___

The city night lights flickered below me as if they were the stars above. My hair fluttered behind my head while I crouched atop a looming skyscraper. A few weeks ago, this height would have bothered me, but I was more used to it now. Grappling across these Gotham buildings with the new gauntlets Lucius built me was a skill I picked up on quickly. Dare I say, this was more exciting now. Instead of peering out into the night sky every night, I could fly across it. Be one with it. I still had some work to do with the rest of my gear, but I knew that would all come to me soon too. Night after crime-fighting night, I was proving myself.

Proving that I could be a hero despite the monster inside.

I crouched atop an office building waiting for Lucius’ instructions. Watching Gotham until then. After the incident with Silent Mary, Lucius concluded I was more than ready for more responsibility. In the last few weeks, I tackled small mishaps and misconducts, and it quickly progressed to helping with a current investigation. There's been a chain of robberies and gang activity all centering around one major group. Helping the others out there I’ve yet to meet, I’ve been infiltrating and interfering with some of their operations, trying to figure out who they are. More importantly, who they are working for. Hopefully, tonight's the night we’ll break the case.

I wasn't too happy to hear that I would stay lookout while someone else followed up on a lead a petty criminal had given me the previous night. After taking down a handful of men trying to break into the Soap Factory, one of them cracked after a brief interrogation from my shadow-esc form. My tidbit of information last night led us to Ace Chemicals, where tonight another break-in was supposed to be planned. All Lucius told me was that someone was stationed stealthily inside, while I got placed on stand-by.

I took a deep breath in, exhaling through a bored sigh. Waiting silently, I played with the dead leaves that became stuck on the roof. I crumpled one softly in my hand, before letting it go gently in the brisk wind. The little pieces of decayed matter flew softly in the breeze as if it were a dandelion blown in the summer.

When that wasn’t enough to keep my boredom at bay, I glanced in the distance. So far from what I could see on the clock tower beyond me, it's been thirty minutes without a word. While I waited, I counted red cars, blue cars, police cars, and anything moving in the street. I played with the metal on my new bracer, touching the new triggers in my hand.

According to Lucius, the owner of the suit was disappointed to hear I lost the cape. I expressed my deepest condolences for it, and even offered to get it back somehow. Instead, Lucius offered to compensate whoever owned it previously. When they refused, Lucius then moved on to inventing something new. Instead of a gliding cape, he noticed how I used the grapples. He then invented something he called Grapple Bracers. Heavy wrist covers that could be used as a blunt object towards enemies, but also held grapple cables inside. With a trigger cleverly hidden around my thumb, all I had to do was aim my arm and squeeze the trigger by closing my fist, and away I would go.

Once I exhausted all of my time-passing techniques, I decided it would be a fair time to check in. I raised my hand to activate my comms unit, speaking with a calm and almost upbeat voice.

"Hey, Lucius. Any word yet?"

I looked out into the city, breaking my gaze from the streets to the buildings beyond Bleake Island.

Suddenly, a foreign voice spoke up, almost startling me.

"Lucius had to step away to assist with an emergency. I offered to crack into his comms system to help you out."

A woman’s voice leaked through my earpiece, confusing me greatly. It seemed too odd that someone could sound so dire, yet have the voice of an angel.

“Who… Who is this? And is Lucius okay?”

I asked frantically. Before I could pester with more concerns, the woman spoke.

“He’s fine. Right now he’s assisting Nightwing on a mission in Bludhaven. I believe you two already met?”

“Y-Yeah. He trained me-”

“-Because Lucius paid him to, yes.”

Her tone sounded more stern. Almost unforgiving. Uncomfortable with her voice now, I shifted slightly on the roof.

“That doesn’t answer my question, though. Who are you?”

I told the voice, beginning to stand up on the roof.

“You can call me Oracle. That’s the only important thing you need to know. I’ll be helping you tonight.”

“Okay? Oracle, how do you know Lucius? How can I trust you?”

“We go way back. Old friends, who met through a mutual. He lends us some tech as well.”

“Wait, us?”

The more I tried to get answers, it seemed, the more I had questions.

“Well, the three of us out there. Nightwing, my main charge Robin, and now you. Sarah O’Harren, or The Entity, so you’re known now. Even though you’re still confused for Batgirl on occasion, due to the hand-me-down suit. Which, makes me laugh by the way, considering the cape was the best part of the whole pers-”

“Wait, wait, wait! Hold on, stop! How do you know any of this?”

The amount this Oracle knew about me was a little too much for comfort. My nerves began to perk up, unsettled at this Oracle person.

