Hello everyone, sorry about the long wait. At this time I should probably say that the updates will be (and have been, sorry) really, really, really irregular, but anyway this chapter might be a bit... Bloody, at the end, just thought I should warn you, just incase. Saying that, I enjoyed writing this chapter loads XD
Disclaimer: No characters belong to me.
Enjoy!
As soon as the meeting finished, Bruce walked out of the room and took a deep breath, he had forgotten how boring meetings were considering he was asleep for most of them but likely Lucius was there and did most of the talking.
Bruce thought about going back to the penthouse but the idea of actually going through his paperwork struck him, so he made his way to his hardly used office, sat down at his desk and looked through a pile of papers.
After a few minuets of flicking through paper, he felt the familiar feeling that he was being watched… Just like the night before. Slowly, he lifted his head up but was only met with the emptiness of his office; Bruce stood up and peered out the window, looking left and right at the ledge of the building and the street below before straightening up and rubbing his forehead. He felt a headache coming on and he'd only been here, what, twenty minuets? He glanced at the clock on the wall above his desk, four o'clock; Ok two hours. The pile of papers (all completed) was stacked up neatly in the middle of his desk, nothing else needed to be done; he didn't need anything else from Fox, going home seemed like a good idea then he could get something for his growing headache.
The traffic on the way to the penthouse was a nightmare, ten minuets and nothing has moved, Bruce let his head fall on the steering wheel with a low thud, 'Should have stayed at work.'
As the long lines of cars started moving, the billionaire noticed blue lights flashing in the distance, catching his interest; he sat up straighter in his seat so he could get a better view. All he saw was the top half of an ambulance; he slumped back down again, nothing new. When the line moved forward, Bruce leaned his head to the side to see if he could catch a glimpse, usually he would all ready know what happened and what injuries there are because he caused them. It was nothing out of the ordinary, some paramedics, police, investigators, he caught sight of Commissioner Gordon, and Bruce frowned sympathetically, heavy looking eyes complete with dark circles and an exhausted look plastered on his face. Moving forward a little more, something caught Bruce's eye, something colourful. In one of the investigators gloved hand was a clown mask; it was covered in blood and was cracked down one of the masks cut out eye. Thoughts flew through Bruce's head but two stuck out the most: 'Did the Joker do it?' And 'was it the Joker and his group the ones who got attacked'? He shook his head, feeling the headache getting worse, he sighed, it was going to be a long ride home.
After an hour of being in one of the longest traffic jams Bruce has ever been in, he finally got back to the penthouse.
Alfred greeted him as normal, Bruce only nodded and sat down on the leather he had in the morning. He didn't look up from his lap until a glass of water was handed to him along with a tablet; Alfred looked at him with a small smile, "For the headache, sir."
Bruce felt a tug at his lips; of course Alfred knew when he needed something.
He put the pill in his mouth then swallowed it down with a gulp of water, praying it would work quicker. His mind wondered back to what he saw back in the traffic jam, surely the Joker has more hench-men, if so; he would have to go pay them a visit.
As soon as the sun disappeared behind the city's towering buildings, Batman began his search for the remaining few in the Joker's group. While jumping from roof top to roof top, he spots dark patches on the floor of the alleyway below. Swiftly, he jumped down to investigate. Blood, dried, maybe for a couple of hours, Batman grimaced, at that time he was probably at work, still in the meeting. There was a trial of the same dark crimson blood that lead further down the alley and Batman followed without a second thought, trashcans were knocked over and scattered around, blood was sprayed against the grimy walls, a definite sign of a struggle. The further Batman walked, the more blood there was and the more he was dreading what he was going to see. A horrid smell emerged from the darkness and it made Batman's stomach churn but still he continued onward… Until he saw it.
Hanging off the fire exit stairs was a disgusting, mangled, rotting corpse; even the flies had started nesting on it. At a first glance it would seem that the body was hung up by rope but the vile truth was it was the poor guy's intestines, pulled right out of his now slashed open and bloody stomach and wrapped around his neck. Blood streamed down the man's head, finding their way to the empty eye sockets and jawless mouth. Batman cringed; from where he was standing it looked like it was literally ripped off. Moving downward, he could see that chest area was torn open and the ribcage smashed to pieces, a lot of the organs were missing and the spine was pulled out of his back and thrown to the floor, where Batman can now see it at the back of the dead-end alleyway. On a closer inspection, he saw something that disturbed him greatly, there were… Bite marks and chunks of flesh missing everywhere. Batman turned to look away as he could bear to see any more but the picture was mentally burned in his mind now. Out of the corner of his eye his something white being concealed behind a bin, he went over to check what it was, it was a mask, a clown mask, and it stared back at him with cold empty eyes just as his owner.
