Necromancer | Daughter of Batman

Chapter XXII

Alfred lifted his head at the sound of the grandfather clock sliding to the side. Having left his Batman uniform in the cave, Bruce emerged in nothing but a black tank top and sweatpants. "Back early, hm?" Alfred stood and clasped his hands in front of himself. "Are you hungry, sir?"

"I'm alright, thanks, Alfred. Damian is still... out there somewhere. I hope the Court hasn't sunk their claws into that boy... He's too impressionable."

"Indeed. I'm sure he's safe, for now. So long as he's teamed up with that man, no harm should come to him."

The worried father sighed heavily. "Everyone asleep?" Bruce walked up toward the bedrooms while Alfred followed behind.

"Yes, Kimberly fell asleep quite early. She didn't touch her dinner, despite it being her favorite." Alfred walked quietly up the stairs and lowered his voice. Noise carried through the empty halls of the manor, and he wanted to ensure he wouldn't wake the sleeping girl.  "Master Dick stayed with her until she fell asleep, and went off to patrol afterwards. She's been quiet since. Feel free to check on her, Master Bruce, but do your best not to startle her. She's still quite traumatized, you see."

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Kim trembled violently as footsteps echoed throughout the manor's hallways. She closed her eyes and prayed silently for the intruder to go away. She'd tucked her entire body underneath her bed frame. Moments later, her bedroom door came down with a deafening crash. She covered her mouth to regulate her breathing. The agonizingly slow footsteps toward her bed were incredibly sinister, so much so, that she'd begun to cry silently.

"Where are you, baby girl? I know you're in here, so come out." Jason walked around the room as if he were a quiet predator, who'd just closed in on his prey. Kim froze and held her breath, however, her trembling only grew more violent. "I came to keep my promise to you. No need to hide." The terrified girl eyed the edge of the bed, finding he was now lowering himself onto one knee. She closed her eyes, allowing her tears to fall onto the concrete floor. His face appeared before her, and a crude smile soon followed. "There you are..."

Kim cried out in fear. Jason reached underneath the bed and grasped her wrist, a shiny kitchen knife in hand. He dragged her out with such force, she was sure her arm ripped out of its socket. "No!" she shrieked.

Jason had her pinned to the ground with all of his weight. He straddled her delicate frame and shoved his knees in her sides. "Hold still for me, baby!"

Kim wailed as she planted her palms against his chest. She tilted her head back and screamed. "Dad! Dick!"

"Nope!" Jason swung his fist across her face, snapping her neck to the side and making her spine ache. He swiftly wrapped one hand around her neck, and placed the other over her mouth. "Don't ruin this for me, you bitch. It's been too long since I had the opportunity to do this." He laughed as he watched her tears fall down her temples. Her pleading eyes only fueling his anger. "Ya know...It was a real shame you escaped that fortress." he squeezed her neck, cutting off her airway. She wrapped her hand around his wrist in protest, but he only squeezed her harder. "I never got to finish my work. You think you were meant to survive?! Nah... You refused to join us. Now, you die!"

Kim attempted to scream, but they remained muffled under Jason's freezing palm. She felt his fingers digging deep into her neck. It went on for what felt like hours. Her chest heaved up and down as her lungs begged her for air. She tilted her head back as far as she possibly could in a desperate attempt to breathe. Jason brought the kitchen knife back into view. She struggled vehemently to escape his grasp before he could do any damage to her. She reached and grasped at his hair, his ears, his clothing, anything she could find to try and stop him, but he felt nothing. He released her neck ever so slightly, allowing minimal air to enter her collapsing lungs. She gasped, groaned, and coughed uncontrollably, but her attention returned toward his right hand as he brought the knife down to the side of her neck. "Struggle, and I'll make it worse, Kimmy." She shrieked in protest, however, nothing could compare to the feeling of hot metal slicing open the side of her neck. "Yeah. Feel that? It hurts doesn't it?" Her legs straightened underneath him at the sheer pain of his blade. He cut open and ripped her T-shirt, exposing her bare body to him. Her eyes shut tightly and her back arched as she brought the knife to her stomach, slicing carefully. He avoided any vessels and organs he knew of, and stabbing her was out of the question. "Come on, I like hearing you scream. Cry for me!" Her body shook violently at the sheer pain he inflicted on her. In some places, he cut deep, and in others, he only scratched the surface of her pristine skin. Kim screamed and cried underneath his hand. She squeezed his shirt tightly, while her body trembled and quaked in an odd rhythm. She struggled with all of her might to escape him, but he was simply too strong. Jason had no trouble overpowering her, and he knew this. He planned on making this as slow and painful as he possibly could. He treated the knife as if it was a whip, cutting open and slicing any skin he could find, from her neck to her arms, legs, and stomach. "You scared, little girl? Huh?" He raised his fist and struck her forehead, the back of her head soon slamming against the floor. He continued on, now sinking his knife into some of the superficial lacerations he'd made. Each and every cut drew a strangled, painful scream from the girl. "Go on..." He lifted his palm from her mouth. "Beg me to stop. I want to hear you beg."