Something was wrong here, something was terribly wrong. Goosebumps crept over my arms as we got closer and then Dinah tentatively turned the chair and let out a human scream. And I joined her.
Ollie had his throat slit, blood flowing freely from the wound and his head tilted back so that his unseeing eyes stared at the ceiling. His chin was bloody as well, he'd obviously choked on his own blood. It was disgusting. And the last thing I ever did was shout at him. What kind of person was I?
"Artemis. Arty, are you okay?"
I looked up at Dinah as she helped me back to my shaking legs and then pulled me in for a hug, both of us crying into the other. Neither of us checked, but we knew that Red would be shut down as well, permanently. It felt like forever until my eyes dried and I broke apart from Dinah again, still keeping one hand in hers.
"Do you think Dick did this?" I asked, but I already knew the answer.
"We can't think of Dick and Talon as the same person." Dinah said, but her words were choked, "Talon did this, not Dick. He'd never do this."
But he did. That's what she was thinking. And if we made it out of this, none of us were ever going to look at him the same again. And it's what I was thinking. He could have fought himself, we've all done it before. So why didn't he now? Only one answer: he liked doing this.
"I know." I said anyway as I leant back on her shoulder and we looked anywhere but at Ollie, "Come on, let's get out of here. Tell Batman what happened."
She nodded her head and we walked to the door on numb legs, but it was locked. I tried again, jiggling the doorknob as hard as I could but the door wouldn't budge. I turned back around, fear now overtaking me.
"Dinah, the door's locked. Like, properly locked." I said as my eyes scanned the room for another escape, skipping over Ollie as quickly as possible and landing on the waterfall, "We need to go through the waterfall exit."
"Okay." She said as we walked over that way, somehow both of us even more on edge than before.
I reached the little corridor that weaved around the waterfall and into the infirmary but the door was, once again, locked. I threw all my weight behind it and tried my hardest to get out, but it was not yielding.
"Is there any other way out of this room?" I asked as I came back out and saw Dinah with Ollie.
Maybe I should be silent for a moment. She had his hand in hers, silent tears tracking a line down her cheeks as she spoke in whispers to him. Nothing that I should listen in on. I pulled my phone out of my pocket to check for any signal as I headed back down the corridor, getting a bar right by the door. That was all I needed. I punched in Wally's number at top speed.
"What's wrong?" He asked instantly.
"We've been, it's Ollie. Dick-" Now it was starting to really hit, the truth, "Wally, please help us. Dinah and I are trapped. We're in the therapy room. Dick's- he's already killed Ollie and Red." My breathing hitched as I said that a great gasping sob finally escaped me, "Please, I'm scared Wally."
I heard movement on the other end of the line, he must be running here as fast as he can. I reigned my emotions back in, someone had to be strong for Dinah, and headed back to the main room. Dinah was still by Ollie, holding his head to her chest as if she could bring him back. I took in another shaky breath and headed over to the door, a shadow on the other side.
"Wally." I said as I put my hand against the door, "Please, help us."
"I'm going to get you out of there." He promised, "Don't you worry. Nothing's going to hurt you."
"Don't be so sure about that."
Dinah's head shot up as the voice echoed around the room and my hair stood on edge. We both strained our eyes to see him, but he was doing one of his ninja tricks. God, it was terrifying to be on the receiving end of this.
"Please Wally, he's in here with us." I begged quietly, I never begged.
The door started pounding, as if he was throwing all his weight against it. And then there was a small noise, echoing around the almost silent room as he landed on the floor, right by the waterfall where the light of outside outlined him.
"Did you do this?" Dinah asked as she moved away from Ollie and towards me.
"Of course I did." He said and I think a smile cut across his features, "But did you know that if you stretch a human's skin across a baseball field, people will call you disturbed and no one will want to be your friend anymore?"
"Why are you telling us that?" I asked, trying to mask my shaking voice and failing.
"Just thought you should know." He moved forward, the outline becoming less prominent until I could actually see his face, his golden eyes and black veins, "You know, before I take you to my haunt."
"What?" Dinah asked and he turned his sharp eyes to her.
"I like you, you're interesting." He said as if it was obvious, "You'll be fun to play with. Now, come on."
Then he moved. Dinah was out like a light in less than a second. I ducked as he came at me and ran the other way, towards the waterfall. I could jump, but I'm not sure I'd survive the fall. The undercurrent could take me in a second. I rolled as I felt him soar over the top of me and land an expert flip, his claws glinting in the little light there was in the room. I turned and ran back to the door as something scrapped against my legs and I felt them give as a scream escaped my throat. I couldn't get up. No. Nonononononononono. I turned my head to see him walking over to me, his eyes glinting with crazy.
"Artemis! Artemis answer me!" I could hear Wally screaming from the other side of the door, really throwing himself against it now, "Artemis! ARTEMIS!"
I dragged myself over to the door, ignoring the searing pain in my legs and raised a bloody hand against the window, "I love you, Wally. I'll always love you."
"No, please. Artemis! ARTEMIS!"

I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and instantly fished it out, Artemis.
"What's wrong?"
"We've been. It's Ollie. Dick-" She started and then she cut off to take in a deep breath, please don't  let her say what I think she's going to say, please God have mercy, "Wally, please help us. Dinah and I are trapped. We're in the therapy room. Dick's- he's already killed Ollie and Red." And then a heartbreaking sob escaped her, something I'd never thought I'd hear from my headstrong girlfriend, "Please, I'm scared Wally." And she never admitted her fears.
