The Demon Of The Night [OUTDATED VERSION]

Sarracenia Alata

"Look, Barbara. Look who came to see you," Pamela taunted.

Barbara slowly lifted her head and saw Richard on his knees next to Pamela, who had her claws intertwined with his disheveled hair. His head was down and his black tresses covered any trace of his face.

"Richard..." Barbara rasped to him. He flinched but did raise his head to meet her stare.

"Barbara's addressing you," Pamela scolded. "Don't be impolite." She pressed her heel into his back, causing Richard to give a sharp yelp. His body jolted, but he continued to keep his head down.

"What- What did you do to him?!" Barbara exclaimed. "He looks paler! He looks gaunt!"

"Me? I did not do any of this." Pamela gave his hair a hard tug. "Bruce did."

"What the hell are you talking about?!" She slammed her fist into the armrest. "You're the one torturing him!"

"I won't deny I am torturing him, but I did not make him like this." Pamela raised her crossbow. "I am merely exposing his true appearance, something you should be fully aware of." She fired an arrow into Richard's shoulder. "Buyer's remorse is a truly awful thing."

"There's no need to torture him anymore, Pamela!" Barbara yelled back. Despite everything he had done, she couldn't stand to see him in such pain. She received no sadistic pleasure from it. "Just stop this!"

"If you insist." Pamela grinned, loading another arrow and aiming it at Richard's heart. "But I must warn you, my father was an excellent hunter and I inherited his skill."

"Wait- No!"

"Step away from my son, Pamela," A deep voice demanded from the other side of the room.

"It was about time you showed up, Bruce!" Pamela turned around, pointing the crossbow at him now. "Your city must be destroyed by now. And yet, you're here."

Bruce narrowed his eyes, studying the woman in silence. With a sudden, powerful kick of his foot, he sent the burning logs from within the fireplace flying. They tumbled over the carpet and rolled into the drapes, sending them up in orange flames instantly.

With an earsplitting shriek, Pamela sprang forward, knocking Barbara off her chair. The girl fell dangerously close to the flames, nearly licking her hair. But before they could reach her, Richard jumped in front of her, shielding her with his body.

"Richard?" Barbara groaned, unsure if she should be grateful or scared that he was beside her.

"We have to go." He took her hand and pulled her to her feet all while keeping his face turned away. "Being here isn't safe with these two."

Just hearing their snarls and screeches from behind made Barbara take the boy's hand and let him guide her through the flames.

While Bruce and Pamela fought violently below, Richard and Barbara ran up the stairs towards an unknown escape. She assumed they would leap from a window like before. But before they could reach the last step, a black figure appeared at the top and tackled Richard back down. Barbara screamed as she felt Richard's hand separate from hers. She paused, looking back to see the pair tumble into the rising flames.

"No, I have to keep running." She forced herself to continue on, alone and vulnerable. But she didn't get far before someone stepped out in front of her.

"Barbara!" Jason greeted.

"Jason? What are you doing here?" A wave of relief washed over her, forgetting what he was.

"I'm here to help. Bruce came and got me." He clutched her hand. "I came in through the greenhouse, so we can just go out that way."

"Good idea," she replied, running to where she remembered the greenhouse to be. It didn't take long to get there, but by the time they had, Barbara was already exhausted.

"You are tired," Jason noted.

"Yeah, try being drugged, kidnapped, and mentally tormented and see how you feel." She wasn't sure where this humor was coming from- the last thing she felt was comedic.

The greenhouse at night looked like a wild jungle- eerie and untamed. The moonlight gave off an unnatural glow, making the flora seem to stretch on forever. Barbara half-expected a tiger to pounce at her from one of the trees.

What actually did was much worse.

"Now where do you think you are going?" Pamela raised both her claws and grabbed Barbara, tossing her into the pond. Barbara hit the water with a painful splash, nearly knocking her out from the sheer force. Refusing to let herself sink, Barbara kicked towards the surface and swam out.

"Ah, you are that child creature!" Pamela took a swipe at Jason. "I always found your existence to be interesting. Or should I say... tragic?" She grabbed his leg and threw him to the ground. "You are malnourished," Pamela sneered. "You cannot even fight."

"Nope, but he can." Jason smirked, pointing to the ceiling above.

As much as Barbara hated to admit it, she felt a surge of glee when Bruce smashed through the glass and seized Pamela. 

Their gory fight began once again.

"Stop staring and start running!" Jason shouted to her. She gave a startled nod, darting off with a trail of water dripping behind her. The smoke was starting to get to her, making it harder for her to breathe. She wasn't sure where she was, only that she was at the front of the mansion- back where the fire was the hottest.

"I can't see a thing!" Barbara coughed out, struggling to find a door. Bringing her hands to her neck, she untied the scarf and covered her mouth and nose with it.

"Barbara! I'm here!" Jason suddenly came out from behind, seemingly immune to the smoke and flames. "You look like you are about to collapse-"

The ceiling came crashing down just a few inches behind them. From beneath the smoldering rubble, a figure emerged. Kirk's furious eyes landed on the duo, snarling his fangs before charging at them.

"GO!" Jason pushed Barbara forward to get her running. With the last of her strength, Barbara gave it her all as she sprinted through the flames and towards the front door.

Everything seemed to go numb around her. She could barely hear Jason yelling at her, telling her to go faster. The taste of pond water tasted bland instead of like dirt. The smell of burning wood and the smoke that followed it wasn't as strong as it should be. Even the sight of the front door seemed to be blurry.

But while these senses were dulled, one was heightened.

She could feel Kirk's hand extend towards her as he swooped over Jason- his nails brushing past her hair. She also felt Jason spring forward, giving her a hard shove not towards the door but towards the window. Barbara felt each shard cut into her skin as she went flying through the glass.

The cold air hit her instantly followed by the Isley Mansion as it collapsed on top of her.