IC:
Batman
In the shadow of two corpses that once layed fresh upon the city's streets, Ive dedicated my life to battling the world's purest forms of evil. I tried to prepare for everything. Rapists. Muggers. Thiefs. Arsonists. Sadists. Terrorists. Machonists. The occasional corrupted official. The list is nearly endless. But I thought and hoped that I was ready for anything, going into this.
I've been proven
wrong, admist a bloodbath of a highschool gymnasium.
Their killer dances in the darkness of this apparent chaos, gracefully making his way around the room as if none of this phases him. As if the severed heads and bloody hands are nothing but apart of a game to him.
Murder is
not, and
never will be a game, in my eyes.
I stand, silent... observant of my new enemy. The destroyed lighting and darkness of the city's skies above us leave much to the imagination, but from what I can tell, the figure is tall. Composed. Completely, physically telling that he is not aware of the crime he's committed. That, or his sick mind simply
enjoys it all.
Eventually, he pauses, and turns to me. Stepping over as apart of 'the dance' he's put himself within, my eyes widen as he steps into a lighted area. He's dressed as... a children's clown? Is he
mocking the entire situation?
"Want to cut in?", He asks, spinning, and leaning his companion backwards, so the face is facing me.
I look down, expecting a helpless hostage. But I immediately want to vomit at the true sight. He's dancing with a corpse. A
corpse, for god's sake. And what's worse is that I can't tell how exactly he killed the man. But somehow, he's managed to peel back the lips into the most ghastly grin I've ever seen. Looking up at the killer with gritted teeth, I try my absolute best not to go into a rage. Can't afford to. Not after The Creeper. Not after... Talia.
"Who are you?", I ask, as he drops the corpse, forcing it to fall into a pile of others.
"Excellent question. Who are we all? What is our purpose?", He asks, turning around.
My god. His face... that grin. And I thought the
corpse was bad.
"My purpose is to, quite simply, entertain.", He begins.
"This party was absolutely dead and dull when I arrived. So I'm played upon irony's sake and brought forth it's true nature. As you can plainly see.", He continues, indicating the corpses that surround us.
"That's not entertaining."
"It is to me! HAHAHAHAHA!"
I clench my fists. That's it. The laughter is where I draw the line. Rushing forward, I throw my fist as hard as I can into his face, knocking him back. He stumbles, at first, but eventually spins, and ...grins even wider.
"I can see some of us don't have taste."
"For the last time, who are you?", I growl, making my anger very much apparent.
He bows, reaching into his jacket, before looking up at me and throwing something towards my direction. I lift my cape, preparing for an attack. But it ends up being a mere piece of paper. Leaning down, never taking my eyes off of him, I pick it up, and turn it over.
"My card."
...
It's... a joker.
A joker card.
"You?!", I exclaim, looking up.
"You're the-"
"Joker?", He asks, still holding that grin.
"Why yes. A fan, are you?"
I sneer, throwing the card to the side. I'm growing sick of these games, and I've only been here a minute at the least.
"Hardly.", I respond.
"You're responsible for at least five homocides. Not even taking these into account."
"And those were only a warmup.", The man calling himself "Joker" says, quick to answer.
"Not likely. You're going to an institution."
"That was never apart of my schedule.", He responds, pulling out a gun.
"And oh, how I do love sticking to schedule.", The Joker continues.
"Frankly, you were never apart of it either. So I guess you'll be on your way to that big, golden harp in the sky too. Or belfry, as it were. HAHAHAHA!"
My hand's already on the Batarang by the time he's begun his second laugh. This should be over by now. The madman should already be down. I can't reason with him. But at the same time... I can't get past his motif. It's more effective than I expected. It's thrown me off.
But it doesn't stop me from throwing the Batarang, as I vault forward, letting it go and hitting his weapon. It flies, landing in the punchbowl near us. The Joker looks back at it, and then at me.
"Punch me... then toss my gun into... Punch?", He asks, almost disturbed by this rather... simplistic observation.
"..."
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
...What in the hell?
He clutches his abdominals, giggling madly. I just don't understand this man's mentality. And I already know I don't
like it.
"Oh... Oh god... hehe... that's priceless. Irony in my own little game. I think I'm going to like you, Batty Mc-"
My fist flies into his face again, silencing his insane banter. Then I hit him again, in the opposite direction. A knee to the solar plexus and a spin kick across his face, and The Joker goes flying, crashing into one of the tables, amongst his 'entertainees'.
I walk forward, stepping over the corpses, ready for more. He's going to pay for what he's done. I can
promise that much.
He scrambles to his feet, visibly wounded, but still grinning. What
is it with him?
"Don't have to get all burned up about it. Just say you didn't like the joke.", He says, as I grab him, and lift him from his feet, angrily.
"Speaking of burned..."
I pause, feeling something hit my arm. Liquid, of some sort. But immediatley, I realise that it's beginning to hurt. And the pain only increases, as I look down at my bicep.
...
Is that...?
"AGGH!", I scream, dropping him, grabbing my arm, and immediately tearing away at the cloth covering my melting armguard.
I can hear the maniac's laughter echo, as I tear off and throw down the burned section of the suit's sleeve. Acid. He used acid on me. And it actually melted through the suit. For that, I think, he's going to pay even worse. But by the time I look up... He's already halfway to the doors, sprinting madly as he begins throwing something from his jacket. I rush forward, trying to persue him. He
can't get away.
"Have a nice trip..."
My eyes widen as I lose balance, and slip over the floor, landing hard on my back.
"...See you next fall! HAHAHAHAHA!"
Ugh. I don't know what feels worse. My back, which hit a steel cable sprawled along the floor... or the pun that The Joker felt he had to add to my misery. I reach down, picking up one of the many objects that tripped me. Probably some sort of mine, or-
...
"-Marbles.", I say to myself, angrily.
Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse.
"Well, it's been real, as these kids say. Oh... whoops, I mean said.", He says, with a grin that Satan himself probably couldn't even attempt.
"But I'm on a tight schedule. Really, though, it was a thrill tangling with you on this magical evening, Batface."
He waves, opening the door, as I try my absolute best to get to my feet. No... No, he can't. Not after what he did tonight.
"Call me!", He exclaims, before rushing out the door with more of that damned maniacality.
I...
No. No, that
couldn't have happened.
Damn it! I... I failed. I failed again. And even
worse, this time. The bodies that circle me are just a reminder of that, as my head hangs low only to see my own hand pounding the ground beneath me as hard as I possibly can.
The Joker won. Evil won. And all of these people lost, horribly. Mother... father... I.... I'm sorry. I let you down.
I let you down.