Poisonous

Chapter 11 - I Hate Cops

I immediately fell to the ground to try to protect myself. Gun shots and murder were common in Gotham. It wasn't quite as common in downtown as it would be in uptown or midtown.

I saw Olivia drop next to me. Six shots were fired. Tourists were screaming. Not too far away police sirens were going off. I heard the shooter run past me.

After I thought it was safe, I stood up and dusted myself off. "Olivia, I—"

Olivia wasn't moving. She was bleeding out in six different spots. It looked like one bullet grazed her arm, two hit her leg, and three for her chest. Oh God her chest. There was so much blood that it all combined and made one giant puddle of blood.

I started sobbing. "Oh my God, Olivia! I'm sorry. Someone! Please! Help!"

"Shh." Olivia's voice was quiet and weak.

"It's going to be okay. You're going to be okay."

"Eva, we both know I'm not okay. Please, when I die—"

"Don't say that."

"—live your life. Don't follow in your mom's footsteps."

"I will. I promise. But you're going to get past this."

"I'm sorry we started fighting. I should have told you. You're my best friend, Eva. I love you. You got that?"

"I love you, too. You're going to survive. You're going to—"

"Goodbye, Eva. I'll miss you."

She closed her eyes. I saw her last breath escape her mouth.

"No!" I screamed. "Not now! Why?!"

"Miss, please come with me." I felt someone lift me up. I faced Commissioner Gordon.

"No! I can't do this!" I tried to break free of his grasp. One of the police officers grabbed me by the other arm. "Let me go! I need. . ."

What did I need? Did I need to tell Olivia's family the news? Did I need to stay with her until the law enforcers took her dead, bloody body away? No. I needed to stop the man who did this.

"Let me go!" I yanked my arms with all my might. Surprisingly, I was free of their grasp.

I ran down the street. Everything was blurring through my teary eyes. I found a small alleyway to transform into Poison Oak.

I ran through the streets of Gotham. I found the man who killed my best friend. I chased him through the city. He wasn't even looking behind him to see I was following close behind. I tackled him and threw him into an alleyway away from all the people.

I recognized the man. He was the one that robbed the convince store. I put my arm on his neck to keep from running. "Why did you do it! Why did you rob a store! Why did you kill an innocent girl!"

"I-I don't know!" I could see the terror in his eyes.

"You do know! Otherwise you wouldn't have killed her!"

"P-please s-stop. Y-you're hurting me," he pleaded.

"Good."

"Poison Oak!" The all too familiar voice of Robin shouted. Through my peripheral vision, I saw him land next to me. "You don't have to do this. Justice not vengeance."

"Yes, I do! He killed a girl!"

"I know who he killed. I know you were close to her."

"You don't know her! I bet you don't even her name! He didn't know her name!"

"Her name is, was, Olivia Harrington. Please, Red, don't do this. Don't kill this man. The cops are on their way; we don't need two murders tonight."

I took a step back from the killer of Olivia. My arm was still on his throat. "What did you call me?"

"Red."

Was it really him? Was Robin Damian Wayne? I asked myself.

I let go of the man. I used a couple of thin vines to tie his hands behind him. The cops showed up within a minute.

"Officers, I called in earlier about a robbery on the corner of Main and Sixth. I would like to say the only thing this man did tonight was steak 5,000 dollars. But I cannot say that. He killed a teen girl. You didn't stop him in the robbery and he killed someone!" I informed.

"We didn't lose this man. He never robbed the store. The cashier told us that as soon as you left he left without any money," one cop replied.

"What? That's impossible. I was going to stop him! He had a gun! The same gun he killed Olivia with!"

If I didn't stop to help Robin we wouldn't have been in this mess. Olivia would still be alive. I thought.

"We're going to deal with him. Thank you for your time."

"You can't leave!" I shouted. "I still need to talk! It's all my fault." I put my head down and practically whispered the last part.

I guess Robin went to go talk to the cops. Because after I looked up I noticed that he was over by the cop cars. One cop pointed over to me and did the thumbs up. Robin nodded his head.

Did he really ask if I was on their side or not? I guess saving Robin and stopping a murderer wasn't enough.

I started climbing a fire escape that was beside me. "Goodbye, Bird Brains."

"I want to talk to you. You don't need to climb. I've got this."

"Like you had it before? I do remember I was the one to save you."

"I was poisoned then."

"And you aren't now? That was only thirty minutes ago!"

"Yes! I am not poisoned! Now, let me get you up there faster so we can talk, Red."

"I don't need your help," I said as I slipped on the ladder. I wasn't too far up from the ground. I landed on my already hurt ankle. "Ow."

"Come on, Red." I felt Robin grab me.

I saw him aim his grappling hook up towards a building. After he thought it was secure, he tugged the hook just a little. We were instantly lifted in the air. I closed my eyes and hung onto Robin a little tighter. Rising up to the sky is a lot scarier than falling.

"Robin, put me down!" I shouted. I hoped we weren't too high up for anyone to hear us.

His body shifted. "In a minute. After we reach the top.

"How long will that be?"

I could feel him smile through my closed eye. "We've stopped moving and have been on the roof for about a minute."

I opened one eye and then the next. "Why didn't you tell me!"

"You didn't ask."

"But. But. Ugh!" I took a deep breath. I didn't want to argue right now. Not with what happened.

I asked the one question I thought I would never ask. "Who are you, Robin?"

"I think you know."

"Can-can I. . ." I pointed to his mask and gestured like I was taking it off.

He nodded.

I walked up to him. I let out an unsteady breath. I touched his cold, rubbery mask with shaky hands. I slowly pulled his masked off his face. I took a step back. I was staring into the emerald eyes of. . .

Damian Wayne.