"Why would I be a dog?" I asked.
The Joker shook his head, causing his green hair to fly. "That's what I am. A dog chasing cars."
It was a metaphor. I understood that, but I didn't see the reasoning behind it.
He must have seen the confusion in my expression because he went on to explain. "I don't, ah, think about what I'm gonna do with the car once I catch it. I just run after it in the hopes of catching it."
I laughed, the image of the Joker running after a car flashing across my mind. He smirked, licking his lips again.
"Choose one," he pressed, "And depending upon what you say, I'll have to decide what to do with you."
"All right, I'm the dog's shadow."
"The Joker's Shadow?" He seemed to consider this. "You'll have to prove yourself worthy of a title like that."
"Fine then, test me," I promoted, confidently.
He shook his head. "Not now, Shadow, some other time." I looked at him curiously, and then, I was aware of two of his goons standing motionless at the end of the hall. "Not now," the Joker repeated in a quieter tone.
He turned swiftly, causing his two men to jump. "And what do you want?" he asked. He didn't say it harshly.
"Boss, she's out," one of the idiots said.
"I've noticed," the Joker replied. "She's right here." He motioned to me, and then he decided to turn his head. "Are you going to be a good girl now?" he asked me.
I smirked. "I promise."
He grinned and then looked at his men. "And everything's settled. Put her, ah, back into her room and make sure she stays there this time." As his goons moved forward, the Joker leapt up to me and kissed me.
Before I could react, he pulled away, holding up my pen which he had gotten out of my hair. He held out a hand, and I disarmed myself, handing over my pack of items. The Joker handcuffed my hands behind my back, and as he did, he gave me a challenging smirk, licking his lips.
His goons led me back to my room, but I glanced back to see the Joker laughing and holding up my pack and gun to emphasize his challenge.
I was up for it.
Once back in my room, I sat down on the bed and considered my situation. I couldn't plan my escape; that wasn't the Joker's challenge.
So I went down the list. My situation: handcuffed, in a locked room, more likely to be guarded this time, and no items of my own. Screw the last thing; my watch had things I could use, but I wanted to leave those in reserve. I didn't know if I had a time limit, but sooner was better than never.
First things first, I had to get the handcuffs off, or at least get them in front of me. The latter was easier done than said. I stepped through the loop of my arms, thankful for my small stature.
I sat on the floor with my handcuffed hands in my lap. I faced each wall of the room with sharp eyes for several minutes before turning to the next. With the four walls memorized, I faced the door and closed my eyes.
I pictured the room's walls in my mind, seeing everything clearly. I was always one with the sharpest memory in my class; I just never revealed it. I relaxed my body, becoming still. If the Joker walked in, he probably would have figured I was mediating.
Ha, ha, the joke's on him!
I noted everything metal in the room, being the new bars on the window and the bed frame. I could use it as a weapon or a possible picklock for my handcuffs. Either way, it would be useful.
As I moved over to the bed, the door opened. By the heavy footsteps, I doubted it was the Joker.
"Not going to get out this time," the idiot said, confidently.
"I doubt that," I told him, kneeling by the bed. "I've never remained locked up for more than six hours." I swear, if this guy tried to hit on me...it was bad enough with the Joker being the daredevil.
I didn't hear the door close so I glanced over my shoulder. I sensed little danger from him so I wasn't worried, and neither was I surprised when he tried to jump me.
I left him unconscious on the floor, a nasty bruise forming on his forehead. I went back to work with searching the metal frame of the bed.
My hands felt a loose bit, and I twisted it free. However, I hid it behind one of the bed legs, moving to search the man for a key or something. I found a pick lock. So that's how he got in! Couldn't resist the shadowy chick, could he?
I heard footsteps and moved to sit on my bed. Three men came into the room, holding guns.
The leading man spotted the unconscious fellow on the ground, and his face turned red with rage. However, before he could speak, there was the sound of someone clearing his throat.
The three men stepped aside to see the Joker standing in the hallway.
"Are we having a, ah, party in here?" the Joker asked.
"Boss, we just came looking for John," a man said, but the Joker pulled out a knife and began twirling it in full view; obviously it was his only warning, if he felt like giving one.
