Chapter 3: Lucky Is All

Jack moaned in agony, biting his lip as he tried to move. Every movement set his limbs on fire, his body in excruciating pain. He looked around, trying to find a way out of the room he was now stuck in. He spotted a large drainage tunnel in the wall, hoping it would lead to a way out.

There was a loud pounding sound in his head. It took him a moment to realize he could hear his heart pounding over everything else. A thought of contempt raced through his mind.

I'm going to die here because everyone's so careless.

He tried to stand– and immediately cried out in pain. He froze up, whimpering, biting his lip hard as the pain ripped through his body. His attention remained on the pipe.

Got to...find water... Wash off the chemicals before anything happens...

Gritting his teeth in agony, Jack slowly crawled for the pipe.

The floor away from the tanks was at a slant, letting the remaining chemicals that had splashed out run into the pipe into the unknown.

Tears of hot agony ran down his face as he crawled towards the pipe, forcing himself to keep moving. It took all his willpower to keep moving rather that just collapse and let the pain claim him.

He reached the pipe, trying to stand again, forced to his knees once more from the pain. Sticking with a slow crawl, he made his way into the tunnel, following it into the darkness, hoping it didn't have a drop-off he wouldn't see in time.

Minutes crept by, making every moment stretch for Jack. He didn't know how long he'd been crawling, but he could finally see light at the end of the tunnel.

Please let there be water...

Jack let out a shriek of agony and relief as he reached the end. The tunnel led to a murky pond, letting the waste spread out into the controlled water. He saw a metal fencing around the pond and the area around it, but didn't take in much of the other sights. He let himself drop from the tunnel into the water with a splash, making his way towards the shore, slowly and painfully.

After what felt like a lifetime to him, Jack reached the bank and collapsed in the mud, breathing heavily, closing his eyes. Pain still lanced throughout his body, but it wasn't nearly as bad now. He let out a gasp as he realized just how badly his lungs and throat burned. He could barely speak, his throat felt so raw. He clapped a hand to his face, massaging his eyes, trying to lessen the pain in them.

Screw this, the water helped wash the chemicals off, the effect should be the same for my eyes...

Jack forced himself back into the water, opening his eyes. He let out a gurgled scream, splashing back onto the bank, shivering. Whatever those chemicals were supposed to do, or maybe it was whatever that person had spilled into them, Jack didn't care. All he knew was that it hurt.

He laid there for a few minutes, shivering violently, tears still streaming down his face, sobbing. The workers should've been more careful; they should've checked the walkway after the accident. They'd been so careless and now Jack had to suffer for their neglect.

Crickets chirped in the nearby grass, only enhancing his loneliness. An owl hooted in a nearby tree.

Rubbing a hand over his face, he sniffled, wiping his hair out of his face, looking around slowly, not wanting to bring more pain than he was already in.

There would be no easy way for him to get home in the condition he was in and no one knew what had happened to him. How would he get out of here?

Maybe the water is the key. It helped to lessen the pain, maybe if I stay here for a while, the pain will eventually fade away. God, I hope so.

Jack slid back into the water, clinging to the bank, afraid if he let go, the pain would overwhelm him and he would sink and drown. Taking a breath, he slipped under again, opening his eyes underwater again, finding it hurt less this time. He waited until he needed air before coming up, dunking himself repeatedly before he felt better.

When he felt like the pain had receded to an ache, he dragged himself out of the pond, panting, sitting in the grass. It was going to be a long way back if he'd missed the night train. He didn't want to wait around while he was still hurting; he'd be the perfect target for a mugging.

He caught his breath, then forced himself to stand, trudging through the weeds towards the edge of the fence.

God, it hurt so bad to move. Maybe he could call in sick tomorrow, or better yet, if he felt better, he'd go in. No point in risking his new job over a little chemical bath.

He reached the fence, climbing over it with horrible effort, falling onto the other side, breathing hard. Yes, this was going to take a while.

