___

My eyes opened suddenly, as a gasping breath of life emerged from my lips. The dim lights of the filthy room I lay in came into view, blinding me as I adjusted my sight. I could feel the sticky, warm sensation of blood cling to my skin all around my body and face. As I regained consciousness, pain began to sear throughout me, increasing around the area of my hand which remained pinned above me with the sharp knife that pierced it to the decaying wall. A noise escaped my lips as all of the painful sensations returned, my breath increasing heavily as blood still trickled out of me from each open wound I sported. It felt as if head to toe, I was covered in injuries.

Despite it all, I was alive. By some miracle.

I could feel my heart begin to beat faster within my chest, as my blood began to carry adrenaline throughout my body. Giving me the strength to fight. My body shook with the shock I had endured, yet I remained steady and determined.

CRASH!

A loud noise made my head snap toward the left. As I looked on, I saw the Joker being thrown into a desk by a sudden blur of gray and red. My vision adjusted just in time to make out a familiar figure landing a harsh punch to the maniac, which sent him toppling over the dusty surface of the desk he had been tossed into moments before.

“You son of a bitch! I’m gonna fucking kill you!”

The vicious yell emitted from an all-too-recognizable red hooded figure, whose heavy boots made thunderous stomps with each step he took, indicating his temper. The light caught on his silver leg armor, gleaming in my eyes as I confirmed that what I was seeing was real. His heavy black and gray jacket moved frantically with each precise strike the vigilante made. A symbol on the back of his jacket took the form of a bat, painted brightly and crudely. The shiny red helm he adorned remained fixed in Joker’s direction, breaking for nothing. Confusion arose in me as to how he got here, questions circling my head as I watched The Red Hood.

If he was here, I thought, then maybe the others finally got in. Maybe the lockdown was finally lifted.

Suddenly, before I could ponder further he had hopped over the desk, chasing after his opponent, whose laughter pierced through the decaying room.

“Why so uptight? All I asked was who you were! Talk about an ego problem!”

The demented clown hopped up off of the ground before Red Hood could grab him, headbutting him back. Joker held his own head after doing so, giggling with delight and surprise.

“I will say, I like your setup much better than Batsy! What a helmet!”

Red Hood recovered quickly, swinging a mighty punch at the Joker with a growl. The Joker quickly swerved out of the way, evading it with ease. In a counter move, Joker kicked the furious vigilante back with flourished, exaggerated movements, managing to gain some distance from his opponent.

“Too slow!”

I watched the two continue to fight, with Joker hurling words toward Red Hood as they fought.

“Seriously, how have I not heard about you? You’re quite the party!”

Joker's demented laughter after he spoke seemed to set off something in Red Hood, as I watched him begin to impulsively throw heavy punches and kicks the lunatic’s way, yelling out as he did so.

“You’re gonna know who I am, you psychopath! You’ll pay… FOR EVERYTHING!”

Joker kept masterfully evading the angry vigilante’s blows, laughing in amusement as he did so. The Red Hood managed to land a sharp kick to the clown’s torso, sending him onto the ground in a rough collision. The wind ended up getting knocked out of the lunatic, as he struggled to laugh.

“You know… When I had the… name… Red Hood... I was… just as serious… too!”

Joker sputtered out his words in between coughs and laughs, almost rolling around on the floor.

I turned my head away from the fight, looking up at the knife that pinned my hand to the wall. With Joker’s focus turned away from me, I had a chance to escape the trap he put me in. Pain continued to fill my body, and I prepared myself for more to come. I slowly reached a trembling hand up to the knife’s hilt, wrapping my cold fingers around the handle. Even the slightest touch of the knife made my hand burst into excruciating agony. I let out a small sound as I grasped tightly on the weapon, pain once again swimming throughout the area. My breath increased, adrenaline pulsing throughout me as I pulled.

I let out a scream, using every ounce of my strength to try and pull the knife out. The knife slightly gave, sending ripples of sheer pain down my arm. The pain caused me to scream out again, as the knife sliced me again as it slowly began exiting. Blood began to pour out of the wound. Despite my best efforts, the knife was yet to be free, still stuck in the wall.

