But If You Wish To Rid Yourself Of The Cruel Man,
Find A Good Place To Hide The Body.
Getting the pills into their food wasn't as hard as she had thought it would've been. Tapping one shoulder of the Joker's, slipping the pill in on his other side when Harley wasn't looking. Isley smirked but didn't say anything. Glad to know that there was more than one who wasn't a fan of the idiotic clown.
Now, for Crane.
After she had a tray of food, she sat across from him. Her eyes didn't make contact with him at all, instead looking over the table they were sitting at. No one else was sitting there, a good sign, but the tables themselves reminded her of high school. Long tables with seats attached, so you couldn't beat someone over the head with a chair. Oh poo.
Her gaze finally met his, pausing a moment to notice how… feminine he was. Give him a pair of breasts and let him grow out his hair and he'd pass for a girl. Heck, he could probably do that now, without those. Her smirk returned, to which he responded with a look of mild curiosity, before returning to his food. He was focused on his food, perhaps he had watched her put a pill in Joker's meal? Probably, she hadn't been watching out for him.
She kept the other pill tucked in the waistband of her pants, picking up her spoon. The meal tonight was a chicken/rice creation that had absolutely no color to it, and she doubted the cooks had seasoned any of it. Taking a bite and she had confirmed her thoughts, grimacing. They complained that she wasn't eating enough, and then they serve some bland tasting food.
"Pretend it's something else."
The voice surprised her, eyes shifting to gaze at the one sitting across from her, "… What?"
"Pretend the food is something else. Mind over matter. Thing spaghetti, taste spaghetti."
Her brow quirked, not asking him a question aloud, instead was using her eyes to. He didn't seem to get it. She wouldn't voice it out loud, so she wasn't going to get an answer. Which irritated her. Oh well, she'd have to live with it.
An attempt at what he had suggested, and it wasn't helping. She heard a light chuckle. Narrowing her eyes, she stared at him. Crane was giving her a bored-but-amused look. Heat rose to her face, not from embarrassment, but from anger. This place was pissing her off more and more each second.
"Oh, by the way… Don't try what you did with Joker," Crane curled his lips into a smile, then went back to his food.
He had seen her. She had already thought he might have, but he confirmed it. This made her angrier, before acting on her emotions, she took a breath, allowing herself a second or two to calm down.
Error: Over heating. Action Taken: Cool down.
Running her hand through her hair, tugging at the ends a moment before letting her hand drop, she resumed eating. Well, at least one of the two would, possibly, be drugged. If the side effects kicked in. She had hoped so. It was too early to know if the effects would… effect him.
The food went down and stayed down. Now it was time to head back to their rooms. Stretching her legs as she stood, she kept quiet, thinking. Her eyes drifted to the Joker, who seemed to be in a fog, a smirk stretching across her lips. Good. At least he'd be one less person she'd have to deal with. If he slept in, perhaps later that night, she'd make her escape? Sounded like a plan.
A loud noise woke her. Guards running, an alarm going off. What was going on? Was someone escaping?! This was her night to escape and no one else's! An almost inhuman noise escaped her, the girl rising, moving quickly to her door/window. She smacked her fists against it, trying to gain someone's attention. A few of the others that were locked up were talking, though she couldn't decipher the words.
Then there was smoke. Smoke. Fire. Fire! Her eyes widened, fear found in the depths. No one wanted to burn. Would the guards notice? Would they allow them to leave in this state of panic? She hoped so, otherwise their 'care' sucked. Someone was shouting. Yelling.
A guard was at her door, good. He opened it, grabbing her by her arm, pulling her along with the crowd, several others were receiving the same treatment, and she even noted a half-awake Joker being pulled along. He had a mask on, so did the others. Why did they have masks? Why?
She squirms at the contact of the guard's hand when he squeezes, as if reassuring himself she hadn't taken off too when he was looking the other way. Her hand went over her mouth, hoping to keep some of the smoke out of her lungs.
"What's going on?" At first, she wasn't sure he had heard her, he wouldn't look at her at first. But when he did, he gave her a sharp look, keeping them moving.
"Crane escape-"
"Bastard!" She had cut him off, another noise leaving her lips. This was HER night, not HIS. HER'S! With a sudden strength she hadn't known she had, she tore her arm from the guard, then leaned back and smashed her foot into his side. He doubled over, and she was off, other guards not going after her, having their hands full with, now rowdy, criminals. She was thankful for that. But how to get out? She doubted that she could run past the nurses and they'd let her pass, especially in this situation.
Action Taken: Do what she had planned to in the first place. Escape. The way she had planned earlier. A devious grin caught her lips, the girl exploding with an amazing amount of energy, she made a quick turn towards the entrance she was brought in her first night there. Unfortunately, her tools of choice weren't here, instead they were at the police station. Her feet slowed as she neared the entrance, eyes growing wary, noting there wasn't anyone around, or at least, no one was visible.
The smoke seemed more… she wasn't sure what the word was, potent here? No, there was just more… It was a fire, correct? Her eyes grew wider, searching for a source for the smoke.
