𝐀𝐛𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐧 (𝐃𝐂 𝐱 𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫)

𝙆𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙆𝙣𝙤𝙬

(Remember to Vote and Comment as it Does a Lot for Motivation Seeing That You're Reading)

Twenty Years Ago

In the red-tinged darkness, Y/N slams his fists against the cold, unyielding door. Desperation claws at his throat as he calls out, "Dad! Please! Open the door!" The only answer he receives is silence, thick and consuming. His voice cracks, softer now, almost pleading. "Dad..."

The world around him blurs, his vision swimming, and he fights the tremors of panic threatening to overwhelm him. His hand presses against the door, almost as if he could feel his father's presence through the metal barrier, but there's no response. Just a hollow, unrelenting silence. He's alone.

Then, a sound. His ears prick up as he hears a faint rustling in the shadows behind him. Y/N turns slowly, dread pooling in his stomach. "Huh?" he whispers, eyes wide, catching sight of something moving in the darkness.

A creature a bat, grotesque and snarling, leaps from the shadows with a piercing screech. Its beady eyes lock onto him, wings spread wide like a nightmare come to life. The air is filled with a cacophony of screeches as more bats emerge, flapping and swarming in a frenzy, their silhouettes twisting and merging into a chaotic, writhing mass against the blood-red backdrop.

The rest of the class seemingly vanished from Y/Ns world, blanking them out, invisible to his own eyes as the Bat became the only thing in the room with him.

Y/N stumbles back, hands raised in defense as the swarm engulfs him. The bats' sharp claws graze his skin, wings brushing against his face, and he feels himself swallowed by the darkness they bring. He can't scream; fear grips his throat, silencing him. All he can do is watch, frozen, as they swarm around him, blocking out any shred of light.

Jim Gordon steps into the darkened exhibit hall, his eyes straining to adjust to the dim, red-hued emergency lights that cast strange shadows on the walls. The room is eerily quiet. Behind him, the muffled sounds of terrified teachers and students echo down the corridor, hurriedly evacuated from the chaos.

It's empty at first glance rows of exhibit cases filled with dusty relics and glass-enclosed habitats, motionless. But then he hears it a faint, desperate plea echoing from deeper within the exhibit. The voice is small, muffled but unmistakable. "Dad... please... open the door..." he repeated, his mind unable to comprehend the events of today.

Gordon's heart sinks.  His grip on his gun tightens, every instinct telling him to hurry, to move faster, but he forces himself to stay calm, stepping carefully between the exhibits, the smell of dust and stale air heavy around him. As he rounds a corner, he finally sees him.

Y/N is pressed against the wall at the far end of the room, pounding on it, his voice barely more than a cracked whisper now. The boy is alone, his small form almost swallowed by the shadows around him. The sight stirs something protective and fierce in Gordon, like his own protective for his own daughter that was Y/Ns age.

But before he can speak, a rustling sound erupts from above. Gordon freezes, eyes darting up to the high, vaulted ceiling where shadows shift and swirl. From the darkness, a bat drops down, then another, and another, until the air is thick with wings and shrill, piercing screeches that echo off the walls.

Y/N turns, and in that moment, Gordon sees the raw terror in his wide eyes, lit by the eerie red glow. The boy backs up, pressing himself against the door, hands raised in a futile attempt to shield himself as the swarm descends upon him. Gordon takes a step forward, but the chaos intensifies a whirlwind of claws, wings, and piercing red eyes that obscure his vision, blocking any path forward.