Chapter Seven:
She could tell the moment they pulled up to the restaurant that something was off. When she stepped out of the cop car there was an unnatural quiet perpetrating the air that gave her goosebumps and the sidewalk, normally crowded with people, was vacant. She took a look through the window. The lights were off. The hair on her arms rose… there was no reason for the Cracked Egg to be closed today.
Something was wrong.
Officer Cordova got out of the cop car and pulled out his radio, making an anouncement of his location to somebody. He glanced over at her.
"Stay here."
She nodded and watched him disappear through the doors of the restaraunt. A minute went by… then two… she couldn't stand just waiting outside.
She inched toward the door and made her way inside. The lights were still off and Officer Cordova was nowhere to be seen.
"Hello?" she called out.
No answer.
"Cordova?... Charlotte?" she tried again.
Only silence greeted her.
Her fingers found the light switches and she flicked them on.
When she saw the sight in front of her she wished that she had never opened the door.
Lydia was hanging from the ceiling fan in the center of the restaurant. Her brown eyes wide open and her mouth agape. Her neck had been slit several times and her bright, crimson blood dripped down her body and formed a puddle on the floor.
A scream erupted from Skyler and her body launched into action, she turned to run back out the door and instead ran into a tall, hard body.
She looked up and felt bile rise up in her at the sight of red, scarred lips twisting up into a smile, revealing a set of yellowed teeth.
Strong arms twisted her body so she was turned back towards Lydia and a gloved hand covered her mouth. Her breath came rapidly in and out of her nose and she struggled to get out of his hold by elbowing him in the gut.
"Ah ta ta." He giggled into her ear, tightening his hold on her. "Scream or struggle again and I'll kill one of them next."
She didn't understand what he meant until a masked clown came out of the kitchen with a knife held up to Joe's throat followed by Officer Cordova with his handgun held to Charlotte's head. Tears formed in her eyes and she shook her head, screaming "No" into his gloved hands.
"So here's how this is going to work." he grumbled into her ear, now pulling up a knife so it rested painfully at the base of her throat.
"You and I are going to take a, uh, little trip." he licked his lips. "And, you're going to do everything I say… because if you don't, well…. your friends die." he laughed gleefully.
Charlotte's eyes locked with Skyler's and she could sense Charlotte's fear. She tried to convey to her that she would do everything she could to save them.
The Joker smacked his lips again behind her, his chin practically resting on her head, "So, uh, what's it going to be doll? Surrender or death?"
She muffled into his glove for him to take her but it came out more like "mmff ee"
He laughed darkly, "Whoops. Sorry, I didn't quite catch that. One more time."
He took his glove off of her mouth and the words stuttered out.
"T-take m-me. Just… leave. them. alone."
He laughed again cruelly, "Well... if you insist." and then everything went dark.