroked the chin of his mask. "Familiar, but ultimately useless in this environment. Pray tell, how could it be my fault?"
"The videos," Zuri frowned. "If you hadn't brought those up, then maybe Holland wouldn't have-"
"Let me stop you right there, Miss Auraline," White Collar chuckled, shaking his head. "I may have handed those videos out, but I only handed them out accordingly. Have you forgotten the rules of Prisoner's Dilemma? Only the ones who trusted those who distrusted them and the ones who distrusted each other received the videos. Though, the former received a... slightly altered video... as a heavy disadvantage for misplacing their trust."
"That fucking game was rigged and you know it!" Haruto yelled at White Collar. "Kane picked trust and never received any motive videos yet why is he the one on the chopping block?!"
There was a short moment of silence before White Collar answered.
"...I'm afraid there's been a misunderstanding," White Collar stared at Haruto. "Remember what Monohebi had said…"
"If Person A and Person B both choose Trust, they will not receive a video," Monohebi stated. "If Person A and Person B both choose Distrust, they will receive a video."
"And what about if one chooses Trust and the other chooses Distrust?" Maggie asked the snake.
"If Person A chooses Trust and Person B chooses Distrust, Person B will receive an advantage in the Killing Game, while Person A will receive a rather nasty disadvantage along with the videos," Monohebi answered. "Those are the rules of the Minigame."
"Never did we ever say that the videos were motives, incentives for you to kill," White Collar explained. "In fact, you were the ones who came to that conclusion yourselves. As for why Mr. Amao ended up being the one on the chopping block... Sinners like you are just full of surprises, don't you think? Perhaps it's just in your nature to commit the gravest sin of them all…"
"Fuck you!" Haruto clenched his fist. He had every right mind to go and give White Collar a good one but a hand over his shoulder and a shaking of Ina's hand reminded him of what the consequences would be if he did so.
"Now then, Mister Amao," White Collar tapped his wrist as if he had a watch. "It's time. You are the blackened in this case. Therefore, in accordance with the rules established, you will be executed. Go ahead and say your prayers… boy…"
Kane looked at White Collar before looking at the people he had grown to call friends, allies, and in Cassandra's case, enemies. He gave them one last apologetic look before taking a deep breath. He looked back at White Collar.
"...I already said my piece, but before you execute me," Kane's voice quivered. He was scared. He was so fucking scared. "Can I at least know? Can I at least know if my Grandpa is…?"
White Collar perked his head toward the pleading Kane.
"Your… Grandpa?" White Collar asked. "What are you talking about?"
"My Grandpa!" Kane exclaimed in desperation. "I just wanted to know if he's doing fine at the hospital! I… I promised him I would take care of him! That I would return to him! And I was supposed to stay by his side before… before… Please White Collar! At least let me see him one last time… Just so I know he's doing fine! Give me the video or something! Anything! Please!"
White Collar stared at him. His mask was no longer grinning. Instead, the man himself just stared at Kane's pitiful pleas. After a moment of silence and noticing everyone's stares at Kane and himself, White Collar only sighed and shook his head.
"You don't remember," White Collar mused. "How fascinating."
"R-Remember what?" Kane looked at White Collar, his legs trembling.
...
...
...
"Mister Amao, your Grandfather is dead," White Collar stated, his mask staring at Kane seriously. "He has been for 4 years now. The lung cancer finally took him away from you and you've been running his legacy ever since. Did you not remember such an important detail in your life?"
"N-No… no no no," Kane collapsed to his knees, his legs finally giving away. "No… That can't be true. If it's been 4 years since he died, then that means I'm… I'm 21 years old? W-Why… Why can't I remember? Why can't I remember being with him when he died? Why? No... this isn't true! You're lying! You're fucking lying, you piece of fucking shit!"
Kane quickly stood up and charged toward White Collar, his fist getting ready to land a fist on the man's chest. However, White Collar quickly sidestepped and knocked his arm down using the tip of his cane to slap it down. Then the devilish man used the end of his cane to knock the pawnbroker to the ground.
