"Birds" entry - Caged
Title: Caged
Universe: General
Genres: Action/Drama
Rating: PG
Characters: Scarecrow, OC
Word Count: 500
Summary: An electrical outage brings a woman's fears to life...
Caged
“Flimsy locks for someone afraid of the outside world,” the intruder said, cutting the phone line. “Anyone could burst in unknown during a power outage.”
The woman scrambled into the kitchen, blindly reaching for a knife.
“Tut tut.” The man grabbed her, holding scissors to her throat. “Drop it.”
The knife fell to the floor and was kicked away. Moonlight from the window revealed her attacker to be a tall figure wearing a grotesque mask. A hangman’s noose dangled from his neck. This was no burglar. This was a sick monster. The woman dropped to her knees, screaming.
He put a bony finger to her lips. “Do you really think anyone cares? You haven’t left this house in six years. Your neighbors don’t even know you.”
“How do you know about me?”
“Medical files are easy to find, Sylvia Lily Dove, age 26, history of panic attacks and agoraphobia. It’s a lovely name. How could I choose anyone else?”
“Choose me for what?”
“I don’t look down on you, Sylvia. No, I admire you, sitting in your little cage. You have the right idea. The world is a callous place. Humanity’s natural response is fear. And I’m going to teach everyone the meaning of fear…”
The man patted her cheek with one hand; with the other, he released a burst of poison into her face.
She hacked and fell over, too terrified to scream or move.
The man towered over her, a monster with crazed eyes and gleeful teeth.
“You see, Sylvia, people are nothing but a flock of birds. You frighten one bird, and the whole flock will follow. Flock mentality breeds panic. I love panic.”
“You love power.”
A new, dark voice. One that seemed to terrify even the master of fear.
Sylvia watched as the shadows leapt out, knocking the man over. She heard the spray of poison and the man’s screams. More struggling noises. Then, she felt something pinching her neck.
Suddenly the lights came on. Sylvia gasped.
The Batman stood before her. “I just gave you the antidote to the Scarecrow’s toxin.” He gestured to the monster tied up on the floor. “I need you to do something. Take off his mask.”
Sylvia felt a wave of anxiety, but she did as he said.
There, in the harshness of fluorescent light, was nothing but a gangly, weak man.
“This is Jonathan Crane,” Batman said. “Fear always makes things seem worse than they are.”
“How did you find me?!” Crane snarled.
“Medical files are easy to find. It was no problem deciphering who you’d choose to victimize.”
Crane's rants could be heard until Batman shoved his head into the car and slammed the door. Then he returned to Sylvia, waiting in her doorway.
“The world doesn’t seem so scary, knowing you’re in it.”
“I’ll send police to check on you.”
“Wait, Batman…”
“Yes?”
Sylvia took a deep breath.
“Can I come with you?”
Batman smiled, held out his hand, and helped her take the first step.
Universe: General
Genres: Action/Drama
Rating: PG
Characters: Scarecrow, OC
Word Count: 500
Summary: An electrical outage brings a woman's fears to life...
Caged
“Flimsy locks for someone afraid of the outside world,” the intruder said, cutting the phone line. “Anyone could burst in unknown during a power outage.”
The woman scrambled into the kitchen, blindly reaching for a knife.
“Tut tut.” The man grabbed her, holding scissors to her throat. “Drop it.”
The knife fell to the floor and was kicked away. Moonlight from the window revealed her attacker to be a tall figure wearing a grotesque mask. A hangman’s noose dangled from his neck. This was no burglar. This was a sick monster. The woman dropped to her knees, screaming.
He put a bony finger to her lips. “Do you really think anyone cares? You haven’t left this house in six years. Your neighbors don’t even know you.”
“How do you know about me?”
“Medical files are easy to find, Sylvia Lily Dove, age 26, history of panic attacks and agoraphobia. It’s a lovely name. How could I choose anyone else?”
“Choose me for what?”
“I don’t look down on you, Sylvia. No, I admire you, sitting in your little cage. You have the right idea. The world is a callous place. Humanity’s natural response is fear. And I’m going to teach everyone the meaning of fear…”
The man patted her cheek with one hand; with the other, he released a burst of poison into her face.
She hacked and fell over, too terrified to scream or move.
The man towered over her, a monster with crazed eyes and gleeful teeth.
“You see, Sylvia, people are nothing but a flock of birds. You frighten one bird, and the whole flock will follow. Flock mentality breeds panic. I love panic.”
“You love power.”
A new, dark voice. One that seemed to terrify even the master of fear.
Sylvia watched as the shadows leapt out, knocking the man over. She heard the spray of poison and the man’s screams. More struggling noises. Then, she felt something pinching her neck.
Suddenly the lights came on. Sylvia gasped.
The Batman stood before her. “I just gave you the antidote to the Scarecrow’s toxin.” He gestured to the monster tied up on the floor. “I need you to do something. Take off his mask.”
Sylvia felt a wave of anxiety, but she did as he said.
There, in the harshness of fluorescent light, was nothing but a gangly, weak man.
“This is Jonathan Crane,” Batman said. “Fear always makes things seem worse than they are.”
“How did you find me?!” Crane snarled.
“Medical files are easy to find. It was no problem deciphering who you’d choose to victimize.”
Crane's rants could be heard until Batman shoved his head into the car and slammed the door. Then he returned to Sylvia, waiting in her doorway.
“The world doesn’t seem so scary, knowing you’re in it.”
“I’ll send police to check on you.”
“Wait, Batman…”
“Yes?”
Sylvia took a deep breath.
“Can I come with you?”
Batman smiled, held out his hand, and helped her take the first step.