Chapter 10: It's All Fun and Games

"Geez, enough with the moping." I looked up from my crouched position, eyes swelling, full of tears and saw a blurry yet at the same time sharp red smile right in front of me. "It's making your pretty eyes hurt."

"What?" I replied to him. Surprise in my tone, as I thought that somehow he sounded like he tried to comfort me.

"Come on, get up. I got a little job for ya." He said to me while turning his back to me and walking towards the door, opening it and then turned back to me. "Hurry up. I ain't got all day. Got places to be, people to see."

I looked at him for a couple of seconds before noticing that he wasn't in a very cheery mood. He had that sarcasm in his voice every time he was angry. Looking at his wide grin and eyes, I closed mine and wiped my face into my arm sleeve. I then pushed myself with my arms and stood up. As he saw me walking towards him he turned around and started walking outside the room.

"Follow me." I stayed quiet, I wasn't sure what he wanted me for, but for god's sake I wasn't exactly in the mood for anything. However, denying this man when he is angry is a grave mistake.

I walked few steps behind him, staying in his pace, not to get too far or too close. My eyes were still swollen and it hurt like hell to keep them open. We walked for about five minutes, as he took me outside the Steel Mill building and we walked into a nearby warehouse. As we entered the warehouse I noticed it was pitch black in there. All the windows were boarded up so only tiny rays of light would manage to gain access inside the building, although still not enough to be able to see anything.

He suddenly stopped as we entered the building. I stopped as well still a few paces behind him. He then turned around walked past me and shut the door, making sure it's fully closed. He then walked back in front of me and stood still, looking at me for a couple of seconds with a serious look on his face before putting on a wide grin. I noticed a tiny spark in his eyes, which in some way made me flinch.

"Say baby doll, why do you think we are here?"

I was feeling nervous and anxious this whole time, but his question made my heart skip a beat. It made me scared. Although I didn't do anything wrong to him, somehow I felt as if he tried to spring fear into me. I opened my eyes more and looked him straight in the eyes. He still held his large smile and I saw his eyes glister, as if he was anticipating something thrilling would happen. I looked down at his hands which hung loosely on both his sides. He was holding a gun in his left hand and his pocket knife in his right. I didn't even see when he took them out.

"You…you said you had a job for me. Isn't that why?"

"I ask the questions here."

"But I just answered it."

He gave a little chuckle to himself and said "Well, the REAL reason we are here is because I have something fun I thought we could do…together." His smile got bigger and his eyebrows furrowed, making him seem like the maniac serial killer that he is.

I cleared my throat and answered him "And…what do you have in mind?"

"Tell me," he said to me, suddenly turning to the left and starting to walk in a circle towards my back. "Why are you here?" he asked me, now standing behind me, putting his head on my shoulder and then whispering into my ear "Sweetheart…"

His hot breath made me flinch, making my heart beat faster, increasing my blood pressure and adrenalin. Feeling his hot breathing on my neck made my insides stir up, I could feel myself beginning to get more and more nervous, unknowing of what his next move would be. I could feel his right arm go around my waist, feeling the light touch of the knife next to my stomach and him slowly pulling me closer to him.

I didn't really know what to say to him. Honestly, I was feeling so excited from being held by him I lost all sense of speech. I simply closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

"Ohh, come now darling, no need to be so nervous around me. Relax a little." He gave a chuckle and I felt his breath on my neck once again, making me flinch and feel agitated. I was anticipating his next move, hoping he would continue. "Now, answer my question."

I slowly opened my mouth before speaking and took one last breath before finally giving him an answer. "Because, I wanted…to be with you."

"Hmm…" I heard his voice hum next to my ear, sounding as if he was analysing my answer. "Well, you're not wrong sweetheart, but not quite right either. Try again."

"Be-because I…" Suddenly I stopped. In a split second whatever I wanted to say disappeared from my mind, Feeling his tight grip on my waist, I couldn't calm down, feeling nervous and scared and at the same time excited and alive. This made me realise why I was here. He was correct. I got the answer wrong. Somehow right now I knew exactly what he wanted me to say.

"Because…this is fun."

Suddenly I felt him let me go, making me flinch again from the thought that the knife might have cut me just now. He suddenly walked in front of me and I saw his eyes full of glisters and they seemed to shine brighter than the moon itself. His face was covered with the largest smile he could make.

"YES! DING! DING! WE GOT A WINNER!" He shouted throughout the whole warehouse. He then started laughing, sounding like he was having fun rather than sounding like a psychopath. He then calmed down and I noticed him put away his gun and knife back into his pockets. "Geez girl, you took your dear time to get that one right."

I looked at him, a little surprised, yet watching him finally smiling like that made me feel happy inside. I felt comforting to have made him smile. It also made me realise that this was the first time I smiled since my parent's death. Somehow, in his maniacal way, he cheered me up.

"Now…" I flinched at the sound of his voice as I was daydreaming and paid attention to what he would say next. "Time for the real fun to start." He walked further into the warehouse, slightly disappearing into the darkness before forcing me to close my eyes as he switched on the lights which lighted up the whole building in an instant. As I stood there for a second letting my eyes adjust to the light, I noticed something out of place further in inside the building.

"Now sweetheart, I actually got a little present for you, rather than a job I would say." I looked at him as he stood a few paces in front of me, raising his arms into the air, bowing down and once he lifted himself up again he said to me "Ladies and gentlemen! For one time only witness the one and only…the amazing Baby Doll!"