"How dare you try to strike my Master?!" Monohebi hissed, her eyes looking at Kane, angrily.
"Grandpa!" Kane's eyes welled up in tears as he desperately tried to remember his life with his Grandpa. Did he suffer? Were there any final words? Kane didn't know. Kane couldn't know. "Grandpa! Grandpa! Grandpa!"
White Collar only looked down at him in disappointment as he wiped his suit. Once he was finished, he looked toward Monohebi.
"Monohebi," White Collar stated. "It's punishment time for Mister Amao. Both for the tragic murder of Titus Erskine and the violation of Rule #8."
"Understood," Monohebi flicked her tongue. She raised her body and announced to the group. "Commencing punishment…"
"Wait..." Barracuda exclaimed, holding out his hands in slight fear and anguish for what was to happen to him. "Please wait. Show him some mercy!"
Barracuda charged toward Kane. Then he was followed behind by Jared. Then Haruto. Then Ina.
"Barracuda, don't!" Jared yelled.
"Don't be an idiot!" Haruto roared.
"White Collar, you bastard!" Ina ordered.
Three of them rushed toward Barracuda, while the personal trainer raced toward Kane, extending his hand for him to grab, but it was futile. And the only thing they would ever hear from Kane was a bawl shouting out one word:
"GRAAAAAAAAANDPAAAA!"
Monohebi slithered toward a large red button and slapped it with the end of her tail. With a single hit, the button clicked, bursting into stars as a pixelated screen showcased Monohebi dragging Kane by the neck.
Below this scenery were the words:
...
KANENOSHIN AMAO HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY
COMMENCING PUNISHMENT...
...
Kane remained on the ground as he saw everyone, except Barracuda who was being held back by the combined forces of Jared, Haruto, and Ina, step far away from him. Only one made any attempt to save him. Only one made any attempt to try to stop what was going to happen to him. Tears continued to flow through his eyes as he was both distraught and fearful of what was happening.
That was when a collar attached to a long metallic chain shot out from amidst the darkness, welcomed by some open doors. The collar latched itself on Kane's neck before pulling away into darkness. Any attempts of screaming would have been cut short thanks to the force of which he was getting dragged away. The doors closed.
His execution was to commence.
Get Pawn'd: The Ultimate Pawnbroker's Execution
Kane found himself in a pawnshop, tears still in his eyes as he struggled to breathe. That collar was no longer on his neck, but it still left a prominent mark on his neck from when it was latched. Not only that, but he was now restrained with a new contraption: medieval stocks. His head and two hands were left hanging through the stock holes. What's more, he heard some incessant yelling coming from amidst the outside of the makeshift pawnshop he was in. He knew what that yelling could be:
Angry customers.
Angry customers stormed through the pawnshop, gripping their money tightly on one hand as they berated Kane for his failures. On their other hands were fruits and tomatoes. A classic thing to throw towards someone caught in ye olde stocks. Kane gritted his teeth as he struggled to get free from the stocks…
…That was when he saw what was above. It was a more sinister contraption. It was the symbol of pawnbroking itself, three golden spheres hovering over all three things that would've been protruding through the holes of the stocks: his two hands and his head.
And on top of the three golden spheres was Monohebi, who merely slithered and painted target signs on the spheres facing the crowd. That was when Kane realized it. Those fruits and tomatoes weren't for him.
They were for those spheres.
Immediately the crowd began to pelt the spheres with their fruits and tomatoes. Most of them would splatter, painting the sphere in a mess of yellow and red as some of their liquids dripped down over Kane. He began to sweat as he could see the spheres slowly lose their hold over the chains that were holding them. Soon, all three spheres will drop…
Kane continued to try to break free.
More fruits and tomatoes were thrown.
The spheres got lower and lower.
Monohebi flicked her tongue as she coiled herself over the chain that kept them hovering 10 feet above.
The process repeated.
Breaking free.
Fruits and tomatoes.
Lower and lower.
Monohebi.
Breaking free.
Fruits and tomatoes.
Lower and lower.
Monohebi.
