The Dark Truth

scarecrow: chapter 13

I stand still in shock. Next thing I know I'm being tackled in a hug by a very familiar blond. "Lizzy!! I missed you!" I hug harley back, "I missed you too." As Harley gets off me, scarecrow steps foward and holds out his hand. "Jonathan crane. Pleased to meet you lizzy." I shake the tall, boyishly handsome, professional mans hand. "Same to you Mr. Crane. How do you think you can help with my memory?" crane laughs darkly and starts walking towards my dining table. "tell me Lizzy, how much do you know about Arkham asylum." I stand in front of him at the table and look at him, then cat, then back to him. "well I know when it first started it was an achievement in psychiatric health for the criminally insane. Mr. sharp started running it a few years ago with a teacher from the university..." I trailed off as I look back at him realizing he was that teacher. "you were the youngest teacher and doctor in Gotham." I look to cat and she's smirking at me, "I love how amazed you get when you finally realize something." cat and I laugh a bit as crane holds up a vile of green liquid. "you asked how I can help. well this is how. this is a mix of my chemicals I use to induce fear but instead of using Norepinephrine I used amobarbital. this is often used in truth syrums. did you know truth syrum was used to abuse psychotic patients as part of old, discredited practices of psychiatry, of course its not used anymore as you should know." as crane rambles on Harley looks at me and puts her hand up like a puppet making it talk and I try not to giggle. Harley sighs, "look craney, we don't want the whole story on the shiz just get on with it. your boring the poor girl to death." crane rolls his eyes and looks at me. "take a seat lizzy, and prepare because this will hurt." I sit and he has put the vile into a needle. I grip onto the seat and look at cat. "stay calm, it will be okay." crane bends over and grabs my arm, our faces inches apart. "yes stay calm, because if you don't, you might get stuck in your own head." all of a sudden I feel the prick of the needle and my sight gets blurry. the last thing I see is cranes smirking face.

everything's dark. i look around to only hear screaming, smell iron. i look to my left to see my mom and dad at the dinner table. i run to them but stop as i see me in the seat next to my mom, my dad being at the head of the table. i go to talk but nothing comes out. "Lizzy. i want to know how you got this money." my dad is holding a wad of cash I'm supposing i got from a night out with cat. "i got it from a friend." my dad slams his hand on the table and yells "that's bullshit! who would ever be friends with a freak like you?! you must have stole it from me!" i look at myself to see I'm shaking and i look to my mom to see her take a drink of her wine with a smug look on her face. i hold my head as i start remembering things. mom could never afford food but could afford wine. dad never gave hugs only hits. i shake my head as tears start pouring down my face and i fall to my knees. "i bet you've been with that boy I've seen walk you home. whoring yourself out and he's your pimp?!" i shake my head more just as myself in this memory does only to see my father slap me and grab my hair. i could feel his grip on my head. "you'll never see that boy again, you want to be a whore, you'll be mine!" i try to scream and run to him but i slowly sink into the ground. i could hear myself screaming at him as he pulled me into the hallway. suddenly the memory fades away as if it was fog. that's when i see jack standing in front of me staring at me in awe. "Lizzy...what have you done?" i look down at myself to see I'm covered in blood. i feel a pain in my chest and screams a blood curdling scream and everything goes black again.

i slowly regain movement and within a few minutes i open my eyes to see cat shaking me lightly, and Harley holding a bat in the air as if she's about to hit something. "Harley? Selina?" Harley stops to look over at me and she quickly swings the bat down and then runs to me. "Lizzy! are you okay?!" i nod my head and sit up only to have a wave of nausea to wash over me" what happened?" i look to selina for an answer but its cranes voice that answers over where Harley was with her bat. "i told them the truth." i look over to see him laughing in a pool of his own blood. cranes face was swollen, bleeding, and bruising already. "Lizzy, he gave you that knowing it had a high possibility of not working and just making you hallucinate or worse. he's working with joker." i look over at him to see him propping himself up on my couch. "what happened? what did you see?" Harley asks in a panicky voice. "i..i don't exactly know..my parents were there...j.. j was there." i trail off. cat and harls look at each other. as i bend over and hold my head my phone starts ringing in my purse. i get up slowly as to not throw up and get it. its the number from before meaning its joker. i answer it. "yes?" my voice shakes as i speak and i feel so weak. "did you really think it would be that easy to remember?" i look at Harley and cat who are staring at me for answers. "why are you putting me through this?! I'm sorry for whatever i did!" i hear laughter over the phone that chills my bones. "come see me tomorrow night, at my club." he hangs up and i look to cat and harls only for my vision to fade to nothing. and im back into my nightmare world