Trees, some with aged trunks, others tall young ones loomed over the tall, thin man as he ran and darted among them. Above them all, the gray sky gradually let loose the rain that had been waiting to fall.
Fueled by the liquid fire of adrenaline, Jonathan Crane ran for what seemed like hours, his heart pounding hard. The chilly air blew against his face and ruffled his hooded trench coat. A shudder passed through his limbs as goosebumps appeared on his arms and legs.
He wanted to stop, to lay down on the cold, forest floor and rest for just a few minutes, just long enough to catch his breath, but every time he tried his imagination kicked in, filling his mind with images of what Bane might do to him if he caught him.
So he kept running, batting aside tree branches and ferns. His breath came in pants as he forced himself to keep running. As if from sympathy, the wind whistled through the trees. Suddenly, in the middle of running, his foot got caught in a tree root and he fell, getting to his knees. His mind focused and assessed the situation.
Blind panic was what sent him racing into the woods without a plan, when it was raining, and now he had no idea where to go. He was lost, in every sense of the word.
Jonathan stared down into the puddle in front of him, noticing the filthy state he was in. Then his reflection morphed into Bane' s face. He screamed and bolted foward, getting up off his knees so fast he became slightly dizzy, launching himself into the trees.
His body felt heavy as he ran and he stumbled often. Finally, his knees gave out and he fell, landing on his stomach in a pile of wet leaves as he flipped over onto his back. Laying on his back, Jonathan wiped his eyes, clearing his vision of water. Shakily, he propped himself up on his elbows.
And saw him walking toward him.
"No! No!" Jonathan shrieked as he tried to drag himself away.
Crying hysterically, Jonathan continued his desperate scramble away from him, scooting backwards on his hands and feet. Then his back pressed against the trunk of a large tree and he fell into the hollow opening concealed between two thick roots.
It was circular and deep, big enough for him to squeeze into. On his hands and knees, he crawled down into the hollow, ignoring the dirt. He wedged himself back as far as he could, brushing aside thin strands of roots and moss that dangled around him. He stayed still, keeping his eyes fixed on the crescent shaped opening a few feet in front of him.
Crunch.
A gloved hand shot through the crevasse. Jonathan screamed, pulling hishis legs tight against his body as the hand came within inches of seizing his ankles.
"Please don't hurt me! Leave me alone!" He begged, sobbing.
To his surprise, it wasn't Bane trying to grab him, it was Batman.
"Batman?"
Batman grabbed his hand and helped him out of the hollow. "I couldn't leave you out here so I decided to help you," he said.
The two walked out of the woods to the Batmobile. They felt united. As friends.