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Living the life of a monster isn’t anymore appealing than being dead. Rebuking it time and time again, taking the road less travelled— no matter the rejection, the suffering. Even now, at the end of the world, with everything Stephanie has ever loved turned guts and ashes.
When Spoiler is gone, Batgirl will remain.
Always.
In the wake of the blasts, Stephanie burns.
Hot metal, plastic and other melted substances leaking from her bike have liquefied to her suit. All the kelvar does however, is grant her a second of reprieve to crawl away, leaving the wreckage of her favourite moped behind. The licking fire progressively reaches past fabric and into skin. She bites her lip so hard it bleeds, but is unable to stifle the scream that makes its way up her ruined throat. Should the blood not lure them in, the noise definitely will.
If the flames hadn’t turned all the creatures to ash first. Searching for Duke’s body, for Cass — should be her next priority. Trying to stand, however, brings the grim weight of reality crashing back down. She’s going to die here, another charred corpse among the hundreds of unidentifiable bodies. Curling up tight, deep breaths in and out, letting her eyes twitch close. Death is back, after that first botched attempt all those years ago.
Then—
“… Stephanie!”
Cass. Cass. The One Who Is All lives to fight another day. Steph struggles through a roll over to face the other woman, her body already beginning to shut down. Well, Leslie Thompkins and her questionable medical skills are good for something. At least Steph can take a guess as to when she’ll need to send Cass away — before the pain becomes so intolerable she may beg for a quicker end. The last thing Steph wants is to be another faucet of guilt for Cassandra Cain, not in this way.
“Hey, Cass,” she croaks, trying for a smile. Except fuck, that hurts even worse, a burning sensation traveling the muscles of her face. “Not looking my best, yeah?”
“He had extra light bombs planted, when he detonated,” Cass says, tone neutral and devoid of emotion. She doesn’t say Duke’s name, but they both know. “They didn’t all go off at the same time. You drove over one and-“
That’d explain it. Running, driving, interrupted by blinding heat. Steph doesn’t blame the guy, couldn’t even if she wanted to. Remembers the fear in dark brown eyes, expression twisted into grim resignation. She coughs on smoke, says, “I’m assuming they caught ablaze, somehow?”
“Bombs were untested, before this,” Cass nods, “Everything lit up. Buildings, vampires… people.”
Steph can feel her heart beating double time in her chest. Thump-thump, thump, thump-thump-thump. Raises a hand to test her vision, and nearly shrieks again as part of her skin sticks to the pavement below as she pulls upwards. Eyes watering, she turns from the burnt limb attached to her own body and toward the woman she loves.
“You have to go,” Steph begs, “They’ll come back, we lost. You’re the strongest person I know, but you can’t take on an army of the undead.”
Cass tilts her head, birdlike in curiosity. Sighs the same way she does when Steph can’t flawlessly copy a move Cass has only demonstrated twice. “I’m not leaving you here, Stephanie. And you aren’t dying.”
“I dunno if you’ve noticed,” Steph snorts despite herself, “I’m basically being roasted on a spit right now, so I don’t- No!”
Because from behind her, Cass is yanking along a half disintegrated body of a vampire. Steph’s stomach rolls, and she coughs up a round of black-red sludge. She had always feared another particularly painful death… but going out a hero was the only option in front of her. Not like this, never like this.
“Bite,” Cass is telling the vampire, scolding it like a misbehaving pet. “You can go after. I don’t care.”
Steph shrinks back with her limited range of movement, cries, “Cass, I don’t think this is a good idea—”
“It is okay, Steph,” Cass says, too casual, as the vampire’s hot breath ghosts along her neck. “Damian could control himself. You will too.”
All she knows afterwards is pain.