From the corner of my eye, I could see my screams had distracted Red Hood, who abruptly turned his head in my direction with surprise. My own head snapped back to face the red-helmed man directly, just in time to see the Joker sweep a leg over Red Hood’s feet, sending him onto the ground with the madman.

“Look out!”

I tried to yell out, but it was too late. Instead, I watched as the Joker quickly leaped to the grounded vigilante, beginning to throw punches to Red Hood’s torso.

I needed to hurry, I thought. Turn the tables back in Red Hood’s favor.

My grip remained firm on the knife, the pain still vibrating within my arm and in my palm. I let out another agonized yell as I tried to pull the knife out again.

“Let me help you.”

Mortis’ calming voice called to me from within, and I felt his reach within me. It became clear what I needed to do now. Many times over tonight, I had pushed him down. Now, I knew I could trust him, and trust myself.

Without another thought, I grabbed onto Mortis from within, feeling the surge of strength and energy begin to overtake me. Squeezing my eyes shut, I gave in to the shadows completely. More fully than I ever had before, letting any doubt I had about Mortis fall away into the void. Giving one last scream of might, I pulled the knife with every ounce of strength I had.

As the knife finally came free my hand catapulted off of the wall, unpinned at last. In my hand, I held the bloodied object of my torment with triumph, opening my eyes as I took in the pain. My eyes turned to look down at my hands, now covered with dancing smoke instead of blood. I threw the sharp object down beside me in disdain, casting it away from me as far as possible. My glance made its way over to Joker and Red Hood, who were now in a skirmish on the ground fighting over control. I slowly stood up, feeling Mortis’ inhuman strength rise in my being. A greater strength than I had ever felt before. My body still felt the pain of my beatings, but I was able to power through it with Mortis’ help. With the rush of adrenaline that came with my shadowed form, I felt like I could throw anything.

Beat anything.

My breath quickened still, my heart pounding fast enough to where I felt it might beat out of my chest. I watched as Joker rolled over on top of Red Hood again, delivering sharp, fast blows to his helm while cackling, as if he were trying to break it off of the vigilante’s head.

“Who is it under there, eh?”

Joker cackled as he continued to deliver punches and slaps.

Smoke continued to flicker around my shadowed form as I started slowly walking towards the pair. After a few steps, I began to jog. After jogging, my steps became quicker. Before I knew it, I had broke out into a full sprint towards the maniac. Determination and adrenaline continued to mix together in a blend of chaos within me. I felt as if nothing could stop me while I ran, my hair twisting behind me in a shadowed flurry as I bolted toward the Joker.

The madman didn’t realize I was approaching until it was too late. When I was inches away from him, my knee instinctively came flying up towards Joker’s surprised face, colliding with his skull harshly. The impact sent him barreling towards the wall, his back slamming against the decayed surface with a rough thud. He slumped over for a second in complete confusion, dazed by what had just occurred.

Before he had time to react, I had reappeared abruptly in front of him, picking him up by the neck with every ounce of strength I had. Mortis’ abilities helped me do so, making the Joker feel as if he were nothing in my hands. A small, surprised gasp erupted from the lunatic, as his white hand grasped around my wrist in a desperate attempt to get my hand off of his throat. I stared at him for a moment, before throwing him across the other side of the room, yelling out in anger as I did so.

I watched as he went flying across the way. Just before he could hit the wall on the other side, I disappeared again before reappearing in front of his path. Shadows flickered and danced around my person with each movement I made, like black smoke rising from a dead fire. As a surprise to myself, it was as if I had a newfound strength and agility in my shadowed form. As if finally understanding what I could do, and knowing the control was mine unlocked something within.

To Joker’s dismay, I leaped up to catch him in the air. Grabbing onto his slender legs, I quickly flipped the both of us, instead swinging him toward the ground with a brutality that was foreign to me until now. Once he was swung harshly into the filthy tiles, I landed beside him, crouching beside him to right myself. Once I was stable, I disappeared away from him, instead reappearing back to the other side of the room where Red Hood now stood. My gaze remained fixed on the Joker, who lay on the ground, making small grumbles of disorientation.

“Hey! I had him!”

