𝑴𝐘 𝐒𝐄𝐋𝐅-𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐌𝐄𝐃 𝐁𝐎𝐘𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐃 𝐈𝐒 𝐀 𝐘𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐄 ✓

ᑕʰᵃᵖᵗᵉʳ ᑎⁱⁿᵉᵗᵉᵉⁿ

#19

' ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ʟɪᴋᴇʟʏ ᴀᴛᴛʀᴀᴄᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ sᴏᴍᴇᴏɴᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ɴᴏ
ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ  '

𑁍︎.𑁍︎.𑁍︎

[blood and slight gore warning]

It was decided that Keebo and Kokichi would go to Detective Saihara's home, which Kokichi knew the way to since Mr. Saihara and his nephew lived in the same apartment complex as Kokichi. And without wasting any time, Keebo quickly got Kokichi to lead the way there. The walk was only fifteen to twenty minutes.

"I haven't been to his place in awhile," murmered Kokichi to himself. He used to visit a lot back when he and Shuichi were closer back in elementary and middle school. But then they grew apart and almost turned to strangers.

"How long have you known him?" Keebo asked curiously as they took the elevator to the correct floor to their destination.

"Since we were kids, actually... I haven't thought about it now that I think about it." It was so long ago, Kokichi almost forgot the psychopath Shuichi Saihara was a childhood friend. "He.. wasn't always so.." Kokichi trailed off as the elevator doors opened. Back then, Shuichi was quiet, well behaved, and gentle. Like how he acted at school. Too bad that was just a façade he wore to look good to everyone else. Only Kokichi and Keebo knew Shuichi's true form: an obsessive possessive lovesick maniac.

"I guess... people change." Keebo had replied, glancing down. He could relate. A few months ago, he could never see himself lifting a finger to help someone, to spend his time on another person. Yet, since meeting Kokichi, Keebo had changed a lot. Maybe it was a curse of Kokichi's to change others; or a blessing in disguise in Keebo's case.

"This it?" Keebo asked out loud as they stopped at door titled C11 on the front of it. He tried listening by pressing his ear against the door, but he didn't hear anyone. They could only hope the professional detective was home and Shuichi was still at Kokichi's place.

"Was he still at your apartment when you left?"

"Y-yeah.. he said I should get groceries."

Keebo didn't reply, but nonetheless, he knocked. But as soon as he applied pressure on the door, it opened with a loud *creak*, and causing the two students to freeze up momentarily.

"It's... unlocked..?" Kokichi stated with confusion.

Reaching over, Keebo took a hold of Kokichi's hand and pulled him behind him as Keebo slowly pushed the rest of the door open. The apartment was completely dark. From the hallway, Kokichi and Keebo could see the living room.  None of the lights were on, and it was only dimmly lit by the TV that was on playing the news channel.

But what was worst than the creepy atmosphere was the feeling of complete despair and dread that rushed out of the apartment and hit Kokichi and Keebo like a truck.  Even though it had been raining outside more and more as the night grew later, it seemed colder in apartment C11.

Suddenly, Kokichi pulled his free hand over his mouth as he loudly gagged. "I-it..s-smells horrible...." his muffled tone pointed out, and Keebo quickly caught whiff of the strong putrid odor and held his forearm over his mouth and nose. It was like rotting meat and eggs overtook their senses of smell; it was absolutely disgusting and nauseating. It took everything the two males had to not throw up then and there.

Very hesitantly, Keebo took a step inside, the floorboard cracked and the sound echoed throughout the entryway hallway. If any of Shuichi's relatives weren't here, Keebo and Kokichi would need to go to the police station. It would be easier to explain this to Shuichi's uncle since he might take them more seriously. . hopefully.

Kokichi squeezed Keebo's hand and flinched when the sound of something moving was heard nearby.

Keebo was sure his heartbeat could be heard thudding rapidly against his ribcage. He could feel how clammy and sweaty Kokichi's hand was in his. He was terrified. They both were. But their feats couldn't stop, nor go back. It was like they were hypnotized in fear.

"Excuse... Excuse me," Keebo softly called out. "Saihara-san. . Your door was unlocked. We're your nephew's classmates. ."

"S-Saihara-san.. it's me Kokichi," Kokichi quietly added in. But stopped in his tracks, along with Keebo, when they saw someone sitting at the couch and watching TV. The back of their head was facing the two teens so they couldn't see the face. But considering the height, Keebo was assuming it was Shuichi's uncle.

"Is he asleep..?" Kokichi wondered out loud under his breath. He blinked as Keebo let go of his hand, as IIdabashi was getting a bad feeling about this.

"Stay here a second," he murmered quietly, not taking his eyes off whoever was sitting over there on the couch right ahead of them. Keebo started taking slow steps forward, getting closer ...

"...." Kokichi held his breath as he watched from where he stood; his heart about to fly out of his chest as he was digging his nails into the palms of his hands. 

*BA-DUMP*

*BA-DUMP*

*BA-DUMP*

"Excuse me," Keebo walked around the couch, keeping his gaze on the shadowy figure sitting there.

*BA-DUMP*

*BA-DUMP*

*BA-DUMP*

"Sir," Keebo took a step closer, reaching out and putting his hand on Shuichi's uncle's shoulder. But when he did, the stranger's head turned when Keebo shook him and that's when Keebo's blood ran cold and he turned petrified.

*BA-DUMP*

Keebo was met with what was a human face. However, what was left of the man that the students came to see was nothing but a rotting corpse. The skin rotting and peeling off; the eyes bloodshot; and the foul stench seemed only a hundred times worst now. By the looks of it, Shuichi's uncle had been dead for awhile; locked and sealed in this place like in a coffin.

"Shh~"

Meanwhile, as Keebo went to invistage and found the body, someone had snuck up behind Kokichi and pressed a rag against his mouth and nose, and pressed hard to keep him from talking. Kokichi immediately began to try and squirm, but froze in terror when he saw it was Shuichi's face that was right next to his.

"Quiet.. go to sleep, my adorable Kokichi-kun ~" he whispered in Kokichi's ear as Oma's vision started to go blurry and his body weak. He reached for Keebo. Wait, who was that? There was someone behind him. Someone holding something over Keebo's head. Someone who had green hair.

"Kokichi we have to go–" just as Keebo snapped back into reality after seeing the decaying corpse, he turned around to grab Kokichi and run, but all of a sudden, a sharp and instantaneous pain hit his head and he collapsed – out like a light.

And Kokichi could only watch as his eyes began to droop, slowly shutting. The last thing he remembered was watching Keebo's attacker drag him away as everything went black.

°°°·.°·..·°¯°·._.· . ·._.·°¯°·.·° .·°°°