Everlasting Fear

chapter 21- Blood Spattered Hands Up To My Torn Face

Scarecrow’s POV

There stood the man who had caused me so much pain. Had killed the woman I loved, but like he said he was sadly mistaken. I never did kill Bane and neither did the bat, it went against his code, and I wanted him to suffer for the rest of his life, but that was cut short. His distorted voice echoed around us, “May I ask how did you survive?” his chest was bare and his fist were balled up, as he walked up to Ashleigh’s much smaller form, I lunged forwards pushing past the people who stood in front of me only to be wrenched backwards, I growled at the bat who more bothered about limiting causalities than saving a woman that I loved. My heart pounded in my chest as I looked at the small yet strong form of Ashleigh. I could feel my blood rushing to my muscles preparing me to fight, and I could see this preparation in everyone who watched Bane approach Ashleigh. Ashleigh shrugged away the thick protectiveness of her crushed leather jacket, revealing the rippling yet lean muscles which lined her arms, I tugged against the wrist breaking grasp of the Batman, I needed to save her this time.

Ashleigh’s POV

I could feel my muscles relax and tense as Bane grew closer to me, my hands were balled tightly into fists waiting to fight and defend myself. I wasn’t going to die this time. My eyes narrowed as I looked up at the gigantic muscled wall that approached me, my body wanted to attack before the fight had even started, every muscle in my body was screaming out for release in the form of finally getting revenge on the man who had killed me. I looked out of the corner of my eye to see the Scarecrow struggling to break free from the grasp of Batman, “I will repeat my question, how did you survive?” his gruff voice triggered intense anger in the pit of my stomach. My lips were a tight pale line, until I finally opened up, “I didn’t.” his eyes opened with slight shock, I needed release. My bladed boot carved across the muscled surface of Bane’s abdomen, as I saw the dark liquid pour from Bane’s body, I didn’t realise the oncoming attack. I was pulled by my waist and thrown into the furthest wall; blood flowed freely from my mouth. My body was becoming quickly crippled by this monster, I looked forward to see the man walk towards me silently and even more deadly. I hooked my nails into the supporting wall, and hurled myself up. Suddenly a huge fist wrapped around my neck stopping any air from escaping or entering my burning lungs. My nails desperately tried to pry the hands away from my neck, but it was no use. My vision burned with tears and soon became clouded; my arms fell limp at my sides. Once again the numbness filled my body, forgiving and taking away all my pain. My heart began to slow into a steady beat, as I felt the hands of Bane being removed from my neck. I could feel my eyes close blissfully as a smile crept across my lips, suddenly my eyes widened to reveal the scarecrow fighting for me.

Scarecrow’s POV

I swung my scythe upwards locking the blade onto Bane’s metal mouth. I pulled down harshly, causing the man to stumble forwards. I clenched my fist and threw the clenched hand into his temple, but that quickly gave him the upper hand, as soon as I swung my fist into his head he grasped my wrist and threw me upwards, revealing the wide eyes and bloodied Ashleigh clawing her way up the wall behind her, suddenly my scythe was lost from my grasp as the back of my neck was grasped by the monster who was bent on destroying everything. I was hurtled even quickly into the thick and sharp ground beneath me as; Bane pushed all of his strength into pushing me into the ground and hopefully burying me there. I closed my eyes and welcomed the oncoming smash of rock against flesh. The gravel pierce and torn my face through my mask, suddenly my lips tore wide, causing me to scream outwardly. Blood poured from my face, through my mask onto the dark gravel beneath me. Suddenly I was pulled upwards again, only to be tossed away angrily. My hand shakily pulled away the mask from my face, revealing more of the scene in front of me, and it was magnificent but, everything she did was utterly brilliant. Her bloody hands where clenched around the scythe which was covered in the black blood of the monster in front of her, her lips where red, dark and bloody. She ran straight for the man and vaulted in front of him flipping over his gigantic form, and tearing the blade of my scythe from his already broken abdomen, across his chest. I could hear the deep choked gasps from Ashleigh as she wiped away more blood from her red lips. I began to push myself up from the sharp floor beneath me, suddenly I was pulled upwards, by white gloved hands, I looked over my shoulder to see a serious twisted lipped joker, who was ready to fight against the one coming battle.

Ashleigh’s POV

More and more inmates of black gate prison began to swarm around us, cheering and jeering as both me and Bane thought. I kicked upwards hooking my booted foot around the man’s neck, as I tried desperately to cut off his air supply, but then the inevitable happened, the inmates wanted to attack me as much as Bane did. This was becoming a spectator sport. Bane’s huge hands wrapped around my ankles, and hurled my body over his head causing me in fall into the mass of inmates surrounding us. Nails dug into my bare arms, teeth bit into my skin. The scythe was lost from my grip, suddenly I wide grinned inmate raised the rusted blade into the air. Then two shots rang out, revealing two smoking holes in the inmate holding the deadly weapon, as he fell forward. I rolled onto my side dodging the blade, as it sparked against the gravel. Two faces’ was trigger happy as he loaded and unloaded cartridges from his pistols, as he fired at the inmates around us. Suddenly I was pulled upwards from the floor by Bane; his massive arms crushed my ribs as he clutched my body harder, I cried out as I drug my bladed boots over his already torn torso. Suddenly another shot rang out, and this bullet was aimed directly at the right shoulder of Bane, causing him to drop me onto the bloody and body ridden floor. I looked up to see Two Face still firing at inmates, and my saviour was Jason Todd.

Scarecrow’s POV

I lunged for my blood covered blade, as Two Face had cleared the area of inmates. My rusted blade sliced through the air as inmates crazed and aggressive lunged to attack me. Each bone crunching and flesh slicing twist of my blade, made men fall at my feet, I searched for Ashleigh in the field of men and bodies, hoping against all hope that Bane hadn’t killed her yet. Suddenly I saw her dark auburn hair, her porcelain skin covered in blood, as she blocked punches and kicks from every angle, from the man who killed her. “You should have stayed dead.” I growled as bane lunged at her only to meet her bare knuckle fist coming in contact with his metal mask. I lunged forward blade first, aiming for as many vital organs as possible; I hooked my own arm around Ashleigh’s waist pulling her away from the man who had killed her once. I hooked my rusted blade into Bane’s side and raised my booted foot and slammed it into his metal mask, as he tried to raise himself from the hot sharp floor. I pulled back my foot only to slam it into the side of his head, causing his face to land hard against the sharp floor, cutting and tearing the only bare skin which wasn’t covered by his broken mask. I slid my blade towards me, slicing through bone and muscle, as I retrieved my blade, his dark blood flowed from him, but not fast enough to kill him, not just yet. I walked away from the crippled body of Bane towards Ashleigh who gave a single bladed outwards kick, to an inmate causing him to fall to her feet. She looked at my disfigured face, and then to the bloodied body of Bane, I wrapped my arm around her waist as we looked at the crippled monster in front of us, who tried to raise its body from the floor, “won’t you take your revenge Scarecrow? I did kill the only woman you loved.” I chuckled, and smirked widely causing blood to flow from my mouth and off my chin, “I’m not going to kill you, my revenge is to see you slowly suffer much like Ashleigh did and then see you die.” Ashleigh turned away from the man in front of her and looked at me. Her eyes glassy with unshed tears of pain, her body was broken and bloodied, but she had survived a second attempt on her life. She raised her smooth and blood spattered hands up to my torn face, I smiled down at her and traced a rough thumb over her blood covered lips, her weak smile up at me gave me hope. “We need to end this tonight Scarecrow.” I lowered my lips down to hers; we did need to end this tonight, no matter what it took.