I tried writing this story in first person and was only successful at reminding myself how much I dislike writing in first person. So here's the first chapter, hope you like it.
A single truck meandered down the road at the hour of eleven thirty at night, it was almost the next day and yet the vehicle showed no signs of slowing. The person driving the truck was a man named Devid Trout, a Doctor at a mental hospital called Greenwood that was located two towns away from the one he was currently driving in. To say the very least he was excited for he had been given the task of taking one of Greenwood's patients down to another facility for some medical and mental help.
The patients name was Wynona Covire, nineteen years old, five feet one inch, and one hundred and three pounds. The doctors and security guards had taken to calling her Nutty Nona. She'd been given to Greenwood by her parents a year and a half ago, her family wanted to know what had happened to their Wynona. Dr. Trout and various other doctors did their best to try and figure out what was wrong with the girl, they asked her what had happened to her, how she had become like this, but she wouldn't speak to them.
Her parents explained that she had been a kind girl that was full of life, always smiling even while she was in pain, never letting anything bring her mood down. That she suddenly disappeared for a while, and when she finally came home she didn't speak to them at all, she didn't smile, she didn't laugh, it was as if all the life had been sucked out of her.
At first the doctors thought that perhaps while she had run away something had happened to her, but that wasn't the case. They tried to get her to speak, but it was hard to get her to say anything valuable, and when she did speak the way she chose her words was almost cryptic. Often times she would repeat her comment once or twice more before a frown would twist her face and she wouldn't do anything for a while. The doctors didn't know what to do with her, she was a mystery that they couldn't solve and it frustrated them.
A man from Gotham called Greenwood and asked if Trout would be willing to transport Wynona over to the building he was located at, explaining that he had some methods that might make the girl speak to him. Of course Trout complied with such an offer, even if the city was a four hour drive, everyone was curious about Nutty Nona and if she would ever speak to them normally again.
In the back of the vehicle Wynona was wide awake despite the sleeping pills Trout had given her before the start of the trip, she was so used to all he pills they'd given her that nothing much affected her anymore. She knew what was happening for it happened quite often, Trout or some other doctor would drug her and then carry her off to some other hospital or facility where they would show her off, a real freak is what they called her. Not that she cared, there was nothing in the world that she wanted to do, if anything Wynona had figured out everything she needed to about life. The way she was now was just the aftermath of what had happened.
They had been on the road for a while now, Trout was a terrible driver and got jumpy when he was on the road for too long so he often stopped and stretched his legs for an hour or so before continuing. Finally they had gotten into Gotham but it was time for another pit stop before they actually got to their destination. Trout pulled over at a gas station that doubled as a restaurant, looking back through the window that showed him the trunk of the vehicle he tapped on the glass.
"You alright back there?" He asked with a small chuckle. She didn't answer him, didn't even grace him with her eyes, but he had been expecting it so he went about his way regardless. Walking into the store and wondering about what the restaurant might have on its menu his thoughts about Wynona were nonexistent.
It was dark in the back of the vehicle; the small bit of light that the store gave off was wasted on the ceiling of the truck as it would not allow any light into the darkness around her. It didn't bother her though, by now Wynona had accepted the dark, it wasn't where monsters waited, and it was where she could hide from the rest of the world. She welcomed it as if it were a warm shower on a cold frigid day.
The night was presently cold but Wynona didn't mind, Trout had left her with a blanket that he carelessly wrapped around her body before he sat her down in the back and took off down the road. It provided less comfort than it should have, but it did give Wynona something to do. The fabric was a little itchy and soft at the same time; reminding her of the fabric she used to go through at the store when she was younger. All the little bits and pieces that no one wanted were marked down for cheaper sale to whomever would want them, and Wynona usually wanted them.
Hearing the slam of the door as Trout entered the building in front of her Wynona left her memory behind her and opened her eyes to the back of the truck again. A small thought crossed her mind faintly, but was put out like a small flame in the wind. It was a thought she had been having recently that she had never thought would matter to her before, when would she be free of this?
The van started to rock and shake as some men opened the doors and let themselves in, Wynona slowly lifted her head to look through the glass window that showed the front of the vehicle. Strangers, not Trout and a friend but people she had never seen before, perhaps they were stealing the truck, why else would they be in here? Trout was a worriless man who thought that no one would go near a truck that was labeled Greenwood Mental facility Transportation, because who wanted to deal with crazy people?
