Chapter Two

THe JokER

The water was washing the final bits of chemical goo off of me. I had washed up near the shoreline of some river. Speaking of which, just where was I? Why was I here? Who was I? The questions bubbled inside my head, battling for my attention. I pushed the thoughts aside. I stood up, and that was when a pounding headache hit me. Who let the little man with a hammer and a vengeance loose in there? I put my head in my hands, walked to the shoreline and sat down. My headache subsided after a few minutes, and I looked toward the horizon, it would be morning soon. Where should I go?

I pulled my lanky legs up to my chest, setting my chin on top of them. It was cold out. I shivered for a second, then decided that getting out of the water would help me warm up. I stood up, using my knees for support, and that's when I saw it. My reflection that is. My skin was bone white, my hair and eyes a glowing verdant, and mouth was scarlet.

I started to giggle. The giggles grew louder, reaching towards their crescendo. My lungs began to hurt as I collapsed from the sheer force of the hysterical laughter that was pouring out of me. I struggled to stand up as the laughter died down. I trudged up the bank towards a dusty road. The only thing I could hear was the sound of my own laughter.

I searched through my pockets as I walked. My clothes were in rags. I felt something strange and soggy in my pocket. It was a deck of cards. Curious. I opened the box and it tore. Irritated, I just ripped the box away, discarding the pieces. The majority of the cards were destroyed. I tossed the pieces of cards behind me, until there were only three cards left. They were relatively untouched. They were the Ace of Spades, The Queen of Diamonds, and The Joker. I stared at the three cards. Then, I tossed away the two that were missing corners. The Joker, untouched by the green goo and ferocious waters, remained in my hand. It must be like me, lucky to survive whatever had happened.

I continued down the road, lost in my thoughts, when I heard the sound of a horse galloping down the road. I didn't turn around as the gallop slowed to a canter, then to a trot, and finally to a walk. Clip-Clop. The horse appeared next to me along with its rider. He rode next to me for a full minute, and I looked in the other direction. Then, he quickened the horses pace, trotted in front off me, and blocked my path.

"Hey, man, do you need help?" He said. He dismounted and walked towards me. "Hey man, can you hear me?"

"Why, yes I do. Where is the nearest town?" I looked up at him when I spoke. He opened his mouth as if to scream, but abruptly clamped it shut. He also half-heartedly pointed.

"What happened to you," he queried. His voice was breathless. I loved it. I smiled and he visibly paled. I could feel something bubbling up in my chest. It was unfamiliar to me. I took a step towards the man, who began to tense up. My head tilted to the side and I took in the many visible signs of fear. I saw him beginning to panic, and I lunged for him, tackling him to the ground. I pummeled the man until he stopped fighting back. I felt giggles bubbling up in my chest, and I didn't resist the urge to laugh. Hysterical laughter filled the air while I strangled the man. Just to be sure, I took firm hold of the front and back of his head and jerked it up and to the right. A sickening crack filled the air.

I took the man's clothes, gun, and knife. He also had a couple of bucks, which I stuffed in my new pants with the Joker card. I stood up and whistled to the horse, which was trotting away from me. I walked slowly after it, clicking my tongue. I wished that the stupid animal would just come to me already. Finally, it let me get close enough to mount. I grinned at the body as I rode away, thanking the man for showing up with all this good stuff for me.

I rode in the direction the man had pointed. Time to find a bat.