I didn't even give warning to the others as I took off to the therapy room, they'd figure out I was missing soon enough. It took me two seconds to get across the mountain and outside the door. Locked. I couldn't see anything inside, and almost jumped out of my skin when a hand gently pressed itself against the door.
"Wally, please. Help us." She breathed, her voice defeated.
"I'm going to get you out of there." I promised as I lay my hand against hers, "Don't you worry. Nothing's going to hurt you."
The lie felt bitter on my tongue, the emotional death of Ollie was going to hurt her. But I'd help her, comfort her. Suddenly she removed her hand from the door and I started to panic, something was wrong. He must be in there with her. No. No, fuck's sake, no.
"Please, Wally, he's in here with us." I could just hear her voice through the door and now my heart was beating so fast it was going to come right out of my chest. And the door hadn't given the conventional way. I stepped back and threw myself against it. it didn't give. So I tried again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
And then she screamed.
"Artemis! Artemis answer me! Artemis! ARTEMIS!" I'd definitely bruised all up my side, but I didn't care.
She was in there with him. Her hand raised to the glass again, this time it was covered in blood.
"I love you, Wally." She breathed, "I'll always love you."
"No. Please." I twisted the doorknob every way as I rammed myself against the door, "Artemis! ARTEMIS!"
Her hand dropped from the door and she didn't reply. No.
"Artemis, answer me goddammit." I begged as tears began to spill, "Please, please."
"Wally!" I didn't turn as my uncle found me dropped to the floor, crouched against the door as I cried, "Wally, are you okay?" I felt his arms come around me and lift me to my feet, "What happened?"
"He took them." I got out between silent tears, "Talon trapped them and killed them. He killed Artemis."
"Shh. Shh." He ran his hands over my hair in a soothing manner, "I'm sure they're okay. Dick wouldn't hurt them."
"You haven't seen him." I shouted as I pulled away, "That thing we're facing isn't Dick." Now Hal and Billy had rounded the corner, "That thing has no mercy, it doesn't care about us. Just it's next meal and the terror it can inflict. And let me tell you, he's doing a damned good job."
"Wally, you need to calm down." Barry said, "Look, we'll take down the door and look around for you. I'm sure Artemis was just having you on. You know what she's like."
Which is why I know she wasn't having me on. Captain Marvel stepped up to the door and ran into, breaking it down on his second try. I didn't dare look in the dark doorway, I didn't want to see what had happened. Plus the looks of horror on the other's face told me enough of what was in there.
"You weren't meant to see that." Now I moved to the doorway to see Talon standing in the doorway, dragging Dinah and Artemis across the floor.
"Put my girlfriend down right now." I shouted and didn't give him a chance to respond as I went at him.
My fist connected with empty air as he did a backwards walkover around my arm, dropping the others in the process. He shouldn't be able to move that fast, Bruce couldn't but Slade could. Damn blackmail and that training regime he was forced into. I turned back around as Green Lantern tried to lock him in one of his creations, but it didn't work. The fear factor in this room was too strong for him to do anything, and he knew it. I moved to grab Talon from behind, but he jabbed his elbow straight into my stomach and sent me flying backwards. I felt the breath leave me as I flew into a chair. Into someone. I turned my head and was glad I was breathless to stop the scream that was rising in my throat. I quickly clambered off of Oliver and fell to the floor, somehow my fear levels were still rising. My eyes quickly focused on Artemis' figure, breathing but heavily injured on her legs. There was no way she could walk, maybe in a couple months she could, but not right now. But she was alive, and that's all that really mattered to me. I got back to my feet as Captain Marvel went at Talon, only to be thrown over his head and into the wall where his back bent at an unnatural angle. I wasted no time getting over to him.
"Billy, are you okay?" I asked as I picked up his wrist and found his pulse.
His only response was a strained animal sound, but he's definitely alive. He'd have to wait for now, we had to take down Talon. I had to help Artemis. I ran back at him, this time going for a less direct approach and circling him, Barry joining me.
"Where's Hal?" I asked as we ran around Talon, who looked unnervingly calm standing in the eye of the storm.
"Outside, went through the wall." He explained, "I've checked, he's alive. Just. He needs immediate attention. What about Captian?"
"I think his spines broken." I answered honestly, "He might not make it if he doesn't get attention."
"He should make it." Barry replied, "But we should get on with this now, shouldn't we?"
Then we moved into action again, splitting so that we were opposite sides and then rushing at him. He didn't have a chance to move as we both punched him full force in the face and he went stumbling backwards.
"That hurt." He said as he rubbed his jaw, spitting out a clot of blood, "And now I've bitten through my tongue, do you know how painful that is?"
"I don't care right now." I growled as I advanced on him, Barry on my right until he was in the corner.
"Now look at this." He said, a smile gracing his features, but not a maniacal one, a more sincere one, "You appear to have corned me; congratulations. However, the question now is what you're going to do."
"Easy one, lock you up." Barry answered.
"Nuh-uh-uh." He shook his head like a child, "Wrong answer. The correct answer was perish." And then he leapt up and over us again, "Let's go, I need to get this done before they wake up."
I went at him first, a full force punch to the face but he was expecting it this time and brought his arm up, catching my fist and twisting so that I had to twist with it to avoid breaking it. I saw Barry come at him out the corner of my eye, causing him to drop my fist and I fell to the floor. I got back up just as Talon took my face between his hand and squeezed.
"Nighty night." He whispered as I gasped for air and eventually I passed out.