Nothing to Fear

I drove across the New Trigate Bridge, Arkham Isle was in my view. I had suffered through a sleepless night again and a long afternoon. Even after 2 cups of coffee, I felt drowsy Obviously, the fact that I was sleep deprived wouldn’t benefit me during my interview at Arkham Asylum.

My father had left shortly after our lunch, so I was unable to ask for any pointers or question him about the paper I had found. My father’s business dealt with shipping, not criminals like Victor Zsasz. Then again, business in Gotham always seemed to intertwine. What would Victor Zsasz have to do with my father’s business?

My car splashed through puddles as I drove off the bridge. Rainwater sprayed my windshield, blurring my view of Arkham Asylum. I flipped on the windshield wipers, ignoring the shiver that erupted through my body as I approached the front gate. Beside the gate were several guard towers. “May I help you?” A call box the left asked.

“I’m here to meet with Dr. Crane,” I said to the call box. It was silent for a moment and I half believed that they would tell me to turn back, but after a moment they opened the gates. “Do you know which building?” I asked, a little embarrassed for asking.

“You should check at Arkham Mansion. All the main offices are there. It’s at Arkham East, just turn left after Intensive Care,” a voice spoke back. I thanked him and rolled my window back up.

Beyond the gates sat, what would seemed to be, a little like a small village. That is, without the people. There wasn’t a person in sight on Arkham Isle, though countless trucks and cars were parked on the muddy road. Another word that might describe the place would be a ghost town. A perfect example, in fact. Maybe too perfect.

I drove passed a large brick building that read Intensive Care. Like the guard had instructed, I turned left. The road turned into a tunnel-like gate. This time, a couple guards with guns stood on duty. I smiled, trying not to seem too nervous around the firearms. Once out of the gate-like tunnel, I saw Arkham Mansion up ahead.

A breathtaking building, that seemed to be a giant greenhouse, stood right before Arkham Mansion. Vines crept up its stone walls. Next was a small cemetery, which gave me the creeps. I could just barley see a stone angel beyond the cemetery gates. Its arms were spread out as if welcoming me to it.

I parked my car next to Arkham Mansion. It had began to rain as I stepped out of my car. I cursed under my breath and ran to the porch. A camera turned in my direction and a buzzer went off. I grabbed the giant door handle and yanked it open.

Stepping into Arkham Mansion was like stepping into some dismal nightmare. The ceiling was high and the windows were large and the carpeting was extravagant, but it all had an essence was that of a horror film. You might expect to see a building like it in a Dracula movie. The thought made me extra cautious.

There was a check in box to my left, a orderly woman with a flowered shirt on and a tag sat. She smiled at me as I stepped towards her. I tried to look passed the needle impressions on her arms as she opened the sliding window. “Hello. I’m Alizabeth Knight. I have an appointment with Dr. Crane.” The woman’s eyes focused into realization when I mentioned Dr. Crane. I couldn’t read her mood towards him.

“Do you know what time the appointment was scheduled for?” She asked, her voice had a tinge of attitude and I began to play with the sleeves on my jacket.

“He just said to be here before ten.” The woman nodded, picked up the phone beside her, and began to dial a number. I waited patiently, listening to the dial tone as it rung. After a few more unanswered rings, the orderly hung up the phone.

“He might be with a patient right now. You’re welcome to take a seat in the lobby while you wait.” She gestured towards the lobby with a hand. I turned to see a wide hallway lined with a couple benches.

“How long do you think Dr. Crane will be?” I asked, not wanting to hang around an empty hallway for hours.

“Honey, I have no idea. Half the time I don’t know what’s going on in this place. He might just be going to get a cup of coffee. How about I leave him a message on his answering machine?” I nodded, not knowing if she wanted an apology or ‘thank you‘. “Wait in the lobby and I‘ll tell you when he gets back with me.”

I heard her redialing numbers as I stepped into the lobby, all my nerves falling away. I found a seat near the middle of the room. Taking it, I scanned the room for anything to busy myself. There were a stack of magazines, dated from a few years back and a television with a fuzzy screen.

I exhaled, getting out my phone. I hade no reception. “Of course,” I muttered. If I died here, no one would be able to find my body. Shutting my phone, I leaned back in my chair to take in Arkham Mansion once more. A large painting of an old man sat tall and proud on the wall. He had glasses and an eerie look about him. He reminded me a bit of Jeff Goldblum in The Fly. Below the frame, a plaque read “Dr. Jeremiah Arkham”.

“Handsome, isn’t he?” A croaky voice whispered. I jumped in my seat to find that an older woman with patient clothes on was standing two feet away from me. She had knotty white hair and a few missing teeth. The little teeth she had remaining were yellow. Her skin was an off color with liver spots and bore scars. She let out a hysterical laugh. “I don’t bite, but the Croc… he bites. Yes, he does.”

“W-who?” I managed, not wanting to draw any attention to the scene. It seemed too risky. The woman shook her head and let out another laugh.

