Everlasting Fear

chapter 20- The All Too Familiar Figure

Ra’s Al Ghul’s POV

I walked up to Black Gate prison. I could hear the men inside screaming for a life, a second chance, and I would give them that, in the rebirth of Gotham City. “Men blow up the wall which separates these men from the world they once knew. Soon wreckage fell around me, and as soon at the smoke and dust cleared I could see men who hadn’t seen Gotham city in years now stumbling out into the burning chaos of it all. “men I have released you from Gotham’s hold to give you a second chance, and to do this you must destroy the Gotham which is crumbling in front of you.” Cries rang from the prison, petty thieves and murders were all the same, as they all had the same objective, to destroy Gotham. Soon men began to disperse from the prison each seeking out destruction. Suddenly men began to fall, each silently dying. I looked around as men fell to the ground I grasped my black scimitar, only to suddenly to be welcomed by a near hit bullet. I looked up and growled, as I was welcomed by a long distance view of a sniper wielding Jason Todd. I looked to my men who hid in the shadows around me, “search the area, Jason Todd isn’t stupid enough to come out here alone.” Silence rang out as my men followed the shadowed walls of Gotham trying to find people who wished to destroy me.

Scarecrow’s POV

Ashleigh walked in front of me, here hips once again swaying. I looked up to see the Bat looking down at us as he moved like a huge creature along the rooftops of Gotham. I suddenly tensed as the batman began to descend the building he had stopped. To meet me with narrowed eyes and a dramatic cowl, “we’re surrounded.” He growled, I looked up once again to the roof top to see approaching figures. I grasped Ashleigh’s wrist and pulled her to me. Suddenly Catwomans’s whip collides and pulled something out of the darkness, one of Ra’s Al Ghul’s many men surrounding us. Soon the shadows surrounding began to move closer, suddenly the Batman launched outwards and began to attack the assailants. Soon the Jokers hideous laugh leaped out as men lunged at him with scimitars in hand, only to be met with insanity and acid. As the smell of burning flowed through the air, I unclipped my scythe as one of the men lunged for me, bare fisted. My heart pounded in my chest as Ashleigh’s grip had become lost within the fight. Suddenly her blood covered bloody emerged from the shadows with her arms blacking each blow which came towards her. Suddenly his tactics changed, but I had to look away as my own attacker lunged back towards me, I swung out my scythe catching him between the ribs, as I pulled upwards with the blade, I could see and feel his side collapse, tear and splinter. I looked over my shoulder to see Ashleigh’s bloody body, wrapped around the man’s body, slowly constricting him, suddenly cracks of splintering bones echoed throughout the blazing streets around us. Ashleigh’s beautiful deep and dark blue eyes looked up at me; I nodded and turned back to the oncoming battle before me.

Ashleigh’s POV

Every muscle in my body ached as I blocked and punched, trying to gain leverage in this towering situation. I knew the only option I had now if I wanted to survive, was to become something hated and feared, and I never wanted to become that. Suddenly I felt a blow to my ribs, from a booted boot belonging to the man in front of me, “I can’t see why the one and only Ra’s Al Ghul would want something as weak as you.” I fell to the floor my body quivered in pain and anger, blood ran from my mouth, suddenly there was another booted blow to my chin. I launched backwards into the wall behind me, “Ashleigh!” a voice called out, my body shacked and quivered in pain and anger. I was better than Ra’s Al Ghul and I was stronger than he was. The man’s shadow loomed over me, “I’ll just say you where accidently killed during the fight.” His twisted smirk came closer to me, as he grasped the collar of the leather jacket and raised me into the air. My head was slammed into the wall behind me, I could feel blood flowing quicker and heavier from my mouth, “your weak and pity full.” My eyes closed as my shaking became unbearable, as my mind began to shut down, I wanted going to become a monster, to save myself, to save myself for the Scarecrow, for my Friends and for Gotham City.

Suddenly my body shut down I couldn’t feel the pain anymore, I couldn’t feel my warm blood pour from my mouth. My eyes opened as my limp body slammed against the hard wall behind me. A disturbed smirk crawled onto my lips, “why are you smirking!?” the man spat at me, I looked at him my eyes narrowed and darkened, “because you can’t hurt me.” My heeled boot, pushed into the man’s chest, causing blood to spurt and flow heavily, I could feel the patter of blood landing on my chest, I could feel the heat of it on my lips, but any pain was gone. The man fell to his knees; he clutched his heart which was beating fast as blood poured from his body onto the ground beneath him. I chuckled deeply darkly, “you’re pitiful, your weak, you are nothing compared to me.” I slammed my boot back into his chest and kept it there, “Ra’s Al Ghul will never have me.” Blood began to gargle in the man’s throat, as I removed my bladed heel from his still beating heart. Suddenly another man lunged at me, scimitar in hand, but fear in his eyes, he knew he was going to die. My hand lunged out, I grasped his neck and pushed him into the wall at my side, I could feel his windpipe breaking as I applied more pressure, then it crumbled under my hand. Suddenly a hand grasped mine; I twisted round to see the Scarecrow, spattered with blood. He removed his hessian mask and looked deep into my eyes, “are you ok?” I looked down at my body to see blood drip from my chin onto my chest, “I think so.” He narrowed his eyes at me, as he raised his hand to my lips and wiped away my blood. “I saw you being attacked by one of Ra’s Al Ghul’s men, are you sure you’re ok?” I couldn’t nod, my body began to shake again, but more in the reveal of the damage and pain my body had sustained, “oh god!” I cried out as I began to fall, the Scarecrow pulled me against his body, pain burned through my chest. I breathed heavily trying to relieve the pain in my chest, more blood spluttered from my mouth, “Scarecrow please help me.” I cried, his arms wrapped around my tighter. Soon my eyes closed as my body tried to comatose me, from the pain and trauma. I could hear the Scarecrow calling my name begging for me to wake up but my body wouldn’t let me, it wanted this pain to come to show me that I wasn’t a monster that I wasn’t numb, but that I was human, that I could feel pain. Suddenly I gasped hard and my eyes shot open. The coppery taste of blood lingered in my mouth, “we’ll that hurt.” I chuckled, the Scarecrow looked down at me anger and worry etched into his eyes, “Ashleigh you don’t have to do this.” He stated looking deep into my eyes, I pushed myself out of his arms and placed my hands onto my bloody hips, “I need to do this Scarecrow.” he sighed, and walked up to me, suddenly Jason Todd came out of the shadows, “guy’s there a huge muscled problem.” The batman walked up to Jason, “what do you mean Jason?” the Jason Todd was struggling to say, but he didn’t have to. As the all too familiar figure emerged from the darkness, “well Ashleigh, I thought you were dead but I was sadly mistaken.” That voice deep, and menacing and belong to the man which killed me.