When Night Comes

Chapter Seven

Something was wrong here, something was terribly wrong. Goosebumps crept over my arms as we got closer and then Dinah tentatively turned the chair and let out a human scream. And I joined her.
Ollie had his throat slit, blood flowing freely from the wound and his head tilted back so that his unseeing eyes stared at the ceiling. His chin was bloody as well, he'd obviously choked on his own blood. It was disgusting. And the last thing I ever did was shout at him. What kind of person was I?
"Artemis. Arty, are you okay?"
I looked up at Dinah as she helped me back to my shaking legs and then pulled me in for a hug, both of us crying into the other. Neither of us checked, but we knew that Red would be shut down as well, permanently. It felt like forever until my eyes dried and I broke apart from Dinah again, still keeping one hand in hers.
"Do you think Dick did this?" I asked, but I already knew the answer.
"We can't think of Dick and Talon as the same person." Dinah said, but her words were choked, "Talon did this, not Dick. He'd never do this."
But he did. That's what she was thinking. And if we made it out of this, none of us were ever going to look at him the same again. And it's what I was thinking. He could have fought himself, we've all done it before. So why didn't he now? Only one answer: he liked doing this.
"I know." I said anyway as I leant back on her shoulder and we looked anywhere but at Ollie, "Come on, let's get out of here. Tell Batman what happened."
She nodded her head and we walked to the door on numb legs, but it was locked. I tried again, jiggling the doorknob as hard as I could but the door wouldn't budge. I turned back around, fear now overtaking me.
"Dinah, the door's locked. Like, properly locked." I said as my eyes scanned the room for another escape, skipping over Ollie as quickly as possible and landing on the waterfall, "We need to go through the waterfall exit."
"Okay." She said as we walked over that way, somehow both of us even more on edge than before.
I reached the little corridor that weaved around the waterfall and into the infirmary but the door was, once again, locked. I threw all my weight behind it and tried my hardest to get out, but it was not yielding.
"Is there any other way out of this room?" I asked as I came back out and saw Dinah with Ollie.
Maybe I should be silent for a moment. She had his hand in hers, silent tears tracking a line down her cheeks as she spoke in whispers to him. Nothing that I should listen in on. I pulled my phone out of my pocket to check for any signal as I headed back down the corridor, getting a bar right by the door. That was all I needed. I punched in Wally's number at top speed.
"What's wrong?" He asked instantly.
"We've been, it's Ollie. Dick-" Now it was starting to really hit, the truth, "Wally, please help us. Dinah and I are trapped. We're in the therapy room. Dick's- he's already killed Ollie and Red." My breathing hitched as I said that a great gasping sob finally escaped me, "Please, I'm scared Wally."
I heard movement on the other end of the line, he must be running here as fast as he can. I reigned my emotions back in, someone had to be strong for Dinah, and headed back to the main room. Dinah was still by Ollie, holding his head to her chest as if she could bring him back. I took in another shaky breath and headed over to the door, a shadow on the other side.
"Wally." I said as I put my hand against the door, "Please, help us."
"I'm going to get you out of there." He promised, "Don't you worry. Nothing's going to hurt you."
"Don't be so sure about that."
Dinah's head shot up as the voice echoed around the room and my hair stood on edge. We both strained our eyes to see him, but he was doing one of his ninja tricks. God, it was terrifying to be on the receiving end of this.
"Please Wally, he's in here with us." I begged quietly, I never begged.
The door started pounding, as if he was throwing all his weight against it. And then there was a small noise, echoing around the almost silent room as he landed on the floor, right by the waterfall where the light of outside outlined him.
"Did you do this?" Dinah asked as she moved away from Ollie and towards me.
"Of course I did." He said and I think a smile cut across his features, "But did you know that if you stretch a human's skin across a baseball field, people will call you disturbed and no one will want to be your friend anymore?"
"Why are you telling us that?" I asked, trying to mask my shaking voice and failing.
"Just thought you should know." He moved forward, the outline becoming less prominent until I could actually see his face, his golden eyes and black veins, "You know, before I take you to my haunt."
"What?" Dinah asked and he turned his sharp eyes to her.
"I like you, you're interesting." He said as if it was obvious, "You'll be fun to play with. Now, come on."
Then he moved. Dinah was out like a light in less than a second. I ducked as he came at me and ran the other way, towards the waterfall. I could jump, but I'm not sure I'd survive the fall. The undercurrent could take me in a second. I rolled as I felt him soar over the top of me and land an expert flip, his claws glinting in the little light there was in the room. I turned and ran back to the door as something scrapped against my legs and I felt them give as a scream escaped my throat. I couldn't get up. No. Nonononononononono. I turned my head to see him walking over to me, his eyes glinting with crazy.
"Artemis! Artemis answer me!" I could hear Wally screaming from the other side of the door, really throwing himself against it now, "Artemis! ARTEMIS!"
I dragged myself over to the door, ignoring the searing pain in my legs and raised a bloody hand against the window, "I love you, Wally. I'll always love you."
"No, please. Artemis! ARTEMIS!"