Red Hood’s demanding voice shot through the room, yelling at me from a few feet away. I looked over at him, not saying a word. The red-helmed man began moving toward the Joker, carelessly stomping toward the madman.

“Stay out of it, kid! This fucker is mine!”

Before he could make it across the room, I noticed Joker get to his knees, laughing hysterically as he picked up an object on the ground. The red-helmed vigilante didn’t notice Joker’s sudden discovery and kept walking toward the lunatic. Once I realized what it was, I leaped toward Red Hood in desperation.

“Get down!”

I cried out, pushing Red Hood to the ground as shots rang out in the room.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The both of us toppled to the ground, able to avoid the first barrage of bullets that came our way. I had failed to realize I had thrown Joker toward the gun I had taken from him earlier, giving him an advantage. I quickly got to my knees, making a run for the desk to the right of us, phasing into a nonsolid form while I sprinted to avoid any fire. Red Hood realized what had happened too, making a run for the desk as well as he pulled out his own arsenal. The two exchanged fire, with Red Hood reaching the desk at the same time as me. Thinking on my feet, I phased back to normal again, and quickly used the strength in my shadowed form to flip the desk over and take cover behind it. Red Hood ducked behind the flipped desk as well, peaking over to shoot at the Joker who had toppled a metal cabinet over to take cover behind its strong surface.

The Joker called out to Red Hood, cackling with impressed tones.

“Better gear AND guns? You might be my new favorite, Red! A do-gooder with a mean streak! Who would have guessed?”

Red Hood turned to me before returning fire.

“God damn it! I had him!”

The Red Hood yelled at me with a rage I had only encountered from him when the Joker’s name was brought up. I remained pressed against the desk, listening to the exchange of gunfire. I yelled back at him, noticing the hesitance I once had was gone, angry that his priority at the moment was screaming at the one person trying to help him take down the Joker.

“You didn’t have shit!”

“How the fuck would you know, you were half dead when I got here! I sure as hell had a better handle on it than you!”

Red Hood yelled, exchanging another round of fire before ducking down again. He yelled again, displeased at how the fight was going.

“I wanted to kill this bastard with my bare hands. Thanks to you, that won’t happen!”

I glared at the vigilante, ducking down further behind the desk to avoid being struck. Anger rose up in me, recounting the night of horror I had at the hands of the Joker. The nerve this temperamental man had to think he could be picky about how Joker was dealt with made a rage build up in me that I hadn’t felt before.

“It shouldn’t matter how we beat him! Do you know what he’s put me through tonight?”

“I’m fucking aware of what’s been going on tonight! Just be glad I got to you before Joker killed you! Your boy scouts are still out there dicking around with the lockdown system! Lucky for you, I knew another way in.”

Confusion filled me, trying to figure out what the red-hooded man was telling me. That was until it clicked. The lockdown hasn’t lifted yet. We were still trapped here. Yet, somehow, he found a way in.

Just as Red Hood yelled back at me, I heard the disheartening click of his pistols, indicating they were out of ammo.

“Just great!”

The red-helmed vigilante ducked back down, reaching into the compartments strapped to his legs to retrieve more bullets. An idea struck me as he did this, realizing I could turn the tide in our favor yet again if I could make Joker waste his bullets, knowing he most likely didn’t have a refill on hand.

I closed my eyes, focusing all my energy on phasing, shifting into a translucent, untouchable form. The pain from all of my injuries combined with the pain of holding the form, causing me to cry out in pain. Yet, I focused intently on keeping phased, walking out from the desk.

“What the hell are you doing?”

Red Hood tried to grab me, mistaking a sacrifice for a plan. His gloved hand passed through me, and when it did, the realization dawned on him. He continued reloading his pistols, taking advantage. My eyes drifted up to the Joker as I pressed on, breaking into a sprint towards him. The maniac laughed, aiming his handgun in my direction, and firing off a few shots.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

The shots whizzed passed my head, flying through me with ease. Just as he squeezed the trigger again, the madman understood what I was doing. Only by then, it was too late.

CLICK!

The sound of an empty gun echoed through the room, and when the lunatic looked at his gun, I phased back into a solidified form, quickly hopping over the toppled cabinet to land a punch to his cheek. The Joker recoiled back from the impact, letting out a growl of discontent. I began layering hits upon him, swinging my forearms against the maniac’s face. I noticed blood begin to pour from his orifices, yet I didn’t care.

