Chapter 2
It had been two days since the Joker, who's name I'd discovered after reading about him in Gotham Times, had shown his face to any of The Mob members. Everyday I wasted my time hanging around the guys, hoping the clown would show up. But so far, he hadn't. I decided that today I would dwindle my time away by playing pool with Gambol. Everything was going well until two of Gambol's men came into the room and made an announcement.
"Yo Gambol, there's somebody here for you. They say they've just killed the Joker," the one man said. "They've brought the body," the other man said as the two of them stepped out of the way as six somebodys entered the room, two of them carrying a body packaged in plastic garbage bags. The men placed the body onto the pool table and Gambol stepped up beside the table with me close at his side. He reached out and ripped away part of the bags, unveiling a scarred, smiling face. The Joker's eyes were shut and he wasn't moving or breathing as far as I could tell. Something's not right here. It was too easy, I thought, gently touching the Joker's face as I glanced to the four men who were gazing around the room, and at the two others still near the sides of the table. Gambol left the side of the pool table and slowly walked towards the killers. I slid my hand off the Joker's face and went to stand next to Gambol.
"So, dead, that's five hundred," Gambol informed the men as he stepped to the front of the pool table with me slightly off to his side. Suddenly, as fast as a lightning strike, the 'supposed dead clown' came to life and sat bolt upright.
"How 'bout alive?" the Joker said, securely grabbing Gambol behind the base of the head as Gambol spun to face the clown, who now pressed a knife to Gambol’s lips. The six men who had claimed to have killed the Joker now had Gambol's three men down on their knees at gunpoint. I stood stone still as one of the men took out another handgun and pointed it at me. Dammit. The one day I don't have my handgun.
"You wanna know how I got these scars?" the Joker whispered to Gambol, then nodded his head quickly making the decision for Gambol as he rolled his eyes to the ceiling and took in a deep breath of air. "My father, wasss… a drinker," his tongue flashed out "And a fiend. And one night he goes off crazier than usual," his tongue flashed again. "Mommy gets the kitchen knife and defend herself ," he shook his head vigorously "He doesn’t like that… Not. One. Bit." He smacked his lips. "So, me watching, he takes the knife to her, laughing while he does it. He turns to me and he says 'Why so serious?' ", tongue again, "He comes at me with the knife-'Why so serious-uh?' Sticks the blade in my mouth, 'Lets put a smile on that face-uh!' And.……." I saw the Joker look past Gambol's shoulder at one of the men held at gunpoint. "Why so serious?" he asked and then sliced Gambol's mouth, who in return gurgled blood and went limp. I shuddered as I watched the Joker drop Gambol’s lifeless body carelessly. The Joker jerked the garbage bags off of himself and kicked them away.
"Now," the clown said, walking around the back of the pool table, "our operation is small, but," he headed towards the pool sticks "there’s a lot of potential," he snatched up a pool stick "for aggressive expansion!" the clown said waving his arms up wildy. He stepped in front of Gambol's men and I. "So which of you fine gentlemen would like to join our team," he sang, looking among Gambol's men and not at me. "There's only one spot open now, so we're gonna have," the Joker snapped the pool stick sharply over his knee and observed the broken halves "tryouts." The Joker picked the sharpest half and tossed it on the ground in front of Gambol’s men. "Make it fast," the clown whispered as he stepped through the group of men, snatched me by the arm as he went, and walked out of the room with the other half of the pool stick still firmly in his other hand, partly resting on his shoulder.
I tried to jerk my arm out of his grasp as he half dragged me, but to my dismay I found that he had a good, firm hold of me.
"I can walk on my own ya know, so would you let go of my arm?"
"No can do toots," he said with a smirk as he continued to drag me along. I tried to dig the backs of my shoes into the floor, but the Joker hastily pulled my arm so that I was jerked forward and then he just let go of my arm. He just let it go.
My body continued to fly forward as I stumbled past him, but luckily I regained my balance. When I turned around to face him, he had dropped the pool stick and was doubled over with his hand out on the wall next to him to give him some support as he laughed hysterically. I glared at him. He looked at me and cackled even harder as he clutched his stomach. "Whoopsy. My bad," he managed to say in-between laughs as he wiped away the little tears that had formed in the corners of his eyes, smudging some of the dark paint around his eyes. I continued to attempt to shoot laser beams out of my eyes as the Joker calmed himself down to a few giggles, brushed himself off, and headed towards me. I panicked and glanced around for the closest weapon, not because I was scared, just because I had no idea what he would do to me. Ok, maybe I was a little scared. He chuckled darkly.
"What's the matter kiddo? Ya look nervous… Is it the scars?" he asked, cocking his head to the side. He was now within three feet of me. The close proximity of his body to mine was causing my stress level to skyrocket. I was on high alert, trying to anticipate his next move. I looked him straight in the eye.
"No," I said between clenched teeth, "It's not the scars." He looked at me funny.
"Mm hmm, of course it's not-uh," he said as he rolled his eyes. He looked over me. "You wanna know how I got 'em?"
"I already heard how you got your scars when you told Gambol. I was standing right there dumb-a**," I hissed. I couldn't help cursing at him. I didn't want to, but I was stressed and tired. I didn't function so well when the two were mixed. The Joker bore down on me, grabbing my wrists and pinning me between himself and the wall. I squirmed and tried to knee him so he would get off of me, but I failed. He leaned into me so that our faces were so close that our noses almost touched. He reeked of gasoline, gunpowder, and faintly of blood. It was very intoxicating.
"You've got quite a mouth there," he said as his tongue smoothly glided over his bottom lip, so close it almost glided over mine. "I wonder what else you could do with it besides talk back," he said darkly as his eyes took on a devious glint. His eyes trailed over my face, then landed on my lips. I swallowed hard and managed to keep my voice unwavering as I spoke.
"Don't even think about it," I growled. He smirked at me.
"Who said anything about thinking?" he asked as he glanced around the room. "Not me," he said, pointing to himself "And not you," he continued, pointing at me. "I don't need to think. I just do things," he spoke with hand gestures.
"Whatever. Why am I here with you anyway? Why didn't you leave me back in the other room?" He looked to the ceiling as if the answer was written there.
"Why?" he questioned, still looking at the ceiling then rolled his eyes around the room again. He mouthed the word a couple more times like he was trying to come up with an answer. "So what you're saying, is that you wanna know why I, uh, brought you with me?" He looked at me intently and smacked his lips. "I took you because you are quite interesting, and," he paused dramatically, "you're mine now," he said harshly as he darkly glared at me. "You're my new pet," he said matter-of-factly as he patted my head harshly then ruffled my hair. I scoffed.
"Says who?" Bad choice of words. The Joker grabbed me by my neck, jerked me forward and then slammed me back against the wall, knocking the wind right out of me. I gasped for air as he laughed hysterically, causing his grip to tighten on my throat. I coughed and tried, with what little strength I had left, to push him off me, but it worked to no avail. My vision started to wane as black spots appeared then grew bigger and bigger. The last thing I remember before I blacked-out was the Joker's mocking face and his maniacal laughter.
It had been two days since the Joker, who's name I'd discovered after reading about him in Gotham Times, had shown his face to any of The Mob members. Everyday I wasted my time hanging around the guys, hoping the clown would show up. But so far, he hadn't. I decided that today I would dwindle my time away by playing pool with Gambol. Everything was going well until two of Gambol's men came into the room and made an announcement.
"Yo Gambol, there's somebody here for you. They say they've just killed the Joker," the one man said. "They've brought the body," the other man said as the two of them stepped out of the way as six somebodys entered the room, two of them carrying a body packaged in plastic garbage bags. The men placed the body onto the pool table and Gambol stepped up beside the table with me close at his side. He reached out and ripped away part of the bags, unveiling a scarred, smiling face. The Joker's eyes were shut and he wasn't moving or breathing as far as I could tell. Something's not right here. It was too easy, I thought, gently touching the Joker's face as I glanced to the four men who were gazing around the room, and at the two others still near the sides of the table. Gambol left the side of the pool table and slowly walked towards the killers. I slid my hand off the Joker's face and went to stand next to Gambol.
"So, dead, that's five hundred," Gambol informed the men as he stepped to the front of the pool table with me slightly off to his side. Suddenly, as fast as a lightning strike, the 'supposed dead clown' came to life and sat bolt upright.
"How 'bout alive?" the Joker said, securely grabbing Gambol behind the base of the head as Gambol spun to face the clown, who now pressed a knife to Gambol’s lips. The six men who had claimed to have killed the Joker now had Gambol's three men down on their knees at gunpoint. I stood stone still as one of the men took out another handgun and pointed it at me. Dammit. The one day I don't have my handgun.
"You wanna know how I got these scars?" the Joker whispered to Gambol, then nodded his head quickly making the decision for Gambol as he rolled his eyes to the ceiling and took in a deep breath of air. "My father, wasss… a drinker," his tongue flashed out "And a fiend. And one night he goes off crazier than usual," his tongue flashed again. "Mommy gets the kitchen knife and defend herself ," he shook his head vigorously "He doesn’t like that… Not. One. Bit." He smacked his lips. "So, me watching, he takes the knife to her, laughing while he does it. He turns to me and he says 'Why so serious?' ", tongue again, "He comes at me with the knife-'Why so serious-uh?' Sticks the blade in my mouth, 'Lets put a smile on that face-uh!' And.……." I saw the Joker look past Gambol's shoulder at one of the men held at gunpoint. "Why so serious?" he asked and then sliced Gambol's mouth, who in return gurgled blood and went limp. I shuddered as I watched the Joker drop Gambol’s lifeless body carelessly. The Joker jerked the garbage bags off of himself and kicked them away.