Then one of the chains shattered, toppling down and smashing through Kane's right hand. With a scream in pain, a second ball fell, toppling down and smashing through Kane's left hand. His face was purple, his tears were uncontrollable, and he was losing blood fast.
He weakly looked up. It seemed like the last ball was still intact. Perhaps he got to keep his head. Perhaps there was hope that he would at least keep his lif-
Wait.
Monohebi glinted her red eye with a slight taunt. She flicked her tongue, then using her tail, she released the third ball.
His purplish face turned pale.
He screamed.
…
...
...
Then the third ball smashed through his head,
Wheeze.
Kane set the flowers down by the table. His old man didn't turn to face him. Doctors say he's now in an unresponsive state, but Kane could only stare at Grandpa in disbelief. Time flew by so quickly. It felt like yesterday was their anniversary since Grandpa took him in, but the reality was that it was actually a month after.
Kane should've seen this coming. He recognized just how weak his Grandpa was since their anniversary. He had talks with him days after. He should've known that today was the day that Grandpa wouldn't be able to share his last source of wisdom. Yesterday was the day Grandpa spoke a few words. Today, Grandpa didn't bother waking up.
Wheeze.
Kane listened to Grandpa's weakened breath. Back then, he could breathe in successions of three. Now it was one every three seconds. That was bad. And Kane hated seeing his Grandpa like this.
Kane sat down and gripped his gray trousers tightly.
Wheeze.
"Grandpa," Kane spoke softly. He waited for a response and chuckled softly. "Right. You need to rest. Sorry."
Kane waited for another response. He was baiting. Baiting for Grandpa to say, 'No no, my boy. I'm here. Let's talk.' But Grandpa didn't fall for the bait. He laid there, resting. He looked so peaceful, but Kane knew otherwise. Behind that Sleeping Beauty facade, Grandpa was suffering from the dreadful disease asphyxiating him.
Kane clenched on his trousers tighter.
"...Grandpa, please," Kane frowned as his eyes looked down. He threatened himself not to cry. Grandpa would want him to be strong. Both of them knew this was coming but it still felt so surreal. "Please. I'm not ready yet. I'm not ready to take on your legacy."
Wheeze.
"I… I hate seeing you like this," Kane trembled as he avoided looking at his Grandpa's unresponsive state. "I hate the fact that you're leaving me so quickly. I still have so much to learn. I know that. So please. Don't let me do this on my own…"
Wheeze.
"...Grandpa, I know you won't be able to respond to me but at least hear me say," Kane looked up at the ventilator connected to Grandpa's slow breathing patterns. "Hear me say that I know I'm not ready. You're probably still holding on for dear life for me but just know that I know I'm not ready. But I will do everything I can to make myself ready. I learned of this opportunity and-"
Wheeze.
Kane stood up and looked over at Grandpa.
"Please!" Kane yelled. "Please say something!"
Wheeze.
The wheezing was driving him crazy. He hated it. He hated that he didn't know whether or not Grandpa could hear him or not. He hated that Grandpa was suffering. He hated that Grandpa's legacy was going to fall to someone like him. He had to protect Grandpa's legacy. By any means.
"W-Who am I kidding?" Kane felt tears trickle down his eyes. "Y-You… You're probably in so much pain Grandpa. You're holding on because you still want to look over me. B-But didn't I tell you? It's my turn to look out for you."
Kane couldn't be bothered to wipe the tears and snot running down his face.
"You're in so much pain Grandpa," Kane trembled. He was hesitating. "You're in so much pain for me. B-But you can stop now Grandpa…"
Kane squatted down.
Then he came back up.
In his hands was the plug connected to the ventilator machine. The same machine trying to help Grandpa breathe. The machine that was keeping him alive. His hands trembled as he held the cord, more tears and snot streaming down in his face. And he heard his Grandpa breathe for the last time…
Wheeze.
…
Wheeze.
…
Whee-ee-eeze….
Kane dropped the plug, finally letting his arms and legs give away as he fell to the ground. That was when he started sobbing. Sobbing. What right did he have to cry? What did he just do? The thoughts became endless as he saw the ventilator flash its warning sign: signifying the power had been lost.
