Bab 41: Killer Croc
Friday 24th April 2009, 17:00.
New Jersey,
Gotham City,
East End.
The following few hours after his defeat at the hands of the Hammer proved to be incredibly difficult for Esau as he remained trapped within the safety of his apartment, trying to rest his battered and bruised body. He had well and truly pushed it beyond his limits and now it was beginning to break down, the only thing keeping Esau able to move around being the numerous different types of painkillers he was using. Even then, most of his time consisted of him just sitting on his sofa and hoping his body would heal faster.
It didn't work and was incredibly frustrating, to the point he tried his best to forget about what had happened.
This was working slightly better, just another in the long list of defeats Esau had suffered throughout his life, and so soon after a big victory as well. He really should have expected to receive a reality check before he started to believe he could do anything significant in this world. A reality check is precisely what he got as well, the Hammer handing him his ass and putting him in an even worse condition than he was already.
However, while he was doing well in forgetting his defeat, just relaxing in his apartment brought up other memories that proved just as frustrating. Especially when all he wanted to do was go out and be Black Hood, to make a difference in this city that had only ever beaten him down. It was difficult for him to even imagine the idea of retiring like he had no more than a few weeks ago when all he wanted to do was go out there and do something that could make a difference.
Yet, here he was, stuck trying to recover from an assortment of painful and debilitating injuries.
It wasn't the first time he had been like this either, in fact, this would be the first time he had ever been this injured as Black Hood. However, it was far from the first time in his life that he had been like this, this was an old routine for him, but one that now proved to be incredibly boring. Usually, when like this, Barbara was here and he was able to enjoy himself as the two of them pretended to ignore his injuries as they relaxed and watched TV.
The thing was, he and Barbara hadn't spoken to one another since the discovery of their alter egos and Esau certainly wasn't going to reach out to her first. He could understand why she kept the truth of her being Batgirl from her, but it didn't change the magnitude of the secret, nor how long she kept it from him.
That hurt him the most.
As a result, Esau had just done what Barbara was doing and something they both did when presented with a problem they didn't nor couldn't face, ignored it altogether.
It wasn't healthy and was probably a reason why Esau was so miserable.
Jim definitely didn't help by trying to invite Esau around for tea.
He understood that something had gone on between his godson and daughter and in his own way he was trying to help. Jim understood how important their friendship was to one another and was trying to help, but neither of them was willing to face the other, not while things were still awkward between them.
Because of this, it left Esau here alone and watching the news play out.
It was the only thing that interested him on TV anymore.
He had tried getting back into his old shows and even tried to catch up with some of his favourite TV series that had a few new episodes to view. However, he just couldn't find it within him to care about them anymore as whatever interest he had in them once, was gone and now Esau found his days of resting and recuperation that much duller.
The only thing of interest was the news and even then, that was both repetitive and dull, only getting interesting when news presenters started talking about recent superhero and villain activity.
Even then, it wasn't saying much.
Everyday news had declined once superheroes took to the stage and since then, all people cared about was what the heroes were doing.
What villain they had faced?
Who the heroes were?
Were they a threat?
What powers did they have?
Not to mention the various conspiracist theories that aired as well.
They had been entertaining at first, but much like everything, it got repetitive.
Now the news had once again begun to start decline.
People still tuned in when heroes and villains fought to see clips of the fights if there even were any when dealing with the superpowered it usually consisted of videoing the environment as it was gradually destroyed by beings that could not be tracked. Some, in the case of Superman, could be very destructive, even with the Man of Steel attempting to mitigate damage.
So, while the news did help to elevate some boredom, it certainly wasn't enough for Esau's liking.
As a result, Esau sat on his couch, an empty beer bottle in one hand as his head lulled back and his eyelids slowly close, trying to get some sleep in hopes he would miraculously wake up tomorrow and be in perfect condition. 'Doubtful.' Yawning, Esau tuned out the sound of the news presenter, almost on the very of falling asleep when the reporter mention the name, "Gotham." Much like all news pertaining to Gotham, Esau listened intently, awakening instantly and looking at the TV intently.
Most of what the reporter talked about was pertaining to the Court of Owls, the rich businessmen that made up its members, and their plans to use the Fearless Toxin to take over Gotham in the chaos. Yet it also focused on the chaos that followed the police's spree of arrests, the deaths of numerous top lieutenants and family heads that saw the Casa Nostra making big moves.
