No sleep for the wicked

chapter 10- Who you really are

Jonathan Crane’s POV

Am I really that much of a monster she has to run away from me? Then the scarecrow whispered to me, “Yes you really are Jonathan.” I heard his demented laughter fade into my mind, as I threw a discarded glass on my desk against the wall. I knew she was in the bathroom, I could hear the slight splashing of water, and sighs coming from in there, she was obviously stressed. I sat on my bed and though about what she may be thinking about, “maybe she thinking of ways to escape Jonathan.” The scarecrow whispered, I hated what the fear toxin had done to me it had created a psychotic monster which acted on aggression, which was a bit like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Maybe the scarecrow was right maybe she wanted to run away from me, why would anyone want to stay with me?

I decided not to become angry, this would only help the Scarecrow, so I sat in my leather chair and grabbed my favourite Edgar Allan Poe book, the raven. I sat in that chair for hours as I slowly read the book, and wallowed in all it horror. I looked up out of my book and observed the bathroom door, where Ashleigh had taken refuge inside, hoping she would come outside, but I was a patient man and I could wait. Another hour passed and still Ashleigh hadn’t emerged from the bathroom, I placed my book on the arm of the chair and knocked, and then I heard a crack and I thump which emanated from the floor. I tried to open the door but it would budge, she had locked it, “Ashleigh let me in!” I shouted something bad had happened; I felt tears gather at the corners of my eyes, and “Ashleigh open the door!”  Then the lock clicked open. I slowly pushed open the door, “oh god.” There was Ashleigh, lying in a pool of her own blood. I kneeled down beside her and lifted here into my arms, she was still breathing, yet the obvious slice to the back of her head, had caused massive blood loss. I carried Ashleigh over to the bed, there was no way I could help her but the Scarecrow could.

I ran out of the room as fast as possible and ran to Harvey’s room, I opened the door and pushed him out of his two coloured bed, he landed face flat on the floor and groaned, then looked up at me, “what do you want Crane?”, “I need you to make me angry Dent!”, Harvey just looked me with as concerned face on his normal unburned side, “why do I need to do that?” I sighed as a tear ran out of the corner of my eye, “Ashleigh is losing blood fast and me, as Jonathan Crane can’t help her, but me as the Scarecrow can.” Harvey nodded, he turned his face so his alter ego could talk to me, “you knew I could never pass up an opportunity like this didn’t you Crane.” Two Face just smirked, and pulled his lucky coin out of his pocket, “ok, normal heads you get stabbed burnt heads and you get shot.” I nodded, and realised how crazy this was once the coin was flicked up into the air. It was burnt heads, well this was two faces lucky day wasn’t it, I pulled out his white enamel gun and smiled disturbingly, and then I heard the shot ring out, I stood still as I knew he was already taking control of me.

The Scarecrow’s POV

Well, well, well. Jonathan decided to give me a ride round town tonight hasn’t he, mind he was correct I was the only one of us two who could save her life, “Two Face please wake up the other occupants of this place it’s time to start operating.” I grinned slyly and walked down the hall, into Jonathan’s room.  Ashleigh was pale as white satin, and her beautiful blue eyes were shadowed, with the impending death. The halo of hair which framed doll like face was covered in her dark, red blood.

Well she was a sight for sore eyes even though she looked almost dead, I gave a small chuckle and walked over to Jonathan’s desk inside the only draw in the desk lay some surgical string and a needle. I turned round to face the closed door as someone knocked on it, “Jonathan is Ashleigh ok?” it was Harley, “its not Jonathan Harley it’s the Scarecrow, and do Ashleigh isn’t ok.” I looked down at the nervous Ashleigh as I stared at her; I roughly turned her head to the left so I could see the injury it was a nasty slice which almost reached the base of her skull, “my dear little Ashleigh are you scared?” she stared directly as me and surprisingly growled at me, “get it over and done with Scarecrow.” I shrugged and grabbed a small lighter out of Jonathan’s trouser pocket from earlier today, I quickly ran the needle over the flame, “Ashleigh this is going to hurt a lot.” I smiled wickedly down at her as see hissed as the needle pushed through her already swollen skin, as quickly as I could I neatly pulled the surgical string through then skin, the neat cross pattern would help her heal faster. I brought my mouth down to where the stitches stopped, and cut it with my teeth. Oddly enough Jonathan was extraordinarily quiet; even though he had just see the woman he likes so much, so close to death.

Ashleigh lay there on her side as she allowed herself to calm down. But right now was the most dangerous part of any procedure, I needed to find out if her body would reject the surgical stitches or accept them. I would only find out in the morning.  I ran into the bathroom and grabbed another towel and pulled Ashleigh up into a sitting position. She was already grabbing onto the bloody towel wrapped around her like it was her only life line. I handed her the other towel walked into the bathroom to find a small cloth which I could clean her hair up without disturbing her wound. I grabbed a small cloth from the sink and gently wet it with some warm water and walked back into the room. She had thrown the bloody towel onto the floor and now she was staring at it, without even looking up from it she asked, “Do I look like a mess?” I chuckled and sat beside her, “do you want the truth?” she nodded, “well you actually look very pretty for a woman covered in her own blood and who almost died.” She looked up from the towel and looked at me, “I keep thinking your Jonathan but you’re not.” I smiled at her and moved myself to sit behind her so I could clean her hair of drying blood, “well there you would be right Ashleigh, I’m what Jonathan hates and I was created due to the fear toxin. I’m his one and only alter ego.” She nodded and we sat in silence for some time.

By the time I decide to talk to her again I was combing her hair through, “I must say we have never been formally introduced. I’m The Scarecrow.” She nodded, “I can kind of guess why Jonathan never introduced you.” I nodded from behind her, “well Jonathan has cared about you from a number of years, but he wasn’t the only one who cared about you.” I looked down at my hands where the small silver comb I was using on Ashleigh’s hair was sitting. She turned round and looked at me dead in the eye. “Who saved me on the roof top of the Asylum?” should I tell her the truth, and tell her it was me the Scarecrow or that it was Jonathan Crane, “tell me now Scarecrow!” she demanded me to tell her, suddenly all will broke, I pined her down to the bed and leaned over her, “it was me are you happy, it was the hero Jonathan Crane it was the mass villain The scarecrow.” I heaved myself off the bed and walked over to the wardrobe and pulled out an old shirt of mine, not Jonathan’s. “Put this on it’ll keep you warm, I’ll be back soon.” Ashleigh caught the shirt and she opened her mouth to say something, but I left the room before she could say it, I’m going to assume it was ‘thank you.’