6Chapter Twelve - Night Terrors
No matter what you're going through, there's a light at the end of the tunnel and it may seem hard to get to it but you can do it and just keep working towards it and you'll find the positive side of things. - Demi Lovato
Nightmares, though to Robin that was putting them lightly, plagued his mind, venom soaked terrors sinking into his neck to inject him with their poisons. Robin could feel himself dying, could feel his life force being peeled away, though he didn't mind. The boy's eyes released the many regrets of the past, seeping past his vision in rivers of tainted water, burning his flesh as they streamed down his face.
Robin thought, maybe he was already dead, maybe he was in hell. It seemed the more the hero tried to escape, the higher the flames rose. The boy was trapped, memories reeling like a massacre of people he'd once known.
'Why am I here? What did I do to deserve the never ending cycle of pain piercing me each time I find peace? I have to have done something, hurt someone-'
The bird remembered, sob worsening; he'd killed the man in the alley. Robin moved his hands to wipe away the evergoing tears, though the sob would never stop, none of it would ever stop. No, Robin prefered it that way, he prefered the pain, he deserved the pain , he'd done bad, and this was the way the universe was punishing him.
He deserved this. He deserved to die.
The Titans panicked, mainly, Beast Boy, as their leader passed out, Cyborg checking his pulse. Raven fainted next, exhausted from the enormant amounts of magic she'd expelled.
"Bea, check Rae's pulse." Cyborg said as she fell, cursing to himself as he noted the faint heartbeat in the bird's neck.
"She's good, dude, just sleeping!" The changeling assured.
"Good." The oldest lifted his leader into his arms, walking towards the medical wing. "Star, could you bring, Raven?" Despite, Cyborg still wanted to keep an eye on the girl.
"Yes." She simply said, tears wetting her cheeks as she ran after Cyborg, Raven, in arms.
He'd stabilized, beep steadily sounding in a rhythmic pattern, Raven, panting slightly due to exhaustion.
"I'll be in my room. Tell me if he changes."
"Are you sure that's a good idea, man?" Cy asked, though she was already walking through the door.
Eventually, Raven woke, seeing Robin's unconscious form lying on the bed to her side.
"Don't, you already took quite a blow with getting rid of that thing." Cyborg said, noting the halflings gaze, half lidded, weary, knowing despite she'd try to heal him.
"This is my fault, I should have exorcised it sooner. I knew." She stood to walk towards the other. "I have to help him."
"You can't, man! You're already messed up!" Cyborg moved, blocking her path.
"If I don't, we'll both die." The half blood replied in an even tone.
"What?" Cy asked, confused.
"In order to get the parasite out of him, I had to send a part of me inside his mind to help, Robin, force it out." She suddenly fell forward, catching herself on a side table. "Our lives are connected. If he dies, so do I." She started huffing slightly, soon feeling a hand move, helping her walk.
"I have to reach into his consciousness to help him wake up." The girl crossed her legs on the floor at the bird's side, taking a slow breath, before beginning her mantra.
"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos."
"Robin!" Raven screamed into the void, hearing her words echo. A chill ran through her form, able to feel the dark vibes radiating through his mind, taking a moment before being able to pinpoint his location, walking where the despair was strongest.
He couldn't breath when he woke, feeling the tightening of his throat, thinking it was the end, knowing the sweet release of death was mere moments away, though seemed to taunt him, just out of reach.
"...Robin…" The bird whipped his head around, spotting a blurred form, taking a curious step towards it.
Robin panicked, seeing a second blurred form appear, breath hitching.
"N-no…" The pair came into view, smirking at the petrified teen, who tried to backup, hitting a wall, starting to breathe erratically as the men advanced, chuckling to themselves.
They didn't say a word as they drew closer, though the sound of a zipper caught the boy's attention, causing his mind to react, trying to flee. He cried out, turning back to see a tail nailed to the wall, pain pulsing through him.
"Get away from me you sick perverts!" Robin cried as a hand touched bare flesh making him shiver.
"Gag 'im." Robin's eyes widened, screams muffled, as a scarf filled his mouth, jerking his head back. The bird felt the men trying to cease his movements, pushing him against the wall, ripping his tights from his legs, pushing knees up, where, such as the first time, they were restrained by ropes which manifested from thin air.
Raven walked towards the leader, seeing a blurred form wriggling on the ground… No, that wasn't it… The dark enchantress flew towards the blurred figure, finding the boy.
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" The men flew to the side, a hyperventilating hero left restrained to a wall. "Robin?" The girl asked, touching the other on the shoulder, seeing his head shoot up, petrified as his body began dissolving, blowing away in an invisible wind. "Wrong, Robin," The half blood rose to her feet, turning seeking the highest level of despair once again, only taking a moment before it was found.
The girl found herself in a room, only taking a moment to figure whose room.
"Robin." She looked to the window, immediately noting the brightly costumed hero staring at the sharp rocks, seeing a few tears roll off his chin.
"What's the point… " The boy asked, fingers gripping the edge of the window.
"Rob-"
"I just have to jump and it will all be over…" His expression was grim, twitching as tears slid off his chin, gritting his teeth. The boy's grip tightened, starting to move forward, foot meeting air as he fell.
"Robin!" The enchantress ran to the window just in time to see the boy grab a grappling hook before dissolving into nothing. "Memories." She realized, continuing her walk, passing several 'Robins' as she did.
"I forgot about the grapple. I'm such a coward…" He buried his head in hands, sitting on a bench in civilian clothes.
