Brucie Boy part 51
Curiosity half ran, half dragged Zai behind her. Zai was beginning to get really heavy and she still hadn't woken up yet. Curiosity sighed.
"Déjà vu…" she muttered as her ears suddenly perked up at the sound of footsteps.
She paused and pulled Zai over into a dumpster with her, closing the lid on top of them, sticking her hand in something orange and gooey… macaroni…
"With a side of karma…" she sighed as she listened carefully for anyone who might be happening by… or following them…
Silence… something was wrong… Gotham was never this quiet. She listened harder, pressing her ear against the top of the dumpster, narrowly avoiding sticking her ear in the macaroni. Still… silence?
Curiosity sat down next to Zai and shook her gently. Zai waved her hands away and rolled over but then jumped back in surprise, startling even Curiosity.
"What's wrong?" Curiosity whispered to Zai.
Zai held her mouth as if she felt she was going to puke and swiveled her head in Curiosity's direction. Curiosity's eyes widened and she quickly hopped over to the other side of the dumpster, narrowly avoiding Zai as she heaved into the corner.
Curiosity raised an eyebrow and looked behind her. Then she rolled her eyes.
"That explains it." She said matter-of-factly. "He smells a bit more than before doesn't he?"
Zai didn't make an attempt to respond and merely heaved some more until she felt she was finally through.
"How can you be so callous about that? I mean, you're touching him and everything!" Zai asked exasperated, feeling another wave of nausea rising at the back of her throat.
"Yeah, I killed him to. What's the big deal? You've killed someone before haven't you? I mean, what do you expect? He's been dead quite a while. He's going to stink."
"No I haven't and that still doesn't explain how you can be so callous about it!" Zai almost shouted, feeling a little better now but still gagging at the taste of vomit in her mouth.
"You've never killed anyone?" Curiosity asked doubtfully as if she were asking Zai whether or not she had had her first kiss or not.
"No! In case you haven't noticed, normal people don't kill other people."
"Right… well, I didn't pick you for the normal type since you were locked up in Arkham and Joker seems to have an unhealthy obsession with you. Normality is highly overrated anyway. Next chance we get to have some real fun I'll take you out for a night on the town and let you experience it for yourself."
"There is something seriously wrong with you. Do you know that?" Zai said, standing up slightly to peep out from under the lid.
"Probably several things but that's not the point. You're going to have to kill someone someday. You're going to be put into a situation where you have no other option. It may be crazy but that's the world we live in. Just what would you do if Joker decided he didn't want you around anymore eh? Do you think he's just going to let you go? No" she took her knife out of her bra and held it to Zai's neck to prove her point. "He's going to try and kill you. He tried to do it to me and he's going to do it to you someday. If you hesitate he's going to kill you." Curiosity let the knife drop down to her side, wrapping her arm around Zai's shoulders.
"The first time is always the hardest, letting go of that last shred of morality but over time it'll get easier. Things won't be as painful. Who knows? You may even start to enjoy it. "
Zai turned away and attempted to change the subject.
"Why are we in here anyway? There's no one out there."
Curiosity let the subject drop for now and peeked out from under the lid suspiciously.
"Listen, hold your breath." She whispered.
Zai gave her an obscure look but did as she was told. Curiosity listened hard and then a frightened look came over her face and she put her finger to her lips, casting her eyes upward as if to tell Zai to look as well.
"What?" Zai asked confused.
Curiosity's eyes went wide and she quickly clamped a hand around Zai's mouth, waiting nervously. Soon Zai heard it to. Someone was breathing steadily on top of the dumpster…
Zai almost whimpered as the figure adjusted their footing and sat down, draping their legs down over the lid and swinging them gently.
"I know you're in there…" a woman's voice almost purred.
Curiosity quickly mouthed for Zai to hide and Zai quickly complied, pulling something like a soft old cardboard box over her. Curiosity looked around for something to hide under but she could only find one thing… She sighed and quickly hid under it, mumbling to herself about how much she hated karma.
Suddenly the top of the dumpster flew up, bathing the area in the first few rays of dawn.
Catwoman stood gazing down into the dumpster, squinting in the darkness. Nothing stirred. She looked down at the dead man in the dumpster gagging at the smell and then over to the rather soggy cardboard box, lifting it up.
Zai quickly jumped at Catwoman, the box still clinging to her shoulder. Catwoman sneered and took a step back, sending Zai down into the asphalt and bounding up again to face her.
Catwoman took out her whip and purred.
