Silence

Chapter 35

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My consciousness fades in and out. As soon as I begin to stir, a familiar smelling rag sends me back into oblivion.

Eventually I feel myself ease into consciousness. Pain drums through my head. I can still hear a slight ringing. Everything aches and sores. The faint tang of copper lingers on my tongue.

I'm vaguely aware of sitting upright. I can feel the tightly knotted ropes cutting into my skin. The cool metal of the chair chills my skin to the bone. My hands to the arms of the chair. I try to move my fingers, but I realize my hands are also completely duct taped.

Where am I? Why am I here?

For a brief moment, horror seers through me. They found me. Cadmus found me and took me to some lab.

No, I remember. You were rescued.

Then why am I here?

The memories begin to resurface. The museum. The gallery. The laughing man with a nightmarish grin.

A low, grating voice fills my ears.

"Rise and shine, Ghosty!" hums the voice. The noise rings through my ears, making my head throb even more.

Sluggishly, I force my eyes open and immediately regret it. Staring at me is the blurred silhouette of a man with a hideous smile.

"How's our little firefly?" he asks. "I wish I could say you were as stylish as the other Firefly. Oh well, we can still have plenty of fun, can't we?"

My body trembles. My vision begins to clear, and his horrid face comes into full focus. I fight the soreness in my body and try to pry my hands from the tape.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." He grins. "The only funny business allowed is my own."

He laugh rings through the air, making my headache worse. I'll never get use to that awful sound.

"Everyone wants to leave, and the party hasn't even started yet." I look at him curiously. He chuckles as I struggle against the ropes. "You didn't think you were our only guest, did you?"

He grabs my chair and jerks it around. I let out a sharp breath as the ropes dig further into my skin. I look across the room. Tied to a chair like mine is a man in a gray uniform. A security guard. His hands are simply bound by ropes. He doesn't need duct tape to cover his hands.

I'm not sure if my powers are hindered, if I even have the strength to use them. The willpower it takes to keep my head up is draining enough without trying to density shift or set fire to myself.

The Joker walks over to the man, who struggles even more. He tries to scream, but his mouth is taped shut.

"Such fiery guests we have tonight!" Joker exclaims, then doubles over laughing at his own joke. He turns to the guard. "Let's see what you have to say, since our other friend isn't very chatty."

With that, the Joker rips the duct tape from the man's face. I wince as the guard cries out in pain. He quickly recovers and glares at the Joker with burning hatred.

"I don't know what you're planning," seethes the guard. "But you'll get caught. The police will find you. And if they don't, he will. You won't get away with this."

"Funny how everyone says that," Joker muses. "And how often they're proven wrong."

"Tell me again how many time the Batman put you away," the guard retorts.

"So angry! That kind of stress gives you gray hairs," Joker says. His voice goes dark and his grin widens. "Learn to laugh a little."

He fiddles with a pink flower on the lapel of his dark purple suit. The man's face changes from anger to terror in a split second. I shudder as I realize what the flower contains.

Joker Venom.

Bile rises in my throat as images of victims with permanent, sickening grins flood my mind. I recall Nightwing telling me there were two kinds: a usually non-lethal gas, and a deadly liquid. Both are horrifying to witness. He said Batman had cures for both, but there's no telling how long it will be till he finds us. If he finds us.

"I don't want to have to use this," Joker says. "Oh, who am I kidding? Of course I do!"

He strides back to me and leans in next to my ear. His voice sends my head throbbing, but my eyes stay on the guard across from me.

"But," he continues, his voice low and cold. "I'm willing to offer you a deal. If you try to escape, if you so much as glow in the dark, I teach him how to see the happy side of things."

My stomach turns again as tears fill my eyes. I blink to keep them in, but it only sends them rolling down my face. I look at the guard and meet his gaze. I fill my face with as much resolve as I can muster. I nod slowly, and he blinks in comprehension. Our agreement is silent. We make it out together, or not at all.

I stop struggling, and try to stop myself from shaking. Joker stands back up and leaves my field of vision. 

"Wait a minute..." Joker muses as I hear him rummage through something. "Where is it? Where is it!"

Rushed footsteps fill the air and I hear a door slam. I hold my breath, not willing to let my guard down. I try to turn my head, and nearly throw up in the process. My head spins as I try to figure out what's going on. The guard looks past me, presumably watching the door. He looks at me as if to say It's safe for now.

I listen intently, and nearly jump when I hear a scream tear through the warehouse. Footsteps grow closer and I hear the door open and slam shut.

"Sorry about that little setback," Joker says as he enters my field of vision. "Just had to care of a little technical difficulty."

Joker walks closer to me, and my eyes drift to blood on his purple sleeve. My lip quivers as he steps closer. The guard's eyes widen as the Joker pulls something from behind his back; a syringe filled with green liquid.

"You know, whenever I want to frighten someone," he says, twirling the syringe in his gloved hand. "I usually like to do it on my own. But when the Scarecrow offered me this in exchange for a few of my men, it was just too fun to pass up."

Scarecrow. Everyone knows the rumors of people driven mad with fear from unseen horrors. Tears threaten to shake me from my skin, though I keep as still as I can.

"You leave her alone!" the guard cries. "She's just a kid! She doesn't deserve this!"

"That's the fun part," the Joker snaps back. My skin crawls as his laugh echoes through the room. I have to fight to keep my powers subdued. I can't risk the guard's life to save my own. So I wait, ashamed of the overwhelming shaking of my body and the tears silently rolling down my cheek.

"Let's get started shall we?"

A sharp pain shoots through my neck, and I feel the poison lacing my blood. Laughter fills the air and echoes until I can't remember where it originated. The world tilts, the guard and the clown disappearing. All that's left is me, alone, ropes cutting through my skin as my fear becomes my reality.

~~~

Hey beautiful readers!

I'm very sorry for the lil break, especially on that last cliffhanger. I was having a hard time with certain parts and time just got away from me.

Did you enjoy this chapter? What will the fear toxin do? What will Willow see? Can she escape? What will the Joker do? What will happen next? Leave your thoughts and predictions in the comments!

Please vote, comment, and follow if you like this story so far!

Thank you all so much for reading! See you next chapter!

TTFN!!!!

~ Mocha