Chapter 7
A rush of wind swept up his black cape as he leapt like the silent panther through the dark led by sheer instinct. Tiny sharp rain drops were plunging from the charcoal sky as Batman, determined not to let Joker escape justice this time, crept outside the slaughter house. The mud was sloshing on his boots in puddles as he moved fast up to a large, decaying vent. He pried open the cover without effort and climbed inside.
It was increasingly damp as he moved in the small space and the horrible smell of the
putrid meat was almost too much to bare. He knew Joker would be waiting for him, Joker knew he was coming, Joker had wanted him to come. He slide out of the vent and into the main part of the slaughter house, he felt his stomach retch at the huge sides of beef hanging on old steel hooks that dangled the mostly green meat which seemed to have white maggots crawling in and out of it. Through the mass of decay there was a dim ceiling light that was barely illuminating the room.
The lights went off, and there was an absolute darkness that swallowed the room, Batman was fast to put on his night vision, but it was hard with the decomposing meat at every turn.
"Joker, come out now." Batman hoped to get a response to guide him.
Shrill laughter filled the darkness, it seemed to seep directly out of the walls, everywhere, inescapable.
Batman turned just in time to take a hard blow to the face with a huge side of beef, it set him stumbling only slightly then he pushed forward in pursuit of the misunderstood, lost, wondering, rejected.
She would never let him, Batman, she would never let him stop her Puddin. Harley had reasons that were confidential, doctor/patient confidently kept her reasons in the dark. But they were there nonetheless. She swung the rotting beef and maggots at Batman again, only he caught it this time and sent it back to her. It fling her like a child several feet into the ground, her first impulsive was to get the maggots off her. She brushed them off hastily in disgust.
"Jeeze B-Man you realize those are crawling with bugs?" She yelled out walking slowly against the wall.
Batman said nothing, Harley was a distraction for something bigger. He jumped upon her and gave her one clean hit to the head knocking her out and sending her to the floor, he headed for the exit as quickly as possible, brushing aside all the meat. He was moving slowly and carefully it was nearly impossible to tell what Joker had planned. Whatever it was Batman could not let him execute it.
Joker couldn't see his reflection in the dark as he gazed emptily upon the mirror, so pretty. Crashing glass against his hand, soft hard breaking skin and mirror, reflective broken distortion. So pretty. Sweet salty blood, deep blackness from behind, the hard throbbing in his scull as he turned to see the darkness facing him. He could taste his own blood somehow, oh yes, he was getting hit in the face, that explains it.
Where was Harley? Joker stabbed at the darkness with the mirror, it bleed his skin, it felt like coolness, a soft panging pretty sensation. Bleed, he stabbed aimlessly.
Batman grunted and punched Joker in the gut several times until he grabbed his stomach, then he pounced in the dark and began stabbing at Batman. Batman grabbed his wrist and slowly forced him to the ground and pried the slender piece of mirror out of his bleeding hand and threw it aside. Batman began cuffing Joker as he laughed and muttered…
"Jack is already dead Batman, all this is pointless, everything you do is pointless, your so noble actions that make you above everyone else are totally useless." Joker giggled softly.
"Your simply producing the same random chaos as I." Joker grinned softly in the dark and glanced toward the shard of bloody mirror, "Look at it, and tell me what you see?"
Batman said nothing and slugged Joker again before slinging him over his back. Batman looked towards the shard of mirror, it was too dark too see anything.