It was dark and scattered inside the abandoned warehouse. Only a ray of sunlight is the only source of lighting
Inside the room, Detective Erin Duvall find herself tied up after being captured by the very same people she's investigating
"So this is what you do when you're off duty" A distant voice called for Erin
She can only see a silhouette of the figure, cast into the floor by the sunlight.
"Too bad those people you were trying to tail hired me to take care of you instead"
Erin looked around in shock. Who had done this to her, and why?
"Whmm Arhmm Yhmmmou?" (Who are you?) She demanded.
The figure revealed himself to be a tall man, with a mask and a pair of sunglasses concealing his face
"You're showing yourself too much of your weak points, just like you did when I made a quick work out of your heiress friend a few nights ago" He taunted
Erin looked at her captor, whom she did not recognize... But he spoke of her and Jules in a familiar tone, this had to be the guy that had captured Jules!
Without wasting further time, he settled down his backpack and took out one of its contents: a pneumatic nail gun
"I'm certain you know what I'm going to do to you, but you don't know why. How about I'll tell you my reasons why I'm doing it?"
He started loading the nail gun with the intent to hurt her
"Scream all you want, no one's going to find us here" He taunted her
As soon as she saw the nail gun, Erin trashed around and screamed as loudly as she could, all to no avail since she was alone and tied up firmly.
"So this is how we play it: I ask questions, you answer me honestly, or else you'll get nailed. Am I clear?"
Erin had no choice but to agree to his twisted game
"Erin Duvall. You are a highly respected detective in your unit, yet you are too committed to your job. Two years ago, were you assigned to investigate a corporate scheme against the Davenports?"
Erin recalled that case. She nodded her head, indicating that she had indeed worked that case two years ago.
"A few months into the case, you received a lead regarding the culprit's hideout."
He then draws a picture from his backpack. It was a picture of a girl with short skirts and a brown hair tied into a single, large braid.
"Is this the one who gave you the tip? If so, what's her name?" He furiously asked her while showing her the picture, partially ripping her gag off her mouth allowing her to speak
Erin looked at the picture and shook her head. The picture showed Ophelia Davenport, but that was not who had given her the tip, it had been someone else...
"It wasn't her... The tip came from a different source."
"I would believe you if you weren't caught in the act"
He then showed her another picture of Ophelia handing Erin a brown folder from a car. He already knew he was lying.
"Tip came from a different source my ass...I warned you to answer me honestly. Prepare yourself"
He then fired the nail gun through her right shoulder. The white uniform she's been wearing has been stained red
Erin let out a loud scream, she looked up at her tormentor, biting her pain away.
"You bastard, I'll never tell you who the source was!"
"You don't have to, 'dear'. That picture tells me that you've been caught red-handed. To fall for a baited question...what a joke of a detective you are" he mocked
He emphasized his accent on the 'dear' part. As if he was mocking Rebecca D' Anjou at that point
"Disregarding that, answer me honestly. Were you the one who led Jules Davenport to the hideout?"
Erin gave him a hateful look. She wished she could kill this man right now.
"Yes, it was me! I brought Miss Davenport to the hideout!"
"Figures. I know Jules can't get into the hideout by herself. It just had to be you. Now I'm done playing Judge and Jury, perhaps I should tell you why I'm doing this to you" He said in a solemnly tone as he gagged her again
"I really wanted to break you just to see Jules in despair, yet I can't help but wonder: how can an heiress figured everything out by herself. I guess my old partner's advice did come in handy, and now we ended up here. A detective's intuition never fails."
He then shoots another nail. This time it was to her left leg
Erin screamed once more, even louder this time. She cursed and wailed at her tormentor, threatening him.
"Yhmmll Phmmay Fhrrr Thmsss!" (You'll pay for this!)
Erin's cries were nothing but satisfaction to his ears. She was trying to endure the pain
"You see, I have a friend of mine, a private detective just like you, who died in the hideout because of her. We would've caught the culprit in the act had you clowns not butted in"
He then set aside the nail gun and took out a claw hammer from his bag
"To think each and every one of you were complicit in my friend's murder. I'm going to have a field trip with all of you"
Erin's eyes grew wide. She looked fearfully at the hammer and gave him a pleading look. What was he going to do to her?
"Before I gave you my judgement, let me ask you one thing. Tell me what happened to Rebecca the day you found her" He tauntingly asked her as he partially removed the gag from her mouth once more
Erin simply stared back in his eyes, defiant.
"Just do what you're gonna do." She growled, spitting in his face.
He couldn't take her actions kindly, having to wipe the spit off his face.
"So it's your call then"
He mused as he gagged her again
"Your actions got my good friend, my partner, my mentor, my father figure, killed. Now you'll about to see what the devil will do to you"
Without hesitation, he struck the hammer on her kneecaps. Then he switched to the claw and dug it into her right foot.
Erin's screams rang out loudly as her agony reached unseen levels. She started crying, pleading and begging for mercy.
She was utterly broken, in every sense of the word.
As soon as he saw her in a broken state, he stopped whatever he is doing to her.
"Now you're in a sorry state."
He slumped her onto his shoulders and carried her into the car.
"Etch this moment of fear into your memory"
That was the very last thing she could hear from him
He concealed her with a blanket, so as to not attract any attention before driving off the warehouse and into the hospital. From there he laid down Erin near the door, fainted from her injuries and still tied up and gagged. He shoots the glass door with the nail gun, attracting attention towards her while he scuttles away from their sight
Erin drifted in and out of consciousness as she was untied and placed in a stretcher before being carried inside