A roaring sound meant that they had gotten the engine to work and soon they had started to move away from the building in front of them, turning back towards the road they set off. In the back trunk Wynona's mind was going crazy with what could possibly be happening, these men were stealing the truck for some reason. For now they didn't know that they had also picked up one crazy girl as well, what would they do with her when they found out that she was back there? Would they kill her because she had seen what they were doing? Would they let her go as long as she promised not to say anything? For a moment her heart skipped a beat when she thought of them shooting her in the head, would she finally be able to leave behind the world of the living?
The men were unaware of the girl in the back of the vehicle until they came to their destination and started to get out of the front seats when they saw something. A small bag that had a blue folder in it, a bag of medication labeled Covire, and a composition book that seemed to be filled with something like pictures or drawings. Tentatively they got out of the truck and went to the back of the vehicle, breaking off the lock when they found that they needed a key. Slowly they opened the doors to see what else they had gotten along with the truck that they had been assigned to get.
At first they couldn't see anything, not the back of the truck nor the figure of someone that was huddled in the far right corner. When their eyes finally adjusted they saw a figure huddled in the back, the two men looked at each other with questioning expression, what should they do?
It should have been an easy job for the two of them; Jacobs would hotwire the truck while Milo was merely there for support if someone decided to be difficult. All they had to do was acquire a truck with a large trunk in the back, so when they saw the Greenwood vehicle it was almost too perfect. Milo explained that the man was probably on his way back to where ever Greenwood was after dropping a patient off at another facility. They didn't know that the patient was still in the back of the vehicle.
Jacobs had gotten the truck easily and driven in back to the entrance of their hideout before Milo found the bag of pills and other stuff. It made them terribly anxious as they murmured to each other timidly, if there was someone in the back of the truck what would they do? Of course Milo said he could just shoot them, one less crazy person in the world was always a good thing right?
Jacobs hadn't expected the figure in the truck to be so small; it almost looked like a child, would Milo still shoot if it was a child?
"What does the file say?" Milo whispered to Jacobs softly. He hadn't even thought to look at it as his thoughts swarmed with worry and misfortune. Quickly Jacobs opened the blue file and read the first paper with angst, frowning slightly and feeling a little helpless as he let the information sink into his skin.
"Wynona Covire, nineteen years old, she watched her friend commit suicide, she's been a patient for almost two years," Jacobs read the file shallowly. He felt his heart stiffen, she was just a kid and already she had seen death that most people in the world never saw.
"Jesus Christ," Milo swore letting his gun fall uselessly to his side. "I can't kill her," he said turning away angrily at the information. "She's just a kid," he murmured looking back into the trunk.
"What do we do?" Jacobs asked the other man worriedly. "Is she even awake?" He questioned looking back at the figure.
Quite slowly the girl moved at his words, turning her head ever so slowly towards the both of them all they could see were big clean blue eyes that stared wordlessly at them. She made no move to say anything or even do anything else; she just stared at them silently. The men couldn't help but hold her gaze; it almost felt like they were looking at some strange exotic animal that they couldn't believe existed. At least their gaze was broken when the girl shivered visibly and looked down and away from them.
"At least get her out of the truck," Milo said turning to look around the area.
Jacobs didn't respond to him, there was something going quickly through his mind a thought that he couldn't help but reject but at the same time he wanted to follow through with it. The man had once had a daughter, with blue eyes much like Wynona's, the simple gesture of her eyes made his fatherly emotions rise in his throat. What if this was his daughter? Would he leave her in the truck? Let her go free to fend for herself in such a tainted city like Gotham? No, he would take her with him and fight for her safety like any good father should.
Climbing into the truck warily Jacobs took careful steps towards the girl, inspecting her appearance as he got closer and closer to her form.
Long, black, messy, and unkempt hair that seemed to form almost a cave around the girls face, tangled and uncared for it went down to her lower back in terrible curls. She looked up at him then, catching his eyes once again he felt his heart tear slightly under her gaze. Her face was small and childlike; upon closer inspection he could see the deep bags that hung under her eyes, making him wonder how mental facilities treated their patients.
She made no move to get away from her, nor any sound of protest as he picked her up by the waist and brought her against his chest, like a father carrying his child to bed at night. She fit against him a little oddly; as she was short but not exactly a child with her nineteen years of age that was evident in her form. He placed a hand on her back before picking up the blanket she had had on and exiting the trunk while Milo watched him curiously. Milo had no idea that the man in front of him had already made up his mind about what they were going to do with the girl.
"Okay, let's go," Jacobs murmured shifting the girl in his arms slightly. He picked up the bag that had all her medication and information before looking back at Milo to see that the man was looking at him oddly.