"I'm… I'm s-sorry…" Kane murmured, his voice soft and grief-stricken by what he had just done to the most important person in his life. "P-Please forgive me G-Grandpa… P-Please forgive me…"
…
And for a moment, Kane thought he heard his Grandpa's voice:
"Thank you, my boy."
Kane sobbed once more.
Everyone could only stare in horror at what they had just witnessed. What was once a body that belonged to Kane, was nothing more than a handless and headless corpse.
Arthur gritted his teeth, looking more frustrated and angrier if anything.
Jared looked horrified at how cruel the punishment was.
Mimi was practically crying, with Maggie attempting her best at being the shoulder that the fairytale writer could cry on.
Mayu looked like she was ready to puke.
Even Cassandra looked shocked at how brutal the execution was.
No one said anything as they tried to desperately grasp at what they had witnessed. Their minds completely scrambled, trying to hide everything cruel and unjust from the images planted inside their heads. But the truth was they can't escape what they had just seen.
They can't escape the truth.
That Kane, who had been the first blackened in their game, had now been executed right in front of their eyes. Kane, who had now lost both of his hands and his head. It didn't take long for them to hear someone whimper amidst the trauma that everyone was feeling.
"K-Kane is… K-Kane is…" Mimi whimpered, looking completely traumatized by what she had witnessed.
"W-What the fuck did we just watch…?" Haruto asked, quieter than he normally once.
"K-KANE!" Barracuda exclaimed, horrified.
"This is highly immoral and a desecration to a human life!" Ina declared, looking as troubled as everyone else.
"N-Nooooooo!" Carter screamed, albeit in a more high-pitched voice, hugging himself in fear.
The horrific silence had now switched to a room of cacophonic outcry. Their minds were now tainted with the constant flashes and images of Kane's death, replaying in a constant loop. That was when Mayu threw up nothing but hot liquid and undigested chunks of her breakfast and lunch.
"H-How could you?" Zuri turned to White Collar, tears forming in her eyes. "H-How could you do that to someone? H-How could you just kill them like that? H-How could you be so evil?"
"Evil?" White Collar asked, perked his head before leaning over Zuri with a rather intimidating sinister look. His mask wasn't grinning anymore. It was downright serious. "Miss Auraline… Do you truly understand the questions you are asking here?"
Zuri stumbled back at how close he was. Especially with a sharp cane like that, she worried that perhaps he was ready to hurt her.
"H-Hey, stay away from her!" Jared ordered White Collar, running to help out Zuri.
Holland joined in as well, even though he tried to remain hidden from everyone else.
"I… I…" Zuri could do nothing but stammer, her legs trembling and ready to give in.
"The death penalty in Japan is always demanded against sinners who dare take a life of another," White Collar explained. "Kane was no different to those sinners. And thus, the death penalty was enacted upon him."
"B-But, Kane did it because-" Carter was about to point out before White Collar turned to him abruptly. This forced Carter to shut his yap.
"Did you forget?" White Collar's mask grinned. "Kane did it because he could. Because he thought he could get away with it. But you intelligent lot figured it out. Why should you suddenly care for someone who murdered someone else just because they could? He wouldn't have batted an eye if it were the rest of you."
"But still, there was no way to kill him like-" Jared was about to point out as he remained by Zuri's side.
"Oh?" White Collar's mask grinned wider. "So, you think my punishment for him was inhumane. Too cruel for your liking. Is that what really makes me evil? To punish someone so cruelly even though they were responsible for the death of one of your own and was willing to sacrifice the rest of you in order to live?"
He turned back to Zuri.
"Tell me Miss Auraline," White Collar pointed his cane toward Zuri. "Do you still think me to be evil now that I have gotten rid of a serial killer from your hands?"
"S-Serial killer?" Mayu blinked. "But Kane only-"
"Am I still the evil one even though I got rid of a dirty sinner from your pitiful society?" White Collar interrupted Mayu as his jagged eye sparked a fiery red.