“Killer Croc,” she croaked. Her wild eyes bore into mine. I could see red vanes poking out through the white like snakes in the water. “He watched me come into the water and he-he bit my leg so I couldn’t walk.” She gestured down to her bare feet. “And wants The Croc has you where he wants you; has your blood, your sent…-” She made a biting motion with her hands.

“Alyce! There you are.” My eyes searched for the source of the voice. “What have I told you about sneaking out during one of our sessions?” The woman let out a sob and began to cry. The source of the voice was a man. He was slightly chubby with black hair and dark eyes. His domination had to be Korean.

“Forgive me,” he spoke. He stepped towards Alyce and placed a hand on her shoulder. She shuttered and squeezed her eyes shut. “I’m Dr. Bolding. I assure you Alyce will do you no harm.” Alyce let out a shrill breath when her name was mentioned.

“She was talking about some kind of… Crocodile.” Dr. Bolding shook his head.

“Just another patient here at Arkham. It was years ago.” Dr. Bolding pushed the event aside as if it were meaningless. “They have found a much more secure wing for Mr. Jones. Anyways, you must be?”

“Alizabeth Knight. I’m here to meet with Dr. Crane, actually. I guess he was caught up in some work. I’m waiting to hear back from him.” Dr. Bolding chuckled. My eye brows knitted together in confusion.

“Dr. Crane will stay in the med lab for hours without a coffee break. Let’s just say he doesn’t like to be bothered during his lab experiments.” There was a joking edge to Dr. Bolding’s voice.

“Experiments?” I questioned.

“Yeah. I think he’s trying to cure cancer or something. Who really knows?” He let out another laugh, this time it seemed a little forced. “I better get Alyce back to her cell.” He turned to leave and then stopped himself. “Do you want me to get him?”

“I don’t think you’ll have to, Doctor,” the orderly from the check in box had entered the lobby. Dr. Bolding and I turned to her. “Dr. Crane is on his way here right now.”

“Coffee break?” Dr. Bolding asked, edge to his voice this time. The orderly raised her eyebrows, but didn’t respond. Instead, she turned and walked back to her desk.

“Well, it was nice meeting you, Miss Knight. Common, Alyce.” I watched as him and Alyce walked out of the Lobby, Alyce carrying on about Killer Croc once more.

I sat up straight again, facing the picture of Jeremiah Arkham. Not entirely surprising, something made me jump out of my seat again. The television sparked on, showing a view of the bald man with blue eyes and an unmistakably creepy smile.

“Victor Zsasz will be transported to Arkham Asylum penitentiary tomorrow, afternoon. State officials say that he will be held under maximum security and the citizens of Gotham no longer have to worry about the convicted serial killer.” A news lady spoke. I shook my head. Victor Zsasz was being imprisoned, not killed off for good.

The screen still framed, yet another picture of Zsasz. His blue eyes were intense and hungry. I stared into them wondering why someone would want to kill so badly. What would motivate someone to kill at random? Was there really a logical explanation other than insanity? Zsasz certainly thought so.

“I see the satellite is working again,” a voice as silent as a whisper spoke. My attention turned to Dr. Crane. He was wearing an auburn sweater vest, a red tie, and a black jacket over that. He cocked his head when I didn’t respond. “My apologies for being late. I hope I didn’t keep you from anything, Miss Knight.”

“No, you didn’t,” I answered, unsure of how to go about our meeting. He hadn’t exactly said that he intended on interviewing me. When Professor Houser delivered the invitation to me, it sounded more like Dr. Crane just wanted to talk.

“Right. Well, this way, please.” He nodded towards an elevator at the other end of the lobby. I stood up and followed him, my stomach regaining all the nerves from before.

The elevator ride was silent. I watched Dr. Crane out of the corner of my eye. He was completely lost somewhere else, that I could tell. I half wanted to start a conversation with him, but the other half of me was avoiding the very thought of it. I stuck to my earlier assumption that Dr. Crane was in his late 20’s, despite the fact that he dressed a little like my grandfather would.

The elevator stopped and the door pinged open. “If you have any questions, Miss Knight, I encourage you to ask.” I bit my tongue, having the feeling that he knew I was watching him.

We continued down a narrow hallways, passing doors every few yards. Eventually, we reached a door that read Dr. J. Crane in block letters. He took out a key from his pocket and stuck it in the doorknob. After a twist, he unlocked the door and I followed him inside his office.
With a scatter of papers laid out across the desk, a few file cabinets, and little desk ornaments; Dr. Crane’s office looked much like my fathers. The only thing that was missing were family photos. I scanned the room in search of them, but couldn’t find any. Did Dr. Crane have family?

“Sorry it’s such a mess. I haven’t had the time to organize,” Dr. Crane said as he walked to his desk and began to straighten a pile of papers.

“It’s fine. I’m used to it. My father is the same way.” Dr. Crane let out a light laugh and took a seat at his desk. He gestured towards the chair in front of his desk. I took it. He was still trying to organize his desk space, placing things in drawers and stacking papers into piles. My eyes caught sight of the names Jones at the top of one of the papers.

