The Demon Of The Night [OUTDATED VERSION]

Nepenthes Alata

Her college application had been filled out with the utmost most care and attention to detail. She had made sure her handwriting was perfect and everything was clearly legible.

Now was the time to turn it in.

Her legs were currently freezing from the dress she wore. But she needed to make a good impression with the dean, even her dad had told her that she needed to be dressed professionally.

"Well, at least it's better than the heat." She remembered how she preferred the cold.

Barbara checked her watch, seeing that there were only a few more hours until the curfew. "I should be finished before then." 

Her heart skipped as she approached the University. For the first time in a long time, she found herself feeling excited. She felt confident that something would finally go right.

"I wonder if it'll snow soon." Barbara tilted her head back, looking at the grey clouds. She was so preoccupied with the sky above that she failed to notice who was standing at the entrance. It wasn't until she was a few feet away did her eyes widen in alarm.

Dodging instinctively behind some trees, she prayed he hadn't seen her, knowing that if he had he would come to her. Mr. Wayne was honestly the last person she wanted to see right now.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Barbara cursed under her breath, watching impatiently as he talked with the dean. She was too far away to know what they were saying, but from what she could see they seemed to be talking about something serious.

"Can you just leave already?" She turned away and rested her head against the bark. 

"Hello, Ms. Gordon." A smooth voice spoke out. 

Knowing it was pointless to hide any longer, Barbara reluctantly stepped out from behind the tree. "Hello."

Bruce regarded her coolly. "Why are you out here hiding?" 

"I think you know why." Barbara tried to move past him, but he towered over her, crushing any shred of confidence she formerly had. She had never felt so tiny and helpless.

"I have already told you there is no need to be frightened. I will not hurt you. Before you go inside, I want to talk with you." Barbara knew he wasn't giving her a choice. He was going to speak regardless.

"Foolish girl. You somehow managed to get two of your friends killed because of your prying. I warned you about the consequences." He glowered down at her.

"If you are so worried about me then, why don't you just kill me? Be done with me. What's stopping you?" Barbara returned his glare. "It's not like killing is beneath you people."

"You are certainly a threat. However, I have my reasons for not ridding myself of you. They are my reasons and all that matters is that they are what has kept you alive." He narrowed his blue eyes at her.

The sudden recollection of her notebook came to Barbara's mind. Pretty much everything she had found out was written in there. After Sarah had found it, she had tucked it away in the back of her drawer, proving to Barbara it needed to be hidden in a better place. One where it couldn't fall into the wrong hands. But also one where her dad could easily find it in case something did happen to her.

"Did you understand what I just said, Ms. Gordon?" A hint of confusion was evident in Bruce's question.

She sighed. "Then I'm guessing one of those reasons is my father."

"Yes, speaking of which, he called me recently. He was upset about what I told you on Halloween."

"Was that not the truth?" Barbara crossed her arms.

"I never denied it. In fact, I admitted my mistake and apologized."

"But you're not sorry. You just said it to keep yourself in his good graces." She fired back.

"Having the commissioner as a friend is very important to me, something I don't expect you to fully understand." He continued looking at her as if she was nothing more than an insect on the street, like something not even worth giving a second glance to. "Have you finally learned, Ms. Gordon? Has the loss of two friends been enough for you?"

"I gave up snooping. After seeing the Isley mansion-" Her sentence quickly dropped off upon recognizing where she was going with it.

He gestured for her to continue. "Go on. I know you were there." 

"Then you know what happened?"

"Not specifically."

"After seeing the Isley mansion," she resumed. "I decided I didn't want any part of it anymore. Alright? I'm done. I should have never gotten involved. So you things can just leave me alone now! You are more than just killers-"

"You haven't the faintest idea what we are," Bruce interrupted her with a sneer. "If you did, you would go mad just trying to comprehend the truth. Your mind would decay as you seek answers that do not exist. Society would outcast you, locking you away forever. Until death eventually freed you from your prison, either by your own hand or time's."

A silence fell over them, leaving Barbara on the verge of screaming. She closed her eyes, trying to calm herself from completely losing it. She believed his words because, hell, she was already halfway there. And that was just from getting a small dosage about their true nature.

"I don't know if your word means anything, but can you at least promise me nothing will happen to my dad. Please, at least that. He doesn't deserve to-to-" She couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence. 

He gave a slight nod. "Yes. I assure you it will not come to that."

Barbara averted her gaze to the side. "And what about her?"

"Her?"

She shifted her glare back to him. "Pamela. I know you aren't in this together, but she directly threatened his life. What will you do about her?" 

"As I said, it will not come to that. I have my own problems with her that I need to resolve."

Barbara nodded, satisfied with this answer. "May I leave now?"

"Yes. I wish you good luck with your application." Bruce stepped out of her way, providing her a clear path to the entry.

Starting to walk away, Barbara paused and glanced back over her shoulder. "Have you really been watching-"

"It is serendipitous that I happened to be here the same evening you decided to turn it in. If not, I would not have been able to tell the dean to expect your application soon." Though the man's lips were not smirking, his eyes clearly were. 

"He and I are good friends, but being a patron and writing a substantial check to the university always puts someone in good graces."

Barbara hadn't realized how hard her jaw was clenched until she felt the intense pressure threatening to crack her teeth. Storming off in silence towards the building, she made no attempt to look back to make sure he wasn't following her.

But if she had, she would have seen two figures slowly crawl down from the nearby trees and onto the grass.