Zuri couldn't make any words to bite back against White Collar. She was just too afraid of what he might do. Too afraid…
"...You're the Devil…" Zuri whimpered slightly, tears flowing from her eyes. "...You're horrible…"
"...The Devil is only horrible to the eyes of the fearful sinners," White Collar pointed his sharp cane toward the rest of the group. "Because they know he has a punishment waiting for them and every sinner in this god forsaken world…"
When he mentioned the word 'punishment', the spines of most people in this room started to chill. Goosebumps started to develop. Did this mean he had an equally cruel punishment awaiting the rest of them?
"...The Devil isn't evil, Miss Auraline," White Collar stated. "...You just fear his judgment. You all do."
"...T-That's enough," Holland tried to speak out against White Collar as he slowly walked up to Zuri's side with that twitching neutral expression he bore. "...I… I don't care about your lecture. Just… Just leave her alone."
…
…
…
"...Keh," White Collar's chuckled slightly. "...Mr, Dulaney. Now you wish to protect and serve others? Oh, as I said before. How I can't wait to see what happens to your standing in this precious prison you're in…"
Holland twitched a bit as he took a step back. Everyone was looking at him. Like he was some deranged animal ready to strike again soon.
That was when Monohebi's voice rang through the intercom:
"Attention all prisoners," Monohebi's voice announced. "It is now midnight. Curfew hour begins now. As such, all prisoners must report to their confinements. Anyone who is caught outside of their confinements will be punished accordingly. Be sure to review the rules on the Rules App of your Handbook. That is all."
"Ah, yes, it is now midnight," White Collar stated, his mask still grinning. "How I wish I could debate with you all more, but you must all head back, lest you wish to burn in the fires of Hell…"
Zuri managed to regain her footing. She turned to him with the most hateful glance possible. It looked as if she had more to say and she looked like she had gained some form of confidence to say it. So now was-
"Not now Zuri," Abigail pressed a hand on her shoulder. "It's not worth it."
"I…" Zuri looked down before Abigail helped escort her to her Voting Chamber.
The two were shortly joined by the rest of the group, all of whom were still deeply disturbed by the events that had occurred today. If the announcement that they were in a Killing Game didn't disturb them, Kane's public punishment sure did!
...
And once the prisoners had made their way to the Voting Chambers which had brought them into the Trial Room, White Collar glanced around the room, specifically at the artwork that Monohebi had crudely painted upon the walls. The strange graffiti of White Collar that was meant to be a caricature of the devilish host as the Statue of David.
White Collar clenched the top of the cane tightly as he turned to face Monohebi.
"How did I do, Master?" Monohebi was the first to say something.
"...With what?" White Collar responded. "The Prison Trial, the execution, or this hideous attempt you made to characterize my presence?"
"...Do you not like it, Master?" Monohebi asked, a slight shudder chilled down her back.
White Collar's jagged eye glinted, as if he was a little irritated with what Monohebi had done. He stomped his cane onto the ground as he stood tall among her. It was a showcase of who was the one in charge. Who the one in control was. Who the dominant presence was and who really ran this Killing Game.
"I want it removed before the next Prison Trial," White Collar ordered Monohebi. "Need I remind you what you are here for Monohebi?"
Monohebi tipped her head down.
"You are here to help me maintain order and control over this Killing Game," White Collar pointed the sharpest part of his cane toward the bottom of her chin, perking it up for her. "Not indulge in your silly crude fantasies… Remember Monohebi, lust is a dreadful sin. Do not fall for it or I shall do worse than what God did to your deceitful kin."
Monohebi tensed up and tipped her head down once more.
"I… I understand… Master…" Monohebi stated.
"...What did I say?" White Collar held her head back up with his cane again. "Do not refer to me as Master."
"...I apologize," Monohebi didn't try to tip her head down this time. She knew that if she did, White Collar would've pushed her head right back up.
"...And I forgive you," White Collar's mask gave her a more reassuring grin. He removed the cane away from her chin and leaned against it as he turned away.
