Prologue

"Wow that looked like it really hurt."

Whack. Whack. Whack.

"Whoa now, hang on. That looked like it hurt a lot more. So let's try and clear this up, okay pumpkin? What hurts more? A?" Whack. "Or B?" Whack. "Forehand?" Whack. "Or backhand?" Whack. Laughter follows after the last hit.

I roll onto my side on the concrete floor, my bindings on my hands and feet not allowing me to do much. I mumble random words under my breath, hoping to get his attention away from the crowbar that's hitting me for just a moment.

It works, because he crouches down beside me, nearly putting his face in the puddle of blood I've made. "A little louder, lamb chop. I think you may have a collapsed lung. That always impedes the artery."

I smile, catching him off guard for a second. Then, I spit in his face, getting my saliva and blood on his white painted cheek.

"Now, that was rude. The first boy blunder had some manners. I suppose I'm going to have to teach you a lesson, so you can better follow in his footsteps." He pauses, pretending to think for a moment. Then his psychotic grin is back on his face. "No, I'm just going to keep beating you with this crowbar."

He laughs, and I feel bile rise in the back of my throat. It's fine. I'm fine. I'll make it out of here alive. Batman- Bruce will come, and he'll get me away from this hell-hole, and end the Joker once and for all.

I keep that in mind as the crowbar continues to come down on my body, bringing pain and suffering. I bite my tongue, holding in my screams of agony, hoping that will be enough. He seems unsatisfied though, seeming to start hitting harder and harder, until I finally scream.

He lets out a deep breath and smiles. "Well, that took longer than expected, but nevertheless. Now, where were we? Ah, yes, about… here." He says, walking around my curled up form and stopping behind me, nudging my back with his crowbar. The dreaded tool. I'll never be able to look at it the same way.

I cough, curling up into a ball even more than before. More blood dribbles out of my mouth. I know at this point I won't physically be able to last longer.

Batman, please, hurry.

"Oh, what's wrong butter cup? Cat got your tongue?" The Joker laughs at his own little joke, before leaning down in my face. He reaches out and touches my black hair, pushing it away from my face before hitting me upside the head with the piece of iron. I black out for a moment, before I focus on him again. He's putting on a coat, getting ready to go outside into the winter storm.

"Ok, kiddo, I gotta go. It's been fun though, right? Well, maybe a smudge more fun for me than you. I'm just guessing since you're being awful quiet." The Joker says, a maniacal grin stretching across his face. I squint, then blink repeatedly. He opens the door, and turns back to face me.

"Anyway, be a good girl. Finish your homework and be in bed by 9. And, hey… please tell the big man I said, 'hello'." He cackles again, and then slams the door behind him, also shutting out the cold winter air that had started to creep in.

I groan, and then roll so I can pull my hands from behind my back, under my legs and in front of me. I try breaking the handcuffs, but I'm too weak to do any actual damage. Sighing, I crawl to my feet, but don't get very far before I crash back down to the ground, too weak.

The door is a good thirty feet away. I can crawl that. So, that's exactly what I start to do. It's a painful and long process, but I eventually reach my destination. Desperately, I reach up and pull on the door handle, hoping to get outside. I need to find batman.

Nothing. The Joker must have locked the door after he left. I can't get out of here on my own, not in the state I'm currently in. I turn, and slump my back against the door, closing my eyes and letting out a puff of air to blow the black hair out of my face.

That's when I hear it.

Ticking.

Wrenching my eyes open, I look to find the source of the sound. When my eyes land on a set of bombs, with a timer that's currently at 00:09, I slump. I'm never getting out of here. Not alive, anyway.

Then, the bomb hits zero.

It explodes, and I barely realize what's happening around me. Flames erupt, causing the boxes and barrels around me to explode. The entire building erupts, and I'm sent flying. I get thrown around, my already damaged body colliding with metal and wood, and finally the cold, hard ground.

This is it. I can feel myself slipping. I'm too weak, too tired to do anything. The flames die down, and I barely realize I'm underneath a slab of concrete. I close my eyes, feeling my body slipping away from this world, ready to go on, to see my family.

A weight is lifted from on top of me, and I'm picked up into the air. At this point, sadly, I'm too far gone. A white light is beginning to enter my vision, and I'm greeting it with open arms at this point.

Just before I slip away though, just before I'm completely gone, I make out two words. Two words that make me sad before I depart.

"No. Jasmine."