Hello everyone. sorry for the long delay it's been rough. Here is the new chapter thank you for your feedback and reviews!
Enjoy
The scream left her mouth as she jumped up from her sleep. She panted and whimpered with wide eyes feeling the tears streaming down her face. She felt the lump in her throat becoming unbearable and almost chocking her as she put her feet on the ground leaning forward. She grasped the edge of the bed, feeling the worn wood under her fingertips as nothing but buzz echoed in her skull. Her thoughts were just a mingled fog of darkness leaving her only with the desperation and fear that was pouring out of her eyes. Her fingers hurt from the pressure she was applying and when she let go, she felt them bruised and tingly. Nevertheless, there was something satisfying about this pain. Something that made her crave for a release but yet knowing that doing what she truly wanted to do, would lead to nothing. Just a temporary exit with a brief pleasure followed by the instant gloom of her thoughts. She stilled her breathing and drunk some water lying back on her pillow. It was about 8 pm, when the sun descended that she unlocked her eyes from the little mark on the wall, turned off her alarm clock and got up to get herself ready for work.
"So are you gonna go?" Zoe asked Rachel as they waited for the orders. She blinked slightly feeling her eyes sore from crying. She had tried the spoon in the freezer thing to make the puffing go away but she just felt her eyes so tired.
"I don't know" Rachel replied fixing her bra "I mean he's all cute and shit but I haven't really told him my job ya know? Like it's not like I care but-"
"Honey if you're mentioning this to me, it means you care" Zoe raised an eyebrow."Look I don't think you have anything to loose ya know? You like guy, guy likes you so?"
"What would you do?"
"I don't know" Zoe frowned "I've never really thought about this shit"
"Pff and believe me. Keep doing that" Rachel said running a hand through her golden hair. She then paused and turned to her "Wait. What?"
Zoe turned to her indifferently as Christopher placed the drinks on her tray. When she saw that Rachel was still looking at her, obviously waiting for something she crooked her head to the side.
"What?"
"Have..I mean. When you say you haven't really… done the whole dating thing.. I mean. You've done things right?" Rachel said. Christopher paused raising his eyebrows and leaned forward slightly.
"No not really" Zoe said apathetically as she picked up the tray. She walked over to the table and forced a smile on her face.
"Two Whiskeys two ice" she said letting the drinks on the table. The men nodded giving her one of those 'I would like to see you on all four ' look and she walked back to the bar. It was only Thursday and the club was only half full. There were still a lot going on but mostly nothing so dramatic. The weekends were the worst.
Zoe gazed around the club, seeing if any customers needed anything when her eyes landed on Rachel and Christopher next to her who were staring at her with wide eyes.
"What?" she said confused.
"You're a virgin?" Rachel almost shouted.
Zoe turned around in alert "Nice Rach. You wanna use the microphone?" she rolled her eyes shaking her head.
"But how? You're twenty-three!" Rachel blinked.
"So? Is there a rule that says I have to fuck someone before I'm twenty three?" she frowned and half laughed not understanding what the big deal was and especially not liking the extra attention she got.
"Babe" Rachel said placing a hand over Zoe's shoulder "There is a time in a woman's life where she has to you know, do stuff. You know? Find out what she likes what she doesn't like. So by the time she comes across a grown human being who doesn't have a mind of an eighteen year old with a constant boner in his pants, she and he can actually enjoy sex. You get me?"
Zoe narrowed her eyes and snickered "You can't be serious" she shook her head "So if I sleep with too many guys I'm a whore, but if I'm a virgin because it just didn't happen, I'm what a weirdo? Can't a girl do what she wants to do? Chris come on back me up here"
Christopher snickered "Pf baby I'll do whatever you want me to do now" he laughed.
"You're disgusting," Rachel said.
"What?" Zoe stared at them both.
"Zoe" Rachel said placing both her hands on the shoulders "the point is-"
"The point is Rach, that it's none of your damn business what I do or don't do." Zoe interrupted her, feeling the walls of her mind closing up again. She didn't like people commending on her private life no matter how comfortable she felt with it. "I don't go around fucking telling you who to fuck and on who's face to sit on and I definitely did not ask your opinion on it. So get off my back" she said leaving Rachel speechless.
"Kitty's got claws!" Christopher laughed. The two girls kept staring at each other until Zoe sighed turning away and heading towards one of the tables that were just filled.
Three weeks later
She closed the door of her apartment behind her staring down at the electricity bill. She frowned and tossed the torn envelop on the coffee table, picking her hair up into a ponytail.
The day had started out great. It was her day off and she decided to take a stroll in the park. She put on her favorite brown scarf and bought herself a hot chocolate. It was so great. She was planning to go home and binge watch a whole season of Breaking Bad, when she saw the white envelop in her mailbox.
She sighed turning on the TV. She went to the kitchen to drink a cold glass of water as that hot chocolate had burned her tongue and she could feel it sore under her pallet. She went back to the living room and picked up the envelope again when a small card fell on her foot. She had grabbed everything out of the mail box so hastily that she hadn't noticed it. She picked it up and turned it around.
