Jonathan ran down Spohrstrasse.
He was still crying bitterly and the tears wouldn't stop running down his face. He screamed over and over again.
+"Jonathan, Jonathan! Please - stop!", he could hear Scarecrow shouting, but Jonathan couldn´t - and didn´t want to - stop. He kept on running down the street, crossing a large open space, in the direction of the Rhine river. He ran up to the promenade and finally stopped at the balustrade. Jonathan was still crying and screaming. His hands clutched the rails of the balustrade.
+"Why didn´t you listen to me, Jonathan? I didn´t want this to happen to you. Why didn´t you listen to me!"+
Jonathan couldn't say anything. He was still crying.
"No, Alexandra is not dead!", he shouted, his voice still choked with tears. "I really could feel it! I really could feel her, alive!"
+"Why don´t you accept it, Alexandra is dead, Jonathan! I wanted to protect you. I tried to protect you from yourself the entire time. But you have killed her yourself! You have killed her with your love!"+
"That´s not true!", cried Jonathan. "That´s would never be true!"
+"You know it´s true! You just don't want to accept that she is gone. You did everything to drive her away, to her death! Your night with her, your visit to the embassy, your visions in the park, your revolt against me, your trip to Germany - I always wanted the best for you! But you believed those who lied to you, betrayed you the whole time! And you sealed your girlfriend´s fate, her death, with your love. You have killed her, yourself! You have killed her with your love!"+
Jonathan looked up at the sky, still sobbing hard. His heart was broken. He was a broken man now. Scarecrow was right. He had killed Alexandra! He had killed her with his love! And he would never, ever let things get this far, this out-of-control again!
Jonathan reached into the side-pocket of his overalls and pulled out the gun Mr. Walker had given him. Scarecrow screamed when Jonathan turned the gun around, pressing its barrell against his mouth.
+"Jonathan, listen. Just listen to me for a moment!", he could hear Scarecrow pleading, as Jonathan placed his thumb on the trigger of the gun, trembling.
+"You don´t have to do this. Killing yourself won´t bring back Alexandra!"+
- The young girl had just come to... -
"My life is over! What shall I do now, without her?", Jonathan whispered in dispair, looking down at the barrel of the gun.
+"Jonathan, you don´t know what I can show you. There are so many things I can show you. Things you wouldn't have even dared to dream about before..."+
- She was in so much pain. She couldn´t remember anything, not even her name. The nurses had told her that she had been hospitalized a week ago. She moaned in pain now, as she got out of the bed and slowly walked over to the window. A grille made of wire was installed on the window. The girl´s fingers clutched the grille. The sun was already low and the waters of the Rhine glittered in the soft light of the sunset...-
+"Jonathan, I can show you the things you don´t know, things you don't even know exist. I can show you how to achieve power."+
- Her right shoulder was throbbing in pain and gingerly, she touched it. They had told her that she had lost a lot of blood over the last few days and now, she could feel a sharp pain in her lower body. The pain reminded her of what they had told her, Of what they said had happened to her... -
+"I can give you the power to do what you have always wanted to do, Jonathan. The power to punish all those who have hurt you. To punish those who have lied to you and betrayed you!"+
Jonathan took the gun away from his mouth. Scarecrow smiled.
+"You´re doing the right thing, Jonathan."+
- They had told her that she had been found in a narrow lane. They had told her that she had been raped. They had told her that she had been 3 months pregnant and that she had lost her child as a result of the rape. They had told her that she had been cut deeply with a knife on her right shoulder... -
"What will happen now?" Jonathan asked sadly.
+"Revenge! My precious Jonathan! Nothing but sweet revenge! You will punish them, all of them. And you will start here"+ , hissed Scarecrow and Jonathan looked at the gun in his hand.
- But who was she? Who had been the father of her child? Who had raped her? She couldn´t remember anything... -
+"You will be a good boy and first, study hard when you´re in Gotham again, Jonathan. And then you will have better weapons, smarter weapons than just a crude gun. You will have something that you deserve. But the gun will do its good here. Now - charge the gun."+
Jonathan hesitated, but then he heard Scarecrow saying again.
+"Go Jonathan! Charge the gun!"+
Jonathan did and Scarecrow chuckled when he listened to the click of the gun.
+"And now, hide it again!"+
Jonathan put the gun on saftey and hid it again in his side-pocket.
- Still lost in her thoughts, the girl´s gaze moved over the waters of the Rhine river, to the riverside, then over to the promenade, up to its balustrade. She noticed a young man. He was wearing a blue flying suit and combat boots. He seemed to be very young, too young to be a soldier.
"Are you just another lost soul, like me?", the girl whispered, holding out her hand, as if she could touch and caress the young man through the window.
She felt her heart getting heavy as she looked at him and tears filled up her eyes... -
Jonathan swore to himself that he would never, ever love anybody again! He would take revenge on them all, all those who had lied and betrayed him. He would get his revenge and he would kill anybody who got in his way!
- Then
the young soldier turned around, so the girl could see his face. A
sudden, sharp pain flashed through her and she was so terrified that
she almost thought her heart would stop!...
Suddenly she knew who
she was. She knew her name - she was Alexandra, Alexandra Wentzler!
Suddenly she remembered everything that had happened! -
Alexandra could remember the bomb attack, when her father had been killed. She could remember stumbling through the streets. She could remember the three men who had pursued her, who had forced her into the narrow lane. She could remember how she had been raped. She could remember being stabbed on her shoulder with a knife. She could remember the horrible pain. She could remember lying there, on the cold wet stone in the narrow lane. She could remember thinking about her child, carrying it under her heart. She thought of him now, that child she had lost. She thought of him. She thought of her sweetheart, the father of her baby. She thought of Jonathan!.. -
And now she could see him standing outside, crying, broken..
-
"Jonathan!", she screamed as loudly as she could and
flailed against the grille. "Jonathan, I´m here, I´m
up here!"
Alexandra
was screaming louder now and she punched the grille again, hard as
she could... -
"So, where do we start?", Jonathan whispered and touched the side-bag where the gun was hidden.
- "No Jonathan, don´t! Don´t do it! Please don´t do it!" Alexandra yelled, still punching the grille... -
Scarecrow giggled, as Jonathan started to turn.
- Alexandra looked helplessly after Jonathan, her body paralyzed by the stitching pain, screaming and crying...-
The sun went down as Jonathan slowly walked down the street, back again, back to where he came from.
Back again, to the Wentzler´s house...
THE END +