Fear (A Scarecrow Fanfic)

Chapter Thirteen

My head ached when I opened my eyes to the basement I was trapped in.  There were warm trails left behind by my tears, and I hurriedly wiped them away.  Behind me, I could hear the sound of glass clinking, and knew Jonathan had returned and that he was making fear toxin.  My anger flared and I sat up, looking over to see the tray of food and the glass of water had disappeared.

"You're a piece of shit, you know?" I growled, crawling around the pillar to glare at him.

He didn't seem insulted by what I said, his voice chipper as his attention turned to me, mocking, "Did you have pleasant dreams, Doctor?"

"Go to hell!" I screamed as I stood up to pull against the chains, beyond the point of using reason and holding back my anger.  "If I get free, I'll kill you, bastard!"

He cackled, "My, what a temper."

I pulled against the chains even more, feeling the skin underneath split open again.  Blood slowly oozed down my arms, but I didn't care, a spark of joy igniting within me as I nearly pulled one of my hands through the clamps.  Immediately, I stopped, afraid to mess up my chance to escape if I freed myself now under Jonathan's watchful eyes.

Jonathan stepped closer, only just beyond my reach, "Now, now, Doctor, settle down.  You've already hurt yourself; you wouldn't want to make it worse."

I shrugged, walking away as I forced my hand back through the cuff, not wanting him to see, "Do yourself a favor and don't put fear toxin in my water again.  I'm not above getting revenge, Mr. Crane."

"I thought you wanted to help me?" He said, sounding amused, "Unless you were lying back at the Asylum."

"I think we're past that point," I shot him a glare over my shoulder, "You don't want my help, and I certainly do not like you nor will I ever like you.  I'm not even sure I pity you."

He laughed, "All it took was two doses of my toxin to break you?"

My glare deepened as I grasped what he was incinuating, "I wouldn't say I've failed..."

"And yet, you don't want to help me anymore, right, Doctor?" He mocked.

I didn't respond immediately, staring at the barrels at the other end of the room.  "Why keep me here?  You already know my fears, don't you?"

"Mnemophobia and atychiphobia if I'm correct," he said.

I could hear him walking away and looked over my shoulder to see that he had returned to his chemistry setup.

"So why can't I go home?" I asked.

He didn't look over, keeping the majority of his focus on his work, "These are fears you face everyday.  Fears that would leave most people helpless and isolated, too afraid to think straight.  You haven't overcome your fears, and yet, you've become a doctor and lead a successful life.  Most people can't even come close to achieving what you have.  Even if I know what your fears are, it's still fascinating to observe how they make you react and how you cope."

I turned to face him completely, my eyes narrowed as I thought.  Even if he was obsessed with fears, he could only use his fear toxin on me so may times before becoming bored of me.  Any escape I attempted had to be done as soon as possible.

My chances were slim; I didn't know what awaited me beyond the door to this room.  There could've been only a few guards with nothing more than knives or there could be enough to compose a small army, each with a gun.  The clock was ticking and I couldn't spend forever trying to make a plan.

'It's do or die, Sarah.'