"Aaha.." she said simply as she saw a Joker card. She flipped the card and read the printed letters:
ARKHAM ASYLUM. December 18th 11PM. MORE TO COME
BYE SWEETNESS
She frowned and sat on the couch. She stared at the paper in confusion. What was she supposed to do at Arkham Asylum? Was it a test? Did he want to know if she agreed to his terms?
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sudden news.
"The Joker was finally taken under custody by GCPD last night after he threatened 1000 people with explosives as they tried leaving Gotham. Fortunately nobody was hurt. He is now being transferred to Arkham Asylum where the final call for his mental stability or instability will be judged. At the same time, Harvey Dent was found murdered by the Batman, who's now tracked by the police"
Zoe stared at the TV dumbfounded. So if someone assumed that the card wasn't sent by mail, and that someone had just dropped it into her mailbox, this means that he had it all planned out. He wanted to be caught. A small chuckle left her lips involuntarily.
Zoe stared down at the card again. Her new boss seemed to be much smarter than she thought. Yes everyone thought he was just crazy, blowing up hospitals and killing people for fun, but he had things more planned out than expected.
MORE TO COME.
BYE SWEETNESS
She read the card again and tapped it with her fingers
18th of DECEMBER was next Monday. And, surprise surprise, her day off.
"I'm coming!" she yelled trying to dry her hair with a towel. The door bell had rang five times already, three times in the bathroom and twice as she was getting dressed. She opened the door obviously pissed.
"What?" she said sharply clenching the towel in her hand.
"Mail?" the postman said flatly still wearing his headphones. Zoe could hear the impression of music blasting in his ears. He handed her a box and a pen. She sighed and signed the paper quickly, slamming the door shut. She placed the box on the couch and opened it, raising both her eyebrows.
"Holy shit" she said as she saw the Gucci stamp in front of her. She took out the outfit and stared at it. It was a black business woman suit, with delicate thin purple lines going down on the fabric. She placed the suit softly on the couch, took out the white shirt and placed it on top of the suit finding the green heels on the bottom of the box. She took out her shoes to try them on and found, not to her surprise, that they were her size.
Of course they were her size.
It was the Joker.
At the very bottom of the box, she noticed a pat and a pen along with a small ID card clipped together with another Joker card. She took it and started reading.
18th DECEMBER. TAKE THE ID CARD WITH YOU.
FRIENDLY ADVICE- DON'T USE THE PEN
YOU CAN FIGURE OUT THE REST DOLL
BE SEEING YOU
She looked down at the ID card.
NAME: VALERIE VALE
PROFESSION: JOURNALIST FOR 'THE DAILY GOTHAM'
AGE: 24
Zoe lied back on the couch raising her feet up. Damn those heels were comfortable.
"Take off the coat" the guard said not looking at her. Zoe took it off and placed it on the table readjusting her journalist ID on her shirt. , She walked through Arkham silently behind the guard, seeing worn out faces behind closed door. She didn't want to be here in the first place but now that she was staring at the loons, she was sure she wanted to leave. She sighed and closed her eyes shaking the screams of the patients away. The guard pressed a button and the huge metal door opened in front of them.
She raised her head slightly reading the sign on the roof saying "SECTOR X". The doors were now different. They no longer had glass openings for the food trays. They were all metal with guards between every three or four of them. And it was quiet in there.
Too quiet.
"Are there not suppose to be patients here?" she asked the tall man walking in front of her.
"There are" he told her "It's just that they are not really big on talking" he told her and turne around with a hidden smile on his face "And most of them are knocked out anyway"
The man glanced back at her again.
I gotta tell you when the Daily Gotham called us and said they wanted to interview the joker, we uh, expected they'd sent someone…different"
Zoe raised an eyebrow "Different?" she asked.
"You know, a man. Someone who can defend themselves in case something happens. Not that anyone has a chance with this freak. He already took out four of our stuff members."
"You keep talking and I'll tell you if I can defend myself" she said quietly under her breath.
"What's that?"
"Oh I said you don't have to worry about me defending myself. I mean I have the best security guard right?" she said secretly mocking him in his face.
"Right" the man said smiling at her. Zoe rolled her eyes as he turned around. Finally the guard stopped and took out his card swiping it on the door. He then took out a big set of keys and unlocked the metal door.
"Go ahead" he told her. "I will be out here. He specified he will not talk to you if any of the guards are in. Take this" he told her giving her a round metal object. It was a button. "You hold on to it tight" he warned her "You feel threatened, just press the button"
"Ok" Zoe said frowning as she got into the room "Thank you" she said quickly before the door was locked behind her. She turned around slowly, seeing a huge grin on the Joker's face. He was laid back on his chair, with his hands locked on the table in front of him in handcuffs. His head was slightly tilted back and his eyes were piercing her with amusement.
"Good morning miss Vale" he haid biting on his lips chuckling "Don't you look lovely in this suit"
Zoe stared at him expressionlessly and then at the camera on the top corner of the room.
"Don't worry, they can't hear us" He said leaning forward. "They can see us though so sit"
Zoe put her pat and pen on the table and sat across from him. She saw him looking down at the pen and nodding in approval. He was wearing no makeup this time, which made her uneasy. She always knew he was just a man, but she never expected him to be so… so human. And as a matter of fact, take away the scars he was a handsome young man in his twenties.
