I could already hear my dad snoring from the room next to me. I was a light sleeper, while he was quite the opposite. Not even a nuclear explosion could wake him up.
"Brody, lie down." My pup curled up onto his mound of blankets in the corner, laying his paw over a rawhide bone he hadn't finished.
Pulling on a pair of shorts and an old holey t-shirt, I climbed into bed. My eyelids felt like lead, I needed sleep desperately. Slowly, my lashes began to flutter and I fell into a heavy, dreamless sleep.
The sound of Brody growling made me pull back my blankets in annoyance. I groggily started to feel around for the light switch only to realize it wasn't there. Furrowing my brows in confusion, I rubbed at my eyes and sat up.
That's when I heard the smothered chuckle.
I pretended to not have heard anything and slowly reached under my covers to the farthest corner of my bed, where my knuckle dusters and fingerless gloves sat. I slipped them on under the blankets and got out of bed.
Paranoid, I thought. You're just freaked from the clown encounter.
Just as I started to assure myself that it was just my imagination, my vision started to adjust and I could make out a pale white face against the darkness.
"Mother of fuck, you've got to be kidding me. Do you have a life?" I sneered at the clown who was crouched next to my dog, knife glinting in the sliver of light coming in from the open window.
He just laughed.
Sighing, I reached for my handgun in my top drawer… not there.
"Looking for… uh… this?" the clown chuckled, holding up my gun and waving it in my face.
I just glared.
By now, I was extremely irritated. I had the patience level of my father.
Jumping off the bed, I reached for my gun, and he took my left forearm and twisted it around. I gave him a hard punch to the stomach with my free hand, which sent him to the floor, groaning in pain and laughing simultaneously.
I grabbed my gun and held it to his head.
"Ah, a… uh… challenge," he licked his lips. "Good work beautiful."
"I'll kill you. Right now," I growled.
"Will you?" he murmured. "What will you gain?"
"Peace of mind. For myself and my father."
"Your… uh… father?" He started to laugh. "Where is he?"
His words took a moment to register. I pushed him aside and raced to my dad's room.
Feeling for my father's heart rate, I sensed the slightest thumping. I shook him, but he wouldn't wake up.
"God damnit!" I thumped the mattress and put my head down on dad's stomach.
I heard movement from my room. The clown was already getting up. I raced back to my room and shot him in the leg. He slumped to the ground, laughing.
"You think I wouldn't fire the god damned gun?" I screamed at him as he snickered, a yellow toothed smile plastered on his pasty face.
Running to dad's room again, I felt around on his dresser for his phone. Uncle Sal picked up on the first ring.
"Uncle Sal. Dad… hurt. Joker. I have him. Come now."
Uncle Sal made some sound of acknowledgement and disconnected, so I stayed with my dad until the black cars were visible in the lot outside. Two of Sal's guys were already inside.
"Where's the Joker?" one asked.
I pointed to my room.
They came back, confused. "We don't see him."
"Motherfucker, is this guy on steroids?" I got up, called Brody and started to go outside. The guys just stood there.
"Get my dad medical help or I'll get my Uncle on both your asses! I'll take care of the clown."
They nodded, afraid to displease the Maronis, and hauled my dad to the cars. I sprinted outside, Brody on my heels, and followed the all too obvious trail of blood from the clown's wounded leg.
I found him trying to climb an escape ladder on the side of a building not too far from my own. I aimed and shot at the ladder, which fell from its rusty hinges to the ground, Joker and all.
I yelled at Brody and he set off, pouncing on the Joker's fallen figure. He squealed and retreated, blood on his face from another surprise knife attack.
The clown was chuckling lightly, and I barely heard him. "Laurel, you're a CATCH." That sent him into another fit of laughter.
"How do you know my name?" He didn't acknowledge my question, and continued to roll back and forth on the ground in fits of laughter.
A black figure suddenly leaped from the top of the building.
"Oh wow, you're joking me. First this, now BATMAN?"
"Nice work," the cloaked figure said in a barely audible tone. "May I take him?"
I snorted. "Do whatever the hell you want with him, he's not my responsibility."
"C'mere Batty!" the Joker beckoned with a mocking smile from the ground.
I laughed, despite myself.
The freak's head whipped towards the sound of my snickers. "See you soon, beautiful."
I shook my head and started to turn.
The Batman knocked out the Joker and hauled him over his shoulder in one quick motion, then turned with one last look at me.
"Don't look at me like that. You owe me, whoever you are."
The masked figure slowly nodded and disappeared into the night.