No mercy, I thought. Not after everything you've done.

I continued to beat upon him, and each time he staggered back away from me, I would grab his purple-striped collars and pull him back in for more strikes. Blow after blow, the Joker kept withstanding them. Until he fell to his knees, collapsing onto the ground in weakness beside the wooden coat hanger he had broken. With a pitiful thud, it became clear he was unable to take any more.

Yet, kneeled down beside him, continuing to punch and beat upon him. Anger and rage-fueled me, as the traumatic night flooded my memory.

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No mercy, I thought. Not for him.

“Enough! Hey, enough! Lay off! He’s mine!”

Red Hood ran over, grabbing me by the shoulder and pushing me off of him. In a swift movement, he aimed a newly loaded gun at the bloodied madman, ready to pull the trigger. Before he could, I hopped up, pushing the vigilante’s hand out of the way to prevent The Joker’s death. Part of me wondered why I did it, but I knew I couldn’t let Joker die tonight. Despite my anger, I made a promise to be better, and I wasn’t going to break it any time soon. A promise to bring hope instead of fear. To embody it. Despite all of the sick, depraved things this madman had done, I couldn’t let him die.

No more death, I thought.

That, and killing him would only fuel the real foe, Caedes. The Bloodspiller, as Mortis explained, fed off of murder. Regardless of who was behind the trigger or in the path of the bullet, bloodshed was bloodshed. Red Hood would only be fueling her further if he continued with this.

“Wait! We can’t-”

“Don’t you FUCKING start with that now. GET OUT OF MY WAY!”

The Red Hood’s fury boomed across the room like lightning. As if the great Zeus himself had been angered, sending a storm of words my way. I stepped in front of the Joker, creating a barrier between the enraged vigilante, with my back facing the lunatic.

“We can’t kill him! It’ll only make it worse! You don’t understa-”

“No, YOU don’t understand! And I really don’t have the time to explain it, kid. Get out of my fucking way!”

“Listen to me! We can’t… I can’t…”

Red Hood let out a heavy sigh, hissing as he exhaled.

“Now is not the time to SUDDENLY be on the righteous path! You don’t know what this ANIMAL has done! And I’m going to kill him like one!”

“I know what he’s done! He’s shown me everything! The kindergartners, the commissioner’s daughter! All of it! But you don’t understand! Killing him is only going to make her stronger!”

“Who stronger?”

“Caedes! S-She feeds off of murder and bloodshed… It’s hard to explain. But if you kill him, you make her stronger. She’s the one who brought them back to begin with.”

“Well… Guess we’ll just have to send this one back to her.”

Before I could speak, Red Hood had dropped his pistols before shoving me aside. His strength surprised me, as he was able to toss me aside in my shadowed form with some form of ease.

“No!”

I cried out in surprise, toppling to the ground. As I fell down, panic rose up in me as I watched what happened next helplessly. To my surprise, I saw the Joker had stood up again behind me. In his hands, he held a giant piece of the broken, wooden coat hanger, almost as if it were a large stake. It took me a second to realize that The Joker had failed to skewer me with it, my life being saved yet again by the red-helmed man. My body collided with the filthy tile, and when it did I watched as the Red Hood twisted the broken piece of wood from the clown’s hands, instead flipping it around and using it against its own maker. I gasped out in shock as I watched the Joker become impaled through the upper torso by the red-helmed vigilante.

Blood began to spill from his chest, with crimson choking him as it rose up in his throat. He began to spit up the substance, creating a harrowing sight. The Joker grinned widely, chuckling in between chokes with amusement. His red irises stared into the smooth red helm, almost as if pleasantly surprised he was murdered in this fashion, by this man he seemed perplexed by.

“Well… Isn’t that… something!”

He choked out, beginning to laugh as blood pooled out of his mouth. The horrific sounds of Joker choking on his own blood made worse by his laughter created a new sense of dread and fear within me.

Red Hood caught the lunatic before he could fall to the ground, grabbing him by the collar. He still held the wooden coat hanger that pierced his torso in his other hand. As he held up the Joker, he twisted the wood piece within him cruelly, making the Joker cry out with laughter and agony.