"Why did it have to be me?" he rasped, coughing. His chest and throat hurt so bad... Hopefully the chemicals didn't do any major damage. He'd just have to hope for the best.

Jack stood slowly, wincing as a lance of pain tore through his body, then made his way towards the side of the building. Every step brought pain. Right now all he wanted to do was get home and collapse on the bed.

Minutes crept by, or maybe it was hours, Jack didn't know, but he finally reached the train station, sitting on the bench and looking up at the schedule. He had a five minute wait, according to the times.

"Excuse me, are you okay?" a voice interrupted his thoughts.

Jack blinked, looking up to see a tall girl wearing pink and purple. She stared back at him, quiet.

"Sorry?" he croaked, trying to clear his voice.

"You look like you fell in a pool and you look cold. I was wondering if you were okay?" She stood a few feet away from him, watching.

"Um...sorta.. Office party." He tried to smile at her, but it hurt to do so. Luckily she took it as a good sign and smiled back.

A bitter thought flashed through his mind.

Sure, after everything that's happened to me tonight, finally a spark of kindness. It just happened to come AFTER I fell into that tank...

"Are you sure you're okay?" the girl asked, still not walking away.

He looked back up at her, a little wary now.

"Your eyes look bloodshot."

"Oh, yeah... That. That's just my allergies kicking up." He gave her another small smile, just wanting to be left alone now.

"Ah. Ok." The girl smiled and walked away, humming to herself.

Jack looked down at his hands, suddenly worried. His eyes looked bloodshot?

Well, then again, I did fall into burning chemicals. It only makes sense for them to be irritated by something like that.

He stood as the train approached, the whistle warning anyone who might be near the tracks. He rubbed at his eyes again, feeling them itch as the train slowed to a stop, the doors opening.

A father and his daughter got off, but the train seemed to be empty besides that.

He stepped onto the train, going over to a seat and sitting down, folding his hands together, frowning. Just what exactly had he fallen into? A dangerous new poison? A new treatment for a disease?

It scared him to think about it. But maybe he was worrying over nothing. Maybe nothing would happen. Maybe he was just overreacting.

Jack kept to his thoughts as the train moved along the tracks, glancing out the window time to time. Every time he did, the scenery was the same. Pitch black sky filled with the lights of the city, buildings rushing by.

He narrowed his eyes a bit, staring at the drab colors of the city. There was no color to it, no exceptions to the grays and browns of the buildings. He'd noticed it as he grew up but never thought much about it.

Gotham is much too dark. Why can't any of the buildings have a bit of color in them? A bit of red maybe. Anything but gray and brown.

The lights above him rattled and he slid in his seat a little as the train lurched to a stop at a station.

"Gotham Avenue, subways 15, 20, and 37, last stop," the conductor told the mostly empty cab.

Jack stood, walking over to the doors, feeling sore all over, heading out when they slid open. He stumbled a little on the stairs, his legs suddenly giving out under him. He held onto the railing tightly, panting, hearing the train screech away behind him.

God, I'm only halfway home, I still have to go down the street just to get home. What if I collapse before I make it?

He stood there for a minute, waiting for his strength to return, then moved off slowly down the street, keeping a hand on the wall to keep himself steady. All the while, thoughts danced in his mind.

Look at me, I'm fine. I'm just a little weak from such a close encounter with death. I'll be fine. Nothing's happened, except my eyes are a little bloodshot. It's fine, I'm okay. I just took a dunk in burning chemicals, it's to be expected.

A nightbird screeched somewhere nearby, startling him badly. There was a flurry of wings and something big and brown flew out in front of him. Probably an owl feeding on mice; he didn't care to find out.

Jack paused at an alley way, trying to straighten up more. If a gang saw him in the condition he was in, he'd most likely be killed for money he didn't even have on him. He sighed and marched on, rubbing at his eyes again.

"Hey, bozo, watch where you're going!"

He received a rough push, slamming up against the wall.

"You'd best stay out of my way, boy!" A big man glared back at him, black mustache quivering. He looked like he belonged in a motorcycle gang, with all the leather he was wearing. "Well, hey, looky here. You're all wet. What'd you do, fall in the harbor?"