I could hear a slight chuckle on the other end of the comms before the woman spoke again.

“Woah there, settle down. Don’t need to get your heart monitor ready for the races for no reason. I know everything. It’s my job to. That, and I still keep in contact with Lucius. Who do you think has been giving him the intel on Robin’s side?”

Robin. I’ve heard that name briefly mentioned before by Lucius. I never thought to ask what it meant.

“Robin. Is that code for something?”

“Code for someone. He’s been on the same investigation as you. He’s the one at Ace Chemicals. The one you’re waiting to hear from.”

A rush of excitement ran through me, like a chill from the mid-October winds I was currently caught in.

Another vigilante. That’s who Robin was. My guess is this Oracle person worked with them, just like how Lucius worked with me. It all began to click. The very system of crime fighters I was working with were here, communicating with me now.

“So he’s one of the others out there like me! Will there be a chance I get to meet hi-”

“In due time. First, let’s focus on the current mission at hand. Let me get an update on Robin… How’s the suit working for you by the way?”

I raised an eyebrow in curiosity as she asked. Completely blindsided by the question, I wondered why they cared for a suit that had been serving me for a month.

“Uh, it’s… okay? I mean- it’s great! It… protects me?”

“Well, I would hope so. That suit worked for me well once. I just hope you learn to appreciate it as much as I did.”

“Served you. Wait… are you-?”

“The previous owner? I sure am.”

I gasp escaped my lips as the realization dawned on me. I was talking to Batgirl, the retired vigilante. I then realized I had to explain the cape.

“You’re Batgirl. You us-”

“I’m not Batgirl. Not anymore.”

Despite her stern, harsh tone, she sounded almost sad and angry. All mixed in a voice that gave off a bitterness that could quiet almost anything. A silence ensued before I spoke again.

“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.”

“You didn’t kid, it’s okay… I got word from Robin, but still no progress. In fifteen I’ll contact you again, okay? Also, Nightwing wanted to congratulate you on your bag of Mary Millstone.”

I had almost forgotten about Nightwing. Between my first mission and tonight, I've been too excited to think of anything or anyone other than being out on the streets fighting. Though it wasn't directly from him, I still felt my heart warm a bit.

"It's nice to hear from him. Tell him if you see him next, I said thank you. For everything.”

"Of course. I’ll check in with you in a bit."

___

"So far nothing from Robin, but- There's something quick you might be able to hash out. Looks like someone just called to report an assault in progress. A- uh... hallucinating man attacking strangers just a few blocks outside of the Oblivion in Chinatown. Be careful on this one."

I perked up with excitement, hearing the mysterious woman finally respond back to me.

Finally, something to do tonight!

Without a second thought, I unlocked the grappling feature on my grapple bracers, quickly standing up on top of the office building's ledge. I felt the support from my boot's heels beneath me. I pressed my comms unit one last time, aiming my hand at the building below me.

"I'm on it!"

I aimed my wrist forward, and as soon as I did, the cable of my grapple shot forward. Once it hooked to its target, I was pulled down off of the building I stood on, almost free-falling down below. I couldn't help but grin ear to ear as I fell. I loved everything about this now. The rush, the feeling of wind in my hair and face, the sensation of my stomach sinking, the electricity of every cell in my body trying to jolt me awake - warning me I'm about to fall to my death. A while ago, I hated the feeling, but now things were different.

As I fell through the air, the cable launched me towards the shorter building, and I swung through the Gotham night air. I swung up from the building, my hook unlatching from its bricked walls while I remained in the sky. It seemed I had no safety net, that I would fall, but I knew I wouldn't, as I was more sure of my capabilities now. I flicked my wrist toward a building to the frontmost, left side of me. Once it deployed and latched, I was tugged midair towards the other building, flying through Bleake Island's streets.

I loved everything about this life. The new, strong life I had made for myself.

Sure enough, as I got close to the destination, I saw a small crowd of three gathered a block down from the bar. They seemed to be trying to yell at a man who was attacking another, pinning him to the wall and pummeling the poor victim senseless. His fists flew rapidly in the air as he screamed out in a maniacal panic.

Bingo.

I quickly flicked my hand towards the wall that stood above the assaulter, watching the hook launch out and break into the smooth, concrete material.

I was going to take this guy out quickly, I told myself.

As I catapulted down, I swung my legs forward, straightening them like planks. I prepared for the impact, as I came closer to the assaulter. Sure enough, my boots collided with his head, kicking him aside and away from the victim. I landed on one knee and my hands, quickly flipping my hair up to face the man clearly. He coughed from his lost breath before whimpering and whispering to himself. When I saw that the assailant stayed down, I turned sharply to the victim.