“This isn’t close to what you deserve, but it’ll do.”

The Joker continued to laugh, coughing up more of his crimson essence as it became apparent he was drowning on it. He was able to spit out a few more words.

“I’ll keep… My… Eye on you… See you… soon!”

The gurgling became too much to bear as I watched the gruesome sight. My heart sank with a disturbed feeling, as if by a handful of heavy stones. The Red Hood’s grip on Joker only tightened, as he plunged the wooden object deeper into the dying clown.

“Look at me. I want to see the light leave your eyes when you die!”

The Red Hood’s sharp, threatening words became a low, quiet growl. Joker continued to choke as he laughed. The two remained locked on each other, focusing intently on the perceived foe in front of them. Their stares were interrupted, as Joker’s last laugh remained stuck in his throat, creating a haunting gurgling noise that echoed throughout the room. With one final exhale, Joker’s breath finally ceased. I watched as he went completely limp in Red Hood’s grasp, staring up blankly as his red irises became void of life.

A stillness came to be throughout the room with Joker’s violent passing, as silence filled us all with its eerie presence. It seemed like hours before Red Hood finally dropped the dead lunatic, letting him collide with the filth and dust on the floor in complete disregard. I sat there on the ground, watching in shock as he did this, unable to speak. With my focus fading, the shadows around me dissolved. It seemed as if my words were robbed from me, too disturbed by the sheer brutality of Joker’s death. Slowly, Red Hood turned to me, his red helmet reflecting my face on its shiny, metallic surface. My heart seemed to stop for a brief moment, worried that I would have to fight again. I could see the panicked expression on my face casting off of the helm, revealing a barely recognizable girl on its surface. Bruises, blood, cuts, and scrapes covered my face, showcasing someone who looked as if they were dead. It almost shocked me about how badly beaten I was, estimating that most of the damage was Joker’s handy work.

“You can relax. I’m not here to hurt you.”

As if Red Hood read my mind, he spoke in a perturbed voice. As if keeping good on his word, he untensed, instead kneeling down beside the Joker’s dead body. He stared at the dead lunatic, letting out a small sigh.

“I didn’t think I’d get the chance… I finally did it…”

Slowly, I rose up to one knee but faltered when I pushed off with my left arm. I cried out slightly as I stumbled back, feeling the pain from all my injuries come back to me. Without Mortis’ abilities giving me adrenaline, I could feel my body grow weaker when pure agony began to fill up my body again. I looked all about my person, assessing the damage I sustained tonight. A stab wound to the abdomen and hand, a possible fracture in my forearm, multiple cuts, slices, and open wounds to my face and body. I reached one hand up to touch my face, wincing when my fingers gently grazed my nose, indicating it was broken. Overall, with all of the blood that continued to pour out of me, it was a wonder how I wasn’t dead. Many times over tonight, I’ve escaped death. I seemed to have found myself in a paradox of the luckiest misfortune, it seemed.

I lowered my hand, feebly attempting to apply pressure to my profusely bleeding hand. Letting my breath regulate itself, I slowly pulled my knees up to my chest, staring ahead of me in disbelief.

It was finally over, I thought. Despite how devastating the ending was, it was finally done. The nightmare of tonight was done. Tears of pain and triumph fell down my cheek as I sharply inhaled to cherish the breath in my aching lungs.

I was alive, but I knew I needed to get medical attention soon. I winced as I lifted my arm, looking down at my abdomen to see blood still trickling out of the place Joker had stabbed me.

Red Hood looked over at me once he had savored the moment. His cold voice surprised me, as it contained faint traces of concern despite the insult he hurled my way.

“You look like shit.”

I nodded, trying to get to my knees. Grunting out in pain as I did so. Red Hood slowly got up, walking over to where I was on the floor.

“Take it easy. Let me help.”

The vigilante extended a gloved hand in my direction, offering it to me for aid. I looked up at him with absolute confusion, unfamiliar with the red-hooded brute’s mercy. Yet, after the night I had, I was in no position to refuse. After all of the violence I faced in Joker’s trials, kindness was a luxury I would take from anywhere, no matter the unfamiliar source.

