Fear (A Scarecrow Fanfic)

Chapter Eleven

My eyes flew open when I heard the door squeak as it opened, footsteps following the noise.  I sat up, peeking around the pillar to see one of Jonathan's lackeys approach, carrying a tray of food and a glass of water.

I heard my stomach growl in response, twisting painfully.  If I was correct in my estimate, I had gone without food or water for two days.  It took every ounce of control that I had not to attack the food as soon as the lackey sat it down.  Instead, I waited for him to leave, not wanting to put my guard down while another person was in the room.

As soon as he left, I grabbed the cup in both hands, carefully bringing the glass to my face so I wouldn't spill a drop, not knowing when Jonathan would have food brought to me again.  It was hard to put the water down, but I managed too, stuffing my face with the food so fast I couldn't taste it.  My stomach hurt after I finished, and I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the feeling to pass.

My heart pounded against my chest, and I could feel my memories push against the barrier I had built up to contain them, overpowering me.  Tears began to well up in my eyes and I covered my ears in an attempt to block out the scream and the sound of metal colliding with metal.  Images flashed through my mind and I knew I had somehow gotten more fear toxin in my system.

Almost subconsciously, I looked over and glared at the glass of water.  Jonathan had used water as a means of deploying his toxin across Gotham before, so it had to be the water I drank.  I bit the inside of my cheek until I could taste blood, trying to keep control and remind myself that the images were all in my head.

Of course it didn't work, and I remained sitting curled up in a ball, my arms wrapped around me, my eyes squeezed shut, even after the toxin wore off.  I dreaded each second I spent there, anxiety breathing down my neck and threatening to make my memories resurface even without the toxin.  All I needed was a sense of control, my mind collapsing in on itself without it.

'I want to leave,' I tried to imagine myself at my apartment, wanting to calm myself.

I suceeded, hearing the television in the next room as I placed a slice of pizza on a plate, taking it to the living room.  Jasmine sat on the couch, her nose buried in a crossword puzzle.  She put it down as soon as I held the plate out to her.  Her mouth moved, but no sound came out.

"What?" I asked, prompting her to repeat herself.

Her brows furrowed in annoyance, but she repeated herself, "You're a failure."

My blood turned cold as I stared at her, hearing my mother's cold voice instead of Jasmine's.  I stepped back, trying to mask my hurt with a smile.

"What?  How?" My voice was strained, but Jasmine didn't seem the least bit concerned.

"How could you let this happen?"  She asked, anger tinting her voice, "You were supposed to help your patients, but you just made it worse.  Now you're a hostage they can use.  You're better off dead.  God, why didn't you die?"

With each passing word, the apartment fell apart around us.  The television fell off the wall and smashed into the coffee table, sending glass flying.  The walls peeled back to reveal the other buildings and cars surrounding us.  I looked around in a panic, watching it all.  When my eyes travelled back to Jasmine, I saw my brother.

"How was school?"  He asked.

I looked around again, recognizing it as Blüdhaven.  This was the same street I would see everyday, the same buildings, twice a day, five times a week.  Turning behind me, I saw my old school, my heart beating faster in response as I understood what was happening.

"No, stop!" I screeched at him as if he was the one in control, trying to step away from him.

The next second, I was in the car, turning a knob on the radio to change the station.  My brother sat in the driver's seat, a scowl on his face as the vehicle in front of us stopped suddenly.  Even without reading their plate, you could tell they were tourists.  Every so often, they would stop in the middle of the street like they were looking for something, all over the road, lost in a big city.

I remembered finding it funny earlier, but at that moment, my brother's annoyance began to grow on me.  Mother wanted us back in time for father's promotion party and we only had fifteen more minutes to get across the city.

The tourist in front of us finally decided to drive normally, picking up speed.  My brother sighed, his lips pulled up in a small relieved smile, but his brows still pulled together in an annoyed expression.  We approached a stoplight, the light green.

My stomach twisted itself into a knot.  I didn't want to remember anything after this, feeling I would be sick if the memory continued.

We were almost through the crossroads when the driver in front of us suddenly slammed on their breaks, trying to make a sudden turn.  It all happened in slow motion.  My brother slammed on the breaks in response, but we still hit the back of the car in front of us.  My brother went flying out the windshield, causing glass to fly everywhere.  I was faintly aware of screaming, but I couldn't tell who or where it was from.

He had hit the car in front of us, but they took off, sending him sliding to the pavement.  The car had sped off by the time my brother hit the ground.  Panicked, I didn't wait to see if he moved, calling out to him.

"Keith!  Keith!  Are you okay?  Help!"  I screamed as I fumbled for my cell phone to call the police.

I heard a horn before I was propelled forward, my head slamming against the seat when the seatbelt pulled me back.  My mind didn't comprehend what had happened, but I could no longer see my brother.  Giving up on the phone, I took off my seatbelt, opening the car door and hopping out wanting to find my brother.

I turned to where I had last seen him, lying on the pavement in front of the car, horrified when I could make out the figure of a body underneath the vehicle.

**

Hi, it's me, Red_Hoods_Girl.  Sorry it's taken me so long to update; I've been sick and needed some rest.  Now that I'm starting to feel better, I'd like to try updating more frequently.  If I can, I'll try updating Fear every Monday.

Thank you all for reading! What are your thoughts on the chapter?