Everlasting Fear

chapter 24- I Exhaled My Last Breath, And Entered Eternity

Ashleigh’s POV

My body felt so light, I could feel a glaring light on my eye lids. My eyes slowly opened to reveal a world one that I had seen so many times, it was Gotham City Park. The trees were bare from leaved and the path underneath my bare dirty feet was spattered with blood. But my heart didn’t race at the sight; my body just began to walk along the path beneath my feet, following the increasing blood spatter. I couldn’t remember this the last time I died, last time I just faded into blackness, where was I? There was no breeze; even though the sky glared white I felt no warmth or cold. I held out my arms and saw they were covered in the cut I had gained from my fight; suddenly something fit me forcing my body to the floor. I looked down at my abdomen to see blood seeping and dropping onto the smooth ground beneath me. It was like I was stuck in this purgatory, a world which consisted of just me. I slowly raised myself back onto my feet, and began to walk forward. As I walked further I could hear a distant bleeping, but even when I tried to get closer to the sound, it stayed at the same volume. It was a heart monitor.  By the sound of the bleeping my heart was beeping fast, I was going to crash. I glanced around me looking for help which wasn’t there, “Help me!” I screamed out to the world around me but no one heard a word. Suddenly a ringing entered my ear, as my heart thumped in my chest irregularly, I tried to scream once again but it fell on no one’s ears. My knees cracked silently against the concrete path, as the recognisable blackness of death shadowed my view of this remembered place. Then my eyes opened.

Scarecrow’s POV

This broken cathedral was the home of my despair. The lighting whipped against the sky parting the clouds to reveal the never ending blackness of the night sky. Pews lined this place which was abandoned by its very own religion. Everything valuable in this place had been taken and sold, yet the statue of Christ being crucified still stood underneath the broken roof, allowing the water from the punishing sky to rain upon its head, making it look like Christ’s head was once again bleeding from the crown of thorns. For once I saw no dark humour in the irony of this scene, all I did was approach the alter. My boots smashed against the broken tiles as I approached the idol, the paint had faded leaving a blank man hanging from a cross with no identity. Water poured into the church flooding the floor beneath my feet. Lightning once again crushed the sky with a might force, I stepped away from the fallen idol, and climbed back the concrete stairs to my side into the desecrated bell tower. The rain drops hit the iron bell resealing dull notes into the thunderous sky, my chest heaved with anger which I could no longer control. My fist smashed against one of the rotten pillars holding this heavy iron mass. The heavy ornament began to sway and unhinge, I stepped away as I saw it slowly fall through each rain drop, and into the water logged church beneath it. I screamed out, on deaf ears as thunder shook the world around me. I climbed onto the shattered roof slowly as my body began to give up on ever seeing Ashleigh emerge from that room she had been condemned to die in. The Batman had vanished back into the night as a chauffeur driven car and a suit replaced the alter ego, in the form of Bruce Wayne, who like always was bombarded with multiple cameras and news reporters. The police guarded the millionaire as he entered the hospital, with a bouquet of wilting roses. I crouched on the roof watching Bruce Wayne slowly approach the waiting room only metres away from the surgery that Ashleigh was undergoing. Then suddenly the Surgery doors slammed opened to reveal a miracle.