"I suppose you know why I'm here then… You lied to me…" she said, circling Zai like a cat eyeing its prey before a meal. "Never thought you'd be THAT stupid. Eh, I don't work well with partners anyway. They always get in the way." She said cracking her whip at Zai, sending her backwards.
Zai regained her footing and backed up once more as another snap hit the ground in front of her. She stared at the clearly angry Catwoman in front of her.
Catwoman gave Zai a patronizing look before raising her whip to strike Zai for the final time. Zai rolled along the wall, avoiding the blow. Curiosity watched for a moment before getting to her feet and stepping lightly behind the woman with the whip, holding her knife to the woman's neck.
"You know… I was beginning to have a conversation with Zai here about this sort of thing. Maybe this will be a good lesson for her."
Catwoman went absolutely still and cast her eyes up at Curiosity who grinned widely, showing all of her sharp teeth.
"Miss me?"
"But… but… you're DEAD!" It was all over the news! They showed pictures!
"Hmmm… yeah, amazing what a little time in the morgue can do for you eh?" She said gesturing to her face, grinning even wider as she watched Catwoman's pupils dilate in fear.
Zai pressed her back firmly against the brick wall behind her. She was beginning to hyperventilate.
"You see Zai if they get the chance they'll kill you. It's a dog eat dog world. Kill or be killed. Start doing what YOU want to do. Don't just follow others. Killing can give you one thing." Catwoman's eyes widened in shock as Curiosity slit the blade quickly across her throat, spraying blood all over Zai's new outfit. "The satisfaction of knowing that whatever happens, no matter whom you're up against, you always have a way out."
Curiosity smiled slightly and turned around to face the alleyway once more but still looking at Zai, wiping the blood stained blade on her pants leg.
"Come on. We have to get going. You may be able to kill anyone you want but they also have the same option so you want to have the upper hand. Don't let them catch you off guard." She said shifting her eyes back to the alleyway only to see Joker standing in front of her.
"Good advice. You should take it sometime." He laughed.
Curiosity smiled and went to disembowel him but he jumped back, giving her the chance to kick him directly in the crotch.
"So should you." She said looking down at him as he squeezed his thighs together.
She sent a powerful kick into his chest, knocking him over backwards and handed Zai her knife.
"Time to choose Zai, him or me. It's only a matter of time until he turns on you anyway."
Joker looked up at the two curiously as if he were enjoying the show despite his role in it. He watched Zai with the knife in her hand, weighing it carefully. She seemed nervous and Joker tilted his head to the side a little, pondering on this.
How had Curiosity influenced Zai so much that she would actually consider killing him when he could barely convince her to trust him? After a long moment Zai looked up at Curiosity, dropping the knife to her side but not letting go of it.
Curiosity frowned and Joker stood up.
"Zai, if you don't kill him he's going to kill me. You promised you wouldn't let that happen remember?" she whispered to Zai as Joker approached them.
"I know…" Zai said, stabbing Curiosity in the stomach as she reached for the knife in her hand. "And I'm keeping that promise." She said, tears rolling down her cheeks.
Curiosity gasped in shock and she looked down at the bloodied blade stuck into her abdomen before glancing up to look at Zai. Zai quickly pulled the blade out, sending her to her knees, blood staining the white lambs on her sky blue pajamas.
Curiosity looked over at Joker and then back at Zai and nodded solemnly before collapsing on the cold asphalt.
Zai barely noticed Joker as he put his arm around her, hot tears streaming down her ghost white cheeks.
Suddenly a set of bright lights shone over the two and Ellen Yin stepped out of a Gotham P.D. squad car.
"Freeze! Hands in the air!" she screamed at the two, aiming her gun at them.
Joker grinned and put his hands in the air mockingly, dropping a canister of Joker gas in front of Yin.
"Oops!" He laughed as he pulled Zai into him and took off with her, Detective Yin leaping into her car to avoid breathing the deadly gas.
When the gas cleared both Joker and Zai were gone and for the first time Detective Yin saw Curiosity lying in a crumpled heap in the middle of the alleyway, a pool of her own blood widening around her.
Detective Yin quickly got out of the car and called for backup, attempting to stop the bleeding as best she could with her red jacket.
"Come on…" she said frustrated.
Curiosity opened her eyes slightly but they seemed cloudy and she was losing a lot of blood. At this rate if she didn't get medical attention soon she was going to bleed to death. Lucky for them an ambulance had just left from Wayne manor and was on its way. Their patient was currently stable and things were looking good.
Detective Yin looked into the face of the girl once more. She'd seen her somewhere… but where?
