Crouched outside of an underground stronghold, Serana waited with Shadowstep and Damian whilst Talia, Oliver Queen (a. k. a. Green Arrow), and Nightwing gathered info from above. So far they knew that Declan had been pacing back and forth in front of Ben, cursing every now and then about the ransom money. But what caught them off guard was a low growl, one that forced shivers to run down their spines.
"Everything alright up there?" Shadowstep radioed in, his voice low and angry.
"Not looking so hot. Got some big. . .thing running around in there. Not sure if it's a science experiment gone wrong or what," Green Arrow replied, his voice low and husk.
"What the-?!" Damian cursed, his green eyes growing wide in the darkness.
"What is it?" Serana and Shadowstep cried out in unison.
"I know what's growling in there. Correction, I know who is growling in there. It's Solomon Grundy," Damian whispered, his voice growing more and more solemn.
"You're kidding, right?" Serana demanded. "SOLOMON GRUNDY is in there?!"
CRASH!
The sound of a window breaking sent the three of them into overdrive, and Serana, fueled by rage, charged the empty warehouse. Shadowstep had run, hoping to distract what or whomever had charged through the window. The only thing on Serana Rose McTeague's troubled mind was getting Ben away from Declan and Solomon Grundy. Before she could go any further, Serana froze, her amber eyes focused on the monster in front of her. She had no clue whether or not it was a man or a woman, but she knew that she had to get Ben out of there right away.
"Figured as much," a British voice called out over the growls of Solomon Grundy.
Serana wheeled around and came face-to-face with her enemy Declan Blackwell. She didn't have the money that he wanted in turn for Ben's safety, and that made her mind lock up entirely. The memories of her attack plagued her once more, and as Declan got closer, her mission became clearer.
She would have to kill Declan to save Ben and pray that he didn't find out that it was her underneath the mask.
"Help me!" Ben cried out from his bindings to Serana's far right.
"You will pay for this!" Serana snarled, locking her jaw underneath her mask.
"Pity you don't know when to bring the right weapons," Declan replied smugly, his gray eyes shining under the pale fluorescents above them as he pulled out a .45 caliber pistol.
Reacting quickly, Serana dove and put as much distance between herself and Declan's pistol. The ground began to quake, forcing Serana to realize that Solomon Grundy was onto her. Crying out in fury, Serana threw one of her knives through the window as a sign of distress and prayed that Shadowstep would come to help her. He had miraculously heard her cries from wherever and was there in the blink of an eye, brandishing his knives. He'd obviously lost his mind and tried to take on Solomon Grundy alone. Moments later he was punched by the zombified beast and flew across the room, landing with a sickening crunch next to Serana. Suddenly the girl was forced between saving Ben and Shadowstep. She knew what she had to do, and it killed her inside. Lifting Shadowstep over her shoulders, Serana bolted out of the warehouse, her heart tearing open with the thought of leaving Ben behind.