Jack stared up at him quietly, then looked down at the ground, avoiding eye contact. He was in no mood for this, he didn't want to be beat up for something he couldn't help.

"Hey, buddy, I'm talking to you. You'd best look at me." The man pushed him again, sneering at him, and Jack glanced up. Big mistake. "Yeah, that's right, little boy. You stay on your side of the street and we'll be fine."

Jack saw the massive fist too late, catching it up under the chin as he tried to back away. He smacked his head off the side of the alley wall, stumbling back. He felt something spark in him, but he couldn't tell what it was.

"You even take punches like a sissy," the man growled, coming for him again. He raised his fist, driving it towards Jack's face.

Calmness swept over Jack as he saw the punch coming, watching it. Time seemed to slow down, a ghost of a whisper running through his mind, gone before he could figure out what it was. Time started to speed up again.

He suddenly moved to the right, the blow missing him. The man howled as his knuckles struck the brick, stepping away from Jack.

Quietly, he crept off before the man could recover, slipping into the alley and glancing back. The man didn't follow him in. He looked down at his shaky hands, feeling confused. What had just happened? He'd never had reflexes like that before.

Maybe I'm finally learning to avoid confrontations by just running away now. Why can't people just leave me alone?

He waited until he was positive the man had left before creeping back out, wary. A quick glance at the wall told him the man had probably broken his knuckles; there was a splash of blood on the brick.

Jack made his way down the street, uninterrupted this time. He could still feel his heart pounding from the attempted beating, not sure what had all happened. His reflexes were never that great before, he'd always been a bit slow to react.

He slowly trudged up the stairs to his house, feeling around for his keys and pulling them out. A soaked wad of paper fell out on the stairs and he looked down at it. Jon...

He picked the paper up with trembling fingers, holding it in his hand. It'd be pointless to keep it now, it was a balled up wad of nothing now. He sighed, slipping the key in the lock and opening the door, walking inside.

Midnight came running at the sound of the jangling keys, tail wagging and panting happily. He started licking his master's face as Jack knelt in front of him, hugging the dog tightly.

"Geez, boy, what a I night I had..." Jack stood back up, ruffling the dog's fur, scratching him behind the ears. He threw the wet piece of paper away, then walked off towards the stairway, marching up to his bedroom, Midnight right behind him. The dog followed him into the bedroom, where Jack went over to the phone, called the plant and called off sick.

I I I

Jack woke up the next morning, lying under a tangled mess of sheets and shed dog hair. He was laying halfway off the bed, one arm and leg dangling off the side, his face pressed into his pillow. The sheets around him were pulled every which way.

"Oh...I feel like a train hit me..." he groaned, slowly turning over. Midnight stared back at him, sitting next to the bed. The dog chuffed at him, bent down and sat back up.

Chuckling, Jack sat up slowly, watching his dog. Midnight whined back at him, holding his food dish in his mouth.

"Okay, okay, you're hungry. I'll get your breakfast in a moment." He started to move around more and the dog raced out of the bedroom. Jack could hear the thundering of the paws on the stairs, then the distant clicking of claws on the kitchen tile.

Jack sat at the edge of the bed, sighing, then blinked, looking down at himself. He was still in his clothes, the material all rumpled from sleeping in them. So last night had really happened then...

He winced, touching his fingers to his chin. Apparently the punch had happened too. Stretching his arms out, yawning, Jack stood, slowly making his way over to the dresser, peering into the mirror.

His eyes were a tiny bit red, but they didn't appear to be bloodshot like that girl had said. Probably just still irritated from the chemicals.

"People really need to be more careful with things as dangerous as that," Jack mumbled, pulling his shirt over his head. He pulled a fresh one out of the dresser, changing the rest of his clothes as well.

Despite falling into burning chemicals and nearly getting beat up, Jack felt remarkably well, considering what happened to him. His body was only a little sore and he felt a little tired , but other than that Jack felt fine.

