Chapter 5 - Nightmare's Face
She felt dead inside. Her mind focused on only one thing. To stop and kill that person responsible for causing this death of emotion, the person responsible for killing those she held dear to her.
Somehow she knew that was just one who killed Cris, Helena and Dinah. She didn't care how she knew, all she wanted was to hunt whoever it was down.
The police had taken the whole morning. Barbara remained on the balcony, staring blankly at the horizon. She could feel Reese's eyes on her. She didn't want any part of the matter, she wanted them to leave. She wanted to be alone.
Once they had left, and after Barbara had dismissed Alfred, she began to work on her computer. The clock tower's surveillance systems would have recorded the murder so all she had to do was enter the time frames from when she last heard Dinah till the moment Barbara had found her on the floor. She stared at the monitor as the bar slowly increased, 20%. 40%. 60%. 80%.. There was a soft *bleep* and a message flashed the words, "Download Complete." Her finger brushes the enter button. For just a moment she hesitates, but then the rage and anger floods back and she presses it.
The minutes whiz by as Barbara fast-forwards to the first sign of movement. Dinah enters the kitchen. She shuffles towards the sink, rinses a glass and pours water into it. A shadow appears behind her. It slowly approaches her, Dinah still seems unaware. A figure appears from the corner of the screen. He's dressed totally in black; a huge hat shadows his face completely. He slowly approaches her, the blade of the knife flashing in the moonlight. Dinah spots the flash and whirls around. She reacts too late. The knife flashes in the moonlight again, just before it is thrusted deep into Dinah's stomach. Dinah's mouth opens in a silent scream. The intruder keeps thrusts the knife in more. Dinah frowns in pain, gritting her teeth. He finally steps back, away from Dinah. Dinah stumbles forward a little, her hand reaching down to the hilt of the knife. She tugs on it but hurts too much. She falls to her knees, still holding onto the hilt of the knife. He watches her from a distance.
A tear forms and runs down her face as she watches Dinah fall to the ground. She reaches her hand out, her finger brushes the screen. She suddenly pulls back and hits pause. She squints at the screen. She sees a reflection of a face; it's distorted by the surface of the oven door. She opened a program up and used it to enhance the picture.
She spent the whole afternoon staring at his face. Who was he? The question mulled over in her mind. Delphi hadn't come up with any results as to his identity nor anything that could relate to him. He wasn't in any newspapers, no school portraits, nothing. She stared intently at his face, burning the image in her brain.
The moon shone brightly and slipped sliver streams of light through the clock and windows. Barbara was in the lab, preparing a batarang and the kapla. Yes the device did hurt her each time she used it, but she didn't care. She needed to face him standing up. She slipped the belt over her waist and activated it. She bit her lip as a sharp pain coursed through her body. She stood up and painfully walked about. It worked well. She approached the desk she was working on.
The cat sat next to her on the floor grooming itself. She took a moment and looked down at it. The cat perked its ears and looked lazily behind her at something. Then Barbara heard it, a cry of a bird, a canary. She turned slowly around and watched as a black bird, gently sweeped gracefully into the room and settled down on the edge of the desk Barbara was working on. Barbara blinked a few times as she stared at the bird.
All three had come back. She never believed in reincarnation, well not until she had witnessed it. But why had they come back? Was it to protect her? Did they know something she didn't? As these thoughts ran through her mind, she was unaware of a figure approaching her. At least it wasn't until Cris' ever present shadow rushed past her and the cat hissed.
She spun around as fast as she could around and faced him. Her eyes narrowed as she approached him. He stood smirking. "I'm going to wipe that smirk off your face," she thought.
"Hello Barbara," he said in a slight hiss. She paused a few feet in front of him, "Who are you?" She asked slowly.
He chuckled an evil, bone-chilling chuckle, "Your worst nightmare!"
She felt dead inside. Her mind focused on only one thing. To stop and kill that person responsible for causing this death of emotion, the person responsible for killing those she held dear to her.
Somehow she knew that was just one who killed Cris, Helena and Dinah. She didn't care how she knew, all she wanted was to hunt whoever it was down.
The police had taken the whole morning. Barbara remained on the balcony, staring blankly at the horizon. She could feel Reese's eyes on her. She didn't want any part of the matter, she wanted them to leave. She wanted to be alone.
Once they had left, and after Barbara had dismissed Alfred, she began to work on her computer. The clock tower's surveillance systems would have recorded the murder so all she had to do was enter the time frames from when she last heard Dinah till the moment Barbara had found her on the floor. She stared at the monitor as the bar slowly increased, 20%. 40%. 60%. 80%.. There was a soft *bleep* and a message flashed the words, "Download Complete." Her finger brushes the enter button. For just a moment she hesitates, but then the rage and anger floods back and she presses it.
The minutes whiz by as Barbara fast-forwards to the first sign of movement. Dinah enters the kitchen. She shuffles towards the sink, rinses a glass and pours water into it. A shadow appears behind her. It slowly approaches her, Dinah still seems unaware. A figure appears from the corner of the screen. He's dressed totally in black; a huge hat shadows his face completely. He slowly approaches her, the blade of the knife flashing in the moonlight. Dinah spots the flash and whirls around. She reacts too late. The knife flashes in the moonlight again, just before it is thrusted deep into Dinah's stomach. Dinah's mouth opens in a silent scream. The intruder keeps thrusts the knife in more. Dinah frowns in pain, gritting her teeth. He finally steps back, away from Dinah. Dinah stumbles forward a little, her hand reaching down to the hilt of the knife. She tugs on it but hurts too much. She falls to her knees, still holding onto the hilt of the knife. He watches her from a distance.
A tear forms and runs down her face as she watches Dinah fall to the ground. She reaches her hand out, her finger brushes the screen. She suddenly pulls back and hits pause. She squints at the screen. She sees a reflection of a face; it's distorted by the surface of the oven door. She opened a program up and used it to enhance the picture.
She spent the whole afternoon staring at his face. Who was he? The question mulled over in her mind. Delphi hadn't come up with any results as to his identity nor anything that could relate to him. He wasn't in any newspapers, no school portraits, nothing. She stared intently at his face, burning the image in her brain.
The moon shone brightly and slipped sliver streams of light through the clock and windows. Barbara was in the lab, preparing a batarang and the kapla. Yes the device did hurt her each time she used it, but she didn't care. She needed to face him standing up. She slipped the belt over her waist and activated it. She bit her lip as a sharp pain coursed through her body. She stood up and painfully walked about. It worked well. She approached the desk she was working on.
The cat sat next to her on the floor grooming itself. She took a moment and looked down at it. The cat perked its ears and looked lazily behind her at something. Then Barbara heard it, a cry of a bird, a canary. She turned slowly around and watched as a black bird, gently sweeped gracefully into the room and settled down on the edge of the desk Barbara was working on. Barbara blinked a few times as she stared at the bird.
All three had come back. She never believed in reincarnation, well not until she had witnessed it. But why had they come back? Was it to protect her? Did they know something she didn't? As these thoughts ran through her mind, she was unaware of a figure approaching her. At least it wasn't until Cris' ever present shadow rushed past her and the cat hissed.
She spun around as fast as she could around and faced him. Her eyes narrowed as she approached him. He stood smirking. "I'm going to wipe that smirk off your face," she thought.
"Hello Barbara," he said in a slight hiss. She paused a few feet in front of him, "Who are you?" She asked slowly.
He chuckled an evil, bone-chilling chuckle, "Your worst nightmare!"