Souls In Hiding

Death Sentence

Chains dug into the boy's wrists as they were shoved into a painfully hard, rough surface, still trying to fight off their kidnappers. The world came back to life as the bag was removed the victims' heads as Shuichi's sight easily adjusted to the dank, dark prison he found himself in. Looking around, Shuichi immediately took notice of Kokichi in a similar cell to his right, and Rantaro in another similar cell in front of him. There were another three empty cells in the musty room, all with a floor of stone covered in a thin layer of hay and tiny sharp stones with one singular, dying lantern hanging in the middle of the room from a rusted chain.

"Since it's the middle of the night, your punishments will be announced tomorrow in the town centre." The guard informed the prisoners as he stood watch.

"Can we at least get some food in here? I'm starving!" Kokichi complained, trying his best not to smile as he just wanted to annoy the guard. However, the only response the phantom got was the guard entering his cell and kicking the boy in the stomach. Kokichi tried to turn invisible but the charms on the chains holding his wrists together prevented any such action. As Kokichi doubled over in pain his head was kicked into the ground, hard. 

The guard spat on Kokichi and laughed, locking the cell door behind him as he walked away from the bleeding boy. "There's your food, ghost."

"How dare you?!" Rantaro yelled, Shuichi just hissed violently in response as the other two attempted to attack the horrible man on the other side of the prison bars.

"Shut it kids." The guard swung his blade into the cell bars, laughing at Rantaro as he flinched away in fear of the heavy-duty gates crashing in on him. The guard soon left the room to go back to his post outside the heavy basement door.

"K-Kokichi?" Shuichi whispered, terrified that the worst just happened in front of them. "Are y-you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be Shuichi~?" Kokichi sung, his speech slurred as he tried not to let the blood slowly pooling around him bother him or anyone else.

"Kokichi don't move and lie down if you can okay?" Rantaro panicked upon seeing the blood. "I'll get us out of here!" He tried his hardest to try and use the moss and liverwort growing on the damp stone walls to his advantage, but the charms again prevented this.

"There's no use Ran-Ran, our 'super special powers' are useless here." Kokichi giggled, trying to keep the mood light although inside he was terrified, sore and on the verge of tears. "We won't die here anyway, I'm sure of it!"

"How can you be so sure?" Shuichi deadpanned, staring off into space. "Everyone has to die eventually, maybe our time is now?"

"Don't speak like that! We will get out of here, we just need to find the right time." Rantaro relaxed against the wall in a depressed slump. A loud rattle and thud alerted the vampire and fairy to the phantom who was now fully limp on the ground. Shuichi took note of the slight movements of the boy's chest and sighed in relief.

"He's alright, his breathing looks normal." Rantaro's shoulders relaxed again upon hearing the good news.

"So, what do you think caused this?" The fairy questioned.

"I don't know, if I had any idea I'd have mentioned something already."

"Alright... it's just weird you know... the first day you and I meet and the three of us are arrested?" 

Shuichi's eyes narrowed in anger. "What so you think I did this?"

"No no! Sorry I didn't mean you tipped off the guards, after all we're one in the same right?" Rantaro hurried to correct himself. "I was more wondering... what if someone saw Kokichi and I going to your house and reported us?"