"Are you okay sir?"

I asked, concerned.

I watched the old man in a beat-up leather jacket wipe some blood from his nose and lip, before nodding. It appeared he was still shaking. I then turned to the guys behind me, who watched the fight. One was still on the phone with emergency services.

"What happened here, guys?"

I stood up straight, crossing my arms. I tried to do whatever I could to appear intimidating without switching. Sometimes that was hard, due to my shorter stature.

One man spoke up, ruffling his hair in shock.

"Man I-I-I don't know really. Me, my brothers, and my Pa came out and were on our way to the car when we saw this whackjob on the side of the street. Looked like he could use some help, so we tried to offer it. Saying to the man ‘ey sir? You all good?'- And you know what we get? This guy fucking jumps on my Pa and starts beating on him, saying that he won't get him. Saying he's a monster, and he won't let it kill him. The fuck man? We weren't gonna kill him! Whatever shit he's on, it must be strong."

The man then looked over my shoulder, then yelled out:

"Hey look out!"

I leaped and rolled out of the way just in time, turning back around to see the perpetrator running towards me after his failed attempt at tackling me. The man was baby-faced, but his pupils were like pins. It was as if he went insane, screaming at the top of his lungs while coming at me with everything he had.

"YOU! DAMN YOU! JUST DIE! DIE OR LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"Hey! What are you-"

I dodged every punch he threw, before kicking him down. Once he was on the ground, I held him down. I watched the man thrash from under me, screaming bloody murder and sobbing uncontrollably, as if he truly believed I would kill him. He screamed out things like "please God," and "please don't hurt me," over and over again. The confusion overtook me completely, and it began to form a pit of forbidding in my stomach. I know I could be very unpleasant to look at when I turned into a monster - the real Entity. But - I never changed. I was just me - a girl in a mask.

His fear of me brought back painful memories, of when I truly was feared. Reminding me of the monster I was before this.

"Sir, I'm not going to hurt you. I-I just need you to-"

WHACK.

The man had caught me by surprise, swinging his forehead forward to hit me off of him. I held my head briefly in pain, grunting from the impact. I snapped out of it, however, when he swung at me again with a white-knuckled fist. I managed to block his hit, before jumping up and roughly swinging my arm at him, smacking him atop his head with my titanium bracers.

At last, he went down. Hard. Hitting the asphalt and collapsing, laying still. His screams in the night were silenced, though his breath still remained seen in the cold wind. I walked over and kneeled by him, feeling his pulse. It was accelerated, meaning something was in his system. I told the men who were watching the fight to take their father back to the car and to get to safety. I also mentioned that they should hang around until police showed up, to give their statements. Once they cleared the area, I activated my comms unit.

"Oracle, I've got the suspect taken care of. He attacked an elderly man at random. Then he attacked me. He saw something that scared him. Clearly, he's on something, but I don't know what causes someone to freak out like he did."

"You... said he was scared?"

She sounded half puzzled, half concerned.

"Very scared. I wasn't even… Nevermind. But he also was afraid of the man he attacked too."

"Okay. Did you get a chance to see his pupils? What were they like?"

"Uh... yeah I did! They were very small. Like specks almost."

"His skin. Did it become dark, and almost translucent? Could you see his veins?" I tried to recall. I was mostly focused on his eyes. I looked at his neck skin and confirmed Oracle's question.

"Yeah. They don't look like his veins though. It's like... black ink... in his body..."

"Oh no... Oh no. This isn't good."

She went silent for a moment.

"Do you… Do you see any pinpricks near the neck?"

Confused, I checked. Sure enough, I turned him over and saw four large pricks on the back of his neck. Like needles. By the looks of the angle of pinpricks, he couldn't have injected it himself. Someone did this to him. But who?

"He does. Oracle, what does this mean? There's four of them in a diagonal line."

I heard her sigh.

"Hang tight. Robin's intercepted the break-in. We'll come back to this."

Just as she said her last sentence, I saw something glinting down the street. I quickly jogged to it, only to see it.

A broken vial, small and smashed to pieces, leaked an orange fluid. I saw that the street it was smashed in became split between two roads. The right had a dead-end, only leading to a parking lot. The left side had a few more buildings leading uphill. Puzzled, I looked up at a certain building that caught my eye. It was a five-story building, but on the other side of it, water rushed through large pipes and other configurations on the ground. I looked up at the banner that adorned the old building.

GC Water Treatment, I read.

Two workers stood outside of the back doors. When I looked closer, none of them wore uniforms. On top of that, why would there be workers at this time of night? Something about these two men unsettled me and set my suspicious shooting up. It wouldn't hurt to investigate, I thought to myself.