"Sooo.. Now what?" she said diverting her eyes from his face and examined his cell.
"Now we talk" he said cheerfully. "How are you Zoe? May I just say that uh, you just look lovely without all that makeup you wear at work. You're much more classy than I thought"
Zoe started to say something and the paused. Did he just call her by her real name?
"How did-?"
"Well I had to find out in order to send you the gifts now didn't I?" he told her licking his scars.
"Uh… whatever did you actually bring me here to talk?" she said obviously annoyed.
"I brought you here to do your job" he told her sharply "You are here, which means you obviously take the deal I gave you, so this is what I want."
They stared at each other for a moment as Zoe relaxed back on her chair. "Alright boss" she said crossing her arms "Talk"
The Joker suddenly blinked, obviously taken aback by her response. "Uh… what?"
"You said you wanna talk, then talk" Zoe said simply, waiting for him to say something. He suddenly burst out into a manic laughter.
"Youuu" he said as he continued laughing, "Are so much fun sweetness. Ohhh I can't wait to get out of this cell now! We'll just have so much fun together you'll see" he said laughing but his eyes were serious. Zoe felt a chill down her spine as he continued staring at her. His words felt more like a warning than a promise. His eyes kept piercing hers for a while and then he laid back again coming down from his laughing fit.
"How come you're not drugged?" Zoe said quickly gulping, not liking the way he was looking at her.
"Oh I usually am" he said crooking his head on the side staring at her lips. His eyes continued down her torso as he spoke "It 's just that they knew you'd come today so they didn't throw me as hard, hoping that I wouldn't say anything to the press" he chuckled humorlessly. Zoe frowned. For a moment there, it seemed as if he was talking to her like a normal human being. As if they were just having a cup of coffee and chilling.
"This makes sense," she said looking down at her hands. The Joker stared at her as she remained silent. It was weird having to look at her like this. She was so young.
The first time he saw her, he definitely thought she was 28 or so. But she was just a little girl. 23 max. She bit down on her pink lip and he smiled to himself.
"You uh, met Bob?"
"Huh?" she said looking at him puzzled.
"Bob. My guard?" he said signaling to the door behind her.
"Oh" she said rolling her eyes "Yeah" she shook her head.
"Great guy." He said mockingly "Him and I have this thing where he'll beat me every morning with his metal rod"
"What?" Zoe said with wide eyes.
"Doesn't like my jokes as much though" he said.
"He beats you up? What about the other people they just watch?" she said shocked. The Joker grinned widely.
"Is my princess worried about her daddy?" he said mockingly. Zoe made a face of disgust at his words. She shook her head and rolled her eyes, returning to the emotionless wall that was her face.
The Joker chuckled and licked his lips leaning forward. His energy was suddenly different and it made Zoe very uncomfortable.
"You uh, have that button Bob gave you?" he said shaking his leg under the table in anticipation.
"Yes" she stared at him in confusion.
"Now I'll need this pen you brought me sweetness. It's actually a blade you see? Don't worry you can keep the rest of the stuff I gave you, they suit you anyway" he said glancing down her chest. Zoe made a face and covered her torso with her hands "But this I'll have to take back. Hold on to the button. It will take them ten seconds to alarm Bob from the control room" he said piercing her with his eyes and she did so "so you press it when I bite"
"When you what?" she frowned. She could not even finish her train of thought, when her back was suddenly connected with the surface of the table. She felt his lips locking with hers firmly and painfully as muffled confused words got stuck in her throat. She heard the rattling of a chain near her ear, realizing that he had –somehow- gotten out of his handcuffs. Zoe squeezed her eyes and pushed him off her but it was no use. His hands were ravaging her body and his tongue was exploring every part of her mouth. She heard a deep sound coming from his throat as he deepened their kiss even more.
She finally felt his teeth sinking deep into her flesh and she pushed the button. She felt warm liquid running down her cheek when she heard the door of the cell opening.
"Fucking bastard" said a male's voice as the Joker was finally off her. In the next moment, she was being dragged out of the cell, his manic laughter making everything even more surreal than they actually were. She saw the first punch landing on his face as the metal door was shutting.
"You alright?" the man holding her said grabbing her from the shoulders. "I told you to press the button when you felt threatened not before he killed you!" Bob told her firmly.
"Sorry, I panicked. Sorry Bob" she said breathlessly staring at the closed metal door. The Joker's laughter still echoed behind it.
"Bob? Oh he talked about me didn't he? Huh.. I'm Jacob" Zoe looked up at him in query.
" You need to get this fixed" he told her indicating her lips with his finger. Zoe touched her lip and looked down at her bloody finger. She rolled her eyes and shook her head.
He had to bite down this hard didn't he?
She thought to herself. Bob handed her the notepad and escorted her out the sector to get her coat and bag. She could still feel the blood rushing in her veins like fire and her cheeks burning with an unusual sensation.
It was when she was in the cab on her way home, wiping the blood from her lip, that she remembered she no longer had the pen with her.
I hope you guys liked it! review and let me know! :)