Monohebi could finally look down without forcing her head up. Disappointment felt whatever mechanism her heart was made of. White Collar didn't like what she had made. Her Master was disappointed with her.
She flicked her tongue and stayed frozen, coiled up alone… Alone that is until a voice forced her to turn her head rapidly.
"Hey."
No one said a word when they returned to the surface. It was a quiet ride all throughout and everyone practically trudged to their own rooms with nothing but bad memories floating around in their minds.
Mimi attempted to make some sort of conversation with Yuumi, no matter how short it was but she merely avoided her.
Holland avoided everyone's judgmental looks as he entered his own room.
But the focus at the moment specifically was on Jared, who had entered his room with a sigh. He slowly shut the door behind him and tossed his police hat across the room. He worked to remove his tie but the moment it loosened, he slowly collapsed, sliding against the door, burying his face in his hands.
"Damn it..." Jared gritted his teeth, pounding the ground with his hand. "Damn it!"
Two people have died today: Titus Erskine and Kane. Both of whom Jared never thought would lose their lives here. They were supposed to get out together. They were supposed to live.
Now all he had as his last memory of them was Titus's dead corpse and Kane's public execution. Jared had been to a few public executions before but nowhere were they as cruel and unforgiving as Kane's. All he could think of was how clean that sphere took off Kane's head. How clear the bone was when Kane's handless and headless body was slowly removed from the medieval stocks, he had been held in.
It was enough to made him puke.
...
"Damn it," Jared cursed again, pounding the back of his head against the door. He took out the two eHandbooks he now owned and stared at them. Now was probably a good time to watch the video Titus received. Titus was long dead, and they found justice for his death.
Sick, twisted justice.
But justice, nonetheless.
Jared opened up Titus's eHandbook, which presented him the information he had already seen (see Silence of the Sacrificial Lamb Chapter Part 6 ;D). Then tapping through everything, Jared found the Video application right where it had been the last time he had checked. With a grim look, Jared opened the application without much hesitation as he had before. What was he hoping to find? Even he didn't know...
...
...
...
"To my humblest dearest Titus Erskine," White Collar sat on his throne as he stared back into Titus's eyes. "The one who has forgotten most of his own life. Or so he says. Do you really not remember much of anything in your entire life? Or were you twisting the truth and bending it into a lie? Whatever the case maybe, there are ones you and I both know for a fact, you remember all too well. Those people are your family:
White Collar. How much he really wanted this man arrested for torture, kidnapping, and murder of every degree...
…
…
… Your mother and your grandmother…"
White Collar evaporated into static as the scene switched to a video recording of Titus's mother and grandparents. It was much different than what Jared had expected. There were no police officers. The worried and concerned looks were replaced with a look of acceptance. And where they were didn't seem to be a home of any kind but rather a field of stones.
Gravestones.
What the hell was this?
"...Can you hear us?" Titus's mother, Zensyth Erskine, asked. She paused as if she was waiting for a response. Then she continued. "...Good. I'm here with grandma. She really wanted to come talk to you today."
Zensyth's words were so soft and so simple. From what Jared could see, she was trying to avoid eye contact from whatever she was looking at. Titus's grandmother, Flora Erskine, maintained her sight on what they were talking to. It didn't take a detective to figure out that they would've been talking to a gravestone.
"...Little Titan," Flora spoke just as softly as his mother did. "How long has it been since I've come to see you?"
Little Titan?
"I'm sorry for neglecting you for so long," Flora looked down. "Grandpa couldn't handle it when you left us. And your mother…"
"...It's all my fault," Zensyth looked away, her voice quivering. "It really is all my fault. I'm so sorry my sweet little Titan. Please forgive me."
"No, please forgive us," Flora held Zensyth's hand. "We should've been there for you more. We should've never sent you away to that school. We should've just…"
"I… I should've just kept you with your friends," Zensyth stated. "As you wanted. If I hadn't been so stupid to believe that you wanted to be successful in life, maybe you would still be here."
What was going on? What were they talking about? This was Titus's video, wasn't it? And that school that Titus's grandmother mentioned. Could it be?
