Chapter 11 - One Door Closes, Another Opens
"Are we to wait here or outside today, Doctor Quinzel?" asked Kenneth and he and Jonathan led The Joker to his seat.
"Outside. Please." she answered. "And you can take the cuffs away again as well."
Kenneth removed the handcuffs from The Joker's wrists, and the two of them left the session room.
They were alone again.
Harley turned her head to the side and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Does it look bad?" she asked, indicating the bump on her head, which had started to turn more of a purple-red colour.
"It looks great." he answered.
She smiled. She liked not having to hide it in front of him. She was kind of proud of it, like a war wound. Ok, so it was from him hitting her. But Harley liked to think of it as more of a gift than an affliction.
She told him about her idea for her costume. She told him she would get it ready that night.
"Well I have to admit, Harley," he said, that customary sly grin on his face. "I really can't wait to see you wearing it."
Harley got up from her chair, and moved around to the other side of the table, where The Joker was sitting. He didn't follow her path, he just looked straight ahead to the back of the room. Harley stood behind him and put her hands on his broad shoulders. "Now." she started, moving her hands down to his chest. "Let's talk about getting the hell out of here." she whispered.
She had barely finished her sentence, when an almighty rumble shook the entire room. Harley and The Joker fell to the ground simultaneously. The table and chairs were turned onto their sides, crashing to the floor. The deafening noise continued and the room quavered; as if a giant hand had picked it up from above and shook it like a snow globe.
The floor split, making a sound like a million whips cracking in unison. Over the din, Harley could hear The Joker's hysterical laughter. The two of them lay in a messy heap on the floor watching the ground quake around them.
A giant crack appeared from one side of the room, down the wall and onto the floor.
Harley scrambled across the floor towards the upturned table. "Help me with this!" she called out to The Joker as she frantically struggled to flip the table back over. He made a grab for the other side, shoving it upwards, and the pair hurried underneath it. Harley could still hear his laughter as the ceiling over them caved in. Dust and bricks and concrete came tumbling in from all directions, slamming onto the tabletop that shielded them. She squeezed her eyes shut and gritted her teeth as she held on to a leg of the table. She felt The Joker grab at her leg and pull it hard.
"Don't shut your eyes!" he yelled at her. "Watch!" he let out a big howl, like a fan at a football game.
Harley opened her eyes - she could see daylight. She slid herself around in a circle on to floor to see the damage. The walls, the ceiling, they'd all collapsed. The rumbling continued as she drank in the sight. She couldn't believe it. "Oh, my God!" she cried out, clinging to the arm of The Joker's overalls.
Lumps of brick and concrete came hurtling across what was left of the room as Harley turned her head to face where the door had once been. She could see out to the corridor where the guards had been waiting. It looked like a castle ruin.
The shattered floor continued to vibrate underneath them and more debris slammed into the tabletop, making Harley flinch. She pulled her legs into her body and tightened her grip on The Joker's arm. He shook her off, laughing.
"Don't be such a sissy!" he spat. "We've got front row seats to the sky falling in, and you're spoiling the fun!" He continued to whoop and cheer as Harley watched on. She squinted to see through the dust. She could just make out the iron gates of the asylum surrendering to the earthquake.
The roaring finally began to subside, dust filled the air. The scene in front of them looked hazy and dream-like. And then - silence.
"Holy shit," Harley whispered, her voice trembling. The Joker scampered out from under the table, like an excited puppy. He dashed around on the floor, hurtling himself over the jumble; the contents of rooms that were once on the floors above.
Harley reluctantly emerged from the protection of the table, her eyes scanning the site. She quickly checked her body; not a scratch on her. Her skirt had a bit of grey dust on one side, but nothing else. She hopped over the wreckage and over to the corridor, using the piles of rubble as stepping stones. She could see an arm poking out from under the tumbled wall. Kenneth's arm. In his hand was, she could barely believe it, his set of keys. It seemed so aptly placed. The Joker bounced over to where she was, just as she made a grab for the bunch from the lifeless hand.
"Bingo!" he proclaimed, snatching the keys from her. "Every key to every door in the…" he looked around. "…Building. Ha! Must be my lucky day!" He set off down the hallway, Harley following close behind him. He keep his focus straight ahead, but she was looking in every direction. The place was demolished. "Maybe we won't be needing the keys after all!" he called out.
They reached where the front reception had once been. The desk counter was now in pieces. The security monitors reduced to wires and components. And a guard - Harley couldn't quite remember his name; Eric? Earl? - lying motionless on the floor, blood trickling from his ear, nose and mouth.
"Wakey, wakey!" The Joker yelled, one foot on the guards chest. He paused for an answer. "Deranged murderer on the loose!" The guard didn't move. The Joker turned to Harley; "I don't think he'll be bothering us."
"We can't be the only ones who survived, surely?" she said, looking around her.
"Sure we can!" The Joker answered brightly. "Now - where did they put my toys?"