Ashleigh’s POV

My legs shook, and my feet slipped against the smooth polished floor beneath them. I could feel the stitches puling at the skin of my stomach, but there was no sign of blood leaking from the intense injury. My body felt light like in my purgatory, as I ran through the people crowded halls. The hospital gown clung to my still blood soaked body, as I ran as fast as my lethargic body could, as my body slowly came out of the induced anaesthetic. Suddenly my body stood dead, as my eyes pulled me to look out into the lightning split sky and up at the broken cathedral. There I saw a man, a man my body wanted to run to, and as the lightning sparked across the sky I saw his scarred and torn features, and all these thing belonged to the only man I loved. I began to run again. I could hear the clattering of hard soled shoes chasing after my body as I ran through the hospital. People shouted and screamed as I ran through the halls bloody and in pursuit of the man I love. I looked out of the hospital window to see that magnificent man running over roof tops and climbing down buildings to reach me. Suddenly my body was tackled to the cold hard ground, I gasped harshly as every bit of air left my lungs. My legs kicked out, catching the jaw of the man pinning me down, I twisted around causing his wrists to crack painfully, a kicked the man’s chest causing him to launch upwards and off me. I scrambled off the cold marble floor quickly as I ran further. I could hear commotion erupt from outside of the hospital, my eyes flickered out of the large widows to see the huge Gotham Police department search lights latch onto the form of my Scarecrow as he desperately leaped over the obstacles he faced. Police officers had their guns drawn, waiting for the Scarecrow to move closer to them. I saw the window at the end of the hall, my heart pounded hard in my chest as I ran had towards the inky blackness which hind behind the bright glass. The clap of hard soled heels charged after me I leapt into the show of glass arms first. Everything slowed as the thick glass tore through my pale arms like the claws of a creature. The tarmac was rough beneath my soft feet; I looked around me to see Police cars everywhere, suddenly commands rang through my ear, “Open fire!” I ran towards the police car, “Stop!” I screamed as shots fired into the inky blackness of the glowing night, the Scarecrow weaved his body through the bullet hail. I pushed through the offices as the rain poured down of my body, suddenly my arms were hooked, “Miss come with us!” they commanded over the bullet rain, and I flipped in their arms causing their weak arms to snap with broken bones. The Scarecrows eyes pierced my own, as his shoulder flung back with the force of a bullet. Rich black blood poured from him, “Please stop!” I screamed out of deaf ears as the offices fired and reloaded, suddenly the Scarecrow stood still on the slick roof top. Offices carried on their fire causing black blood to spatter from the man I loved; he began to raise his arms in surrender as bullets tore through his body, “Stop he’s surrendering!” I screamed through the thickening rain, a man in decorated uniform looked at me as I pushed through the barricades and the firing men, “Stand down men!” the sergeant screamed at the men in front of him. Officers slowly lowered their guns, as the fearful scarecrow fell to his knees. Tears fells down my face and mixed with the heavy rain, I began to fall to my knees but hands grabbed my body, my stomach twisted in harsh knots as I saw the Scarecrow eyes fill with tears, but not tears of pain, but tears of loss, as his head feel forward in the rain. I screamed out hard as I reached out to the man high above me as I was pulled back into the bright hospital, and pushed away from my dark love.

Ra’s Al Ghul’s POV

I lay there in a pool of my own blood. My lung had collapsed causing my breath to rasp out of he like brittle rust. I looked around my broken room to see Ashleigh’s dark blood pool besides me; I slowly reached out a hand out and dipped my numb fingers in the cold lifeless liquid. My hand dropped into the cold blood as my arms became numb. My head lulled onto my shoulder as my body grew colder, and my head felt light as more blood poured from my body. My legacy was over, my once loyal men had fought for this legacy and died for it. I looked out of the flung open door to see nothing but darkness, but a noise grew closer, a tapping in the distance which held a steady beat. The noise became louder and soon a body followed that noise. The body of my dear daughter, my hand once again rose, as I pleaded to her with my dying body. She walked into the marble room with a dark smirk on her lips. She walked up to me, and stood tall above me, suddenly her booted foot raised and slammed into my numb and bloodless hand. She crouched down beside me, as she chuckled darkly at my weakened form, I grew angry at the young girl in front of me, but before my mouth could react to her action she spoke, “Look at you father, if you had abandoned that dead girl you wouldn’t be in this situation.” I growled, but suddenly her sharply nailed fingers slid into the deep wound of my ribcage, and slithered her hand inside until she reached my heart, “You are pitiful!” she spat at me with her deceitful tongue, I growled deeply, “How dare you speak to me this way! I gave you life!” suddenly her hand grasped my heart, causing it to thump erratically, “You may have given me life father, but how many times have I granted you life?” she paused hoping for an answer but my mouth only opened and closed as my heart began to slow in her hand, “Exactly, to many times to count!” she hissed in my face, as her nails dug into my heart. I took my last breath in that moment, “You betrayed me Father, so now you will never see this world again.” she whispered harshly in my ear as blackness surrounded my vision, my mouth locked tightly as I exhaled my last breath, and entered eternity.