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She yelped as she collided with the brick wall, struggling to stay on her feet as she bit her tongue. Her eyes were wide with fright as she looked up at the two boys grinning down at her. They were bigger and stronger than her, and they knew it. Why else would they hurt her like this?
“Aw, I think she’s going to cry, Dylan.” The first jeered to the second. The bigger of the two, Dylan, grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked sharply, causing her to cry out again. She could feel tears stinging her eyes as the three of them heard sirens whizz past on the opposite street, and her head lifted slightly in futile hope.
“What, you think the cops are going to come rescue you?” Dylan laughed before tugging on her hair again, “Come on, give us a break.” She shook her head with a barely stifled sob as Dylan released her, only for the other to push her roughly to the ground.
“Maybe if you stopped eating so much you wouldn’t get picked on, cow.”
She held her hand over her mouth and squeezed her eyes tightly shut as tears ran down her face. She didn’t want them to see her cry, to see something else for them to pick on her for. She was weak, she knew that, they knew that, she was weak and worthless.
“What, you going deaf now?” Dylan questioned.
“Oh, I believe she’s heard enough.”
“Keep moving buddy!” The one without a name barked. He let out a shout of surprise as a fistful of his hair was grabbed and he was wrenched back to the wall behind him.
“Trust me, I am no buddy of yours.” The voice hissed lowly, and the boy squawked in shock and fear. The owner of the voice, tall and spindly, thrust his head against the wall once again, and the boy collapsed to the ground. At best, he was unconscious. At worst…
The man spun around, and Dylan swore loudly as he recognized the face. He attempted to run, to scramble away, but a hand curled around his ankle faster than the strike of a snake and he tumbled to the ground.
“Sweet, sweet irony…” The man hissed again, much like a snake itself, as he yanked the boy back towards him, “You used the primitive brute force kind of intimidation, the power you think you possess simply because you’re bigger. Well now…” A cloud of gas hit Dylan’s face, and suddenly he couldn’t breathe, coughing and hacking as the chemical entered his lungs.
“You will know the true kind of terror.”
Dylan’s eyes grew wide at whatever he thought he saw, and the man grinned before turning around. She was huddled against the wall, shaking almost violently in fear. The man took a slow step towards her, and she immediately tried to inch back.
“I won’t hurt you.” The hiss was gone, replaced by a calming tone like that of a doctor as he knelt in front of her, “Unlike them, you’ve done nothing wrong.” She held herself tighter, remaining silent, and after a moment he reached out and gently grasped her chin.
“What’s your name, child?”
“L-L-Lucy.” She could barely breathe, let alone talk, and he nodded before locking eyes with her, icy blue but nowhere as cold.
“Well I can assure you, Lucy, that those two will never bother you again.” He gave a small, slightly sinister smirk as he tilted her chin up, “I’ll make sure of it.” Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that he was covered in burlap from his feet to his shoulders, and she gulped.
“I-I’ve seen you before. You’re the Scarecrow.”
The man nodded.
“That’s right. And that’s why you can be sure that no one will hurt you ever again.”
He released her and rose to his feet, looking down at the now screaming Dylan with open contempt.
“Watch him as he runs mindlessly through his nightmares, Lucy.” He kicked him lightly as if he were no better than a rotting piece of garbage, “You deserve at least that.” He looked at her one final time before walking away, away from her and the two that had just tormented her. Lucy watched as he pulled a mask over his face and quickened his pace, and she blinked before looking over to Dylan, who was now clawing at himself like an animal.
“…Thank you.”