Experiment Scarecrow

Chapter 17

A brisk wind forced itself in between the trees, seeming to force its way through Brooke's heavy jacket and crash against her skin. A shudder vibrated through her body, causing her to curl into the jacket further. The journey, back to the church, seemed slower than usual today, perhaps due to the uncooperative weather, but she forced herself onward.

 Finally, the empty building's silhouette popped into view, a smile drawing across her lips before she picked up the pace, sprinting through the grass bending at the wind's will. She began to return to a mere amble, slipping inside the cover of the church once again. 

The familiar earthy scent crashing into her like a wave, her nose no longer wrinkling at it. She carefully stepped back over the debris, her eyes flicking up as a dark figure fluttered in through the window and softly landed on the altar. 

"Scarecrow? Where are you?" she called, her voice carrying through the empty space.

The crow on the table cawed in response, hopping across the surface to the very edge--its black eyes fixed on her as she grew closer.

Brooke sighed, looking down to the crow as she grew near. "Where is he now?" she asked, pausing as she received a head tilt in response. "Oh-Now I'm  talking to the crows."

She shook her head, her eyes wandering to the rafters above, following them to the far corner where the shadows collected. She squinted her eyes, carefully moving closer once something caught her eye--among the darkness, a pair of half, glowing orbs hovered in the air.

A quiet gasp escaped her once they temporarily disappeared before reappearing, a shuffling sound soon following as they lifted into the air. Her eyes widened before watching a familiar form drop from the beams and onto the floor, almost without a sound. 

Her eyes soon narrowed, folding her arms across her chest. "Scarecrow. You scared me! Why didn't you answer when I called for you?"

Scarecrow blinked slowly behind the dark locks of hair--his eyes glazed in a daze-like state. "I was sleeping," he muttered.

"Oh, you... sleep?" she asked, tilting her head in curiosity, similar to the crow who remained behind her.

He nodded, ambling past her to pet the crow on the cloth table. "Mhm... well, sometimes. Even though I'm 'technically' dead, I still lose energy." He paused, his half-closed eyes now widening.

"I think you already told me, but you're considered to be dead?" she now questioned, pressing for more answers.

A tension in his position caught her eye as he lowered his head in defeat. A slow nod answered her question. "Yeah... half  dead," he admitted quietly, a tone following as if he could hardly believe it either.

She frowned, her mind wandering back to one of their first conversations, remembering the way he mentioned it as he  had been told. A quick flutter of her eyes forced her back to reality, allowing her to ask him more. "You said that you had been told  you were 'not entirely alive,'" she began, cautiously stepping closer to lift a hand and gently place it on his shoulder, forcing her to stretch up onto her tiptoes. "Who told you that, Scarecrow?" her voice gentle as she asked.

She felt the shoulder underneath her hand begin to quiver, watching as his hand began to tremble against the crow, causing it to shift out from under his touch. A stillness washed over the room before he finally filled the silence. "Th-The doctor did..." he whimpered. "H-He told me wh-when I-I kept asking too many questions..." His voice began to crack, wavering between his usual low tone, and that of a mere innocent child.

A friction of empathy and curiosity fought within her, tugging at her heart strings each time she heard the voice of a child break through. She couldn't help but softly wrap her arms around him, despite feeling him tense each time she even brushed against him. "What doctor, Scarecrow?" she gently spoke.