"Now," the clown said, walking around the back of the pool table, "our operation is small, but," he headed towards the pool sticks "there’s a lot of potential," he snatched up a pool stick "for aggressive expansion!" the clown said waving his arms up wildy. He stepped in front of Gambol's men and I. "So which of you fine gentlemen would like to join our team," he sang, looking among Gambol's men and not at me. "There's only one spot open now, so we're gonna have," the Joker snapped the pool stick sharply over his knee and observed the broken halves "tryouts." The Joker picked the sharpest half and tossed it on the ground in front of Gambol’s men. "Make it fast," the clown whispered as he stepped through the group of men, snatched me by the arm as he went, and walked out of the room with the other half of the pool stick still firmly in his other hand, partly resting on his shoulder.
I tried to jerk my arm out of his grasp as he half dragged me, but to my dismay I found that he had a good, firm hold of me.
"I can walk on my own ya know, so would you let go of my arm?"
"No can do toots," he said with a smirk as he continued to drag me along. I tried to dig the backs of my shoes into the floor, but the Joker hastily pulled my arm so that I was jerked forward and then he just let go of my arm. He just let it go.
My body continued to fly forward as I stumbled past him, but luckily I regained my balance. When I turned around to face him, he had dropped the pool stick and was doubled over with his hand out on the wall next to him to give him some support as he laughed hysterically. I glared at him. He looked at me and cackled even harder as he clutched his stomach. "Whoopsy. My bad," he managed to say in-between laughs as he wiped away the little tears that had formed in the corners of his eyes, smudging some of the dark paint around his eyes. I continued to attempt to shoot laser beams out of my eyes as the Joker calmed himself down to a few giggles, brushed himself off, and headed towards me. I panicked and glanced around for the closest weapon, not because I was scared, just because I had no idea what he would do to me. Ok, maybe I was a little scared. He chuckled darkly.
"What's the matter kiddo? Ya look nervous… Is it the scars?" he asked, cocking his head to the side. He was now within three feet of me. The close proximity of his body to mine was causing my stress level to skyrocket. I was on high alert, trying to anticipate his next move. I looked him straight in the eye.
"No," I said between clenched teeth, "It's not the scars." He looked at me funny.
"Mm hmm, of course it's not-uh," he said as he rolled his eyes. He looked over me. "You wanna know how I got 'em?"
"I already heard how you got your scars when you told Gambol. I was standing right there dumb-a**," I hissed. I couldn't help cursing at him. I didn't want to, but I was stressed and tired. I didn't function so well when the two were mixed. The Joker bore down on me, grabbing my wrists and pinning me between himself and the wall. I squirmed and tried to knee him so he would get off of me, but I failed. He leaned into me so that our faces were so close that our noses almost touched. He reeked of gasoline, gunpowder, and faintly of blood. It was very intoxicating.
"You've got quite a mouth there," he said as his tongue smoothly glided over his bottom lip, so close it almost glided over mine. "I wonder what else you could do with it besides talk back," he said darkly as his eyes took on a devious glint. His eyes trailed over my face, then landed on my lips. I swallowed hard and managed to keep my voice unwavering as I spoke.
"Don't even think about it," I growled. He smirked at me.
"Who said anything about thinking?" he asked as he glanced around the room. "Not me," he said, pointing to himself "And not you," he continued, pointing at me. "I don't need to think. I just do things," he spoke with hand gestures.
"Whatever. Why am I here with you anyway? Why didn't you leave me back in the other room?" He looked to the ceiling as if the answer was written there.
"Why?" he questioned, still looking at the ceiling then rolled his eyes around the room again. He mouthed the word a couple more times like he was trying to come up with an answer. "So what you're saying, is that you wanna know why I, uh, brought you with me?" He looked at me intently and smacked his lips. "I took you because you are quite interesting, and," he paused dramatically, "you're mine now," he said harshly as he darkly glared at me. "You're my new pet," he said matter-of-factly as he patted my head harshly then ruffled my hair. I scoffed.
"Says who?" Bad choice of words. The Joker grabbed me by my neck, jerked me forward and then slammed me back against the wall, knocking the wind right out of me. I gasped for air as he laughed hysterically, causing his grip to tighten on my throat. I coughed and tried, with what little strength I had left, to push him off me, but it worked to no avail. My vision started to wane as black spots appeared then grew bigger and bigger. The last thing I remember before I blacked-out was the Joker's mocking face and his maniacal laughter.