I didn't want to alarm the two men guarding the back entrance. Quickly, I looked up at the building's roof. Sure enough, water tanks and other machines resided up top to indicate a way in through the roof. I used my grappling gear to get to a building on the other side of the water treatment facility so that I wouldn't be spotted by the two men outside. Once I was where I wanted to be, I took a breath. Aiming my hand towards it. My other hand activated my comms unit.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"Oracle, I know you're busy. Just letting you know I'm checking something out at GC Water Treatment. Something's suspicious there.."

No response. She must still be on the line with the other vigilante, Robin. I didn't panic, however. She'd get the message as soon as she disconnected with him.

I aimed towards the rooftop of the water treatment building while pulling the trigger mechanism in my grapple bracers, and once it latched, I flew up towards it. I swung myself upward when I was close to the wall, letting the hook unlatch itself and recoiled in my wrist cuff while I landed on my feet in a crouched position. Once I cleared the area, seeing no one on the rooftop, I walked around trying to find the entrance. My eyes surveyed the area until they locked onto a red, rust-covered door in the left corner. Without another thought, I quickly jogged over and tried the handle. To my surprise, it wasn't locked.

This place wasn't worried about rooftop intruders, I thought.

I cracked the door open, peeking inside. A pitch-black room awaited down a flight of hazardous stairs. The lack of lighting indicated no one was probably down there, so without hesitation, I carefully descended the wooden stairs. I could feel them creak under my weight as if they caved with every step. My heavy boots probably didn't help much with this issue, as I could almost feel the thick bronze heels shift the boards against the weak, rusted nails that pinned them in place. I had a few steps left until I was safe, and that's when I got the heart attack of my life.

SNAP!

The board underneath my left foot cracked, causing me to almost stagger back and fall. After I briefly gasped in surprise, scared by the sudden occurrence, I grabbed onto the rusted rails, pulling my leg out of the stair's now broken patch. I got up, balancing myself and looking ahead into the room, making sure no one heard me. When I was sure, I quickly descended, not wanting to take any chances.

My eyes adjusted to the dark room in front of me, just barely. I was able to make out tables filled with beakers and other equipment, leading me to believe I was in a lab room. It wasn't too out-fetched, as this must be the place where they treat the water with its needed chemicals. I passed through the lab room, looking out for any danger, trying to find a way to the next floor. After trying two doors that just led to testing and changing rooms, I finally found the door that led to the stairwell.

The light from it blinded me, burning into my eyes and mind like the scolding whites of a branding iron. The strong mechanical lamps of the room I entered were above me, and they illuminated the large room. In the middle of the floor, it dipped down where the stairs started. A door was on the other side of the room, and that's where I decided to head.

I want to clear each level, I thought.

Even though everything seemed normal. My feet briskly headed towards the door, and I tugged on the door handle while hoping it would open. Instead, it remained shut, locked in place and barring my entrance. I let out a quiet sigh, backing up and getting ready to kick open the metal door. I eyed where I needed to kick, and was about to before I gained yet another heart attack.

"Entity! Entity are you there? You need to get out of there NOW! It's not safe! Entity?"

I almost jumped at the voice piercing my ears. Then I grew confused. Not safe at the water facility? That's not what my surroundings tell me. I quickly touched my earpiece.

"Oracle I'm here. Why what's wrong? Why isn't it safe?"

"Just go! Get out NOW! It's-"

Before I could finish hearing her out, I cried out from sudden hands reaching out and restraining me. Someone had come up behind me, grabbing me and putting me into a cruel headlock that covered my mouth. While I was stuck in place, still trying to process what was happening, something jabbed into the back of my neck right where the shoulders meet. Once the assault was done, I was shoved forward on my knees, and I grunted out from the impact. I gingerly touched the wounded area, wincing once I did. The back of my neck was tender and sore, yet no major bleeding presented itself when I brought my fingers forward to check.

"Entity? Entity? ENTITY! Are you there?"

I could hear Oracle's frantic voice filling my ear, as my silence and lack of response made her anxiety grow. Meanwhile, my head started spinning as I stared at the door in front of me. My body went cold as if I was gripped by the chilled embrace of death itself. My head started throbbing with pain as if it beat the rhythm of my heart. I grabbed it, wincing out, toppling over off of my knees. I tried to look behind me, into the lit spaces, stumbling as I did so.

What happened? What the hell was happening to me?

"Ah. The Batgirl returns."

A voice said chillingly in a low rumble, reaching out to my ears like a specter from the grave.

