Fearful and the Fearless- A Jonathan Crane Fan Fiction

Chapter Nineteen {Final Chapter!}

The Wayne Manor was quiet without the house guest who had resided with Bruce and Alfred those three months. Shannon had only been gone two weeks, yet she was already dearly missed by the two occupants of the manor. Still they knew it was better for the girl to be away from the crime filled city; where she was now was only a city or so out, in a very small home for the insane where the patients were delusional rather than murderous.

The silence was beginning to take its toll on both Bruce and Alfred- but not just that of the home. The silence of the whole city was wearing on them. Only one breakout since Jonathan and Zsasz had escaped their separate holdings, and the man had been caught within a weak. Jarvis Tech certainly wasn't the best criminal… It had been rumored that Zsasz had gone on to a different city, and Jonathan… Well, there hadn't been a peep out of him since Shannon had 'died'.

Bruce now sat in the living area, reading a newspaper from the town Zsasz was said to be in. Apparently there had been four separate families killed In the same way the last killing had set- the people had been left in positions that would portray normal life with bleeding chests and throats. He could hear the phone ring in the kitchen, but it was quickly answered by Alfred. Thinking nothing of it, Bruce picked up the newspaper from his own city, Gotham, and began reading. The largest article was about the death of Batman, filled with more conspiracy theories. People weren't willing to believe their favorite hero was dead- he wasn't, but that wasn't the point. It wasn't like he would never be back, there just was nothing he was needed for at the time.

"Master Bruce!" Alfred suddenly called, sounding worried. Bruce looked  towards the kitchen, where Alfred had just appeared in the doorway.

"Alfred?" Bruce asked, standing and quickly walking to his aged butler, "What's happened?"

"It was the asylum keeping Shannon," Alfred panted, his hand over his heart, the stress obviously too much for the old man, "She has escaped… Two young women were tending to her, she killed them…"

"What…. How?!" Bruce practically screamed, helping Alfred over to a chair. How had Shannon broken out? With her disability, she shouldn't have been able to overpower two nurses, let alone escape.

"They said she had been quiet ever since we left, barely talking and screaming at night.. The two nurses were alone manning the asylum and heard her, they thought they should help… They said it was a rather gruesome sight… She got out through a broken window," Alfred said sadly, "They've been searching, but nothing…"

"Did she say anything? Did they say she had said-"

"She was talking to herself about Jonathan Crane and the Scarecrow, and that was it," Alfred told him, shaking his head.

"She'll be coming back this way, then," Bruce mumbled, "She wants to find Jonathan…"

"What should we do about it, Master Bruce?" Alfred asked, composing himself a little. Bruce took a deep breath, knowing the answer to the question.

"We need to find Crane… He's the only one who will be able to control her," he muttered, walking towards the kitchen.

"There hasn't been a sighting of him in months," Alfred reminded Bruce, "What if he's left Gotham?"

"Then I'll find him," Bruce responded, running a hand through his hair, "Shannon's killed two people now, and she's coming to Gotham. Her father thinks she's dead- everyone thinks she is dead… do you realize how dangerous this could be?"

"Not to mention she knows how to get into Arkham and knows the inmates," Alfred brought up, bringing a whole new problem to Bruce's mind. "Do you think he will even come back when he knows Shannon is coming?"