Multifandom Oneshot Book

Scene - Faces In The Flames - Spooptober Day 4

Josh sat up abruptly, his heart pounding and in a cold sweat, gasping for breath. Another one? Why wouldn't these darn nightmares leave him be? He'd thought being with his family would make them stop but apparently not... he heaved a heavy sigh, there was probably no point in trying to go back to sleep, even if he wasn't too afraid to try. 

He quietly left his tent, glancing up at the stars, they were so beautiful and the full moon provided good light. It was rare to get to see the cosmos this clearly with all the light pollution these days so Josh really savoured it. A cool breeze blew through, making him shiver. Normally he was okay with the cold but, probably thanks to that nightmare, it was really bothering him. He glanced around in the moonlight and spied the firewood left over from the meal they'd had. A fire would help. He quickly and efficiantly set it up, lighting it with the box of matches that'd been left by the wood pile.

Feeling the warmth wash over him, Josh relaxed. He loved watching the rain, that much was true, but he couldn't deny the beauty of fire; the way the flames twisted around each other, the gentle flickering glow and warmth, the way the embers danced on the wind like fireflies or spiralled up into the sky like stars. 

"ᴶᵒˢʰᵘᵃ~"

He stiffened, eyes darting around the clearing. What? Was he hearing things? 

"ᴼʰ ᴶᵒˢʰᵘᵃ, ᴵ ᵏⁿᵒʷ ʸᵒᵘ ᶜᵃⁿ ʰᵉᵃʳ ᵐᵉ~"

No, this was impossible; the others were still fast asleep. Not only that but the voice sounded disgustingly familiar.

"ᴰᵒⁿ'ᵗ ᶦᵍⁿᵒʳᵉ ᵐᵉ ᴶᵒˢʰᵘᵃ, ᴵ'ᵐ ˢᶦᶜᵏ ᵒᶠ ᵇᵉᶦⁿᵍ ᶦᵍⁿᵒʳᵉᵈ."

Wait, the voice, it was coming from... the fire? He returned his gaze to the flames, squinting into the depths.

"ᵀʰᵃᵗ'ˢ ᵐᵘᶜʰ ᵇᵉᵗᵗᵉʳ. ᴵ ʷᵃˢ ᵍᵉᵗᵗᶦⁿᵍ ˢᵒ ᵃⁿⁿᵒʸᵉᵈ ʷᶦᵗʰ ʸᵒᵘ ᵇˡᵒᶜᵏᶦⁿᵍ ᵐᵉ ᵒᵘᵗ ᵃˡˡ ᵗʰᵉˢᵉ ʸᵉᵃʳˢ."

Fear. He didn't know why, but this voice, the words it said, scared him. The voice was so familiar, he swore he'd heard it before, many times, but he couldn't place it.

Then the flames twisted unnaturally and a face appeared in them. 

A face Josh knew intimately well.

His own.

Josh yelped, falling backwards, scrambling to get away from the apparition. Now he knew the voice, now it was paired with a face. "Joker."

A loud and insane laughter rang about the camp, but strangely enough the others didn't stir. "ᶜᵉʳᵗᵃᶦⁿˡʸ ᵗᵒᵒᵏ ʸᵒᵘ ˡᵒⁿᵍ ᵉⁿᵒᵘᵍʰ ˡᶦᵗᵗˡᵉ ᴶᵒˢʰᶦᵉ. ᴴᵃᵛᵉ ʸᵒᵘ ᵇᵉᵉⁿ ᵉⁿʲᵒʸᶦⁿᵍ ᵗʰᵒˢᵉ ᵛᶦˢᶦᵒⁿˢ ᴵ'ᵛᵉ ᵇᵉᵉⁿ ˢᵉⁿᵈᶦⁿᵍ ʸᵒᵘ ᵒᶠ ᵐʸ ʰᵃⁿᵈᶦʷᵒʳᵏ?"

Memories flashed in Josh's mind and he clutched his head. "No... no don't make me see th-that again..." 

Cities burning. 

Charred flesh.

Screaming.

Screaming.

So much screaming.

The Joker laughed again, his grin wide and demented. "ᵂʰʸ ᵉᵛᵉʳ ⁿᵒᵗ? ʸᵒᵘ'ʳᵉ ʲᵘˢᵗ ˡᶦᵏᵉ ᵐᵉ ᵃᶠᵗᵉʳ ᵃˡˡ; ʸᵒᵘ'ʳᵉ ᵃˡˡ ᶠᶦʳᵉ ᵃⁿᵈ ᵖᵒʷᵉʳ ᵃⁿᵈ ʳᵃᵍᵉ. ᴬⁿᵈ ᵈᵒⁿ'ᵗ ᵉᵛᵉⁿ ᵇᵒᵗʰᵉʳ ᵗᵉˡˡᶦⁿᵍ ᵐᵉ ᶦᵗ'ˢ ᵃˡˡ ᵃⁿ ᵃᶜᵗ, ʷᵉ'ʳᵉ ᵗʰᵉ ˢᵉˡᶠ⁻ˢᵃᵐᵉ ᵐᵃⁿ" His figure became clearer, more fully formed. 

Josh couldn't flee, he couldn't leave this creature alone with his family, it'd kill them. But he could barely move anyway; his mind was filled with flames, flames that burned. 

The Joker stepped from the campfire; a copy of Josh made entirely of flame, completely identical in every way bar that manic grin that seemed to be perminently etched onto his face and two blazing red eyes that looked down at the prone human.

Closer.

Closer.

Closer.

Josh was paralyzed in fear, the burning gaze pinning him in place as this spectre drew closer. He so desperately wanted to cry out for help, he knew his father had a fire extingisher on him in case of emergencies, but he couldn't even manage that.

The figure leaned down and grasped Josh's chin with a burning hand, hauling him up, staring right into his eyes.

Red eyes, glowing red eyes. A likeness of himself that looked like some kind of hellfire demon. Josh silently prayed, prayed that one of his family would wake up to go relive themselves and be able to save him. Prayed for rain. Prayed for mercy. Disjointed prayers and pleas flew through his fear-addled mind until the hand grabbed him. Then he screamed. It burned, it wasn't an illusion or dream this was real. He could feel the flames scorch his skin, the burning spreading over his entire body. He couldn't stop screaming. 

That was what woke them up, at the sound of Josh's screams of agony. 

His father was the first to scramble out of his tent. The first to be met with this horrific sight of his son in the grasp of a fiery apperition, flames spreading from the creature to cover Josh's body. He reached into the tent and grabbed the fire extingusher, urging his wife to stay inside, telling her it wasn't safe.

By the time he'd hurried over and blasted the creature with the extingusher's contents, the screaming and struggling had stopped. Josh fell to the floor, his skin melted and horrifically scarred. Unmoving. 

Then came a faint sign of life; breathing, followed by a light whimper. Josh's father threw the extinguisher aside and fell to his knees by his son's side. "Josh? Josh can you hear me?"

A small, weak, groan, one he could only assume was a sign of confirmation.

A nod, at least his son was still alive. And knowing he could understand him was a huge plus. "Don't worry son, your brothers are calling for help You're gonna be okay I promise."

If he could still scream, he would. The burning hadn't stopped, it was like the fire was inside him now, burning him from the inside out. And the laugher was loud in his mind. The laughter and that voice, his own voice, twisted with madness and rage.

"ᴵ ʷᶦⁿ."