I managed to stand up, wobbling backward. Using the support of the walls behind me, I looked up at the other side of the room I could see in my blurry vision.

“I-I’m… Not…”

I tried to sputter out, but the extreme heart palpitations I began to experience were almost debilitating.

“Ah, not Batgirl, eh? You must be the pretender who recently joined the crusade. The one I hear rumors about. You can consider my intrigue in you… engaged.

The voice came from a blurry figure far in front of me. My vision was starting to change, warping itself out of focus, before changing into a hellish landscape.

What the HELL was happening to me?

The walls, the floor, the air even. It all looked like it burned red, like embers from hellfire. The ground became brimstone, yet it didn't phase me. The walls I supported myself on cracked like magma, yet I wasn't burned. The only conclusion I could come to was -

Hallucinations.

I tried to speak, but I felt my voice crack under the stress my body was under. The figure began to walk towards me, coming closer into view, menacingly approaching like a spider who trapped a fly in its web.

"Shh. Don’t speak. Let it run its course. It's always worse the first time. The aching is unimaginable. But, in time you will get used to it. The delusions do get stronger with each new dose, however."

The figure came into view, revealing something horrific. The hellish world around him began imploding, but his sight remained clear. His face was no face at all, but instead, a straw face cover with the eyes cut open, adorned with a gas mask. His eyes and breath were like a wildfire, blazing and burning. Every time his lips moved to talk, it spewed out flames like a demon. His attire was a brown rustic lab coat and jeans, all ripped and tattered with neglect. A shredded hood covered his head, threading off like twine.

This monster - whatever he was - was something out of nightmares, and he was getting closer.

Move, I tried telling myself. Move, Sarah!

I couldn't, though. No matter how hard I tried. I was frozen in place, stricken with the fear and uncertainty of what was happening to me. I shivered like a dog in the cold night, caught in the lights of a hunter.

The demon with the face of a blazed scarecrow soon was right in front of me. He then suddenly raised his right hand up in front of me. I let out a gasp, seeing his weaponed hand. Four, very large syringes were worn on his fingers, each filled up with bright orange liquid. His arm came down on me, trying to inject me. My eyes widened, and suddenly I wasn't frozen in place anymore.

Move, Sarah! Do something!

Suddenly, my hands came up to, and roughly grabbed onto the man's arm, using every muscle within me to resist him. He pushed harder, and I desperately fought back against his strength. He was winning, however, as the syringes slowly got closer to me. I could feel the slight points graze my neck when he leaned in closer, sneering.

"Let's see what you're afraid of."

Before he could fully push the syringes into my skin, I put all my focus into disappearing away, crying out. I reappeared across the room from him. I felt weak, and the hellish hallucinations of the world around me started growing stronger, meaning whatever was coursing through my veins was going into full effect. I looked at the scarecrow demon, gritting my teeth together. I can't let him get me again. Not with those syringes. Instead of walking towards me, he chuckled in his low, raspy tone. I then watched him snap with his free hand. Suddenly, the door that I would have gone through earlier burst open, and a horrific sight came crawling out.

Seven mutilated, mangled, and bloodied corpses came staggering out. All rotted and twisted. Clearly, they had been dead for some time now, but yet here they were.

What the hell was this?

I clenched my fists, ready to stand my ground. That was until - I caught a glimpse of one of their faces.

It was... her. No- It couldn't be, but it was. She was right here, in the rotting flesh. Her neck flopped unnaturally to the right, making her head hang below the shoulders. A sharp, broken bone stuck from her bloated, maggot-infested skin. Her mouth drooped down, blood and pus dripping from her lips. This wasn't real... It couldn't be!

It was my mother.

I slowly started to back up, my fists unclenching and beginning to shake from the nightmare I now found myself in. My breath started to pick up, my heart kicked into overdrive. I looked at the rest of the corpses, fear continuing to wash over me. Sure enough, all seven of the corpses had the faces of the people I'd killed. My mother, her boyfriend, Candyman, and one of his men, and three of the girls I killed at Alpena. Each of them was mangled by my hand, rotting and festering because of me. They all slowly crept up to me, ready to attack. I managed to choke back a sob, tears beginning to fall on my mask and cheeks.

What were they? Why were they here, and what have I done to them?

I backed into another wall but then noticed right in front of me was the staircase. My eyes did a double-take between it and the corpses in front of me. Just then, one of them ran towards me swiftly. Before it could tackle me, I jumped and leaped down the stairs, avoiding the grasping hands of the other bodies as well. I rolled down the stairs, landing on my side. I quickly got up, seeing them begin to descend down the stairs. They shuffled, crawled, and staggered after me in fast, horrific manners. I quickly ran down the stairs, disappearing and reappearing in parts to ensure I would stay away from them. When I came across a door, I quickly burst through it, running into a pitch-dark room where loud water rushed through mills, pipes, and troughs to get to where they needed to go. As I sprinted down, I activated my comms unit.

"Oracle! I've been dosed with something! There's - There are things after me! I need some backup! I don't know if I can-"

Just before I could finish, one of the zombies crashed loudly through the door, and the rest followed in chasing me down. I screamed out, scared at the sudden bang of the door colliding with the wall.

I pleaded out loud when I came across a door slightly illuminated in the moonlight. I tried the door at the end of the water room, but it ended up being locked.

"Shit! Come on!"

I yelled at the door.

I looked behind me and jumped out of the way just as the zombie resembling one of the girls I killed punched at the door, narrowly missing my head. I turned towards her, breathing heavily. My heart felt like it was about to explode, like a bomb that would take everyone in Gotham out if it detonated. I clenched my fists again, my knuckles turning white. I was at a dead end. I tried to move to the side to avoid the dead girl. Just then, one of the corpses jumped up behind me, locking me in a strong, unbreakable hold. I cried out in surprise, thrashing violently to get the rotting body to let go of me. I screamed out in pure fear while I struggled, desperate to get away from my victim. Its grip was unwavering, however, and the other corpses of my victims began to surround me, twitching and groaning out in haunting ways. They each looked at me, angry and ready to maim me.

The flames in the hellish, distorted world distorted around the undead, violently thrashing towards me. Was this my hell? Was this my punishment?

Up until now, I believed I was different. That I could be different. I fought crime in Gotham so I could be redeemed, so I could become someone in control. Now that I stood here, held in place, seemingly facing the victims I've maimed. I realized I just buried myself in this cause, trying to forget them. Forget the people I've brutally killed.

The zombie that looked like my mother's boyfriend came forward towards me, and raised his twisted hand, brandishing a knife. He held it over my chest, ready to stab it down into me. I screamed out, trying desperately to break free.

This can't be how I die. At the hands of the ones I murdered.

Just then, the corpse swung his hand down, and everything occurred in slow motion. I watched the life I had flash before my eyes. It was all my memories of them. The mother I murdered. The girls who I sliced apart. The men in masks I obliterated.

No. I couldn't be done yet. I wasn't going to be.

"Trust in me. I will help you. I am yours to wield."

As soon as I heard the voice, I disappeared out of the zombie's grasp, thinking quickly on my feet. The knife that would have pierced me instead found its place in the chest of the zombie that held me - one of Candyman's men. He let out a hellish cry, sounding like a thousand warped souls inside of one body - each crying out in agony. When the corpse fell, I let myself change, feeling darkness engulf me, inside and out. The power I had worked so desperately to control was now wild, free, and unchained.

I wasn't going to hold it back anymore. It was killed or be killed now, that much has been declared by these corpses. I refuse to die, not yet. I'll kill them again if I have to. Send them back to the grave.

I quickly phased in front of my mother's boyfriend, jumping and kicking him back into the wall. I let my claws unleash themselves, and I could feel the power surging through me. I ran up to him, and stabbed the undead man in his stomach again, twisting and turning my claws to ensure he wouldn't recover. Once the creature went limp, I roughly pulled my now bloodied claws from his torso.

Swiftly, I turned towards the other corpses, who stopped in place. I looked at the short blonde girl I slashed so many years ago, and then sharply lunged towards her rotting body. I sliced mercilessly, watching her fall apart like a ribbon cut to pieces. Body after body, festering flesh became piles on the ground. I took them out one by one, not granting mercy to any of them.

I didn't know how they walked in the first place, but I would tear them apart so they wouldn't walk again. Once I finished off Candyman, all that was left was my mother. I watched as she flopped her head to the other side, her neck making a sloshing, cracking sound as she did so. The creature then turned around, running out of the room.

She was running from me, but I knew I wouldn't let her escape.

I gave chase, reappearing closer and closer to her out of midair, listening to her raspy screeches and undead screams. I continued to give chase as the zombie staggered up to the level we were all first on. Before she could reach the top though, I reappeared directly behind her, yanking her down when she was in arm's reach. The corpse screeched out in hellish tones as I slammed her against the wall.

Why? Why did they have to come back?

I screamed angrily at her as if releasing a warcry. I stared into her cold, dead, and putrid eyes, before grabbing her by the neck and swinging her to the other side of us. I swung her towards the railing, making her neck collide with the bars. Once it did, the force I put behind it caused the weak flesh to tear.

