Are You Afraid of the Dark?

Did it Work?

Why would I notice that? Cold toes? Why not if I was breathing? Wait...okay I'm breathing. That's good. Anything hurt? Holy hell my head hurts. Damn. Where am I?

I sucked in a deep breath and my eyes snapped open.

Things were blurry at first so I blinked a few times and froze.

I was hanging on the edge of a cliff.

This isn't real. I laughed out loud. "Nice try!~" I shouted in a sing-song voice.

The scene changed to show me in a clear box, covered head to foot in spiders. I could feel them crawling over my skin. Every single tiny foot movement. "You think that changing the fear, that something with happen?" I called out, feeling the spiders around my mouth crawl down my throat.

Again, new scene. Darkness. I laughed loudly and wildly. "Really, darkness? Ha! You don't know me at all, do you?"

Erie sounds surround me. Twigs snapping. Low growling. Whooshing.

I laugh harder. Who does this person think they are? Giving me false generic fears? I am not afraid of anything. And I think they know that because them seem to have panicked, giving me fear of the dark.

<•>

I thrash my head suddenly to the right and my eyes slowly open.

I'm tied to a chair. Leather straps around my ankles, wrists, and waist. To my right there's a large hat with a card in the ribbon that said 10/6. I look forward and see the astonished faces of Jonathan, minus the Scarecrow mask, and a man with blonde hair, large front teeth, and an eccentric fashion sense. My eyes lit up when the name came to me.

"How in Wonderland did she do that?" Jervis Tetch asked incredulously.

"A question I keep asking myself as well." Jonathan grumbled.

"Vat vas sat oll about?" I inquired.

"Well, uhm, I..." Jervis shook his head vigorously, he caught his hat before it fell off and fixed it so it sat right. He composed himself. "Jonny here wanted me to send you to a scary place. He won't tell me why though. Do you know?"

"Apparently his Fear Toxin-"

"-We don't need that information thrown around, Valencia." Jonathan interrupted.

"Fear Toxin? What about it?" Jervis questioned.

"It doesn't-" I started.

"What did I just say?" Jonathan interrupted me with a heated warning.

"Doesn't work on me." I finished, sitting back in the chair and trying to get comfortable.

"Oh, really?" Jervis raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. And if you tell anyone," Jonathan growled, grabbing Jervis by the lapels and bringing him to look at him dead in the eye. "I'll give you a triple dose of Fear Toxin. Your mind's horrors play will across your vision until the light goes out of your eyes, your mouth open in strangled terror, limbs twisted in unholy shapes, and no one will find your contorted body until it starts to fester and the rats in this abominable hole you call a home have already made a feast of your corpse." He paused to let it sink in, his mouth twisted into a furious grimace. "Is. That. Clear. Tetch."

"Y-Yes, Mister Crane." Jervis shook in absolute terror.

"It's Doctor Crane, you mutt!" Jon threw Jervis to the ground harshly. He looked to me, anger pouring through his ears.

I can distinctly remember a look of boredom was etched into my features during this hullabaloo.

"Let's go." Jonathan growled, stepping towards me and untying my bonds. He then threw me over his right shoulder, his arm wrapped around my legs and his other hand occupied by his briefcase.

"I can valk perfectly fine." I attempted to reason.

"I don't want you to run." Jonathan replied, tightening his grip on my legs. We evidently left the room.

From my vantage point, all I could really see was the back of Jonathan's tweed suit and the ground as it passed below us. "Vhere are ve going?" I inquired.

"My place." Jon answered blandly.

"But I have nosing to vear. I can't stay in my pajamas forever, you know." I stated.

"I have some things for you, don't worry."

"I never said I vas."

Silence.

When we got outside, the ground was wet and we stopped at a nice black Camero. Jon put his briefcase on the trunk of the car and opened it, pulling out a set of keys, closing it, then took his case off the trunk. He opened the trunk and threw me in, closing it promptly after.

"Hey!" I banged on the trunk's lid. "Was der fick?"

"What's that? I can't hear you!"

I groaned and kicked the lid. I heard the driver's side door open then close and felt the engine start. I pushed on where I thought the folding cup holder thing was. This car doesn't have one? What kind of car doesn't have a fold-down cup holder? I sighed again, defeated. I kicked his seat for good measure before closing my eyes and curling up in a ball. Damn, my head fucking hurts.

*Revised 20 Jan 2016*