In The Eye of the Beholder | Jonathan Crane

April 2007

I need you to tell me everything will be alright

To chase away the voices in the night

When they call my name

Have I gone insane?

-When They Call My Name (Black Veil Brides)

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"You'll call me at noon, right?" I asked Jonathan as he was about to leave.

"I will," he said. I leaned up and brought him down to my level so I could kiss him.

"I love you, Jonathan."

"I know. I love you too," he whispered back.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't surprised he said that.

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Jonathan never called at noon. He never called at all. He never answered his phone when I called him. My job ended at five. No messages from him. Not one.

"You okay, Amber?" Vicki asked. "You look like you've been on edge all day."

"Jonathan never called. He said he would. I could just be getting worked up over nothing, though."

"Maybe he forgot? I could go to the asylum with you if you're worried. You can never be too careful in this city," Vicki offered. I appreciated the offer, but I wouldn't make Vicki go with me. I know she hated going there. And it wasn't just the asylum people were afraid to near anymore. It was the location it was at. It situated near a neighborhood with the poorest of the poor. People called it the Narrows.

There was no doubt that Gotham was worse than ever.

"You don't have to, but I appreciate the offer. I'll just swing by and check on him."

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"Excuse me," I said to the receptionist. "Can you tell me if Dr. Crane is still here?"

"He's here. Should be in his office," the woman answered. She sounded bored.

"Okay, thanks," I answered somewhat awkwardly. I turned from the woman and made my way to his office.

I knocked when I got to his door. No answer. I knocked again. Still no answer.

"Jonathan? You in there?" I turned the handle. The door was unlocked. I thought that was strange. Why leave the door unlocked? Especially in a place like this.

I went to his desk. It was cluttered with pens, papers, and well, things you'd normally find on a desk. Then I noticed something odd in the mass of paper.

"What's this?" I picked up a scratchy piece of brown fabric. It had holes in it. It felt like burlap. It looked like a mask.

"What the hell is this?" I asked aloud to the empty room.

Moments later I jumped at the sound of an alarm. My heart started to beat faster. I threw the object I was holding back on the desk and ran into the hallway. Guards were rushing past me. I managed to stop one.

"What's going on?" I asked. My heart was pounding.

"Patients got outta their cells. You need to leave miss," the guard said before following the others. I decided to listen to him. I wouldn't be able to find Jonathan. And he would be upset if I got attacked by an unstable patient.

He was capable of taking care of himself anyway.

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It was chaotic inside. Outside was worse. People were running and screaming. A fine mist rolled through the parking lot. At least, I thought it was mist. The coloration appeared off though. Mist wasn't usually green, was it?

Why did everything suddenly seem so much louder?

I felt nails dig into my skin. A man clutched at my arm, digging his nails deep into my flesh. He was screaming so loudly. He looked crazed. But the man himself wasn't what was scaring me. It was the noise he was making. It sounded inhuman.

"Get off!" I yelled at the man. My heart was pounding in my chest.

"Ple...please. Get them off me!" he cried. I quickly looked at him.

"There's nothing on you! Now get off!" I screamed. He continued to hold onto my arm. He dug even deeper into my skin.

"They're everywhere! The bugs... they're crawling all over me," the man groaned.

"Let me go!" I screamed once more. With every ounce of strength I possessed, I shoved him off of me. He fell to the ground and continued to scream. But instead of clawing at my skin, he clawed at his own.

I left him when he started scratching at his face. There wasn't anything I could have done for him.

The places where the man had dug into my skin were bleeding. He'd torn out a large piece of flesh from my arm. It hurt like hell. I could only imagine what the man was doing to himself. None of the things my mind conjured up were pretty.

Somewhere an alarm sounded. I jumped. It was incredibly loud. Another sound came from somewhere to my left. Every person screaming sounded inhumanly loud. I was terrified.

I passed dozens of more people. I didn't even know if I was in the parking lot anymore. Some were like the man, screaming and crying to themselves. Others were violent, attacking other people. I nearly vomited when I saw a woman rip her eyes from their sockets. My breathing hitched when I saw a child lying in the streets.

I ducked down in an ally to try to calm myself. It was a mystery how I'd gotten there. My hands were shaking. My legs could barely support me. I was sweating. Sticky tears ran down my face. My heart pounded in my chest. My breathing was erratic. I could still hear everything. Ever scream, every noise. I heard the sounds of someone being beaten. I closed my eyes and tried to imagine I was somewhere else. It didn't work.

I slid down the wall of a building and sat on the ground. I dug my nails into my palms until they started bleeding. I could barely breathe. I tried to stop crying. My head throbbed. My hands were shaking so badly. My mouth was so dry. God, I was so scared. Everything was so incredibly loud.

It felt like hours had passed when I heard a gruff man's voice. It sounded close. I buried my face into bloody palms.

"We've got another one over here!" the same man yelled. I thought I recognized the voice.

"Please stop yelling. Please, please stop," I cried. A pair of hands landed gently on my shoulders.

"It's okay. We've met before. Do you remember me, Ms. Connery?" a different man said softly. I looked up to see the familiar kind face of Captain Jim Gordon. I remembered this man. I could trust this man.

"Yes," I whispered.

"We're going to take you to a hospital," the captain said in the same quiet voice. Behind him, I recognized his partner Harvey Bullock. I was safe with these people.

For the time being, I was safe.

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A/N: Well, here it is. The beginning of the end. I've finished the last chapters, so all I need to do is edit and post them. The story should be done before the end of the month. 

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter!