___
The Joker stood in the threshold of the opened glass door, grinning wickedly as he stared into my soul. His eyes burned into me, his red irises like hot irons sending shockwaves of panic throughout my skin. His stare placed seeds of anxiety in my mind. For a brief moment, my confidence and my anger were clouded by paralyzing doubt. It was overwhelming seeing the man who had tried to kill me finally stand in front of my adrenaline-filled being, mere feet away. I thought I’d know exactly what to do at this moment, that I’d be able to charge at tonight’s villain without hesitation. Instead, I froze up, unable to think clearly. It was as if gazing upon an urban legend, a horror story come to life.
The Joker himself.
The maniac just chuckled with delight, seeing my uncertainty.
“Let’s see if you can keep up!”
He said devilishly, before taking advantage of my inaction. Quickly, he spun around to face away from me, bolting down what looked to be another hallway.
I snapped out of my daze, sprinting after him. Darting down the hall, I dared not let his figure out of my sight. He laughed maniacally, pushing different objects such as dusty wheelchairs and rusted gurneys in my way to try to slow me down. I avoided each one, either pushing them out of the way or leaping over them, not letting these obstacles stop me. I was focused now, and nothing would break it.
I was going to stop him, I thought. He wasn’t going to get away from me.
The maniac kept going down this long, dark hallway, which stretched on for what felt like miles. Suddenly, when he reached the hallways’ end, he took a sharp left, causing me to lose sight of him for a brief moment. I picked up the pace, bidding my feet go faster. Swerving left as soon as I reached the end of the hallway, I turned to see nothing but an open door in a small corridor.
Nowhere else for Joker to run to.
I rushed toward the door, quickly running into the unknown to catch up with Joker. As my legs crossed the threshold, I looked around frantically for the madman, my eyes peering around the dim, vast room. It was just as filthy as the rest of the abandoned medical wing, but it looked nothing like the rest of the rooms I had been in before. Instead of medical supplies, it held office supplies. The only thing illuminating the space was an old lamp on a desk, standing a few feet from the back wall with old papers, desk decor, and books covered in years of cobwebs and dust. A cabinet resided in the corner, open and barren, most likely ransacked years ago. A plaque rested in the front center of the desk, with the name A. Arkham engraved on its gold-plated cover. I noticed the place looked completely torn apart, with different papers and other small objects strewn about the dirty tiles. Overall, it was clear that this room hadn’t seen a human’s touch in many years, if not decades. Worse than the rest of the abandoned wing.
I cautiously entered further into the room, looking into the darkness to make out any shape resembling Joker. Seeing nothing, I was in the midst of turning around when -
SLAM!
Jumping from the loud noise, I turned to see a chalk-white hand roughly pushing the door I had just come through closed. In the dimly lit darkness, I could see the horrific madman’s wide grin, chuckling as he stepped out from behind the door. Looking at his other hand, I noticed it was pointed towards me, with something in its clutches. I let my eyes adjust to the dimly lit room, and when I saw what it was I let out a small gasp in surprise.
Joker had a gun pointed directly at me, his finger resting comfortably on the trigger.
I stared down the barrel, before looking Joker in his twisted eyes. Despite my unenviable position, I tried to appear strong, pushing down my growing worry. I’d disarmed criminals before, and I can do it again. I just needed to wait for the right time.
Joker eagerly spoke, never breaking his gaze.
“Well, well. What have we here? Gullible little hero, aren’t we?”
Gullible?
It then dawned on me. Joker had led me here for a reason. What that reason was, I wasn’t sure of yet, but I knew it wouldn’t be pleasant.
Joker slowly moved away from the door, and I moved with him. Avoiding a position where I wouldn’t have my back facing the armed lunatic, we circled. Slowly eying each other, we cautiously rounded each other like vultures waiting to attack.
“I just love this place, don’t you? What better way to call out to the Batsy than by taking over the madhouse… Again! Not to mention, killing the new kid on the block… It really is a shame you never got to see him in action.”
He paused, eyeing me down with a vicious stare before continuing on.
“Though, I don’t think he would have taken to you, kid… just stating the facts! Not like we do. Too many bodies, so few fingers to count them on! He likes his do-gooders clean. Such a bore, if you ask me! It’s always more fun when there’s a bit of sin behind those masks…”
He wiggled his fingers at me playfully, before trailing off with his last sentence. His words were like venom, seeping into my heart, petrifying it. I pushed away his taunts, however, remaining determined.
“It’s over, Joker. As we speak, they’re working on fixing the lockdown system. You’re done.”
Joker laughed, slapping his knee in amusement.
“I’m just getting started, kid! The sun ain’t up yet, and there’s still plenty of time left to kill you.”
I exhaled, trying to remain strong despite his threat.
Joker continued on, tilting his head briefly.
“I am pleasantly surprised, though! I half expected you to be dead after the first little test! Goes to show just how underestimated you are. I guess you're a real force to be reckoned with, kiddo, especially with your showstopping capabilities. How does it work, anyway?”
I thought about it for a moment, my face contorting to convey how lost I felt by his question. Joker smiled as if he already knew the answer and was pleased at my inner turmoil.
Do I even know how my abilities work? Truly?
Sure, I know what they can do, and how to use them, but they’ve always been a winding storm, especially these last two nights. Trying to call them forth now was a challenge, and I didn’t understand why they were failing me all night. Coming and going as my evergrowing insecurity and doubt infected my mind. They were an unpredictable force of nature. The voice seemed to be so quiet like it had been years ago. I had shut it out and denied it so many times, trying not to give in to its power.
Maybe I had shut it out for good.
I shook my head, trying to focus back on Joker. He spat out another bout of laughter.
“My, you don’t even know! Now that’s a laugh! A hero, with a classic ‘who am I’ dilemma! She was right, you know… You're just a regular ol’ gal who doesn’t appreciate the greatness inside you. You could have been a star... From here to Metropolis you could have taken over the coast. Instead, you chose the losing side. But no matter how hard you try you can’t escape it. You won’t ever escape your true nature. And you know it… Deep down, you feel it, Sarah. You feel it scratching to get out. Clawing at you, eating away at you…”
My heart froze at his words, my mind filling with dread and regret.
Joker continued on.
“Why don’t you let it out? Try it! Try it on me, even! Give in to it… Feed it…”
He smiled widely before chuckling, his face grinning with malicious glee as he egged me on, wanting me to kill him.
What was he doing, I thought.
With the swarming of thoughts in my head, I closed my eyes for a brief second before collecting myself. It became clear to me what he was doing.
He was playing with me, I thought. He's toying with me, trying to get in my head.
“Y-You don’t know a thing about me.”
I stuttered out, circling around the Joker as he continued his taunting.
“But I do, Sarah. Really, I do. See, she knows all about you. Every little thing! And she told me all about it… Your whore of a mother, her lowlife of a lover-”
I cut him off, shocked at what he was saying.
“How-”
Joker continued on, smiling as he named the rest.
“Those delinquent brats who had it coming, Scarecrow and his chaps, the whole nine yards! All the way down to what’s inside you…”
Joker flicked the gun in his hands, to motion towards me. He chuckled, before gradually increasing to laughter.
My face tensed with anger, as I yelled harshly at the madman. Questions darting out of me with rapid-fire speed.
“What does she want? Who is she? Answer me!”
“Oh… it’s only fair you get some closure before I kill you… You already know who, you said her name before, kid! As for why…”
He paused, resting the gun on his cheek before pointing it at me again.
“It’s simple really… You don’t serve her needs alive. You’re in her way, and that makes her oh-so-angry! So angry that she brought us all back. Old Crow, my temperamental little lacky. Probably more! All so she could get you out of the picture…”
“S-Serve her? I don’t understand. I never did anything! How can I be in her way?”
I shouted out, with confusion and frustration. Joker chuckled to himself, continuing to circle around me.
“That’s the point, kiddo… You didn’t do anything! You do nothing… You leave her weak… Those magic tricks of yours are more than just tricks, you know. It’s something within you, something greater than, maybe, you deserve… It’s one of a kind, and very valuable to our red savior… A little advice, Sarah. When you don’t feed the beast, eventually it’ll feed on you!”
I stopped circling, standing still as I looked to the floor, processing what the Joker had said. My mind went numb, trying to figure out the cryptic information he had just fed me.
Something great, I thought. Something greater than I originally believed.
It dawned on me, thinking back to every little thing I was able to uncover about my abilities. They weren’t natural. They weren’t a part of my biological body. The voice in my head felt more than just a hallucination. All along… it spoke as if it were a person beside me, guiding and aiding me. Whispering in my ear, like an old friend. It was something I’d known all along, deep down, but something I could never admit to myself fully.
My abilities weren’t just abilities, I thought. The monster in me was alive. Its own, sentient being.
I felt sick to my stomach almost, nauseated at the realization I had come to. I felt violated, like my skin was crawling inside out. Knowing the evil inside me wasn’t the metaphor I thought it was. It was real, there was something attached to me.
I became more fearful of myself. I slowly raised my hands, gazing upon them bloody and bruised. My insides churned with uncertainty, feeling as if a massive riptide of emotion had swept me out into a sea of distress.
As I pondered what I had discovered, I could feel the shadows within me lose themselves. Fighting with me, flickering in and out of existence around me as I looked at my hands in disgust.
Joker had slowly come up behind me, seeing me start to lose my grip on myself. I was too stunned to move, to speak. I expected him to attack, but instead, he rested one hand on my shoulder before whispering into my ear, with poisonous persuasion.
“I think you’re starting to get it now Sarah… Why don’t you let it out, eh? Show old Joker whose boss! Feed your beast…”
He then started laughing, as my body began to shake due to the overwhelming thoughts. My heart beat rapidly, increasing as I started to panic. I could feel my abilities wanting to come out, wanting to show themselves. As they flickered around me, smoke emitting off of me as if I were a blazing wildfire, I thought back to the times I had let my abilities loose. All of the bodies started stacking up in my head, my mind drowning in their blood.
No, I thought. No! I didn’t want this.
I took a deep breath in, pushing away the hand that was beckoning to me within. Many times, I had taken that hand, and once before I had control over it. However, Joker was right. It was a beast that needed feeding. It needed blood, and I wasn’t going to feed it any longer.
I let my instincts guide me, and I threw my head forward, before bringing it back upon Joker’s face, which resided by my shoulders. Once he stumbled back, holding his forehead in shock, I used my leg to roughly kick him back. Joker went flying into a coat hanger by the wall, knocking it over as he righted himself. His smile disappeared for a moment, turning into one of disdain. He raised his gun at me, sneering in anger as he did so.
My eyes widened seeing the weapon mere inches from me. Adrenaline took over me, and just as he fired, I felt my hand instinctively raise, using my forearm to push the weapon away from my face.
BANG!
The piercing gunshot exploded next to my ears, causing me to go deaf on my left side. I didn’t have time to flinch from the loud noise, as Joker had recovered, trying to aim at me again.
Thinking quickly, I grabbed his chalk-white hand before twisting it, making his hand drop the weapon out of instinct. Once he was disarmed, I brought my knee up to his stomach roughly, causing him to keel over. I ended my attack with one last kick, sending him toppling down onto the floor.
I kicked the gun away from his reach, turning to him triumphantly.
“I may have fed it before, but I will never feed it again. I’m better than that… better than you!”
Joker spat onto the ground, his lips curling into a frown. He got up to one knee, leaning on it before speaking.
“What a pathetic little waste you are-”
His frown slowly turned back into a plotting smile, his red eyes looking up at me with mischief.
“But you don’t really think you can run from it, forever, do you? Don’t be daft, kid! It’s always a part of you. You’ll have to let it out-”
Suddenly, Joker sprang up, backhanding me across the face while catching me off guard. He finished his sentence sharply.
“- At some point!”
I staggered back, holding my cheek to try and comfort the pain shooting through my face. Despite Joker’s size, he was surprisingly strong, and a hard hitter.
He stepped towards me, stopping at the wooden coat hanger to break off a piece of the leg with a vicious stomp. Now, within his hands, he held a blunt object. He continued on, looking at his weapon in awe.
“Now, I really don’t like hittin’ gals… But since you’ve weaseled your way out of my game-”
Joker swung the wooden object at me, and I jumped back to avoid the blow, wind rushing by my ears as he did so.
“- I’m going to have to come up with something… Lucky for me, I’m great at improv!”
He laughed maniacally, throwing the weapon in his hands up, before catching it with the other hand. He pointed it at me, mimicking a baseball player as if he imagined he was up to bat. He swung it in the air a couple of times, while I stood there, silently watching him. Waiting for him to strike.
“Let me help you, dear one. I’m not what they claim.”
I let out a small gasp of fright, hearing the voice within me again. I began to shake, acknowledging for the first time that this wasn’t in my head. Something within me was speaking to me.
“I don’t know who you are… But you need to go away.”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
I whispered to myself, trying to ward the voice off. The whispers started to get louder in my head, echoing violently within me while begging for release. I held my head, pushing whatever was inside me back down again, willfully letting go of it. Using every bit of mental stamina left to hide it away within me.
“GO AWAY!”
I screamed out. Just as I had deterred the voices, Joker lunged at me with the weapon, smacking me upside the chin with the blunt object. I staggered back into the wall, my jaw shooting with pain. A deep cackle arose from the madman’s lips, causing the room to vibrate with the man’s horrific laughter.
“And here I thought I was the crazy one! Is something in your head, hm? Is something wanting to come out and play?”
He playfully taunted me, swinging the weapon down upon me again. In a desperate attempt to block it, I grabbed onto the weapon with both hands, struggling with the madman for a few brief seconds. Thinking quickly, I landed a kick to his chest, sending him back away from me as I launched off the wall. A fist from me came barreling toward the Joker, managing to connect to his cheek. He merely shook off the assault, laughing devilishly as he swung the weapon again. Hitting me on the shoulder, I crumpled to one knee from the force he put behind the blow. I held my shoulder, gritting my teeth to avoid making any sound. I didn’t have time to recover before Joker smacked me across the head with the object, sending me onto the ground with my head throbbing.
I lay there on the dirty tiled floor, trying to come to my senses, however, the blow had hit me hard enough to the point I was seeing blurs of light. I could feel blood rush down the side of my head as one of my old wounds reopened, the sensation burning into my skin. The hair flowing down by my face began to stick to my cheek and forehead, the crimson essence coming out of me acting as an adhesive. I pushed myself up slowly, only to be met with another blow to my back, sending me down again.
“It is a shame, really… Would have loved to chit-chat with you a bit more, and delve into the mess of yours you call a mind, but- Sadly, this act is coming to a close. And I still owe darling Caedes the main event... It was a pleasure playing with you, Sarah!”
I could feel Joker swinging down upon me again. Thinking quickly, I rolled over to the side onto my back, avoiding the hit. Joker smacked the weapon onto the floor with enough force to break it in half. He grumbled in discontent, throwing the piece in his hand away from him. Using every bit of strength in me, I flipped up off of the ground, collecting myself into a focused state.
Joker began alternating on his feet, putting his hands up like he was mimicking an old-time boxer. He began laughing, smiling coyly at me as he got into this stance. I realized that this was how he wanted to fight, so I got into a stance of my own. I spoke to him, coldly and courageously.
“What are you waiting for?”
He cackled, before jumping over to me and swinging a fist at me.
“That’s the spirit! A little fun before you die!”
I pushed away his fist, before colliding my elbow with his cheek. Instead of disdain, he kept smiling, chuckling as we fought. He swung again, this time maintaining an open palm. The move caught me off guard, leading to me being slapped back by the Joker. Confused at his choice in combat, I jumped up from my feet, swinging one leg at him before swinging up the other. Both attempts missed him, however, as he spun out of the way quickly. Once he faced me again, he unleashed a barrage of slaps and kicks my way. I was able to dodge a few hits, but the madman was surprisingly fast. A kick from him sent me stumbling backward, and when I was caught off guard, the lunatic leaped towards me, slapping me over the head multiple times. The blows were brutally rough, sending a shock through me. I didn’t have time to ponder the lunatic's strength, instead focusing all of my energy on getting him off. I placed my foot upon his chest, launching him back with a kick.
The Joker stumbled, shaking his head vigorously as he laughed.
“You pack one hell of a punch, shadow-brat!”
He recovered quicker than I thought, lunging at me with a closed fist. Focused intently, I managed to maneuver myself out of the way. With Joker’s back facing me, I grasped my two fists together, bringing them down harshly upon his shoulder. The madman faltered, leaning over for a brief moment. Seizing the opportunity, I raised my leg, before bringing it down on Joker’s back. With a grunt of pain, the Joker went colliding with the ground.
I walked around him, about to strike while he was vulnerable. Before I could, a sharp stabbing pain sent me crumpling to the ground. My leg buckled under the sudden pain, and I held my leg while crying out in agony. I looked over to see Joker now on his knees, holding what looked to be a short knife. Wherever he had got it from, he was now using it against me.
Joker laughed with malicious enthusiasm, coming after me on the ground with his arms raised. In his hands, he grasped the small sharp object, about to plunge it into my chest. Instinctively, I raised my leg up, kicking him back. My other leg came up as well, giving him another kick for good measure. Joker went backward, coming to a stand while scowling. I threw myself off of the ground, hopping up into another stance. The lunatic held the knife in one hand, making slashing motions in the air as he readied himself to fight.
I stood back, getting into a defensive position while assessing him. The Joker was stronger and more skilled than he appeared. Being fueled not by strength, but by pure insanity, it seemed. His bizarre suit bounced with every move he made, the purple-striped jacket flailing behind him. His crooked yellow teeth proudly displayed the pleasure he was getting out of this encounter. Red eyes from his pale white face stared me down, like a predator readying himself for the kill. I watched as the knife in his hand gleamed in the dim light, catching my eyes in its sight.
I needed to be careful, I thought. One wrong move and he could catch me in a lethal position. I needed to try and disarm him if I had any chance of taking him down.
The Joker leaped towards me, cackling as he slashed the blade in my direction. I managed to block it using my forearm, feeling the sharp object graze my suit’s protective materials. Seconds after his miss, I used the same forearm to strike the Joker across the face, causing his head to snap to the side from the impact. Joker made an attempt to stab me in the stomach, plunging it toward my torso. Barely in the nick of time, I maneuvered my body out of the way, letting him hit the air. While I was caught by surprise, he swung a fist at me, colliding with my cheek. I staggered back, trying to find my footing again. In my daze, the madman swung the blunt end of the knife down upon my face until-
CRACK!
Shooting pain exploded in my face, feeling the impact of the object hit my nose. I cried out, blood spewing more rapidly from my nose. I backed away from my attacker, stumbling against the wall as I lightly touched the back of my hand to my nose, which was vibrating with excruciating pain. My fingers gingerly traced up the bridge of my nose, and once it touched the site of the pain I winced out, breathing heavily as I looked at the Joker in shock.
As I was processing the broken nose the madman had given me, he lunged at me again, laughing hysterically at the thought of this assault. He was beginning to plunge the knife down at me again. Desperately, I grabbed his wrist, trying to stop the attack from happening. It took both of my hands holding his wrist to prevent the maniac from plunging it into my chest. We struggled, with me barely being able to hold my own against his insane strength.
“My, what a fighter! C’mon, Your old Jokester could do this all day! Why don’t ya just give up, kid?”
He managed to spit out, cackling with each word.
My panicked eyes peered into his malicious stare, his grin widening at the sight of my worry. He applied more pressure, using his other arm to push the one holding the knife down. My arms began to cave, the blade slowly getting closer to my chest. I yelled out, using every ounce of strength within me to try and fight back. The blade got close enough to where I could feel its sharp point digging into my upper chest through the suit.
Fright started to course through me, losing the fight over my life. I could feel my abilities reaching for me, desperately clawing at me to preserve my life. Caving in, I tried to reach for them as well, but trying to grasp them was like swimming through cement. Plunging into myself to try and retrieve what I pushed away so deeply was suffocating. An impossible task. What could have saved me before was now far away from reach, as if I had locked it away in a prison of my conflicted mind.
In a desperate move, I kicked the Joker back, coming to terms with the fact I had to do this on my own. Adrenaline swept away all sense of reality, as the world around me blurred with technicolor. My heart kept beating against my chest, my pulse ringing through my ears like warning bells.
Joker had tried to strike again, slashing at me. I ducked my head, avoiding the attack, instead deciding to go on the offensive. I launched off of the wall, jumping toward the madman and swinging a fist in his direction. The blow directly hit him square across the face, causing him to falter back in surprise. I kept coming at him, yelling out a war cry as I did so. The Joker managed to block an oncoming kick from me, pushing my foot away with his hands. I then swung another fist at him, then another. The maniac blocked every single one, pitifully laughing at my attempts.
I needed to wear him down, I thought.
Getting another jumping start, I leaped up and swung my leg down upon the Joker, kicking him across the face with my boot. A pained grunt escaped from him before more laughter erupted from his twisted smile. I kept throwing punches and swinging kicks his way, not letting him have any reprieve from me. He tried swinging his knife at me a few times, some of which caught my arms by surprise. I knew I needed to get that knife from him, but he was very adept with it, slashing or stabbing at me before bringing it closer to his body.
I kept my attacks up, continuously swinging and kicking the Joker. Most of my attempts were in vain, however, as he was extremely skilled in evading or blocking them. I wasn’t even phasing him with my attacks. If anything, they were beginning to tire me out. When he made another swing at me, I finally had a chance.
Joker had lunged forward, using his whole body to gain some length as he plunged the knife toward my face. I was able to move my head in time to have it avoid my eye, but instead, the short knife slashed me across the side of the neck. I yelled out in pain but didn’t have time to assess the damage. Once I recovered, I grabbed the lunatic’s arm tightly, swinging him around to the side to his surprise. In his daze, I extended my other forearm, letting him swing into it at full force. The Joker’s head recoiled back, as he went tumbling to the ground.
His back collided with the filthy floor with a thud, but he didn’t stay down for long. In seconds, he had spun up onto his knees, thrusting a knife toward my calf. I only had a few moments to react, quickly back springing out of the way while kicking him in the process. I felt my boot collide with him, and when I righted myself I saw he had gone back onto the ground again. I watched as he slowly got up, spitting out a mouthful of blood as he stood. He glared at me with hateful, red eyes.
“I must say, I’m growing tired of your games, Sarah. Why don’t you be a good little dog and just die already!”
He twirled the knife in his hands, beginning to stalk closer to me. An idea popped into my head as I watched him gradually pick up speed, beginning to walk, and then sprint toward me. He raised the knife in a menacing manner, ready to attack me. I waited for him to get closer to me, my heart pounding inside of my chest while waiting for the moment to strike. The Joker finally got closer to me, attempting to plunge the knife down toward my face. I focused, readying myself for a counterattack.
My hand instinctively raised, grabbing the Joker’s wrist before it could stab the weapon into me. With every ounce of strength in me, I swung him around again, only this time to ensure I was behind him. I twisted his arm again behind his back, causing him to growl out in some measure of pain. Thinking quickly, and without mercy, I kicked his right knee from behind, causing it to buckle. With the Joker now at a level I could control him, I wrapped the madman in a chokehold. Just like I had been in many times this night.
I applied all the pressure I could, wrapping one arm around his neck and the other around his head, holding him still as I deprived the villain of oxygen. I could feel the madman claw at me, thrashing around as he tried to escape my hold. Despite my hesitance to kill him, I knew if I let him go before the right time I would have doomed myself. Anger, and desperation for the night to end arose in me, as I applied more pressure.
“Give up, you bastard!”
I screamed at him from the top of my lungs, angrily willing him to pass out. Choking and gasping noises escaped the clown prince’s lips as he struggled. He was stronger than me, but even he couldn’t escape the position I had him in. I squeezed my arm around his throat tighter, and tighter, new strength in me forming.
“GIVE UP!”
Yelling at him again, I began to feel his body start to weaken. Slowly, over the course of a minute, he went limp. All before slumping into my arms. When I felt his resistance stop, I panicked, quickly letting go of him. I let him drop to the floor, the knife colliding right beside him. Even though this man was evil incarnate, I still cared for his life. I quickly kneeled beside the limp madman, my breath increasing as fear trickled through me. Two of my fingers felt the side of his neck, waiting with a dire suspense lingering in the air.
Please tell me I didn’t kill him, I thought.
I waited and continued to wait. Concern washed over me with each second that ticked by. My heart plummeted with anguish each time I failed to find a heartbeat.
Please don’t be dead, I thought.
My shocked lips let out a small gasp when I finally felt a heartbeat. The faint pulse of the madman breathed life into me, as I almost cried in joy. I looked at the limp villain, and my eyes widened in absolution and disbelief.
I did it, I thought.
I had defeated the Joker and did so without claiming his life.
Pride and relief washed over me as I came to a stand. My body began to feel the immense weightlessness of safety wash over me. Letting out a slight sob, I covered my mouth as I began to cry out from all the emotions rising in me.
It was finally over. My hell was over.
“SIKE!”
A loud, piercing voice sliced through the beauty of my victory, destroying all my hope. I looked down just in time to see the Joker spring up, as if from the dead, stab his knife into me. Pained screams escaped me as I felt searing agony rip into me from my abdomen, where the Joker had planted his knife into my torso.
"I can't believe you fell for that old trick! Typical!"
Stumbling back in horror, I cried out once again when the Joker roughly pulled the knife out of me. Caught off guard, I staggered into the wall behind me, my heartbeat increasing as worry and panic started to course through me again. Holding my new wound that gushed out crimson essence, my eyes darted back up to see Joker running toward me again. His raised knife dripping with my fresh blood.
I only had time to raise my hands in defense as he slashed at me. Pain shot through me as I felt the cruel blade slice into my palm and wrist. Tortured screams erupted from me again as I collapsed onto the ground. I scooted back against the wall, trying to distance myself from the crazed madman. All I heard from the Joker were his crazed, maniacal laughs, finding great pleasure in my suffering. I noticed he recoiled his hand, ready to stab down again. In a desperate attempt, my hand raised again, his attacks too fast for me to comprehend while this agony writhed within me.
The Joker stabbed down, catching my hand in his blade. The sharp knife pierced right through my palm, stabbing into my flesh and exiting through the back of my hand. He had plunged it down with such force, that the blade not only caught me, but it stuck into the wall, diagonally pinning my hand above me to the crumbling surface. Joker saw this, and let go, laughing cruelly at my unfortunate situation
Another long, tortured scream escaped my lips, as tormenting pain pulsed up my hand and throughout my body. I watched as blood began to pour out of my wound profusely, dripping into my tangled mess of hair. My hands began to shake with adrenaline, as I looked up to see my hand stuck to the wall with the sharp blade. Cries of agony escaped me as I slowly went to touch the blade with my free hand, only to feel more pain shoot through me as I did so.
I was stuck, pinned gruesomely to the spot by the murderous lunatic.
My body began to go cold, feeling shock take over. My eyes welled with tears as they looked at the Joker, satisfied with his devilish work. His smile widened even further than it had before, his eyes narrowing down at me. He wiped a small remnant of blood from his lip before putting his hands on his hips, bending down to face me with tormenting chuckles.
“There, much better! And boy, was I wrong about your lung capacity!”
Slowly, I reached up to my pinned hand, blood now profusely dripping down my arm and onto my head. I winced as I gently grabbed onto the hilt of the blade, readying myself for the excruciating pain to follow my next plan.
“Oh, no, no, no! Don’t ruin the moment, kid! Savor it! That crippling feeling of false hope, only to come tumbling down to defeat! Embrace it…”
Joker excitedly motioned towards me, beckoning me to accept the end. I refused to give in, gripping the hilt tighter as I began to pull the blade out of my palm. Yells and cries of tortured agony echoed from me as I tried to free myself, feeling the sharp fire of pain burn through me once again. My heart kept beating, trying to pump enough adrenaline in me to keep me out of shock. Joker just clicked his tongue in frustration, before looking at me in pity.
“Oh, what a spoil… I know! How about we play a little game? Make you appreciate this feeling a little more! Let’s see…”
Joker paused, trailing off with his last word, while looking around the room. I tried to pull the knife out yet again, but it remained, firmly stuck into the wall with my hand trapped in its sharp prison. I cried out more, struggling to get a hold of the weapon due to my blood causing a slippery grip. With all of my might, despite the obstacles, I tried to free myself. I noticed Joker beaming with wicked excitement when he found an object on a nearby bookshelf, picking it up. I could tell it used to be gold, despite all the dust that coated it. He turned to me, grinning with evil intent as he stalked closer. He began swinging it in the air, testing out the large object. Only when he got closer could I see it was a paperweight statue of a woman, about a foot long. I could tell it was heavy in his hand, and as he drew near I began to panic.
He was going to try and kill me, I thought, and here I was trapped and at his mercy.
When the Joker was a foot away from me, I frantically lifted my body up to try and kick him back, crying out in pain as I did so. While I flailed, I tried harder to pull the knife out. Despite every inch of my body shaking, I did what I could to keep him back while trying to escape. Like an animal caught in a trap, I fought to survive. Joker kept laughing at my feeble attempts, entertaining my kicks for a while. I could feel the knife start to give, and a new rush of hope befell me.
“Now, let’s savor this moment together, shall we?”
All of my hope dashed away when the maniac swung the paperweight down upon my attacking leg.
SMACK!
Pain seared through me again, as the blunt object crashed into my shin. I landed one kick to his chest with my other leg, but that only made the madman more eager. He lunged again, this time swinging the blunt object into my foot.
SMACK!
I yelled out in agony, feeling the paperweight collide with my ankle. The Joker laughed deviously as he swung at me again. Instinctively, I raised my free hand to try and block his attack, begging inside me for any help, any aid from my demon.
Please, I thought. Please help me!
Instead, I heard nothing inside. The monster within me drowned by my own insecurity and fear, quieter than death itself.
SMACK!
Tears welled up in my eyes as I felt a crack, the paperweight shattering into my forearm. My arm coiled up in agony as I had nothing left to defend myself with. Joker swung again.
SMACK!
SMACK!
SMACK!
The paperweight slammed into my face three times, hitting me with enough force to send blood flying everywhere. My body went limp, slumping down further into the wall as my body went numb. Everything in me felt broken, dark, and hopeless.
Is this how I die?
SMACK!
One last blow was landed to my face, and I felt my head whip to the side from the impact. My neck drooped down, as if too weak to hold my head up any longer. The room spun, with black spots in my vision clouding me. Everything burned within me from the physical pain being inflicted upon me. Blood pooled out of my gaping mouth, leaking out of every wound I had been given by this lunatic. How I was still conscious after this assault, I had no clue. The pain from it all was unbearable, and I could feel nothingness begin to take me.
Joker used the paperweight to lift my weak chin up, grinning wildly as I slowly moved my fluttering eyes to face him. Blood began to stick to my eyelashes as crimson poured from my head. Shallow, raspy breathing was all that escaped from me now. The screams had quieted as I slowly gave up. With my arm still pinned to the wall, I slumped down further, submitting to the debilitating weakness that began to fill my fleeting body.
“Oh, don’t black out on me yet! It’s no fun when I can’t watch the light leave your eyes, Sarah! Have a little imagination! Indulge me, kid!”
The Joker taunted me, chuckling before exploding into menacing laughter. He dropped the paperweight, letting it fall to the ground with a harsh thud. He began retrieving what appeared to be brass knuckles from his striped coat. He slowly slipped them onto his right hand, cackling so hard he was almost out of breath.
I felt nothing seeing this. Nothing but the sheer feeling of defeat, and agony. As the Joker began to beat into me, smiling widely as he did so, I felt nothing. Time around me began to slow with each hit and blow he would deliver.
SMACK!
SMACK!
SMACK!
Blood kept flying out of me, flowing out of me like a sand timer that counted down the seconds to my death.
SMACK!
Pain still continued to course through me, as the madman delivered blows to my head, chest, and stomach. Each moment of this torture continued to crush my will to live, breaking with the bones inside of me.
SMACK!
SMACK!
This is it, I thought. This is how I could die. Despite my finest efforts to survive this night, I would not escape. I would die here with the others who perished. A failure to the city, a tragedy to the ones who believed in me. A power play for the man who was in the process of murdering me. A victory to the one who wanted me dead so badly.
At least, I thought, I got to die a hero. Knowing I tried for those in need. Knowing I fought to protect what was right. Despite my mistakes, I knew that with my death, I had at least done some good. The only thing I was sorry for was not being able to prevent this madman from causing more havoc after my time.
With the thought, I closed my eyes, succumbing to the deep, dark sleep that awaited me. The death that had tried to claim me all these years, all those times, was now finally here.
SMACK!
I felt my consciousness drift away, feeling my body fade. The pain started to subside, feeling a sense of peace wash over me as I escaped away into the unfamiliar place. Quietness numbed me and brought me solace. All until a voice rang through, clearer than ever before now. The voice I had heard all my life, calling to me as I faded. When I opened my eyes, the world I was pulled into was a bright orange, like the light of the sunsets I loved. In front of me was a giant black orb, with smoke emanating from the void-like object, pouring out with black clouds. It spoke, beckoning to me, echoing with familiarity.
“You can’t give up, dear one. Not yet. This city needs you.”