The Joker's eyes caught the sight of his unconscious man on the floor, and then he looked up at me. Our eyes met, but then, his lowered to see me trying to pick the lock on my handcuffs. The corners of his scarred mouth twitched.
"Bob," the Joker said. He was still looking at me, which confused his men. "You should have known to leave the lady alone." My eyes narrowed, and I could see his shoulders shake as he tried to hold back his laughter.
"We had to get-," the leading man - probably the one called Bob - began.
Suddenly, the Joker stood in front off him, grabbing his head and holding a knife to his mouth. "You know, Bob," the Joker said, "You were always the serious one. You really outta smile more."
I rolled my eyes and averted them to my handcuffs. I didn't really want to see the Joker slice open his man's mouth. It didn't seem necessary, but I wasn't going to argue with the Joker. Let him do whatever he wanted. At the most, I'd have one less guy to worry about.
I heard a shuffle and looked up curiously. The Joker had released Bob, merely looking into his eyes. That's when I noticed that the Joker was shorter than his own men, yet his men was terrified of him.
Bob finally averted his eyes to the floor. "Sorry, Boss," he mumbled.
"What was that?" the Joker asked, tilting his head so that he was in Bob's averted vision. He had clearly heard what the poor man said.
"Sorry." He forced himself to look up into his boss's eyes, but his boss didn't seem to like that. The Joker jabbed him in the gut with his knife. Bob grunted in pain, doubling over, and then slumped to the ground.
"Get these two out of here," the Joker ordered. The remaining two men came forward, grabbing Bob and John - the latter giving me a cautious glance before dragging the unconscious man out of the room.
The Joker remained where he was, forcing his two men to drag the remaining out the room around him. He stood stock-still until it was just him and me. The only thing not still on him was his still twitching mouth. The Joker finally released his smile as he approached me.
"Quite intelligent, aren't you?" he said, holding out a hand, twitching two of his fingers.
I played the part of a pouting child as I slapped his hand away once he was close enough. "Finders-keepers," I told him.
He pounced on me, wrestling me for the picklock. I growled at him, and he burst out laughing, grabbing my handcuffs. He was strong; I must have told myself that so many times now. Shouldn't it have sunken in yet?
I rolled over onto my stomach, yanking my handcuffs away from the Joker and hiding them underneath me. The Joker's arms wrapped around me, his hands easily slipping underneath me. He reached my hands, but then he stopped. I stopped, clenching the picklock. What was going through his crazy mind?
The Joker pressed his cheek against mine, and he inhaled deeply. I became still, my headache coming back. The throbbing hurt, but I forced my expression to remain stoical. I focused on what the Joker was doing, breathing in my scent or something.
"No fear," he murmured, distractedly, close to my ear.
"Do you really think you're a dog?" I asked him, pulling away slightly so I could turn my head.
The Joker grinned as he shifted so he could see my face better. "Give me it," he ordered.
"What's 'it'?" I asked, innocently. I was toying with him, and he actually seemed to be enjoying it.
"You know, ah, perfectly well, Shadow. Hand it over." I shook my head, smiling playfully. The Joker slid his hands up my front, and I elbowed him in the chest. He grunted as the wind was knocked out of him, but he started laughing as soon as he breathed again. "You don't need a picklock to slip out of the handcuffs, Shadow."
"Oh..." I said, to make him smile again. I shifted so that my back was to him. I felt him shift, like he wanted to see, but I moved with him until he bounced off the bed and jumped on me again. Then, I held up my hands, handcuff free.
The Joker started laughing. "You know how to, ah, to ruin one's fun," he remarked.
"I know only because I'm a very observant person," I told him.
"I can tell," he said. He kissed me lightly on the cheek, and I shivered as my head throbbed painfully. "The challenge still holds, Shadow. But I want to give you a time limit. You have an hour."
He was bringing up the stakes just because I managed to slip out of the handcuffs! Ever SO generous!!
The Joker giggled as he bounced off me and skipped to the door. He held up his knife as he turned gracefully, facing me. Tapping his chin with the blade, he said, "One hour, Shadow. Otherwise, I'll be leaving without you." Before I opened my mouth, the Joker closed the door again.
Lordlink13: Review encouragement is always welcome from all directions! I take them to heart.