Red Hood
Trail of Slaughter Part VIII
"Hahahahaha!" The fiend laughs, swiping the crowbar sideways through the air.
"CRACK!" The Joker shouts as he slams the hooked end of the bar into the side of the Red Hood's mask.
"Ooooh, that little helmet's thicker this time!" He muses, winding up for another blow
. "Guess I'll just try HARDER!"
The Joker delivers another strike, slapping the curved metal rod against the Red Hood's head with a loud "thwack". Without relenting, he continues - swinging and flailing wildly as he gleefully hops from foot to foot with each powerful hit. Jason instinctively curls up into a ball, covering his unprotected throat. With each strike Jason winces, waiting almost sadistically for the next blow. The pain from the blade in his trapezius muscle almost disappears as the throbbing in his head continues to grow.
Was this the moment I've been waiting for, he wonders.
"Oh, this is FUN!" Belseraph cackles as he flicks his wrist tactfully, smacking the crowbar on the crown of the helmet.
"It's like whack a mole! Well, almost - at least the moles are smart enough to duck!" Bringing down the bar again, he hits the back of the Red Hood's head, causing Jason to momentarily see blackness and fall over onto his side.
"Oops, looks like I hit a nerve there, hahahahaha!"
Standing a few feet away, Azrael watches in silence. With each blow his leader delivers to the weary vigilante, he cringes, trying to look away but to no avail. Deep within him, he feels guilt - a sense of dishonor for watching such a horrible battle take place before him.
It is not honorable, he thinks.
To fight a man - kill a man - who has already battled such insurmountable odds.
A strong sensation rises within him, urging him to do something - say anything - to end this horrible display. But as Azrael opens his mouth, the words fail to come out, and he folds his arms over his chest as he once more becomes silent.
"Ha....ha...hahaha..." Belseraph laughs, breathing heavily as he relents for a moment to catch a second wind.
"Phew, what a workout," he says in a labored voice. As he becomes still for a few seconds, the sound of the sirens wail are heard once more - this time louder and more intense than before. The loud screams of the police cars indicates their distance, now no more than a few blocks away.
"They'll be here any second, Belseraph," Azrael says in haste.
"We should go - now!"
"Go?" The Joker growls, turning to face his henchman with a disturbed look of disappointment.
"This is our moment! The climax of our performance!"
"But the police," Azrael stammers nervously.
"FORGET them," he growls, a wild look rising in his pupils.
"Do you understand the message this will send to Gotham? This is our finest hour - and I won't exit until I've finished this act!"
"But, sir - think about it!" He pleads.
"What difference does all this make if we're dead?"
"DEAD?!" The Joker growls, quickly becoming sick of his lackey's constant questioning.
"Perhaps you're forgetting who runs this show, Azzy..." he says in a low growl, sending a chill down Azrael's spine.
"Maybe I should remind you..."
As the Joker steps closer to Azrael he tightens his grip on the crowbar in his hand. Azrael steps backward, holding up his hands in fear as he tries to ward off his leader's blind fury. Suddenly, Azrael's eyes grow wide, and he lets out a loud shriek as he lunges forward.
"BELSERAPH, WATCHOUT!"
Azrael pushes the Joker to the side with desperate speed as the Red Hood rises. He swings the bloody blade freshly pulled from his shoulder, attempting to stab the ringmaster while he was distracted. Azrael takes the brunt of the attack head on, allowing the blade to hit his chest. The knife deflects off his powerful armor, snapping at the hilt and falling to the ground in pieces. Instinctively, Azrael thrusts his elbow down into the back of Jason's neck, sending him back to the ground.
"Nice save, Azzy," Belseraph says as he runs his hand through his hair, brushing off the attempt as if it were nothing.
"Looks like Red Riding Hood had another trick up his sleeve." The Joker kicks Jason in the face, causing him to roll backward as he limply moves with the hit.
"Pity it was wasted."
"I'm ... I'm sorry for doubting you sir," Azrael apologizes cowardly.
"You were right. Let's just finish this and go."
"Mhh, glad you've seen the error of your ways, Azzy." The Joker steps closer to the Red Hood, raising his hands above his head and tightening his grip on the crowbar as he tense the muscles in his arms.
"Now," he begins, a sinister smile returning to his face.
"Get ready to pull the curtain..."
As the Joker prepares to swing his arms downward his eyes suddenly widen as he lets out a surprised grunt. His arms strangely become weak, and the crowbar drops from his hands to the ground.
"N-No ..." A memorable voice disagrees. A weary Detective Burke staggers his steps behind Belseraph. Burke twists the knife he holds in the small of Belseraph's back, smiling with what little energy he has left.
"Your act's through."
In an unsettling turn, Belseraph swings his arm backward, hitting Burke to the floor and spinning flamboyantly to face him.
"Well, well, well..." the Joker begins, his terrifying smile returning despite the knife protruding from his person.
"I thought you were at death's door - how annoying..." Azrael moves up, stepping in close to Belseraph as he stares at the bloody knife in his master's back.
"Are you alright?"
"Fine, Azzy!" He laughs.
"You don't think I can take a few slashes myself?"
"You surprise me again, sir."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. You know, some of us don't need armor to win our battles, Azzy."
"No kidding-" Red Hood rises in a flash, pulling a pair of handcuffs from his jacket and slapping one cuff on the Joker, and the other on the edge of Azrael's gauntlet.
"What the-"
"GCPD standard issue," Jason says proudly, his vision beginning to blur from his wounds.
"You should never take your eyes off your enemy, Belseraph."
"Mhh, hahaha, very good - and just what does this do, hmm? There's a million ways I'll be able to free myself from these."
"Good," Jason smiles, gritting his teeth as he flexes his muscles with all his might.
"Then I won't feel guilty for doing this!" With all his residual strength, Jason leaps into the air. He raises both his legs and kicks them forward, hitting Azrael and Belseraph square in the chest. The two criminals stagger backward, moving closer to the edge of the river bank as they try to catch their balance. With one final burst, Jason leaps forward as soon as his feet touch the ground. Hitting his helmet into Azrael's breastplate, he knocks the armored warrior into the river, pulling the Joker down with him by the handcuffs at their wrists.
As Jason lands on all fours, he looks up - slightly dazed - to see the Joker's hideous face disappear beneath the waves.
"Heh," he says with a grin, his arms and legs shaking violently.
"Who's laughing now?" No sooner do the words leave his mouth, Jason drops to the ground exhausted. As he lies flat on his chest, he looks out from the eye slits in his helmet to see Detective Burke crawling across the ground toward him.
"Not bad, Burke..." Jason says with a wheeze.
"Yeah," Burke smirks, pushing himself to his knees as his arms twitch and shiver.
"Those were my handcuffs, weren't they?"
Jason smiles,
"You know me all t-too well, Tommy."
As the vigilante lies motionless by the riverside, the sirens wail becomes louder than ever. Down the street, the sound of tires screeching against the asphalt echoes across the area, and the scattered sound of officers shouting from their vehicles fills the air.
"H-Hey, Burke," Jason begins, his consciousness fading quickly.
"Do me a favor?" Burke nods, awaiting his ally's request.
"See if you can get me solitary confinement."
Before Burke can say another word, Jason's eyes snap shut, and he falls into unconsciousness.