"...That accursed program," Flora looked grim. "We should've never trusted it. All these years. Oh, what it could've been."
Program? Years?
"Wherever you are now, Titus," Zensyth slowly dropped to her knees as she bowed her head, as if she was asking for forgiveness. "Please. Please forgive us. These past five years have been nothing but punishment for what we did to you. And for that… I'm so sorry."
"...We're so sorry, Titus," Flora bit her lip as she too, also bowed her head down for forgiveness.
W-What? Five years? Was this video implying…?
…
Static. The video changed its perspective to show what exactly Zensyth and Flora were talking to. They had long left, but the scene was enough to send shivers down Jared's spine. For the scene showed nothing but a gravestone with the following engravings:
...
Here Lies...
TITUS ERSKINE
The Little Titan of Zensyth Erskine
(1997 - 2010)
...
2010? No. That can't be. It's the year 2015 now. At least, it's the year 2015 when Jared was last taken. But whatever the case is, according to Zensyth and Flora Erskine, Titus has been dead for about 5 years now. Died at the age of 13.
That can't be true! Titus had just died today! He was very much alive last he saw him! What…? What could any of this mean? Jared tried to fill his mind with plausible theories and answers. But every theory and answer he could come up with confused him further.
Titus Erskine. Who in God's name are you?
…
Static. White Collar was now back on the screen as he gave that sinister grin, he always laid bare for everyone to see.
"As promised, I have shown you what exactly your loved ones from the outside are up to…" White Collar stated, his hands clasped together. "I have to say. It was as much of a surprise to me as it may be to you to learn that your own family considered you to be dead. Oh, but did you hear just how much anguish was in their voices? How much they wanted forgiveness and repentance for whatever they had done to you? So many questions and yet no answers whatsoever… Unless the answers lie in your forgotten memories…"
Jared stared at the screen before looking ahead. More questions rang through his mind. Why couldn't Titus remember anything? What happened to Titus? Who was he?!
Damn it!
Damn it!
"Oh, and one more thing," White Collar continued, leaning back against his scarlet red throne. "Be it as you may, there is the matter of your Disadvantage to speak about. Something to teach you not to trust anyone, especially in a game like this… How about…"
…
White Collar leaned forward with a distorted laugh.
…
"If no one dies within the next 24 hours, your mother and grandmother will both die by my own hands. How is that for a disadvantage?"
Jared widened his eyes. Was this the disadvantage everyone received? It was more of an extreme punishment if anything, but this was definitely a push worthy enough to force someone to commit murder.
Was that why Titus had…?
"That is all," White Collar sat back down on his throne with that grin once more. "Do with this video what you will… Little Titan."
"...White Collar, you son of a bitch," Jared muttered as he held Titus's eHandbook firmly within his hands.
"Goodbye," White Collar finished.
...
The video shrunk back to the application that had contained the file. Jared was practically frozen. A mixture of different thoughts flew to his head. Emotions of every flavor. He was horrified. Confused. Shocked. He slowly stood up; his hands trembling as he nearly dropped the eHandbook.
What the hell was going on?
And more importantly...
...
...
...
Who the hell was Titus Erskine?
DANGANRONPA: CORRUPTED HOPE
Thus marks the end of the Chapter 1: Silence of the Sacrificial Lamb! This is my shortest chapter yet ;-; Yet what a journey it was for the first chapter alone and boy do I have a lot to talk about!
First things first, the title. I saw plenty of people trying to theorize what the title meant but I think I can partly answer the reason why I chose to call it "Silence of the Sacrificial Lamb" of all things. Well for one, I thought it was a pretty cool name since it was pretty much based off the actual movie, Silence of the Lambs. The "Sacrificial" part came in with the bible verse where Abraham had to prove how loyal he was by sacrificing his own son. That's only part of the reason but of course there was some touches here and there that I really wanted to make it connect to the title itself that you guys can pretty much theorize on your own for funsies :D
Second thing to talk about, the killer as a whole. To start this off, I would like to thank benkj6 for submitting Kanenoshin Amao/Kane. He was pretty fun to write and if I'm not mistaken, he had some fans of his own which is always a delight to see :D Believe it or not however, I original planned to have Kane living a little longer than he did. He was always meant to be a killer, there was no doubt about that, but he was going to kill in Chapter 3, not Chapter 1. There were many reasons for that change:
One was the fact that his whole arc as being like this leader of the group got me the idea to kill him just to shake up whatever society the prisoners would've built with Kane running things and spice up future interactions.
Two, since Kane trusted in the Minigame, I also wanted to show that even though you quote-on-quote "win" or "survive" the Minigame, you're still applicable for both victim and killer. There is no safety net when it comes to the Minigame. Let that be a warning to you ;D
As for the last reason why I changed Kane to be the Chapter 1 blackened... Well, I realized that Kane's name is pretty much Cain spelled differently, who is considered to be the first serial killer in human history. So, making Kane the first blackened was pretty much a narrative gold mine that I could not resist. So just like how it had to be Titus who died first, it had to be Kane who killed first. And no doubt, Kane's death will have a big impact moving forward!
Chapter 1 as a whole, however. I have to say, the planning process for this had plenty of changes but nothing too crazy. For one, the Trial was to have more things to talk about, like the chess pieces being used to arrange a red herring message against Zuri, but I thought it would make the Trial too complicated, so I cut out small stuff like that. Lawson the Lamb on the other hand was just there for... Well, I don't know why else he was there other than to be creepy! XD
What's next...? Ah yes! Holland's part in the murder. That one needed no change. Ever since I received the application for him, I knew exactly how he would play in the events of Chapter 1. He would be the first to attempt murder, but he was never going to be the actual killer. And I wanted a case where someone stabbed themselves to avoid being found out for a crime. Holland played perfectly into that. How will he fare going forward? You'll just have to wait and see because boy do I have more plans for him hehe ;D
The execution. Ah yes. Truth be told, I had no idea how a Pawnbroker should be executed so Get Pawn'd was the best thing I came up with ;-; It had that touch of the old days that Kane obsesses over and relates to pawnbroking haha. Hope it was good though! Nice and brutal is how I like it!
Either case, this is pretty much it for Chapter 1. We still have more questions to answer in the future, especially about Titus Erskine! :D I'll see you all in Chapter 2 where things should start to pick up a little more :0 Do let me know what you think about the entire chapter as a whole! Did you like it? Did you not? What didn't you like about it? Feedback is very much appreciated ;-;
Also, to note, my classes have started, and I try to find time to write whenever I can but things are getting busy D: Because of that, Chapter 2 as a whole might not be as quick to update as compared to Chapter 1 but I'll certainly try my best to crank things out for you guys! The next chapter as a whole will take quite a bit since I still have to plan out what exactly I want to happen in Chapter 2. So, this is a heads-up for any slow updates in the future!
With that said, hope you look forward to what's to come :D I know I'm looking forward to writing Chapter 2 hehe :D
Prisoners Remaining: 14
Abigail Ellsworth - The Ultimate Equestrian (oddlyillregular)
Arthur Kingston - The Ultimate Snowboarder (SinWriter7)
Barracuda - The Ultimate Personal Trainer (Weekaro)
Carter Franklin - The Ultimate Opinion Columnist (armadas)
Cassandra Mura - The Ultimate ? (ExtraMeme)
Haruto Walker - The Ultimate Basketball Player (theotakureader101)
Holland Delaney - The Ultimate Game Designer (Sempi)
Ina Hamamura - The Ultimate Revolutionary (VividIsSleeping)
Jared Ceartas - The Ultimate Police Officer (Otterplay)
Maggie LaDroubi - The Ultimate Supermodel (Project Drama)
Mayu Mashiro - The Ultimate Heiress (zetsunaflame)
Mimi Kazoo - The Ultimate Fairytale Writer (Idraegan)
Yuumi Kizuchi - The Ultimate Sailor (Shamelles410)
Zuri Auraline - The Ultimate Bassist (CandleFire45)