"Miss Vail," She spun to meet face to face with a man in a burlap, stitched up mask, "I'm surprised…"
Taking a step back, Rae frowned at the man, at Crane, "… And why are you surprised, Crane?"
"Dr. Crane, if you would," She could imagine the look on his face as he spoke.
"Answer the question, Dr. Crane."
"I'm surprised you haven't succumbed to the effects of the Fear Toxin. Though, the toxin in the air isn't a direct dosage, but you've yet to…" She took a breath, her eyes becoming larger, maggots began to appear on his mask. She took a few steps back. She could hear the sound of his smile in his voice as he spoke, "Ah, there we go…"
Fear toxin, she had heard of it. Anyone in Gotham had heard of it, it made your head funny, it made you see things that weren't there, fears. Anything that made you afraid. Everyone had fears, Rae had fears. Her eyes swept to her pants, no longer seeing the fabric below her knees, instead seeing her legs, the flesh falling off, muscle falling off. She collapsed, scratching at the floor, trying to put her legs back together, silent as could be.
"Quiet when facing your fears, most would be screaming by now," The masked maniac was now standing over her. She ignored him, still trying to piece her legs back together. She could feel her legs all together, but the mind, the mind was a powerful thing. Her hands began to feel sticky, surely the blood on her hands was no longer an illusion. Scratch, scratch. Tear. Try to fit the puzzle back together. "Scream."
"No," Her voice was down to a whisper and it was shaky.
"SCREAM!" And he was in front of her, the wicked mask staring her dead in her horror filled eyes. Maggots, they were pouring from the mask, pouring, onto her legs, and they were eating…
"NO!" Her hands scratched at the maggots. At her legs. At the maggots. Goosebumps down her arms. Gulping down air. Maggots.
He let out a sigh, rising to his full height, staring down at her, letting out a chuckle. And then he was gone. But the maggots. They were still there. Squirming in the chunks of flesh she was trying to put back onto her legs.
The doors behind her, she had been so close, so close, burst open. Too bad for the Batman, Crane was gone. And all that he left behind was a bloody mess that was Rae.
"Where is he?!" Gravely voice, eyes stayed down, not wanting to see another horrifying sight, no more maggots, no more monsters. Rae had enough to worry about with the maggots.
"No. Gone. Left. Get'emoff!!!!" Gloved hands grasped her wrists. Eyes stayed down. One hand let her go and pulled something out. There was a sharp sting to the junction where her the lower and upper arms met, the illusion fading. Now she could see the claw marks, the blood seeping through her pant legs.
Her body shook. She wanted that toxin, not to use, obviously, to use on others, even after seeing how it worked firsthand. "Stay here, I have to find the guards." And the Batman was gone.
Too bad she would be gone before he came back. Now the air was vented, now she was able to think clearly, now the maggots were gone… She let out a breath, biting the inside of her cheek as she forced herself to her feet, a whine echoing in the empty space. The legs, a set back, she'd have to go find some sort of medical supplies before she hid. Where to hide? She didn't know many people, and her parents would turn her in. Wobbling out the front of Arkham, she was glad the police had yet to arrive.
The police station, would they be out making sure no one had escaped? She needed her gear, all her backups were at home.
She looked down the path that led up to Arkham and let out a whine. She needed to move fast, not get caught. Damn that Crane. She moved him to number one on the list. Biting her cheek again, she took off in a sprint.
A friend's name to mind when she was running, now running through the Narrows, waiting for some lurker to pounce on her in her condition. A friend who didn't live in the Narrows, but that didn't mean she couldn't get there. Did cabs even run into Narrows?! Apparently not, because none were popping up.
So she'd have to get out of the Narrows before she could get a decent cab. Keep running, keep running. She'd probably have to wait until after she got to her friend's home to get some sufficient supplies that she would be able to clean her wounds with. She hoped that her friend would not turn her away. She doubted she would. Her friend was one of those 'help even if you are a convicted felon who's been in a crazy house for less than a week and has escaped and come to me bleeding' types. Yeah, insane loyalty.
The run out of the Narrows was hard, long, and it was almost dawn by the time she had reached her friend's street. This woman was lucky they were friends, or else Rae would be setting her apartment on fire after she left. Stumble. Stumble. She was out of breath and her body was shaking fully.
Outside of the front door of the apartment building, she pressed the buzzer for one of the rooms.
An irritated voice came after the third ring. "What the fuck do you want?"
Pressing the speaker button, Rae leaned in close, "Jenn. I need help."
"R-Rae?! Ju-just a second, I'll come get you!"
"Jenn, just buzz me in…"
"A-alright!"
Another buzzing noise and she opened the door, shutting it behind her. Two flights of stairs, she had to go up two flights of stairs. That was why she hadn't come here often, other than for Jenn to pick something up, or if she had help up the stairs. Ugh. She needed help now. She didn't want to look, but she was sure that her grey-white pants were now caked in blood. Maybe that was why she was feeling so dizzy.