I grabbed onto the man’s hand and was hastily pulled up to my knees. Once I steadied myself there, Red Hood knelt beside me, as if he was assessing my injuries as well.

“He really did a number on you, didn’t he? What did he do?”

Closing my eyes, I slowly lowered my hands to try and put pressure on my abdomen, using what strength I had left to do so. Red Hood saw what I was doing, and abruptly began searching through the compartments attached to his legs, digging around for something. I could feel my body begin to give in to weakness again, as my mind fought to stay sharp. I answered his questions, my words beginning to slur together.

“He stabbed me, beat me with a paperweight, brass knuckles… I think he used a piece of the coat hanger before you got here. I really don’t know all of what he used.”

“That’s good enough. Keep talking to me.”

I realized what he was doing, and part of me started to panic. The red-helmed man wanted me to talk, to keep me awake. It seemed he had already realized I was beginning to go into shock again as the adrenaline wore off.

I needed to find a way out, I thought. I needed to go.

“I-I need to get out of here.”

I said, trying to stand up. The red-helmed man just used his hand to push down upon my shoulder, pushing me back down on my knees.

“You will, just hang tight. I’ve got something to help… Though if you had your belt with you, I wouldn’t have to waste my own supply on you.”

It took me a brief second to recall what had happened to my gear.

“They took it when I got here. I had nothing…”

“Speaking of, what the hell happened tonight? I got a brief picture, but... Not all of it.”

Red Hood’s question blindsided me, as I tried to piece it all together again. I took a breath, realizing he genuinely was curious, not just keeping me conscious.

“They sent me to Arkham to handle an escaped patient… A guard locked us in the cell unit, which filled with gas. When I woke up, my gear was gone, and Joker was explaining everything to me. He’d taken over the asylum and kidnapped some of the staff, bringing them down here to hold hostage. Three didn’t make it… I had to go through his ‘tests’ to get to the hostages. The remaining staff got to safety, and are waiting for the lockdown to be lifted.”

“Tests? What tests?”

“Some inmate and something he called his dollatron… Then a monster in the irrigation pipes. Some clown that got injected with something, then Candyman and some more henchmen... I had to fight them all. Only to end up here trying to apprehend Joker.”

“How well did that go for you?”

His sarcastic tone made me sigh in pain and exhaustion, glaring at the vigilante. My mind slowed as I tried to come up with a response. After a brief silence, Red Hood spoke again, this time somberly.

“I’m not gonna lie… I got worried. When I got here, I walked in on Joker beating the absolute shit out of you. I thought you were dead…"

He paused, before continuing on as he rummaged through his supplies.

"At least now you got a taste of what he's like…”

“He’s a monster…”

I whispered out, thinking back to the articles and pictures I saw of Joker’s past misdeeds. The pictures he displayed on the screen before leading me into this room. The horrific carnage he seemed to remember so fondly. It all solidified Joker’s monstrous notoriety. One that I had come to finally understand tonight.

“Yeah… One I’ve wanted to kill for years. But since he was ash last I checked, I never thought I’d get the opportunity… Tell me, who brought him back, and why... how?”

Red Hood took a break from looking through his packs, instead looking dead-set on me. I looked back into his helm as if trying to pinpoint where his eyes would be. Once again, it was as if we were trading information. Only this time, I knew more than he did about our new foe. Instead of keeping it to myself like he had before, I would share it. No deception, no vague answers. Only the truth.

“Her name is Caedes. She’s not… human. It's difficult to explain, but she embodies carnage and bloodshed. Using her abilities, she brought Candyman, Scarecrow, Joker… all of them back from the dead, giving them life somehow. Because they’re the worst of the worst, she knew they’d probably have a good shot of killing me.”

“Wait… so this asshat is bringing them all back because she wants to kill you? What the fuck did you do to piss her off so much?”

Red Hood asked, hellbent on the idea that somehow I had done something wrong.

“Just like Candyman said the night before, and what Joker said tonight. I’m alive, and she doesn’t want me to be. I didn’t do anything against her, except keep breathing. She wants me gone because I won’t use my abilities to kill… It feeds her when I do.”

“You've used them to kill before... What happens if you do it again? You do realize we can’t risk something of her magnitude getting stronger. If she can bring back the dead, who knows what else she can do.”

Red Hood’s words should have stung, but instead, I felt as if I was wiser, and more sure of myself. I knew deep down I wouldn’t repeat the past. I relaxed my shoulders, calmly inhaling before I spoke again.

“Yeah, I did… I was scared... so scared of what would happen that I lost control. But that’s all in the past now. I can’t change what I’ve done, but I can change what I do now… As long as I’m alive, It won't happen again… There’s too much at stake now, like you said.”

Red Hood stared at me in silence for a second. Unsure of what he was thinking, I glanced back at him, as if daring him to reply. After a brief moment, he inhaled slowly, before turning back to look through the compartments attached to his leg, mumbling quietly to me in a low voice.

“I believe you, don't worry…”

A small smile left my lips, feeling the vigilante’s words were genuine. He spoke again, trying to keep me talking.

“So… Out of all the fucked up shit you’ve seen tonight, what’s the worst thing you think Joker’s done?”

I shuddered, not wanting to think about what I had witnessed tonight. Yet, the images kept flooding my brain. Knowing this was just the red-hooded man’s way of keeping me conscious, I decided to respond.

“Is all of it an answer?”

“It is. But throw me a bone, here. I’m not much of a talker. What did you see?”

“Well. Tonight alone he butchered a security guard to make a bomb out of him while he was still alive, then he strangled a doctor to death-”

“I think I passed by her while trying to get down here… I’m so sorry… What else?”

“Then, he showed me all of the things he had done back in the day. Killing a bunch of kids, shooting the Commisoner’s daughter, like I mentioned… And then Robin…”

My voice trailed off as I remembered the eerie home video Joker had taken. A vicious showcasing of Robin’s murder, to send it the Batman while he was still alive. All just to gloat.

“Robin? What’s wrong with Robin?”

Red Hood seemed confused, then concerned, stopping what he was doing.

“T-The old one… A kid named Jason a few years back…”

The vigilante stood silently as if he had been the one to go into shock instead.

“How do you know about that? He told you?”

I nodded slightly, wincing in pain as I did so.

“He did more than that. He showed me that damn video… You knew him, didn't you?”

As if the pit in my stomach forewarned me, I could tell something was wrong. Red Hood looked at me, not saying a word. His voice was somber when he spoke. Quiet, as if mourning a lost friend.

“Yeah… I knew him.”

I could feel the sadness and the anger emitting from the red-helmed man. He stood there, silent. It was apparent that Red Hood was deeply affected by the mention of the boy’s name. I spoke softly, with condolences pouring from my heart to my lips.

“I’m so sorry for your loss…”

“No. I’m sorry you had to see that. It’s not something that any of us out here like to remember… Like you said… Joker’s a monster.”

Silence filled the room once again, and for a few moments, it rang louder than any bullet we had encountered tonight. Part of me felt bad for bringing up the boy’s memory, seeing how it changed Red Hood's demeanor. However, his distraction was short-lived as he had retrieved what looked to be a needle from a pouch on his left leg.

“What’s that?”

I asked, slightly panicked seeing the device.

“You can relax, Jesus... This is just adrenaline. It’ll help keep you alive until you can get out.”

“Get out?” The lockdown hasn’t lifted yet. There’s no way out yet! We’d just be wasting i-”

“No, we wouldn’t. Listen… When I inject this. I’m gonna take you back the way I came through. There’s a hidden way out there the ventilation system in the abandoned medical wing. The fact they failed to find it after all these years shows they really didn’t give a fuck when they built the new Arkham… When you get out, it’ll be your job to lead the police back to the same spot so they can start rescuing people trapped inside. Until that is, they finally get the lockdown system overrode. Do you understand?”

I took in Red Hood's words, nodding as he spoke. I watched as he readied the needle, before jamming it into my thigh through my dirt-covered suit. The stabbing pain caused me to yell out, leaning forward as I did so. Red Hood seemed to catch me, placing a rough hand on my shoulder.

Within seconds, the adrenaline began to course through me, giving me another burst of life. I watched as the world around me blended in technicolor, indicating the adrenaline was taking its course. Before I could hop to my feet, however, Red Hood’s hand remained on my shoulder.