"Do you come here often?" A stranger approached him.
"Come with me." Robin followed the stranger.
Raven came to a door, raising a brow as she clicked the button, immediately buzzed in.
There was only one apartment, one door for her to enter, turning the knob to the side.
"Robin." The girl pushed her way into the door.
"Raven? What are you doing here?" The bird asked, raising a curious brow, holding a coffee.
"We have to go." She informed.
"What are you talking about? I didn't hear an alarm go off?" The boy held a plate of cold spaghetti, making the girl raise her own brow.
"This isn't real, your in a coma we have to go back."
"No." Robin stated bluntly.
"Robin, you have to go-"
"I won't. I'm done. I just want to stay here."
"Robin? Who's there?" A deeper voice asked, a stranger walking their way, the same person who'd told him to come in the previous memory. "Raven." The man said smirking at the enchantress.
"Sorry to intrude," Raven said to the stranger, despite knowing he was just a fabrication of the boy's mind. "but I need to take, Robin, with me."
"No, I'm not going."
"Boy... " The man started, Robin feeling hands on his shoulders. "If your friends need you you should go."
"I- I can't…" Robin moved a hand to the other's.
"Can't? I wasn't aware that was in your vocabulary."
"I- I don't- I can't live like that anymore…"
"Yes you can. Your, Robin. I wouldn't have chosen you if you were so easy to give in to temptation."
"Why not? Why can't I quit once without getting a lecture."
"Please, Robin, we need you in the real world." Raven spoke up. "If you stay here you'll die." The girl left out the bit about how she'd die as well, not wanting to guilt trip the boy into returning.
"Maybe I want to die." His gaze turned sharp.
"If you die this will go away, Robin, you can't live in a nonexistent mind."
"But…" He sighed, tightening his grip on the hand on his shoulder.
"Go on." The man leaned down, whispering in his ear. "I'm not real, I'm out there. Don't tell me your going to leave me there without supervision…" He chuckled.
Robin sighed, clenching his hands. Slade was right. Raven was right. He couldn't stay here forever.
"You'll be there…" Robin started.
"Yes." The mercenary nibbled his ear, making Robin startle, shoving him away.
"R- Raven's right there!" The bird stuttered, man responding with a chuckle.
"We have to go, Robin." Raven turned, starting to walk away, Robin sighing before following, door closing after them.
Raven woke from meditation, Beast Boy lying on the floor, asleep, though whimpering despite.
"Robin?" Raven asked, feeling the ting of sadness as he lie on the bed, seeing clenched fists. Robin didn't open his eyes. "Robin?" Raven shook the bird lightly.
"I'm-" The leader inhaled, running a hand along the side of his face. "I'm awake…" He tried to rise, lids shooting apart, head flying back as an unexpected pain pulsed through him, falling back with a thud.
"I'm fine." Robin raised a hand to calm down the enchantress, who had taken a step closer as the attack occurred. "I just… need a minute…" The bird lie on the bed, a hand over his slowly rising and falling chest, closing his eyes as he processed his thoughts. "What… what happened?" Robin breathed.
"The parasite tried to take your body." Raven said simply.
"But… I thought it left…"
"No, there was only one parasite. The voices saying they where your 'helpers', and the one taking over when you slept where one in the same." The enchantress looked away for a moment. "I'm sorry."
"For what?" Robin seemed confused, grunting as he shifted his weight.
"I knew there was only one, but I didn't tell you. I should have removed it sooner." There was a silence, Robin simply lying on the bed. Raven started to walk out of the room.
"It- it's not your fault." Robin piped. "I should have told someone sooner. I knew something was wrong, but I ignored it. It's my fault, not yours." The boy stared blankly at the ceiling, taking another deep breath, pushing himself to his elbows, slowly working to a sitting position, rubbing his aching cranium.
"Robin-"
"It's not your fault. I was in no shape to go through an exorcism when you found out, and I honestly wouldn't have bothered fighting it at all if you'd done it before now. It's not your fault." The boy leaned on an arm, running a hand through his hair, pushing himself against the headboard. Robin shook his head as his vision blurred, bringing knees to chest as he leaned forward. "...What you saw… Could we just... forget about that…" Robin asked.
"No one's going to mind that you're-"
"It's not about that." The bird quickly stated, sighing. "It's not about that… It's about who it was…" Robin ran a hand through his hair again. Raven thought of asking who it was, though thought better of it, simply nodding, knowing if they ever needed to know, the boy'd tell them when he was ready. Robin relaxed, leaning back. "Thank you…"
When Beast Boy woke, he was ecstatic, barking, Cyborg soon returning, having heard the commotion.
"Dude! Your alive!" Bea said, smiling wide.
"Robin! You are of the okay!" Star said, having been sitting to the side, woken by the outburst.
"Man! We thought you were a goner!" Cy said as he returned, seeing his leader awake, him and Raven both alive and well, or alive at least, both a bit worn.
"You're not getting rid of me that easily…" The boy assured, eyes half lidded, team laughing, when the leader erupted in a fit of coughs, bringing his arm to mouth.
"Dude!" The youngest teen was the only one who spoke, others in states of shock from the sudden display.
"I-" He coughed. "I'm f- fine..." He managed, shaking lightly as his fit ended.
"You look beat, man. Try and get some sleep." Cyborg noted the true exhaustion as the boy didn't argue, eyes simply shutting, boy's head leaning to the side as he immediately fell asleep.
Tis the end of chapter twelve.
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