Teen Titans: Apocalypse

~Ten~

   

   A solemn, shocked silence fell upon the teens gathered around the kitchen table. Plates of food; cold and ignored sat before them. Nobody said a word. Nobody COULD say a word. It was as if life no longer existed in that house. The teens were each lost in their own thoughts, unable to completely process what had just happened.

     Richard stared at the plate before him in disgust. How could he have been so stupid? Why had it not occurred to him that it may happen? He could still recall just moments ago when he was standing at the bottom of the stairs.

    The sound of the gunfire had pierced the night, startling the teens gathered before the stairs. Richard was the first to react, practically knocking Scarlet over as he broke away from Jason and struggled to run up the staircase. "Bruce!" He called as he went, tearing into the man's room and onto the balcony. However, Bruce was nowhere to be found. Breathing heavily, on the verge of hyperventilating, Richard glanced over the balcony and what he saw made him stop breathing altogether.

    Bruce lay face down on the ground far below, motionless, the pistol lying inches from his limp grasp around it. Richard noticed the grass beneath the man's head glinted crimson in the dim moonlight. "Bruce!!!" The boy screamed, collapsing as his knees gave out. Even from his place far above on the balcony, the boy could see the man's glossy, lifeless blue eyes, reflecting stars from a far away place the boy couldn't see.

   Scarlet and Jason watched Richard take off up the stairs. He clearly knew something they didn't. But judging by the scream of Bruce's name from upstairs it wasn't good. Jason and Scarlet exchanged terrified glances before rushing up after Richard.

    They found him on his hands and knees on the balcony, choking out sobs. Jason stood statue still in the doorway while Scarlet flew to Richard's side. "Robby, breathe. Shhh..." She soothed, but her own vice broke as tears began to stream down her face. She had a pretty good idea of why Richard was crying.

   Jason stepped forward, approaching the railing. His feet shuffled, his eyes already moist, his mouth open. He, too, knew what was wrong. But he needed to see for himself. As soon as Jason saw the body he was on his knees and screaming into the night.

   Destiny helped Lloyd after, holding the shaking boy close despite his many, repeated protests. Lloyd stared guiltily at her arm the entire trek up the staircase. Those were his teeth marks in her soft flesh. The blood dripping from the many cuts was his doing. He was a monster.

    The two teens arrived shortly after Jason collapsed screaming, and knew right away that something horrible had happened to the one man they had  considered a father for so long. Destiny fell against Lloyd in tears. Although surprised, he held her close, beginning to cry himself.

   Olivia watched the last two disappear before turning her attention to the weak girl in her arms. Theo gazed up at her, her chocolate brown eyes unfocused while gazing into Olivia's bright, grass green ones. Olivia's eyes suddenly became watery. Theo reached a gloved hand up and tried to dry them, but failed as her hand missed Olivia's face to instead touch her hair.

   Theo's fingers brushed against Olivia's black hair through the fingerless-gloves, causing the strands they touched to turn blue momentarily. Olivia watched curiously, blinking the tears back.

"You're b-beautiful, Livie." Theo spoke softly, her lip trembling.

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    After a dinner of not touching the food, and sitting in silence, Richard left everyone and headed outside to the body. The teen numbly walked out the front door and to the still, cool man that had once been full of life. He paused and knelt beside him, starting to cry once more.

"I'm s-sorry, Bruce." The boy choked between sobs. His chest tightened, cutting off air in his lungs. He forced his eyes shut, struggling to calm down and breathe. However, when he opened his eyes he was back at the circus.

    The crowd was screaming and people were running about. Some were pushing through to get a glimpse of the two bodies that lay there on the floor of the tent. And the distressed young boy screaming at them to wake up. A man stepped through the crowd and toward him, his long, grey overcoat swishing as he moved gracefully forward. The man knelt before the boy, a friendly, but understanding smile pulling at his lips.

"Listen to me. Only focus on my voice." The man instructed to the young boy. The boy tore his gaze away from the bodies and stared up at the man, gasping. "Breathe. Copy me." He instructed, taking slow, but deep breaths through his nose, and exhaling out his mouth. The boy copied him until he had calmed to a sniffle and was soon in the man's arms, clinging to him.

"It's okay, Dick." Bruce whispered, holding the boy tightly. "I'm here. I'll always be here."

    The memory faded and Richard was left gaping at Bruce's body. "How could you!" He screamed, shaking with hurt and rage. "You said you'll always be here! You lied! I hate you! I..." And Richard broke off, throwing himself upon the body, crying loudly. "I'm sorry! I'm so s-sorry..."

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     Jason watched Richard through the living room window. He remembered when Bruce had found him after the whole tire theft incident. The boy couldn't help but smile to himself at how ridiculous it was. How had he thought he was going to get away with stealing the tires off the Batmobile?He closed his eyes and he was back down the alley the car had been left in.

     Wearing rags, a young Jason Todd waited until the dynamic duo had left before making his move. He watched Batman and Robin exit the car and rush off to do who knew what. He saw this as an opportunity. Tires could be sold for a lot of money. And the tires from the Batmobile were probably worth even more than regular tires.

    Crowbar in hand, the young thief jumped out of his hiding place behind the trashcans and set to work at removing the tires. It was tiring, but worth it. The thought of what he could buy pushed him to keep going. The though of food made his mouth water and his stomach growl. Jason managed to get two tires off before someone shouted at him. "Hey!" It was Robin who had caught him.

    Jason fled with the tires, laughing and rolling them at his sides. He glanced back to see Robin far behind him. Suddenly he smashed headlong into a solid black, scowling mass. Batman.

   After Jason 'returned' the tires, Batman offered him a ride back home. To which Jason said he didn't want to go back home alone. Batman decided then that Jason would stay with him.

   When Jason opened his eyes, tears were running down his cheeks. He turned away from the window to see Destiny and Lloyd watching him.

"When we escaped Arkham," Destiny began, her voice shaking, "I wandered here to the doorstep of the manor."

    As Destiny started to explain, she was taken back to the very moment she had arrived.

  The young Destiny ran down the Gotham streets, sirens blazing loudly behind her. The frightened girl had lost track of Lloyd in the escape, and was left fleeing on her own to who knew where. She didn't have anywhere to go after what she had done at her aunt's. So she just kept running. Her legs burned. She couldn't catch her breath. And then she saw it; on a hill not much further ahead, on the outskirts of the city; Wayne Manor.

   Destiny decided it was her only hope and pushed herself to the limits to reach the front door. The girl practically collided into it as she skidded to a stop on the marble steps. "P-please!" She cried, pounding on the door. "H-help me!"

   Bruce Wayne answered the door to find the young teen standing there, gasping for breath, and wide-eyed. He heard the sirens in the distance. "Can I help you?" He offered, unsure, but willing to take a chance for her. Destiny nodded and darted inside. "Don't let them t-take me back!"

    Bruce smiled softly and shut the door. The distressed girl had already found her way into his heart. "I won't let anyone take you from me." He promised.

    Destiny sighed and turned away from Jason. "He promised to never let anyone take me from him. Maybe what he should have promised was to never let anyone take him from us. Even himself."