Next thing she knew, she was on the floor, a familiar face staring down at her, slapping at her face.
"Rae! Wake up, wake up!"
"Jenn…" Her hand rose to block another slap, frowning at her friend. "Apartment. Please…?"
Jenn nodded her head, messy light brown locks falling into a state of further disarray. Slipping her arm around Jenn's shoulder, she allowed the other girl to pull her up, shifting her feet to help as best she could up the stairs. Moments ago, she wasn't too bad or she hadn't thought she was, but once that adrenaline ran out… She was going to sleep for a week.
"Come on, Rae, you can do it…" Jenn sounded like she was talking to herself more than Rae.
"Do you have anything so I can clean myself up, Jenn...?" Rae rested her head on her friend's shoulder. Despite the whole 'no touchy' thing, Jenn was a rare person in her book, and Rae didn't mind the contact. No, she wasn't gay for Jenn, or anything of that sort, but she was a friend that was good to her.
"I think so, if not, I can go run and grab some stuff…" Jenn wanted to ask questions, Rae could see it on her face, but she knew the other woman wouldn't. She wouldn't dare because she didn't want to believe the news stories, the court, and Rae's parents. She only wanted to believe that Rae had somehow fixed herself, made her better. Jenn didn't want to believe she had done the things the reporters claimed. It had to be someone else, but it wasn't.
"That would be a good idea…"
"How'd you get hurt?" Jenn looked over in time to see a deadly look, then nodded. Rae groaned, Jenn coming to a stop and shoving the door open. "Come on, let's get you to the bathroom."
The walk to the bathroom was a short one, Jenn left Rae sitting on the toilet lid, after helping remove her pants. Grimacing, Rae held her legs straight out to view the damage she had done. It looked gruesome, a terrible mess. There would definitely be scars. She could bet she left a few small chunks of flesh on the floor of the nuthouse, carving her legs up with her nails in an attempt to get non-existent maggots off. A shudder ran down her spine, remembering the hallucination.
Jenn returned, a first aid kid in hand, though she had a frown on her face, "There probably won't be enough in here for both of your legs… I'm going to need to run a couple blocks down the street," She paused, Rae waited for the question, "Will you be fine on your own, Rae…?"
"Yes, I will. Please, just hurry," She forced a smile, "I'll work with the things in the kit… I'm not going to just walk out of here, Jenn. I won't be gone when you get back, you know."
Her friend let out a breath of relief, then nodded. "That's all I ask, Rae. That's all I ask." She sat down the kit and headed off on her merry little way.
After she was gone, Rae made sure to wash whatever blood was left on her legs off before she began to clean the wounds.
The injured escapee shook her head, pulling the kit onto her lap, opening it and removing the peroxide. She shifted so her legs hung over the side of the bathtub.
Now this was going to hurt.
Unscrewing the lid and setting it on the bathroom sink counter, Rae leaned forward, holding one leg a little higher than the other. Pouring out a small stream of liquid, Rae found herself biting her cheek for the umpteenth time that night, morning, whatever. It hurt. She turned and would pour over the worse sections, then sat the peroxide bottle on the counter by it's lid, grabbing some white wrapping gauze. She leaned once more, hands spinning around her leg, keeping it tight, but not too tight. She didn't want to lose the feeling she had in her legs. That would make things difficult.
After she finished wrapping one leg, she moved onto the other, a tear slipping out of the corner of her eye this time, from the peroxide. A short while later, just after she had finished wrapping her other leg up to her knee, she heard keys at the door. Good, Jenn was back. She had already finished with her legs, but now she had someone to look at them later and make sure they weren't infected.
"Rae…" Jenn's voice soothed her nerves for some reason. Her eyes closed, a content expression on her face. "Oh, you're done! Well, come on, let's get you to bed. You look like you need the sleep." And Jenn swooped before Rae had a chance to open her eyes.
Woman was too strong, Rae noted mentally, being carried bridal style to Jenn's room, her arms crossed in a huff.
"Stop pouting. You think I'm going to let you walk around like that?" Jenn tsked, though Rae could see the smile on her face. "Alright!" Jenn dropped her on the bed, Rae bounced, startled.
"Let's get you some clothes to sleep in," Jenn began to rifle through her drawers. A blue tank top with a green frog on the chest was thrown at her, matching pants soon after. Tugging off her Arkham shirt, Rae dropped it to the floor, before pulling on the tank top, the pants soon after.
Slipping her legs gently under the covers, Rae glanced up at Jenn, flashing an awkward smile.
"Right, I'll leave you alone. But you're not sleeping the whole day, Rae. I'm waking you for lunch!" Jenn waved, exiting the room, pulling the door to an almost close.
The escapee rested her head on the pillow, letting her eyelids fall.
When she woke, if she was feeling better, she planned to go after Crane.
Well! I was asked to write a longer chapter, and looky! It's almost as long as the last three put together!
Comments make me happy and make me write like this~!