“One more thing…”

I sat on my knees, waiting for what the red-helmed man would say next. He remained still, unmoving. Perplexed, I was about to ask what he was doing. Before any words could escape me I watched as Red Hood quickly raised his hands, placing his two thumbs on either side of my nose. Just as I reacted he quickly applied intense pressure to my face, jerking both thumbs to the right.

CRACK!

Excruciating pain shot through my face, as the sound of my nose breaking back into place broke echoed in the room. Blood began to pour from my nose again as I screamed out, recoiling away from the red-helmed man. Holding my face, I jumped up to my feet, feeling my heartbeat begin to quicken.

The Red Hood let out a chuckle, as if slightly amused.

“Sorry, it was bugging me. Next time, I’ll let you set it yourself.”

I let out an angry yell, glaring at the vigilante in complete disdain. Feeling an overwhelming sense of anger and hatred wash over me.

“Bastard!”

Odd sensations came over me in a rage I hadn't ever experienced before, feeling the blood pouring out of me became hotter as if it started to boil. My breath picked up, my shoulders rising and dropping as I inhaled deeply with disdain.

Why do I feel so angry? As if I could kill a thousand men, I thought.

I got into a stance, letting the feelings of rage overtake me. Red Hood saw this and backed up slightly. His next words harbored confusion and concern within their tone.

“Hey… what are you doing?”

Before I could respond, an alarmed, low voice echoed throughout my skull, louder than ever before.

“Dear one, it’s her! This is not you! Stand down… She’s coming!”

The sound of Mortis’ voice was enough to make me drop my stance, yet I still felt the overwhelming feeling of bloodlust. A powerful desire to shift, and kill every living being in my path. My breath remained heavy, as I looked around the room frantically, trying to spot any abnormalities.

Mortis was right, I thought. This wasn't me. This wasn't normal.

“Kid, what's wrong?”

Red Hood’s voice rang through my ears, piercing me with concern. The adrenaline in my system didn’t help, as it sent ripples of alertness and response throughout my blood. My heart began to pound, readying itself for another fight. Yet, I saw nothing.

Suddenly, sharp, hissing whispers began to haunt my mind. As if they came from within me.

“Kill… Kill… Kill…”

I looked all around the dimly lit room, trying to desperately find where they were coming from. All I saw was decay and neglect, nothing in sight to alert me. Yet, my fight-or-flight response was in high gear, causing my hands to shake and my body to shiver.

It was her, I thought.

Caedes was here somewhere.

The whispers began to grow louder, causing me to hold my head as it caused slicing pains in my temple.

“Kill… Kill… Kill… KILL… KILL… KILL…”

“Hey!”

Red Hood exclaimed, running over to check on me. He looked around the room as well, trying to deduce what was causing me to react in such a way.

I screamed out, trying to repel the overwhelming, hate-filled force trying to overtake me.

“GO AWAY!”

The whispers continued, turning into screams themselves. Chanting in my head as they continued like a hellish pattern of torment.

“KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL!”

Just as suddenly as they appeared, they stopped. As if the voice had jumped out of my head and into the room we were standing in, the voice sharply spoke into my ears, as if the unknown presence stood right behind me.

“KILL!”

I saw the Red Hood jump back away from me, getting into a stance of his own. Slowly, I turned, seeing hues of red as I did so. When I finally faced what was behind me, all I saw was a bright crimson mass, taking the shape of a floating woman’s figure. It glowed bright, yet remained dark and forbidding. As if the figure were made of blood, the crimson liquid the woman was made of continued to drip onto the ground. Yet, instead of a puddle, the drops of blood flew back up into the woman, creating a never-ending cycle of red essence. I met the gaze of glowing red eyes, staring daggers into my soul as the woman’s head snapped to the side abruptly before returning to face me head-on again.

“Caedes…”

I said in shock, stepping slowly away from the horrific figure. I gazed upon her, shock and disbelief rising up in my body in a flood of emotion.

The bloody figure only let out a sharp hiss, spitting out her words in complete hatred.

“You should have been dead by now, Bound… What a disappointment you are.”