Within seconds, her rotting body fell down the stairs, and I was left holding her now decapitated head.

The hell around me burned brighter, indicating the poison in me was still growing stronger in me. I tossed aside the head I held before reappearing up the stairs. Now I was going to find the man who dosed me and hold him accountable. Figure out how he brought those corpses to life, and how he knew me. Once I got to the top floor of the stairwell, the flames grew brighter, and the ground once again burned like magma.

"Very, VERY impressive... Brava!"

I heard calm clapping echoing in the stairwell.

His voice was grumbling in the air. Enough to make the hairs on my neck stand up. The chills radiated through me, as I tried to spot the demonic scarecrow man, but I couldn't see him in the warped, hellish landscape. He spoke again, making me turn wildly around the room to try and find him on the ground.

"Exactly the show I wanted. You played my game beautifully, even better than I hoped dear Robin would."

"Who the hell are you? What did you inject me with? What the HELL was that?"

My breathing increased rapidly, almost hyperventilating. Where was he? Oh god, where was he? What comes next? I felt myself start to shake with fear and adrenaline.

"So eager. So many questions, too little time. Let's start with the one. I am the Scarecrow. I am the catalyst that will force Gotham to face its fear. To reveal the lies that cloud the good people of this city. To show them there is no hope, only fear. And the only way for them to survive is to revel in their nightmares... Now. Who, are YOU?"

"I'm the one that's going to bring you down."

I managed to spit out, fighting the pain of what I had been dosed with. I looked all around me in every corner of the stairwell room, trying to find the man who called himself Scarecrow. He remained out of sight, which angered and worried me more.

"You sound so sure. I have my doubts, though. But, you seem very intriguing. Tell me, what do you see? What makes your blood run cold, child?"

"What are you talking about?"

"What caused you to kill my men?"

"Y-Your men?"

"Never mind that. Can't spoil the session too soon. I think I'd like to do a closer study instead. Let's begin, shall we?"

"What? What are you-"

Just then, I heard commotion above me. When I looked up, the man jumped from the beams above, landing right on me with his feet on my back My breath was knocked out of me, as I lay on my stomach, my back aching from the impact of his heavy boots. Before I could think, another sharp, painful jab locked in the side of my neck.

No! Not again!

I cried out, disappearing away just moments too late. I staggered, changing in and out of my shadowed form. The hellish landscape around me shook violently, becoming more vibrant. I clenched my fists tightly, finding it harder and harder to breathe. My heart felt like a drum, pounding against my ribcage and chest like it signaled war.

I winced out, looking over in the direction of Scarecrow, expecting to see him. Instead, something much more horrific met my gaze. A growing shadow began to emerge, like a black hole dripping in ink. A mangled, and distorted body formed from the abyssal shape, snapping its limbs into place. Shadows and smoke emitted off of the creature, like a black cloud. The creature stood up, glowing white eyes looking at me. a crooked, tattered mouth opened, leaking black liquid.

This... This thing. It looked like me.

It was exactly like me.

Only, instead of being smaller in size, it kept growing, reaching over six feet. It flicked its arm out, extending harsh claws from its hands. This creature, from the blackest pit of hell, was me. I would have to fight myself, to stay alive. My heart raced. I wasn't ready for this. What if I ended up like those I killed? Dying a horrific death just like them.

No! I told myself. I would do everything in my power not to end up like them. I was going to survive this night.

It let out a piercing warcry, before reappearing over to me, swinging its massive clawed hand at me. I quickly changed, ready for the fight, jumping and rolling out of the way. I reappeared behind it, kicking it back, but it only merely flinched before grabbing me by the throat and swinging me wildly into the fiery walls. I cried out as I collided with it, feeling the breath escape my lungs harshly. The looming shadow held me there, tilting its head. I could hear Scarecrow's voice echo in the stairwell room, mocking me.

"Tell me. What has you shaking at the core?"

I grunted, quickly using my feet to kick the shadowed figure off of me. It took a few seconds to recover, before appearing by me quickly, swinging wildly at me. I desperately dodged every swing I could but ended up getting caught on my arm. I cried out, but didn't have much time to think about it as I was punched back roughly. The figure then speeded towards me, kicking and clawing at me. I narrowly avoided its attacks, my eyes widening at the close calls. I managed to do a spin kick, trying to land one on the shadowed creature.

Before I could, the thing caught my leg, swinging me aside. I collided with the floor, sliding across it. I tried to get up, but the shadowed figure just reappeared over to me, pinning me down. Its distorted, tattered mouth opened wide, dripping what looked like ink all over the place. I struggled, thrashing to get the shadow off of me.

