Detective Comics: The Headless Horseman

Chapter 3: Tell Me You Know

The horn sings loudly from afar.

Thus, the hunt begins.

The rider rises up and calls for its steed.

The hooves are clicking against the pavement and gracefully galloping across the streets.

Then the black stallion goes scaling up the tower.

Riding along its borders.

Till it reaches the horseman.

Then the headless figure gets on its steed.

To search for the ones the contract demanded.

—

With only a couple hours of sleep from last night's escapade, Barbara Gordon sets off to finally... get out of her bed and have breakfast. She didn't think that after investigating the Iceberg Hotel, she would take a little detour on her way back home. She'd wished that she didn't have to, but her conscience and self-imposed duty insisted.

Parts of her body ache in pain, some show signs of being bruised, maybe even broken at some parts, and are sore from heavy work. She shuts up the blaring alarm coming from her phone then painfully pulls herself up to go and eat. Barbara notices she's wearing half of her bat suit and quickly changes into something more comfortable, a tank top and baggy pajamas.

She slowly walks out of her room, trying to wake herself up, and at a snail's pace goes into the dining room. Punctual and disciplined as ever, her father, James Gordon in his classic white dress shirt and tie, already there sitting at the table. He greets her like every other morning while he takes his usual cup of coffee. Barbara, on the other hand, cannot respond with the same energy as her old man does and is even having trouble walking in a straight line.

He notices her almost pale appearance and asks. "Geez, you've seen better days, Babs. Are you sick? Do I need to go and buy medicine? You had a nightmare or something?"

"Something like that..." She uttered.

It's true. Not a single doubt was in her voice and Barbara can still clearly recall the moment she saw it. From the headless figure's dark silhouette looming over the bodies of the cult members to the gruesome ritual involving sacrificing the abducted women. She had seen worse things, but they cannot be compared to last night's scene.

It was almost traumatizing, if not, horrifying it was.

Recalling the events made her fully awake. She couldn't believe that people–No, she cannot even call them people. They were monsters for doing such a thing and it wasn't even something out of the ordinary for Gotham. More or less, something similar to that might be happening now as she thinks to herself.

But there was also that headless thing she saw, it was bizarre and enigmatic that she cannot wrap her head around it. Barbara finds its motives to be puzzling. Since it was hostile, yet it wasn't intending to kill anyone innocent.

Whatever it is, she wants to forget about it.

"Barbara!" James calls out to her.

"Huh-Oh! Yeah, Dad?" She said while trying to recollect herself.

"Ok, good. I thought I lost you for a second there." He clears his throat. "As I was saying, do you want to meet the new guy that's coming today?"

She briefly thought about it but when she remembered what happened last night. Barbara answers, "...I'll pass on this one, Dad. And I think I pretty much have a good idea on who's this guy you've been talking about."

A frown appeared on James' face before an amused look replaced it. "And I thought I was a detective."

She replies,"Well, I was raised by one,' Barbara points at her dad,' A good one at that."