There was no mention of him, something that actually was a relief.
Yet it also made no mention of the Hammer having taken over the Casa Nostra entirely, something Deathstroke had told him for no other reason than to rub salt in the wound. No doubt the police didn't want that reaching the public knowledge, not that he couldn't understand, the Hammer were a scary bunch and now they had the resources of the Casa Nostra at their beck and call. While the short war had come to an end with the recent changes in leadership, the atmosphere in Gotham was tense and the resuming of the war was still a very real possibility.
For now, things were calm though.
Or so he thought.
"In other news, Gotham city has been dealing with a number of murder cases." This was news to him. "Each victim has been found half eaten and police state that there may be more and a number of those people having gone missing in the past two days have been presumed dead at the hands of the same killer."
Rubbing his eyes, Esau looked closely at the screen as the relatively beautiful, mature anchorwoman then indicated toward a photo of a blurred figure that appeared on the screen. The man in it was tall, taller than any man Esau had ever seen before, with a body that looked to be rippling with large, bulky muscles that seemed almost unnatural.
Then beside it, a picture of a Killer Croc appeared.
"Police believe that the person behind these murders is none other than Waylon Jones, also known as Killer Croc. Police urge anyone with information upon the whereabouts of Killer Croc to come forward." Switching off the TV Esau leaned back with a groan, his fingers slowly running his temple in a soothing gesture.
'Seriously, this city can't go five minutes without one killer deciding to rear their head can it?' He questioned internally and with a wince, stood up, making his way toward his bedroom.
Crouching down with some difficulty, grabbing hold of his bed for some support, he began lifting up a few floorboards, pulling out a bag containing his Black Hood costume, including the gloves from Talon and the suit he got from Batman. He was still in agony, body well beyond its limits, but he was not about to stand by like Batman would have done and let Killer Croc roam free.
Even if it killed him, Esau was determined to not be like Batman.
Then his eyes turned to the briefcase sticking out from behind his dresser.
Pulling it out, Esau flipped open the lid and pulled out the two Glock 17s and the military knives, ignoring the serum lying there innocently. Instead, he moved to a nearby draw, pulled it open and grabbed a handful of painkillers, patches and tablets of fentanyl that he had been provided by some of his supporters. Esau already knew the risks of overdosing and had seen more than his fair share of people that had died of such things, but at this point, he was desperate.
Black Hood still existed and the criminals of Gotham needed to be reminded of why he was to be feared because he would not rest, nor stop.
Not while he was still breathing.
-X-
Friday 24th April 2009, 22:00.
New Jersey,
Gotham City,
East End.
The East End of Gotham was as lively as ever, functioning no different to normal, even with the cannibalistic criminal, Killer Croc on the loose. A stark contrast to the posher and less criminally infested areas of Gotham like Gotham Heights, which had become quiet and still. Most in the East End were too high or too busy looking to get high to care about the possibility of being eaten by a humanoid crocodile with superhuman strength.
As a result, it made Esau's search a bit harder.
Sure, on paper it should be pretty easy to find a man-eating humanoid crocodile the size of a truck.
But in reality, it was much harder.
He had, of course, considered going into the sewers but Esau had quickly scratched that off his list.
Yes, he was looking to find and fight against the Killer Croc to bring an end to his rampage across Gotham once and for all, but he wasn't suicidal.
It was a choice between the possibility of surviving and winning or being lunch.
He quite liked the former even if the odds were slim.
So, he had waited patiently, using the rooftops to search for any signs of Killer Croc, but there had been none.
Which was strange considering the East End in its current state was practically an all-you-can-eat buffet human edition. Not to mention, Killer Croc had been focused in the East End, so finding him shouldn't be this difficult.
Except it was.
'It's times like these that I wish I was at least pretending to work with Batman, his technology would certainly be helpful when looking for Killer Croc.' He bemoaned mentally, especially considering he had to rely on the Black Hood supporters for any information. They were certainly determined and there was quite a large number of them, but it had some large limitations that really stopped him from being able to match Batman in the information collection department.
Feeling his phone vibrate, Esau pressed answer and raised it to his ear. "Hello Esau, I see that you could use some help," Deathstroke spoke on the other end.
"Nope, fuck off." Esau replied, quickly hanging up and continuing to look around.
