Chereads / Darkness Reborn / Chapter 6 - The Night Life

Chapter 6 - The Night Life

The streetlights cast a yellowish hue on the grimy cobblestones that line the street, giving it an eerily surreal quality. Jackie stops and stares down the alleyway, the darkness seems to be calling him. He steps forward, intrigued by the shadows that lurk within. He can feel something dark and powerful emanating from the depths of the alley, and it compels him to continue his journey.

He walks cautiously, wary of the whisperings that seem to come from the shadows. He rounds a corner and stops. In the dim light, he can make out two figures struggling. One of them, a man in a black coat, is trying to overpower the other, a smaller man in a tattered coat. Jackie can see the desperation in the eyes of the smaller man as he struggles for his life. Only for it to be futile as the bigger man suddenly takes out a knife and stabs the man multiple times.

Jackie takes a step forward and calls out, his voice strong and firm."There really is chaos no matter where you go isn't there". He can see the shock on the man in the black coat's face as he registers Jackie's presence. Jackie takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. When he opens them again, two giant snake-like creatures with glowing eyes emerge from his back. He can feel a sense of power radiating from the beasts as they rear up and hiss menacingly.

Lefty and Righty, his two summoned demons, attack the man in the black coat with ferocity. He screams in pain and terror, but it's too late as they start to rip him apart limb by limb. They consume his heart, leaving nothing but a pile of flesh and bones behind. Jackie takes a deep breath and turns away.

Jackie steps out of the alleyway and back onto the street, a sense of satisfaction in his heart. He looks up at the night sky and takes a deep breath, allowing the crisp night air to fill his lungs. He can feel the darkness within him growing, but also a sense of peace. He knows he has done what is right and he is content. "I understand why I was being called down the alleyway the evil attentions of the murderer must have drawn me". Jackie said with a menacing smile on his face.

Of course I could have let him live but I thought it was better to kill him and feed off of his fear and panic. And as I thought it was the right choice as I can now feel myself stronger than I was earlier. Jackie thought to himself happy of his decision as he disappears in the city streets of Gotham.

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(10 minutes later after Jackie left)

Nightwing cautiously stepped into the alleyway, trying to take in the scene before him. He could feel the chill from the concrete beneath his feet and smell the dankness of the air, but nothing could prepare him for the sight before him. In the center of the alleyway was one body, seemingly stabbed multiple times, and to his right was a mangled mess of limbs and flesh. It was as if something or someone had torn the body apart in a rage.

Nightwing could feel his heart racing. He had to investigate this, but it was too much for one person. He needed some help. He took out his phone and dialed a familiar number.

"Batgirl," Nightwing said, his voice slightly trembling. "It's me, Nightwing. I'm in an alley off of Fourth Street. There's two bodies here. One looks like it was stabbed multiple times, but the other one is…torn up. I don't know what happened, but I need your help."

There was a pause on the other end, and then Batgirl replied. "On my way."

Nightwing waited for what felt like an eternity before Batgirl arrived. She took one look at the scene and her face hardened.

"Were there any witnesses?" she asked.

"No," Nightwing replied. "I arrived after it happened."

Batgirl nodded. "Let's see what we can find."

They both started to inspect the bodies. Batgirl noticed something odd about the one that had been torn apart.

"Look at his chest" she said, pointing to his chest has been ripped open". "His heart it's missing." Batgirl said with a frown.

Nightwing furrowed his brow. "What does that mean?"

"I think we should talk to the people in the neighborhood," Batgirl said. "See if anyone saw or heard anything."

Nightwing nodded, and the two of them ventured into the darkness of the alley. They knocked on doors and asked questions, but no one seemed to know anything. Finally, after an hour of searching, Batgirl had an idea.

"We should check the security cameras in the area," she said.

"That's a great idea," Nightwing replied. He led the way to the nearest security office, and the two of them spent the next few hours poring over footage from the night before.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, they had found something. On the footage, they could clearly see a figure tearing apart the body and then fleeing the scene.

"We have to find this person," Batgirl said. "Justice must be served."

Nightwing nodded in agreement and the two of them set out to find their suspect.

As they continued their search, Nightwing couldn't help but think about what justice meant, and how it was often so brutally hard to come by. He was determined to find the person responsible for this heinous crime and bring them to justice, no matter what it took.

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Jackie's eyes narrowed as he stared down the two men huddled in the corner of the dank alleyway. He could feel the tension in the air as they cowered beneath his imposing figure. His body was rigid, and his hands were clenched in tight fists. He stepped closer, his gaze never wavering from the men who quivered before him.

"Who is Batman?" Jackie spat out the words, his voice low and menacing.

The men exchanged a puzzled look, before one of them spoke up.

"He's…umm…he's a crime fighter. They call him the Dark Knight."

Jackie was unimpressed. He stepped closer and grabbed the man by his shirt.

"You better start talking, or else I'm going to start breaking bones," he warned.

The man gulped, his eyes wide with fear.

"We really don't know he just showed up one day" he stammered. "He…he wears a mask and a cape and fights criminals."

Jackie released the man and moved to the other one, who was staying as still as a statue.

"And who is Batgirl?" he demanded.

The man shook his head in fear. "All I know is that she showed up one day and was with the bat a couple times I swear I don't know anymore." The man said to Jackie

Jackie grabbed the man's chin, forcing him to look up at him.

"And who exactly are Nightwing, Robin, and Red Hood?" he growled wanting to learn more about those names as their names always somehow got brought up every time from people he previous interrogated. "You know anything about them?"

The man nodded frantically.

"They're all his sidekicks," he said quickly. "They help him fight crime." I swear on my family this is all I know please let me go the man cried.

Ah, finally! You two have given me all that I needed. "Now, I will take my leave". Jackie said to the two men with a menacing grin on his face.

The two men, both trembling and fearful, had no response but to merely nod in agreement. Jackie flashed a satisfied smirk and waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. The two snake-like creatures emerged from his back, seemingly summoned by his very will. They glided towards the two men, their movements both elegant and eerie.

"P-Please! Don't do this" We told you everything we know please one of the men said.

"We gave you everything you asked for! Please, just let us go". The other man cried as well with piss running down his legs

Jackie merely waved his hand once more, and the creatures continued to advance on the two men. The men screamed and pleaded for mercy, but Jackie had already made up his mind. He nodded, signaling for the creatures to take the first man and the other to take the second. The men were quickly dragged away, screams of terror echoing through the alleyway.

Jackie ran his hands through his hair, a satisfied smirk on his face. With the business taken care of, he turned away from the alley and whistled for a taxi. He paid the driver, and soon they were speeding through the streets of Gotham City. As they drove on, Jackie couldn't help but smile. The thought of the two men, screaming in terror as they were dragged away, filled him with a feeling of power and strength. He knew that anyone else who dared to cross him would feel the same fear.