He suddenly burst into laughter and slowly lifting his arms out walked to the side for me to see what he had brought me here for. In an instant shock came over me. What I saw was something I never expected to see in my life. There in front of me, sitting in a chair, her mouth gagged and her arms tied up was a young woman, no older than myself. I saw tears in her eyes as she lifted her head up and looked at me. I could see her pleading me for help, forcing me to remember how my mother looked. Exactly the same as her. It was harsh. I almost started crying. Almost. Instead anger came over me as I moved my eyes onto the Joker, who was still laughing his head off. I felt a sudden rage inside me build up. I got angry at him. Did he know what happened to my parents? I never told him. But how then? I guess rumours, spread fast around here.

Watching him as he laughs, I quickly walked up to him and as he noticed me he picked himself up. I noticed slight tears of joy in his eyes, which made me boil with even more rage. He looked at me with a smile on his face and then slightly confused, yet still excited as I grabbed him by his collar and shouted at him.

"You asshole! You think this is fucking funny!?"

He simply stared at me, trying to contain himself from laughing and when I tightened my grip on his collar he gave me an answer. "No. Actually, it's hilarious." After saying that he couldn't hold himself anymore and burst into laughter once again.

His answer pissed me off. I wanted to punch him in the face so bad. I lifted my arm up ready to punch his laughing face when he suddenly grabbed it and twisted it behind my back.

"Tsk, tsk. Let's not get feisty now. We are all friends here."

"Let go of me you fucking maniac!" I screamed at him.

He then tightened his grip on my arm and twisting it slightly more, making me scream in agony. "Now, now. What happened? We were having so much fun just now. Look…" he looked up and turned to face the girl sitting in the chair, "our guest is starting to get a little impatient now. So please, behave and don't make her feel unwelcome."

He started laughing again as he let me go and I fell to the ground from the pain. Grabbing my arm I looked at him, full or rage yet at the same time feeling defeat as I knew I couldn't beat him.

"Now, if you're finally done, you can let me explain. As you can see this young and beautiful lady is a bit in a pinch. One could say she has no way out. Now that truly is a problem, isn't it?" With a smile on his face, he reached his arm out to me, to help me stand up and as I rejected it, he grabbed my arm and forcibly made me get up. "But! You can save her!" he continued, "All you have to do is choose from two options."

As he let go of my arm I looked at him and asked him the question which I really didn't want to hear the answer to. "And what are these options?"

He placed a large grin over his face and said "Gun or knife?"

"What?" I asked him, sounding confused, yet I knew what he meant.

"I said, gun or knife? You choose, darling…"

"You want me…to kill her?" I asked him, already knowing the answer.

"Oh, no, no. I want you to choose. Choose which way do you think is the best way to save her?"

I was confused. What was he talking about? He's trying to play with my mind. Trying to trick me into his sick game. I was not about to be part of murder. No matter that I chose to go with the Joker, I was not going to execute an innocent woman.

"Shut up!" I told him. "I'm not playing this sick game of yours. I won't be part of this. Do what you want but you won't force me to kill her." I didn't want to leave this poor woman here, but I knew I was hopeless against the Joker. I turned around and started to walk towards the exit when I suddenly felt my arm being grabbed and as he placed his left arm around my waist, he placed his right next to my neck, holding the knife against my skin.

"Listen baby doll, right now I'm not telling you to do anything. I simply asked you a question. And you couldn't even do that. Don't disappoint me. I like you. You have that spark." Trying to ignore what he was saying, I tried to struggle my way out of his grip but he just held me even closer and forced his grip to be tighter. "You see," he continued talking, ignoring my attempts to escape his grip, "you remind me of myself. When I was younger and more pure…like you."

"What the hell are you talking about? Let me go. I don't want to hear your bullshit anymore." I told him, still trying to escape his grip but failing every attempt. He was just too strong for me.

"Just…choose. I promise I won't force you to do anything." He then let me go and I stepped back away from him, breathing heavily, watching as he looked as calm as ever. I couldn't believe his eyes. They were hiding something. "I swear on my word." He said to me.

I stood there for a couple of seconds looking at his cheerful face, making me feel angry inside. "Fine. If I give you an answer you promise to save her?"

"Of course. I gave my word…milady." He bowed down slightly to me, still wearing his smile.

I wasn't sure what I could believe from this man's mouth but something inside me wanted to trust him and I did, yet at the same time I felt like I might regret it.

"Gun." I told him.

He then widened his smile and said "As you wish, sweetheart." He then turned around to face the girl, took out the gun from his pocket lifted his arm up and at this moment I knew what he would do. I started to run to stop him but the bullet was too fast. I couldn't stop him.

"You…" I couldn't control myself anymore. "You lied to me!" I ran up to him and slapped him across the face. I saw a tiny bit of blood come from his mouth. Suddenly I realised what I had done. He then simply turned his face to look at me, took his thumb and wiped the blood from his lips.

"I didn't lie to you. I said I would save her. I saved her from a slow and painful death. I mean, if you would have picked the knife I would have had to go there, show it to her, slowly cut her throat and make a big mess with all her blood spilling everywhere. Now that would be a problem." He answered me, with a slight smile on his face.

I simply stood there and watched him in fury. I knew this was a sick game. I knew he would do this, yet I still went with it. How stupid. He did something to me. He messed with my mind. He knew I was so gullible and defenceless for these last weeks and he took advantage of that to give himself a good show.

"You did well. Next time, I'll let you have a try." As I stood there still, my eyes fixated on the corpse of a young innocent woman, I could feel his presence as he walked past me.

Did well? Oh god…what have I done? How was this fun for him? All of this made me drop to my knees and I started crying. I started panicking, my breathing became heavy and I felt my heart beat faster and faster. I was starting to go into a panic attack. My mind couldn't handle anymore of this. I couldn't do this.

"Hey!" I heard his voice call to me and as I turned my face to look at his I saw a fist landing into my head making me dizzy and eventually I dropped to the ground, slowly closing my eyes as I saw his figure getting down next to me faint away as I fainted into darkness.