"What are you going to do with the girl?" He asked not quite picking up on what was going on.
"I'm taking her with us," he explained looking at his companion sternly.
"What?!" Milo exclaimed with a bit of anger in his face. "If we take her back with us, Boss might kill her anyway, why would he let her stay?" He was saying all the right things and Jacobs knew that their masked master could easily kill her when he found out she was there, but he hoped that wouldn't be the case.
"I know, but I can't just leave her here, let's go," he said curtly before putting the blanket over Wynona carefully. Jacobs was one of Bane's more trusted men as he did what was asked of him and never seemed to be on the other end of his anger.
"Whatever," Milo muttered as they started towards the sewers quickly.
Jacobs was aware that he could very well be bringing Wynona to her death, but at the moment the only thing he was aware of was how her little hands were grabbing the back of his jacket.
Wynona was aware of what was happening, the man was carrying her through the sewers towards their destination, he wanted Wynona, to protect her or abuse her was a bit of a mystery to her. The way his eyes had held such careful and kind emotion would make most people's worries fly away, but she knew by now that it could mean anything as emotions can change so easily. It was weird to be carried through the sewers; she'd been to a number of places that people would cringe and be baffled by, but perhaps now she had been everywhere.
The man was much taller than her, as she had barely grown past being five feet; it brought back memories of when her older brother would carry her to bed sometimes when she was a child. Subconsciously her hands clenched the man's jacket as she tried to keep such a warm memory in her body for a longer time, memories can be so fleeting.
When finally she was getting used to the uneven and erratic pace at which they were walking the man holding her stopped and shifted her weight around in his arms.
"What's that?" she heard another man ask.
"Barsad," the man exclaimed with a little bit of worry in his voice. "A question for Bane," her man explained finding strength in his voice.
"What kind of question?" Barsad pushed walking around the back of the both of them. He stopped short when he caught sight of Wynona staring at him silently; the way her eyes held his with no fear or any other type of emotion surprised him a little. "Jacobs," Barsad spoke his name quizzically.
"I want to keep her," Jacobs said in a serious voice.
Perhaps it was something in the man's voice or the way the girl was looking at Barsad, but somehow he felt that the girl was different, the way her unchanging eyes stayed focused on him grabbed hold of his thoughts momentarily.
"Come with me," Barsad said striding forward towards where Bane was located. They'd barely arrived in the town and made themselves at home in the sewers, but already the men knew their way around as if they had always been there.
Wynona watched as more men came into view around her, some of them looked away with frowns on their faces while others stared at her retreating form as they moved past them. Did they know that she was going to die if she was presented to this man called Bane? Did she care that she might die in a few moments. Not really.
The temperature in the sewers was different, cold and warm at the same time with a damp watery smell that clouded her thoughts and polluted her mind with thoughts of caves and hiking trips she had been on. She had always hated hiking but her parents were keen to take them up a mountain or into a cave whenever they traveled more than thirty miles from home.
They stopped again and Barsad spoke before Wynona could place what she was hearing, it sounded as if someone was breathing harshly, it was odd for her for it sounded far away yet it was loud.
"Put her down," she heard Barsad's voice whisper to Jacobs. Carefully the man holding her set her on her feet and wrapped the blanket around her small form delicately, making her feel like a doll of some sort.
"What have you brought me?" A new voice broke into her mind and commanded her attention. It sounded metallic and foreign to her ears, but at the same time it welcomed her with open arms as she listened in. Turning her eyes towards the man that had spoken she stared blankly at his large back as he had yet to turn towards her.
"We got a truck like the one you wanted, she was sitting in the back," Jacobs explained nervously. If Bane was going to kill the girl he didn't want to have a front row seat.
This being said the mammoth of a man turned towards his men to see what they were talking about, his eyes catching sight of the girl who was standing in front of them and staring at him.
Wynona was looking at his face as he looked at her, his mask burned into her mind as his hard eyes studied her form in scrutiny; she had never seen a man like him before.
"Why did you bring her here?" Bane questioned letting his voice echo slightly.
"We didn't know what to do with her," Milo started to say before Jacobs cut him off carefully.
"I didn't want to leave her there, she's not right in the mind, she would die if she was by herself," Jacobs explained. When he said the part about her not being in her right mind Bane's eyes rose slightly in wonder, she certainly looked as if something was off about her. The whole time he was speaking or not speaking her eyes seemed trained on his form like he was a mouse and she a cat, though the roles were very much reversed.
Her long tangled hair hung about her face and shoulders, trailing down her back in messy curls while her dull eyes held no hint of fear or worry. Her small face reminded him of a child, he could see that her exhaustion was evident on her face as her grey blue eyes stared blankly into his own. She wore nothing but a simple gown that looked like a huge T-shirt on her form, with long sleeves and a sickening off white color.
She wasn't tall, looking like a mere child in the presence of himself and his men, inspecting her gown he saw something had been stitched into the fabric just above her right breast. Hidden by her tangled black hair he was unable to distinguish what exactly it was.
Slowly Bane moved forward and brushed her hair out of the way and over her shoulder, at that moment the girl looked away from him and at the ground dully. It was a nametag that had been sewn into her gown; someone had written the name Wynona on it with a marker or a pen. When he went to trace the tag her small hands met his as she lightly brushed her fingers against the back on his hand.
"What do you mean?" He questioned. Taking his hand away from the girl he looked at Jacobs now, moving a few steps away from the girl he looked down at the man, intimidating him.
"She's a patient at Greenwood, a mental hospital, been there for almost two years," Jacobs explained while glancing down at the girl who was staring meekly at the concrete beneath their feet. "She was in the back of the truck, the way she looked at me, I couldn't leave her," he muttered looking away from Bane's gaze.
There was truth in the man's words, the way the girl had stared at him was unnerving to say the least, she didn't waver, and even in the face of such a strange being as himself she was almost disregarding him. A mental hospital patient thought, did Bane really want to take something onto his care that could cause him trouble?
"Why would I want her?" Bane questioned making the man look up at him suddenly. Jacobs face twisted into a few different expressions before he finally spoke again.
"You won't have to deal with her; I'll take care of her," he said in a rush. Just as quickly as the man responded Bane reached for the girl, his hand closed around her throat as he lifted her off the ground and stared at her eyes.
"You think I want this staying down here with us, she's no good to us, why would you want her?" Bane questioned with anger in his voice. His men had a habit of bringing problems back with them whenever they came back into the sewers.
Wynona was a little surprised when Bane grabbed at her and lifted her off the ground, but she didn't say anything, even when his voice rang out in anger at the man who'd brought her here she made no noise of complaint. Even as her air supply started to deplete all she could do was stare at the face of the man that held her, he'd called her this, as if she wasn't human or even anything close.
For a moment Wynona felt as if she was ready for him to kill her, she could finally leave, and the darkness would go on forever, she wouldn't have to wake up this time. Slowly she brought her hands up to touch Bane's own hand that was wrapped around her throat, she shakily wrapped her own hands around his wrist and arm. The man's eyes snapped to her form and he held her gaze curiously, even as her lungs started to scream out for air she kept her eyes on his. Ignoring the pain as it begged to be released upon her emotions she stared at Bane sadly, letting the faintest signs of a smile linger on her lips before the man dropped her on the ground.
Jacobs had been looking at the scene painfully, and only when Bane dropped the girl onto the floor did he react, going to her form on the floor he grabbed the blanket and draped it over her again. In front of them Bane was quiet, glaring down at the girl with mixed emotions she looked up at the masked man with a bit of a disappointed expression in her eyes.
"She can stay," he said before turning around and dismissing them.
Picking up the girl gently Jacobs gazed at Bane's back gratefully. When the man had reached forward and taken Wynona into a choking hold Jacobs wanted to turn away, he didn't want to see Bane kill the girl. It would be like watching his daughter die all over again, and he couldn't bear that.
"Thank you," he said sincerely. Turning around Jacobs saw that there was a small audience of Bane's men loitering around to see what had happened and what was going on. He brushed past them and walked down towards where the men usually slept or ate, Wynona watched as everything passed her by. The man she was with was kind, a shiny star on a smoke filled night, and he seemed to really care about her, for what reason she did not know. She didn't trust him, not yet, but perhaps there was something here that would keep her occupied for a while, until they found her again.
Placing her down on an empty cot Jacobs looked Wynona in the eye, catching her dead gaze with his own. He smiled at her kindly, rewrapping the blanket around her before patting her on the head childishly.
"Stay close to me, okay?" He whispered kneeling down in front of her. She looked at him unevenly, she still didn't know what was happening, what these men were doing down here, what their plan was, but for now it seemed like someone was caring for her.
"Okay," her voice was so soft Jacobs was unsure of whether she had said anything at all. Letting a grin break out onto his face he stood up stiffly and looked around the sewer and at all the other men. Would she really be safe here?
First chapter done, we'll see how this story develops, hope you'll continue to read. Much thanks if you made it this far, leave me a note if you don't mind.