"Maybe you just need a little... push."

Just then, the figure sharply raised its claws up, before piercing me in the side. I cried out from the pain, managing to kick the creature off of me. I winced and held my side, looking back at the shadow.

I won't let it kill me. I won't. I will not be the one to die today.

"That's the spirit. But, we always succumb to the thing we fear most…"

Just then, the creature lunged at me. I disappeared out of the way before reappearing in front of it again, slashing down with my claws. I caught the shadow off guard, catching its wrist in my attack. It staggered back, and I heard it cry out in a hellish scream. It then reached for me, trying to wrap its claws around my throat. Thinking quickly, I grabbed its shadowed arms, pulling them down at the creature's side and headbutting them harshly. It staggered back once again, and I used that opportunity to jump and spin-kick my double back against the wall. The wall made a loud thud from its impact.

I wasn't going to let it get away though. I appeared in front of it, raising my claws up harshly. It put its own hands up to defend itself, screeching out, but it was too late. As I screamed out, I forcefully stabbed my claws into the head of the creature, impaling the wall behind it.

Once I retracted my shadowed claws, my double fell to the floor. I expected to hear Scarecrow in the room after this happened, but instead, unmistakable silence was what remained. Suddenly, the pain in my side radiated through my body, causing me to fall to my knees and change back. I sighed, looking at the hellish world warping around me. It was all starting to get blurry, fading away to the mechanical lights of the room it originally was. As it did so, I started to hear a voice in my ears again.

"Entity! Sarah! Are you there? Come in, Entity!"

It was Oracle.

Damn. I was so focused on fighting the corpses, and that creature of myself, I tuned out Oracle trying to reach me through my comms unit. My body started to relax, the adrenaline now fading into relief. I still remained on high alert, however. I lightly touched the earpiece, wrapping my other arm around my waist, trying to apply pressure to my wound.

"Oracle! I'm here. I-I'm not sure what happened but, I got them. That Scarecrow guy... there were the dead people I killed. And... another creature, like me!"

"Oh thank god! Entity, listen to me, Robin's on his way to help! Did you apprehend him?"

"N-No... I think he left once he saw me kill that creature."

"W-Wait... Kill?"

"Yeah. I had to. Whatever it was... It would have killed me."

"Oh no... Sarah. You said you were injected right?

"Yeah. H-He got me twice."

"Oh no..."

Just as I was about to inquire, I noticed the room was starting to go back to normal. I looked to where the other Entity should have been, but only saw a massive pool of blood.

Panicked, I quickly got up again, running over to it. Once my blurry vision started to focus, I could see what looked like a man, in tattered clothing. A lab coat, jeans, heavy boots, a tattered hood, and a threading mask that resembled twine. His eyes stared up at the ceiling, wide and lifeless as if he was scared in his last moments. Massive entrance wounds lined his head, indicating where he was stabbed.

Where I stabbed him.

No. No this wasn't right. I killed the shadow creature. Not him.

Right?

The others, I thought.

I turned sharply towards the stairwell, running quickly down its steps.

This isn't real. This CAN'T be happening! Before I could descend, I stopped dead in my tracks. In front of my feet, lay the head of a man, staring blankly with a terrified look. His neck was slashed crudely, revealing severed bone. My heart raced again, and my eyes widened, filling with tears.

No. That must mean.

I sprinted into the water room where I faced off against the corpses. The light from the stairwell illuminated the path, just enough to where I could see the blood and mangled body parts of random men in the room.

I choked back a sob, walking slowly into the room. I looked at one body, slashed to ribbons, not even recognizable. Like the man just fell apart in three main pieces. I couldn't help but retch, turning away from the massacre to gag, almost discarding the contents of my stomach. The images of all of the dead flashed violently in my mind. The head, the man in the lab coat, the men who were slashed apart. Their bloodied, mangled bodies boldly took over my imagination. I began sobbing, clutching myself in the tightest hug I could, falling to my knees in the massive pool of blood that flooded the water room, collecting together from the men who were bleeding out until nothing remained in their corpses.

“What have you done?”

A foreign voice echoed behind me.

I turned to face whoever the voice came from, only to see a muscular man in a domino mask look around horrified at the massacre I had just committed. I could barely see the skin-tight suit he wore through my blurry tears, accented with shiny red and green metal. The look of horror and disgust on his face made me break down even more.

I had just killed again. Cutting everyone in my path apart. I didn't prove a damn thing.

I wasn't a hero after all. I was the monster I feared again.