Fear (A Scarecrow Fanfic)

Chapter Twenty-Two

It was super quiet with no one else here except for me, Garret, Jonathan, and a couple other men.  The others had been sent out by Jonathan, but I didn't hear what he had told them to do.  He had immediately returned to the room with the chemistry setup.  That had been almost an hour ago, and I found myself glancing periodically at the door the men had left through, wondering what they were doing instead of focusing on the game of cards I was playing with the men who remained.

I glanced at the watch on Rick's wrist, wondering if we were outside of Gotham or if we weren't, and the men had to go to the other side of the city.  Perhaps something went wrong and they were caught by the police or Batman.  They could've been held up in traffic, but I couldn't help but wish for the latter.  Garret nudged me with his foot under the table and I looked back at the game, seeing it was my turn.  I quickly put down a card, looking toward the door Jonathan had disappeared behind.

'He would've come out if he were expecting them back by now, right?'  I looked back at the game, trying to focus.  'There's nothing I can do right now.  Don't make them suspect you....'

I managed to relax, finishing the game without worrying about what was happening.  Garret stood up when Rick had gathered up the cards and began to shuffle them, walking towards the kitchen door.  I got up and followed, leaving the others to their game.

"Where are we?"  I quietly asked for the millionth time.

For the millionth time, Garret shook his head, refusing to answer.  He didn't want to risk getting in trouble if I slipped up and someone found out I knew too much.

"What if they were caught?  What if they snitch and the GCPD come knocking on the door?"  I pretended to be worried, as if I were a part of the group and would get in trouble along with Jonathan and his henchmen.  It bothered me having to keep my motives a secret, but I knew it was for the best.

Garret smiled, pulling out a pan and some ingredients to cook.  I had learned in my few short hours of freedom that he usually didn't participate in the illicit activities Jonathan sent the others to do.  He mostly stayed behind and prepared meals for everyone, preferring culinary arts.  It made me a little jealous watching him flip a patty in the air without any struggle.

"These guys won't snitch on Scarecrow.  There's a reason why he brought them with him when he escaped, and left the others behind while he was in Arkham," he sounded so confident, almost prideful, as he spoke.

I leaned against the counter, out of the way.  The dizziness still hadn't completely disappeared.

"Even if Batman gets to them?"

He didn't answer, and I frowned, wishing I could get answers.  As the silence stretched on, I found myself thinking about Jasmine.  If Garret was true to his word, she would've gotten my letter and figured out my message by now.  I could only imagine how frustrated she probably was since I couldn't go into detail and give her answers, leaving her to worry about me.

'Hopefully she warned the GCPD or Batman,' honestly, I didn't even care if she used her position at Gotham City Broadcasting to get their attention.  As long as she didn't give away that I was her source, and just seemed like a concerned citizen eager to see Scarecrow brought to justice and a captive saved, I wasn't placed in any immediate danger.

"Your silence isn't comforting," I muttered, knowing he would still hear.

He sighed, "The Bat may be a beacon of hope for the rest of Gotham, but for the rest of us...." He shook his head, trailing off for just a moment, "Honestly, I wouldn't blame them if they did snitch.  Some of them have families too, and that guy is crazy."

"What are you suggesting?"

Garret glanced over his shoulder at me, gracefully flipping another patty in the air, "It's Gotham.  There's no telling when he's going to snap."

I frowned at him, opening my mouth, unable to piece together the thoughts rolling round in my head.

He seemed to understand what my lack of conversing meant, continuing on, "Take me for example.  My daughter is sick and needs treatment, so here I am working with a bunch of crazies, risking everything for her.  When I was younger, I never would have thought I'd be associated with the people I am now, but look at me!  Sure, all I do is the cooking and the babysitting, but these guys are my friends.  I don't want them to be caught even though I know they're out there ruining the lives of others.  I used to be a good man...." he sighed, his shoulders sagging as he bowed his head.

"I think you're still a good man.  Loyalty is hard to come by, and you're loyal to your child and friends.  And I'm sure your friends have redeeming qualities as well since they gained your trust."  I answered honestly, my heart aching with his.

"I suppose that's why you're a psychiatric doctor," he laughed suddenly, "You're too optimistic.  No one here has earned my trust and I certainly would not help them if they got caught.  At the end of the day, we're all just selfish criminals."

I raised an eyebrow, trying to sort through everything I had learned about him and the others.  Perhaps he was right, he along with all the others were not trustworthy.  But when I asked myself, I could not deny that I did trust Garret.  No, I could not tell him the truth, even if he suspected what I was up to, because his daughter meant more to him than I ever would.  If Jonathan used Garret's daughter as a ploy to spill my secrets, he would gladly fall for it.  But he was a friend and had been looking out for me since I had gotten here.

"Fine, maybe I'm a little optimistic, but I'm not wrong about you," I stated, dead set I was correct.

He was quiet for a moment, "Keep talking like that and you're going to get me in trouble.  You've hung out in here for too long.  Go away before the others start to suspect something."

**

Hello everyone!  It's me Red_Hoods_Girl!

So my plan is to publish a chapter every two weeks until I get back into the swing of things.  I'm still pretty busy, but I also want to finish this story and, as I said, I'm baaaaack!!!  XD

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!