Disclaimer: I do not own or take credit for Batman, Nightwing or any of the cannon characters involved. They belong to DC. This is a non-profit story.
Heart rate elevated, quickened footsteps, panting breaths...
...all were symptoms of being chased by the Dark Knight.
Clutching expensive jewelry in one hand and a very convincing toy gun in the other, Earl Simmons was running as fast as his out-of-shape body could take him. His boney knees throbbed with pain as he pushed himself to his limits, his muscles burned in every portion of his body and his mind raced with the possibilities of what was going to happen to him. Behind him, he could hear the whooshing of the Batman's cape, feel the piercing stare of the vigilante's eyes as they bore into his back. All the while, Earl could only wonder how he got himself into that mess.
It had just been a really bad day.
Putting aside the fact that his divorce papers had arrived in the mail that morning, he had not only lost his wife, but his job, custody of his kids and his apartment. In a matter of twenty-four hours, Earl had collapsed into himself and shriveled up into nothing, allowing himself to slowly slip into the depths of depression. Out of such desperation, a criminal had been born. Not a jeering lunatic like the Joker or a raging deformality like Clay Face, but a small time criminal. He was a man with no other options, one that was seeking to better his situation in the only way he saw left to do it - by stealing.
Unfortunately for the inexperienced criminal, Earl hadn't expected things to go so wrong so fast. A jewelry store stickup in the evening hours seemed like the perfect plan. It was near closing time, so there would be less customers around to witness. It was also just before nightfall, meaning the Batman wouldn't be around to stop him. As a normally law-abiding citizen, Earl never had anything to fear from the Dark Knight. However, as a criminal, Earl dreaded the moment he would have to face him and was counting on the fact that the day wouldn't come. Unfortunately for him, he had picked the wrong jewelry store.
Entering the shop like any normal client would have, Earl took in his surroundings to assess the situation. One other customer was finishing up his purchase - a man much larger and well built than Earl. He spoke to the owner casually and Earl would have sworn he heard the familiar name of Bruce Wayne being tossed around. He disregarded the conversation, though, and mentally prepared himself for what he was about to do. He took a deep breath, let it out, and then without anymore hesitation, he unleashed his inexperienced fury.
And now he was on the run. He had pulled out his fake gun, waved it around at the shopkeeper and the customer, making demands and trying to control his shaking hands. He had managed to get a few diamond necklaces and rings before deciding that enough was enough and took off on a hard run out of the shop and down the street. He had done it! The jewels were in his coat pocket and he was halfway down the street with no sign of a tail. Panting from fear and adrenaline, Earl turned sharply into an alley and hid behind a dumpster to catch his breath.
It was quiet save for the sound of his breath. He didn't move from his position for the longest time, trying to figure out if he felt safe enough to leave the alley. He hadn't seen anyone following him, so that gave him hope. Hope that he probably shouldn't have had - not yet, anyway. He even allowed himself to chuckle with relief, his thoughts on how easy it had been.
A resounding WHOOSH startled Earl and his eyes opened wide, immediately looking up to find the source of the noise. His heart began to pound in his chest, even when he didn't see anything. He immediately stood up fast and started running again, knowing what that sound could mean and not wanting to stick around to find out exactly what it was. Gritting his teeth together, he burst out of the alley and into the street. It was Batman. Earl had no doubt about it. Batman was after him and Earl knew he was no match against the Dark Knight. He hadn't planned for this; hell, he hadn't planned for a lot of things, but he had been positive that his timing had been good. It was evening and Batman didn't come out until darkness had fallen. So why was Earl suddenly so frightened?
Another sound of wind rushing by above his head sent Earl in a frenzy of panic. Fearful whimpers escaped him as he ran, his eyes darting everywhere for any kind of escape. Crime Alley had all sorts of old abandoned buildings that one could get lost in, and Earl took the first one that caught his eye. He turned fast, running up the stairs to the old church and burst through the front doors. They were weak, giving in easily because of their age. Dust flew up in all directions and the sound echoed in the desolate auditorium.
The place looked like it had been through hell. No doubt, it had been used many times by lowlifes of society. Pews were missing completely or otherwise overturned and destroyed. Columns and beams that held the church in place were missing chunks out of the wood, already looking unsteady. It was a recipe for bad news and Earl began to second-guess his choice. Hiding from the Batman was near impossible; he had probably seen Earl go into the building. What was the point? He would have probably been better off turning himself in.
A loud thump on the roof drew Earl's attention upward. Sawdust fell from the ceiling where something heavy weighted it down. Earl gasped and dove between two benches, trying his hardest to conceal himself even though he knew it was useless. The sound that followed soon after came as a surprise even though Earl was expecting it. A loud crack came before a crash and Earl found himself peeking out just in time to see the Batman falling through the roof with debris surrounding him. It looked like a controlled fall, one that Batman seemed to land just find amongst the rubble that had fallen with him.
"Give it up! I know you're in here." The Batman's voice was firm, authoritative. Earl was frightened. His body shook violently, his mind raced in every which direction. He wanted to give himself up. He wanted all of this to end, but he didn't want to go to jail. He wasn't strong enough for jail.
"Okay!" Earl shouted desperately, clinging on the fact that the Batman wouldn't beat him to a bloody pulp if he cooperated. "I-I give up! P-please don't b-be mad!" Earl stood up, displaying his hands in surrender for the Batman to see. His head was lowered and he couldn't seem to meet the Dark Knights cold eyes. "I-I'm sorry! I'll give 'em back!" The Batman stared him down. His eyes bore into Earl with a menacing calm that scared him more than anything. His heart pounded, his hands shook. A brief silence past between the two before a cracking sound broke it.
Earl's eyes followed the noise up toward the ceiling where a piece of the roof was crumbling and beginning to fall a part. It happened so fast that Earl didn't - couldn't - react. His feet remained planted and his eyes were fixed on the large beam followed by debris from the roof came tumbling down toward him. He was hit...but not by the pieces of the roof. Something hard knocked into the side of Earl's body and sent him flying backwards. The debris missed him by a hair's width and he scrambled to his hands and knees, coughing and clearing his eyes of the dust to see what happened.
A large pile of rubble, dominated by a heavy beam from the roof lay dormant on the floor now. The Batman was nowhere in sight, but somehow Earl knew that he wasn't gone. Silence filled the auditorium as the dust cleared. Earl stood up on his own two feet and staggered over toward the pile. His heart was still beating fast and his breaths still escaped in heaves. Only now it wasn't just fear that gripped him, but concern as well.
Earl circled the pile and stopped halfway when he finally found what he was looking for. The Batman was pinned down by the beam, trapped in the pile of rubble. From the look of it, consciousness had escaped the Dark Knight. He didn't move. Slowly and carefully, Early moved closer, reaching his shakey hands out to place on the beam. He tried lifting it himself, but it didn't budge. He tried again. Nothing.
He stopped and looked around the church before his eyes fell back on the trapped Batman. "S-sorry..." he said regretfully before turning and rushing out of the church. The old doors slammed shut behind him, echoing before silence returned to the abandoned building.
Batman remained still, unconscious and unable to move from the weight that held him down.