Experiment Scarecrow

Chapter 6

A faint smile crossed Brooke's lips as she began to pull her hand away from his own, until the beating of wings startled her; grey talons raking through the skin of the back of her hand, sending an throbbing sting across it as blood rose to the surface.

"Why?!" she cried, tearing her hand away, now clutching the injured hand to her chest. 

The crow circled, landing on its master's shoulder before releasing an unexpected demonic shriek--the shrill piercing her ears. The man glanced to the dark bird, eyes wandering over its figure as it began to flare its wings.

Silence temporarily filled the room until the distant cries of its allies responded, carrying from the trees outside. Soon, a barrage of feathered wings, beating against one another, reverberated off the dense walls--black masses of crows beginning to flood through the windows. They swirled around the ceiling, collecting as one shadowy shape above.

Brooke screamed, covering her head as she dropped back down to the floor; black feathers floating down around her cowering figure. "Make them stop!"

A faint smile danced across his lips, glittering eyes focused on his circling friends above. "Crows... Crows... Aren't they beautiful?" he whispered in awe, before  glancing down to the crow on his shoulder--his smile fading. "But that's enough."

The crow hopped on his bony shoulder before releasing another caw; ordering its allies to return to the trees outside. The dark mass soon dispersed, filtering back through the shattered windows--their bodies crashing into one another before they returned to the safety of the branches.

She frowned, slowly lifting her head once the sound of their beating wings faded. "Why...?"

The man shrugged, causing the crow to quickly reposition itself on his shoulder. He turned away, beginning to return to the altar. "They thought I was in danger."

Brooke shook her head, cautiously following him. She watched as he immediately sat back down on the floor, glancing up at her before setting his axe down next to him. She glanced to the needle, carefully grabbing it from the table. "I assume you already know that my name is Brooke?" she asked quietly, searching for the spool of thread.

He nodded, reaching over to the duffle bag before handing it to her.

She lifted an eyebrow at the silence that followed. "You're not going to tell me your name?"

He looked back at her. "Do I need to? You already know it as well."

She narrowed her eyes, threading the needle. "Scarecrow man?"

"Close. Just Scarecrow."

Brooke shook her head, skeptical of his response. "All right, Scarecrow..." she mumbled, beginning to kneel down on the floor behind him. "Are you sure you want me to just  sew this? M-My mom is a nurse, and she says it's always better to clean the wound first."

Scarecrow shook his head no, pulling off his bloody jacket to reveal a black, long-sleeve, button down shirt, the back torn from where Olivia dragged the stick through. He looked down, fumbling with the buttons in attempt to undo them. She sighed, crossing her arms as she waited until he finally managed to undo the last one, pulling off his shirt and setting it on the floor beside him.

Brooke lifted her eyes from the floor, scanning over his thin figure. His skin clung to almost every bone along his back; outlining mainly his ribs and spine. The only definition of muscle was across his upper shoulders, and down along his arms, as to what she could see. But what truly caught her eye were the various stitched scars littered across his skin.

She blinked, looking back to the location of his wound. The cut starting off small from the lower portion of his shoulder before deepening as it crossed down to the middle of his spine. She frowned, deciding to work from the top down, carefully inserting the curved needle underneath his skin. She paused, expecting him to flinch as most would, but instead, he remained still.