He stared at himself in the mirror again, stretching his bottom eyelid down, looking for anything wrong. Nothing out of place.

"Guess I'm just being paranoid." He looked down at his arms, a little startled to see a few faint burn marks on his arms. "Well...guess I shouldn't be surprised." He rubbed his arms carefully, running his fingers over the burn marks. They tingled, but didn't hurt.

Thunderous barking ripped through the house, making him jump a bit. Midnight was hungry.

"All right, all right, I'm coming!" he yelled down to the dog. He looked at the mirror one last time, then sighed, heading out the door and down the stairs.

Midnight danced in place as his master came into the kitchen, running over and nudging his food bowl towards him. He looked up, tilting his head, panting happily, perking his ears up.

Jack smiled at him, scratching him behind the ears. "Okay, okay." He bent down, opening a cabinet door, pulling out a bag of dog food and pouring a little in the bowl.

The German shepherd dove his head in, chomping away, tail wagging.

Jack looked up at the clock on the wall. Only eleven-thirty in the morning. He bit his lip. He'd always been a hard worker and he never really liked to miss a day of work. He didn't want to start off his new job by calling off sick already.

He sighed. "What should I do, boy? Should I just go in? Or should I really take the day off?"

The canine lifted his head, licking his black lips, looking at him for a moment before returning to his food.

"Screw it, I'll just stay home. Enjoy the day while I'm off." Jack walked over to the pantry, pulling out a small box of macaroni and cheese. He moved around the kitchen, getting it ready, then stuck it in the microwave. He set the timer, then turned to look back at Midnight.

The dog was just finishing up his breakfast, picking out the last few pieces of food and looking up at his master with a soft woof.

"Why is it that people hate me, huh? I'm not a bad person. I haven't done anything to anybody. I've done nothing wrong and yet here I am, at the low end of this city, constantly being shot down for no good reason." Jack sighed, leaning back against the counter. "All I want to do is make people laugh, but no one gives me the chance to do so."

"Woof."

"I knew you'd support me." Jack turned, taking the bowl out of the microwave as the timer chimed and grabbing a spoon from the drawer, then sat down at the table. "You're my only friend now, fur face."

Midnight walked over to him, whining softly, putting his head on Jack's lap. He licked at his hand, then sat quietly next to him.

Jack scratched the dog behind the ears, taking a bite– and nearly gagging. He choked it back out, confused. He'd never had trouble eating his favorite food before. What was going on?

He tried another bite, this one smaller. With the same results.

Midnight whined up at him.

"It's okay, boy, nothing's wrong." Jack stared down at the bowl, thinking. Could the chemicals be doing this?

Well, I guess they could. I swallowed quite a bit, they could've changed my taste buds or something. Or my throat is still raw from the burning.

He tried swallowing a spoonful, barely getting it down. Giving up, he sighed and set the bowl down on the floor. Midnight happily helped out in cleaning the noodles out.

Jack watched the dog clean out the bowl, resting his chin on his hand. Okay, so he couldn't eat macaroni until he knew what was going on. Until then he'd just have to find something else.

He picked the empty bowl up off the floor, going over to the sink and filling it with water. Maybe the chemicals had burned his taste buds. But that didn't explain why he couldn't swallow a spoonful. And quite frankly, thinking about it now, the thought about eating macaroni made him sick.

Minutes ticked by as he stood at the sink, deep in thought. Okay, so the chemicals had ruined his sense of taste. Nothing too big. He could live with that.

A cold nose touched his arm and he turned, dropping to his knees, hugging the German shepherd.

"You're my one friend, fur face. Jon is...different now." He put his head against the dog's, sighing, then stood, walking into the room. "Let's go enjoy the afternoon while I'm off."

Midnight followed him, tail wagging happily.

I I I

So Jacky thinks he got off pretty easily. I'd consider myself pretty lucky to be alive if that ever happened to me. I know not much happened in this one besides the slight reflex thing, but who knows what junk was all in those chemicals? X3