I had been searching for years. My father, Willis, had died living a life of crime. My mother, Catherine, died by his side. But then things changed. I found a box full of my dad's belongings. I found pictures. And a letter meant to be sent to my mother. But something was off. The name was scratched out, the only letter was "S." That's when I learned that Catherine Todd was not my mother. I had been lied to by my own father. Then I found his address book. I looked through every "S" name I could find. I found three.

Ethiopia was a strange place. I always felt like someone was following me. Of course I had packed my Robin costume, just in case. I doubted that would ever need it again, considering that I had run away from the manor, from Bruce. The first woman, I don't even remember her name. Didn't matter, it wasn't her. The next woman tried to kill me. Lady Shiva. Bruce had tracked me down, and came to my rescue. He said he had come to help me. I didn't believe him. I told him to go home. That was the last time I saw him.

The last woman was definitely her. Dr. Sheila Heywood, working to help the starving people in Ethiopia. She instantly recognized me. We spent the next two days helping people in our camp. Then she introduced me to a colleague of hers. It was then I learned who my mother was. She was being blackmailed by the Joker. She was forced to work for him, and do his dirty work. His henchmen knocked us out, and we woke up in a warehouse. I noticed I was in my Robin outfit. My mother had exposed my identity to the Joker. He started to smack her around, but I got up and defended her. One of the henchmen got me from behind, and that's when the madness started. The Joker found a crowbar, and proceeded to beat me with it. It felt like hours before he finally stopped. When he left, I pretended to be dead. I started to get up, but I couldn't stand straight. My mother tried to help me to the door. But we couldn't get out. He locked us in there.

I don't even remember the bomb. All I remember is waking up on the ground, and I was fine. No bruises, no cuts, nothing. Then I heard someone call my name. I looked around, and suddenly I saw a girl. She had to have been no more than eighteen. She was scary to look at, but somehow I found a beauty in her. She had jet black hair that covered her forehead. She wore a black tank top and black jeans with holes in the knees. She wore black combat boots. She wore a necklace with a cross on it. She had pale white skin. She had a small black swirl under her right eye. She told me her name.

"I am Death." I didn't believe her at first, but then she showed something I'll never forget. My body, on the ground. Dead.

"Désolé, Jason." I remember she spoke with a heavy French accent. It was almost soothing to listen to. She reached out for my hand, and I took it. She took me to a place where she said all the souls go when they first die. It was almost like a town. It was peaceful. All the socializing souls, all of them friendly. But there was something off.

"Why is there so little of them here?" I asked her.

"I don't decide whether the souls go to Heaven or Hell. I just take them here. I like to call it 'The Waiting Room.' She let out a small giggle, then awkwardly looked at the ground when she saw I wasn't laughing with her. I asked her another question.

"How long are souls usually here?

"Some of these souls have been here for hundreds of years," she responded. "He likes to take his time choosing who goes where."

"He?"

"The creator."

"You mean God?"

"Well, yes and no. I'd rather not talk about it. It's quite confusing."

I spent what seemed like only a few days there. Me and Death grew to be good friends. She enjoys going back to Earth and seeing what the people there are up to. It's because she wants to fit it. One day, me and her got to talking about how I got there.

"How did I die?"

"I'm not sure. I only arrived just after you died. What was the last thing you remember?"

"The Joker. He kidnapped me. He beat me."

"And where was Batman?"

"I… I don't know. He never showed up to stop him." As I spoke, I felt a sense of anger growing inside of me. "He was always looked out for me. He was still in the village when Joker took me. He should've been there." The anger turned to rage.

"Jason, I am deeply sorry for you."

"He didn't care enough to save. He wanted me to die." Death said something else, but I didn't hear her. I was busy thinking about what I could do if I had survived. Then, a light beneath us lit up. I didn't know what it was.

"Pas... Je ne l'ai vu arriver qu'une fois..."

"What? What's happening?"

"Someone is calling you back, Jason. You're going to live again."

Just that sentence alone let me know my chance had come.

"Then it's time to show him what he left behind."

"What are you going to do, Jason?"

I stood there. Silent. I could feel Death's hand on my shoulder. She didn't want me to leave. At last, I gave her my response.

"I'm going to kill Batman."