The Demon Of The Night [OUTDATED VERSION]

Nepenthes Mirabilis

It didn't take long for Gotham City to be placed under lockdown after the massive breakout at Arkham Asylum. With hundreds of dangerous and insane patients on the loose, who were suspected to be behind the district attorney's murder, the United States military had to be called in to assist the GCPD.

A shelter in place for all residents was also put into effect, leading to the city looking like if it had been evacuated last minute. All the streets were empty. No cars drove on them nor did any people walk across them. Old newspapers littered the pavements; their fluttering the only sound heard in place of the usual city noise. The subways and trains had been shut down, frozen in what would have been considered rush hour.

It was as if the apocalypse had hit Gotham.

To some, it had. The attack on Arkham was dubbed by those who were lucky enough to survive to have been committed by 'The Angel of Death' or 'Death' itself.

If it hadn't been for the military presence, the city would have plunged itself into anarchy from overwhelming fear.

Right now, Barbara would be at the library since she had time off school. But since the lockdown, she had been forced to stay at home, reading a newspaper from two days ago. She had already read it so many times that she had memorized what each page talked about. It was one of her only connections to the outside world.

With a sigh, Barbara decided to head to sleep even though it was the afternoon. Even though she had been sleeping a lot more than usual.

But it was either that or read the front page about the breakout and Harvey Dent's murder for the millionth time.

~

When she awoke, the sun had already set and dusk had come to take its place. Her room was dark and strange shadows danced around on the walls and ceiling.

But that was not what startled her.

It was the wet, sticky substance clinging to her sleeve.

"What the hell." She choked out as a sting of pain shot through her arm. With a gasp, she jumped out of bed and ran into the bathroom. But when she turned on the light, Barbara almost had to turn it back off to avoid the horrible sight in front of her.

Her nightgown sleeve was stained a maroon color right where the cut was. With great reluctance, she lifted the cloth back, grimacing as she saw that the wound had been reopened.

"O-Oh my G-God." She pulled her sleeve down. "What the hell did I do..."

"B-Barbara," A desperate voice called from her bedroom.

"Shit!" Barbara hurriedly bandaged herself. "R-Richard? Is that you?"

He didn't answer.

"Don't come over here. I'll come to you," she warned, slowly making her way back to the room.

She found Richard to be sitting by the window hunched over. He turned to her, revealing the blood dripping down his mouth and over his shirt.

Instinctively, Barbara's hand clutched her bandage in terror. "W-Where did that blood c-come from?"

His eyes remained downcast. "I shouldn't have done it... I couldn't control myself."

"Where did it come from, Richard?" The possibility of where it did was too sickening to comprehend.

"I will show you." His tone had shifted to one of urgency. "If you decide to help me. If Bruce finds out what I did-"

"Is that all you worry about?" Barbara interrupted. "Can you not live without making a decision based off of him? Can you not be your own man?"