“Dr Crane,” I spoke. He looked up instantly, as if he had forgotten I was there. “What’s the story with Jones, or I believe he’s sometimes referred to as Killer Croc?” The name gave me shivers, but Dr. Crane seemed undisturbed by the subject.

His head feel down and he took of his glasses. I felt more self-conscious now that I could see his blue eyes looking at me. I swallowed. “Waylon Jones is a patient here at Arkham. He has a form of regressive atavism, so he’s kept under high security.” The way Dr. Crane spoke gave me the impression that perhaps he wasn’t open to talk about his patients, but that didn’t disinterest me.

“What’s regressive atavism?” I asked, trying my best to pronounce it correctly.

“It’s the tendency to revert to an ancestral type, meaning that he has inherited traits of an ancestral species of the human race. In this case, a reptile.” Dr. Crane kept his eyes locked on mine as he spoke. A part of me felt uncomfortable under his gaze, the other part welcomed it.

“So, he has animal qualities?” I offered. A slight smile played at Dr. Crane’s lips and this surprised me.

“At the least, Miss Knight.” He spun around in his chair and retrieved a file folder. He flipped it open and I saw my name written on the first page. My eyebrows knitted together. Dr. Crane looked up at me and saw that I was confused. “It’s okay. I’m just going over a few things.” He looked back down and began flipping through my records. “Unless you have something to hide, Miss Knight.”

It was silent for a few moments and my heart was racing. For some reason I forgot if there was anything bad in my records. Had I ever committed a felony? Did I pay my bills on time? I knew I hadn’t paid off my car loan yet, but why would they be interested in that?

“Dr. Crane, I don’t understand something.” Dr. Crane looked up from my records. “I mean, I want to work here more than anything, but what are you basing your decisions on? Arkham Asylum is a very high standard institute and while I’ve maintained an A all through my first three years at Gotham University, I don’t think that I am skillful enough to be hired to deal with extremes.”

“Oh, you won’t be dealing with extremes, Miss Knight. Not just yet.” I looked at him puzzled.

“No?” I questioned.

“I’ve been looking for an assistant to help me with the diagnosis of my patients and, frankly Miss Knight, you’re just the person I had in mind.” He shut the file and scribbled something on a note paper.

I didn’t know exactly what to say. What could I say? I was speechless. I wanted to thank him, but at the same time I wanted to question him some more. He had only met me the once and he already had records of me? I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Dr. Crane looked up at me.

“What’s your class schedule?” He asked in a whisper.

“I have Experimental Psychology on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4-6, Cultural Anthropology from 9-10:30 A.M on Mondays, and Ethics and Research Methodology from 9-10 P.M on Fridays.” Dr. Crane began scribbling my schedule on a piece of paper.

“I should have all the paperwork ready for you to sign by tomorrow afternoon.” He slid the notebook paper with my class schedule into my file and tucked it away somewhere behind his desk.

We both stood up at the same time, Dr. Crane maneuvering around his desk. He was about five inches taller than me, I noted in my head. He held out his hand for me to shake. “I look forward to working with you, Miss. Knight.”

As I took his hand, my eyes glanced down at his hand. No ring. I blushed a bit, not exactly knowing why. My eyes instantly found his and I was locked in another gaze. I opened my mouth to speak, but as before, nothing came out. At that moment, everything went dark. I let out a scream and I felt my hand clutch Dr. Crane’s. I heard him breathe in a mouthful of air, but nothing else.

All was silent. I couldn’t see anything. Dr. Crane had no windows in his office. I couldn’t tell if my eyes were open or closed. My eyes darted all through the room, in a desperate panic for light. The darkness created images in my head, sending phantom shadows in the dark. Everything I feared came to life in the dark.

I clung onto the nearest thing to me. Without really meaning to I began to whimper. Seeing the nightmares from my childhood dreams gave me no comfort. For some reason I felt in danger. I felt a hand brush down my back. It sent goose bumps up my arms, but it felt good to know someone was there.

A light flickered on from the hallway. It was unsteady and continued blinking. A few voices sounded off from inside Arkham Mansion. “Alizabeth?” Dr. Crane spoke. It surprised me to hear him speak my name. It wasn’t until he spoke that I found out that I was holding onto him. I slowly stepped back, concentrating on the light in the hallway.

“W-what happened?” I asked. As if on cue, the office light flickered back on. Dr. Crane was watching me, something buried beneath his absent expression. I stepped back a few feet from him and he unwrapped his arm from my back.

“Power shortage. Must be due to the storm.” I was breathing heavily and looking around. My senses were all alert.

“Attention staff and visitors, there has been power shortage in the system. I caution that you all take extreme actions to-”. The voice over cut off. I instantly shot a glance at Dr. Crane who looked just as confused.

“Good evening, Arkham Asylum. Please head my warning and stay where you are. There is a bat in the building.” Obviously, the person that spoke the second time was not the warden. I looked over to Dr. Crane who looked back at me in return.

“Who is that?” I asked in a single breath.

“Waylon Jones,” he answered.