That's when his phone vibrated once more, Esau ignoring it and letting it instead go to voicemail.
However, after another four times, Esau eventually relented and picked up the phone. "What? I already told you that I don't want your help."
"Oh, I know." If Deathstroke was annoyed at being ignored, he certainly didn't show it, his voice was calm and collected giving nothing away. "However, I wonder if you'll be saying the same thing when you attempt to save the families a few blocks north from here. Seems a certain Killer Croc has decided to have a meal."
Freezing, Esau looked north and without hesitation took off while hanging up the phone once more. If Deathstroke called him to offer help then it was obvious he at least had Esau in his sights. On any normal day, he would be looking to find and then confront Deathstroke, but right now, other things required his attention.
-X-
Friday 24th April 2009, 22:10.
New Jersey,
Gotham City,
East End.
Esau had moved quickly, using the apartment buildings in order to avoid the bustling streets below in order to get to Killer Crocs' location. It wasn't overly difficult, there was already a trail of half-eaten bodies on the ground, bodies that people avoided and some even ignored entirely as if it was already a normal thing for them.
Eventually, however, he came to the area of the East End where apartment buildings turned into small houses.
It was much cleaner around here and less crime-ridden thanks in part due to it directly bordering Gotham Heights, meaning it gained more police attention compared to the rest of the East End. Thanks to that, this area was inhabited by lower-class families and not the usual inhabitants that were stuck within the inescapable depths of the East End
Scaling down the apartment using his claws to control his descent, Esau started jogging down the street. There were already a few houses that had doors broken down and Esau could also make out a few bloodstains on the window as well.
'He's getting bolder.' Esau thought aware of the fact that Killer Croc had killed and eaten more people tonight than he had done previously. 'It's because Batman hasn't come to stop him. If Killer Croc can see this then I reckon more of the crime lords will as well.' Knowing that if Killer Croc wasn't stopped soon it would only cause more problems, Esau pushed himself to move even faster.
Eventually, he heard the sound of a commotion coming from one of the houses and moved forwards cautiously, eyes sharp and body tensed, ready to react in an instant. The blinds the windows were closed and the lights were off which left the house shrouded in shadow, making Esau even tenser, be able to hear the pounding of his heart as he approached.
But as Esau neared the front door that was currently open, dented from where a large fist hit it and hanging off a single hinge, Esau noticed a shadowed figure moving around the house. As soon as the shadowed figure came into view, Esau rushed to hide behind the wall in order to not be seen, holding his breath as sweat trickled down from his brow, hoping he had not been seen.
Letting a few seconds pass by, Esau peeked around the corner to see that the figure was gone from view. 'It's best to not go through here.' Esau thought knowing that Killer Croc was already downstairs and instead began scaling the side of the house, slowly and carefully as to make as little noise as possible.
A task that proved incredibly difficult thanks to the state of his body.
Yet, he succeeded in getting up, lifting open the window to what looked like a child's bedroom, where he stepped inside and looked around cautiously. It was a generic bedroom for a boy, with spaceships and loads of toys scattered around the room, toys he had to carefully avoid as he tiptoed across the room to the door.
However, just as he was about to open the door, he heard some shuffling and spun around, one of the Glock 17s at his side raised and ready to shoot. Only to freeze when his eyes landed on the figure of that of a terrified young boy no older than seven or eight hidden under the bed.
Seeing this, Esau released a sigh and lowered his gun, once again placing it back in the holster at his hip. "Hey, it's okay." Esau raised his hands up in order to show that he meant no harm and it seemed to at least calm the terrified kid a little. "I'm here to help."
The kid didn't say anything, only hiding further under the bed when Esau moved towards him.
Seeing this, Esau stopped and instead after a moment of consideration pulled back his hood and mask to reveal his face. "Look, I'm just like you." Again, Esau moved forwards and this time the kid didn't move. "My names Esau, what's your name?" He asked, trying to help put the kid at ease.
It worked as the kid moved forwards, but not coming out from underneath the bed. "Jason." He whispered quietly and Esau smiled.
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
Carrots123
Carrots123 So, another chapter is done and with it, the first superpowered foe has appeared, Killer Croc. Now, he must face the cannibalistic killer while injured, so fun times. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed and if you have any questions or suggestions, please let me know.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone