Chapter 21
"I can't keep supplying victims to you, Crane." The mob boss, the head of a smaller crime family, said to Scarecrow.
The situation wasn't quite fair.
The boss had about ten guys at his back, and there was surely more lurking. On Caden's side, there was her, Crane, Nightmare, and two goons.
But…Caden was there. She could take care of the boss's guys easily.
"We're paying you to do that." Crane hissed. Well, we were.
"Too many people have gone missing. The police'll get suspicious." He retorted, crossing hairy arms.
"Only take the people with no one to miss them." Nightmare commanded.
"20 people missing? We can't take anymore."
"If you want your money, you'll keep taking people." Crane said, leaning against the white van.
"We don't want your money."
"Not a good idea…" Caden warned, slowly walking closer.
Yes, she knew there were other people lurking. She felt eyes on her.
Oh well! It'll be fun killing them!
"You gonna hurt me, little girl?" the boss chuckled.
"We might do worse then physical harm." She threatened, her voice low. "I suggest you do what Scarecrow says."
Suddenly, a gun was in her face. Cocked and ready.
"I'm not gonna do what some freak in a mask tells me!"
Caden sighed.
"So you want to do this the hard way?" She didn't wait for an answer.
Grabbing him by the wrist before he could register it, she grabbed the hand that belligerently waved a gun and aimed it right towards one of the boss's friends just as he pulled the trigger. The bullet went whizzing toward the man, and struck right in the chest.
The man's eyes were wide with terror. He struggled to get his arm back.
I can fix that…
She pulled his right wrist, his gun hand, out, twisting clockwise. Gunshots started to fire around her.
Go on! Shoot me!
She made a fist and slammed it down on his elbow…
CRACK!
A loud, shrill scream rang throughout the room…
She started to laugh manically, loud and, frankly, not that feminine, but still, loud.
She turned towards the other goons.
They took one look at their boss screaming and clutching his arm, and then a look at her.
They dropped their guns.
"I'll set the bone…if you agree to our terms." She hissed.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah…OK…what are they?" the boss whimpered.
"1 person every day. A thousand for each. You'll do this until Dr. Crane says he no longer needs it-and there will be no more of this 'we can't take anymore people' nonsense."
"O-OK…just…fix my arm!"
Caden smiled. "Much obliged."
BOOOOOOOM!
Involuntarily, Caden covered her face with her arm. She'd been around explosions before, and though they didn't terrify her like they used too, she knew that, if she wasn't near the explosion, shrapnel was the most dangerous thing. She had the good sense to pull the man in front of her and crouch, so he shielded her.
After the explosion calmed, she saw that it had happened directly in front of them. Looking down at the poor guy she used as a buckler, she saw that a decent piece of metal had lodged in his throat.
Oh well. She didn't care that he was dead. But where did the-
"It's the BAT!" she heard someone scream.
Oh…shit!
She immediately bolted for the van, her hand scanning the insanity for Scarecrow.
Ooofh!
She had slammed into something black.
She whipped her head around.
Shit.
"Hi." She stammered, gently waving her fingers. Lowering her head, she looked up at him sheepishly, like a teenager caught sneaking in past curfew.
He looked down at her with a mix of anger of disappointment.
"Oh, you've found me! Am I it, now?" she walked backward slowly, waving her hands theatrically in an attempt to distract him. "Should I cover my eyes and count to ten?" she laughed before bolting in the other direction. He grabbed her arm, but she easily slipped out of it.
Get to the van!
It was close, and Scarecrow and Nightmare were already getting in. The goons were scrambling.
Heart hammering, she grabbed for the handle, and was surprised when Batman didn't stop her.
She still heard a flurry of punches.
She looked around for him, knowing he could be a shadow when he wanted to, and found that he was currently taking the goons out of commission.
And was heading for Scarecrow.
She launched herself onto the hood of the car, and slid to the other side.
Scarecrow was feebly "fighting" with Batman. Each weak punch was blocked and used against him.
He was using jujitsu.
Silently, she closed in one Batman, and pretended to punch him…
He whirled, about to block her attack, but she pulled back at the last second, grabbing his wrist with the other hand.
If Scarecrow saw any indication that she knew Batman, any slight hint of their true relationship, he'd make the connection. He'd know that Bruce Wayne was Batman and it'd be over. All over. He'd probably die. Crane would kill me for not telling him. Villains would run free, and it'd all be over.
"Look at him...he's a weakling! Why don't you, uh...hunt bigger game?" she asked in a voice she hoped mimicked the Joker's. Taking advantage of the distracted moment, Batman swiftly punched Crane's temple. He was knocked out cold.
Oh, shit. Double shit. Triple shit. Quadruple shit. Shit times infinity.
They were alone. The mob had cleared out, and the goons left were out cold. Scarecrow was unconscious, and Nightmare was too.
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
They just kind of...stood there and looked at each other for a second. One second he was Bruce and one second he was Batman and she wasn't quite sure where one ended and the other started. He was all that was good and just slightly manic but still good, at his core, so good the people of Gotham couldn't comprehend, yet so terrifying, so powerful, so fearful...
Like a monster. Like a demigod.
But he's a person. Just a person; just Bruce Wayne, billionaire playboy who runs Wayne Enterprises. Different from the rest of the world, but still just a person who somehow managed to function in society with a near-mythical alter-ego that inspires both fear and hate and renown.
And it dawned on Caden, just for a second; it only made sense for just one single moment.
Bruce Wayne's a little crazy in his own way. Batman's fuckin' nuts, just like she was. They were both fuckin' nut-jobs, but he was a better person then she was, and didn't take out his insanity on the good people. She wasn't. She succumbed to her insanity, and had fallen from grace. She was pathetic, un-saveable.
Everyone's nuts. Everyone's fuckin' nuts, just in their own little ways, no matter how hard they hide it or try to function in today's society. They might sometimes switch between two facets of the same person, or see and hear things that aren't there, or suspect every person of conspiring against them, or feel the slightest twinge of annoyance with someone who's a different color; may not hate them, but who doesn't think "damn Asian" or "black douchebag" or even "white scum" from now and then?
Everyone hates. Everyone lusts. Everyone is nuts. And most people have a choice; run away from it, hide it for their entire lives, and carry it to their graves, or look their insanity straight in it's fire-colored eyes and say "enough." They may defeat it or they may crazy.
I saw the face of my psychosis, and I fainted in fear. I allowed it to steal me, to take away who I am, who I was, and possess me. I failed where others succeded.
I am an absolute failure as a human being. That's what the purpose of human life is; to conquer your demons. And I failed.
I am nothing.
I am worth nothing.
I am a monster.
And then, the thought slipped away, like a shadow in the night, and she couldn't comprehend it again. It made no sense to her now...it was beyond her thinking. One last moment of greatness for the spiraling psychotic.
"Look..." she started. She wasn't sure where to start. "I...um..."
I know.
"You know how people usually tend to follow stereotypes, even in conversation? People will think 'this is how the conversation should go.' Well, the reason this is so hard is because this has never happened before, and we just don't know what to-," she said quickly and nervously. He held up a hand.
She looked down at her shoes shyly. She wasn't sure what to say.
When she looked up, he was gone.
"Caden!" a voice hissed. Nightmare's.
She jumped, and looked frantically for the girl. A blur of silver caught her eye.
"Shit!" she cursed before she fully knew what happened. The young girl was on the ground, clutching her leg. Caden rushed to her said.
"Fuuuuuck." Nightmare groaned. "Damn it, woman, help me!"
"Chill out!" Caden retorted. She located the source of what she assumed was a gunshot wound. It was right on her thigh. Leaning forward, she examined it.
"No arteries hit or in the way...no bones hit...you'll be fine. We'll get you back to the hide-out and deal with it there." she explained.
"Fine? This is fuckin-,"
"First bullet wound?" Caden interrupted. Nightmare took a deep breath, and, in a surprisingly vulnerable and quiet voice, she answered: "Yeah."
"It'll be OK. I swear. One I get this sucker, out, it'll heal right up. I know it hurts a lot, but you'll be alright." It felt weird to say reassuring words. A little part her wanted to tell Nightmare that she'd be disfigured forever and not be able to walk, and that she should just kill herself now, because nothing she'll ever do in life will be worth living with the handicap. She wanted to say it just to scare her and hurt her, because that's what Caden enjoyed now, wasn't it?
But...she didn't want to see fear in the poor girl's eyes. Nightmare can't be over 18. No girl that young should be out here. She should be worrying about senior prom and getting a beautiful dress and looking like a princess. She should have a dad that loves her to death and a mother that does too. She should be happy, because she's smart as hell and could have one heck of a life with that intelligence that doesn't involve fear and pain and, ultimately, death.
But never everyone gets what they should have. They get what they get, and that's that.
She pulled the girl up, putting an arm around her and helping her to the van. Caden sat her down in a seat gently and closed the door.
She walked around to Crane, called his name. "Wake up, Scarecrow, we gotta go find Oz and get you your brain." she joked. With a groan, his eyes opened. He sighed and stood.
"Nightmare's been hit; nothing she'll need to be hospitalized for. I can fix it back at the school. She'll be OK." Caden explained. Scarecrow shrugged and walked around to the car.
He obviously doesn't care about her. He doesn't care about anyone.
Caden got in the car, and looked back at Nightmare. The girl was actually really pretty, in a strange way, with her fine hair and bright green eyes.
I bet if she were in high school, she'd have a great boyfriend, good grades, and a scholarship to any college of her choosing.
If only life worked out that way.
Nightmare has her own demons to face, and she'll face them soon. Caden hoped she was stronger then she was, stronger then Crane was.
Because the two of us? We fucked up big time.