She was running, feet pounding hard on the road, breath coming in ragged gasps- hard and fast. When she looked down her clothes were red with blood, it spattered across her skin and she was sure she could feel its sticky presence in her hair as well. Her pursuer's footsteps were echoing in her ears, they seemed to be right behind her and all around her all at once. It was disconcerting, like there were hundreds of them when she knew there was only one. She gripped the handle of her knife tightly, feeling the edges of the cold metal bite into her skin. She wasn't sure when her finest hunting knife had gotten edges like that but it didn't matter, he was right behind her. Almost on top of her. Suffocating her.
The road disappeared in front of her, turning into blackness. She closed her eyes ad kept running; death would be better that what he had in store for her. Death wasn't frightening. Death wouldn't phase her one bit. But the road didn't disappear into nothingness like she'd hoped, instead she ran smack into a wall. She didn't feel the pain but she heard the crunch, and she felt the warm blood trickling down her face. She could taste the metal in her mouth.
"FUCK! What is WRONG with this world?!" She screamed, fist slamming against the brick.
"There's nothing wrong with this world." The voice came from behind her, deep and eerie. "Just the people in it."
"NO! There's something wrong with this. It's not RIGHT!"
She wheeled around, the knife clenched tight in her hand. Fingernails digging into her palms. There he stood, calm as anything, ignoring the knife in her hand and the murderous gleam in her eyes. She was like a trapped animal, extremely dangerous, and he wasn't even the least bit afraid.
"I could kill you." She hissed. "I will kill you. I'll cut off your wings forever, Batty boy."
The man in black just laughed.
"You're afraid."
"I am not afraid of you!" She spat, voice calmer now although she sounded insulted, some of the usually arrogance returned.
"Not of me. You're afraid of where you're going next." He laughed, taking a step forwards. "You know they'll never let you out of Arkham. You'll spend the rest of your life there."
"I'll kill you before you get me anywhere near that place." She hissed, brandishing the knife though widened eyes betrayed her fear.
Suddenly the laughing seemed to come from everywhere. Then he was behind her, where she thought she'd had her back pressed to the wall. She went to slash at him with her knife but it was gone. Vanished from her hands. He grabbed her arms, pinning them to her body. She went to struggle, went to kick out at him, but her body wouldn't move. Nothing would move.
Kat awoke screaming in her cell, thrashing at the restraints, throwing curses into the silent night air. Across from her she could see other inmates in their cells watching on in fear. The orderlies surrounded her with their needles and gags. In the harsh light from the overhead light bulb the one above her was illuminated, the careful embroidery on his coat reading 'Arkham Asylum'. It was the last thing she saw before there was a sting in her arm and the world went black again.