Disclaimer: I own nothing pertaining to the Batman universe…
Author's Note – the second story in the "Big Smile Please" series. You know, I was originally going to post these as separates, but then I decided not to. That's why its still labeled a "series".
Anyway, I hope that you like this one just as much as the first one. She still doesn't have a name. But be patient my pretties…that will come in another chapter or two. And please, don't hesitate to tell me how you think that I've characterized the Joker – as long as its constructive criticism. THANKS!
"Wide Eyed Watching"
She stumbled over a half crushed soda can three-quarters of the way down the main street. Darting shadows peeking in at the corners of her eyes haunted her as she ran. Her legs in their tights and pumps and knee-length skirt, struggled to eat up the damp pavement. She had to get home and lock the door. That would stop him…
Back in the alley, the man, Joker, smiled. He licked his lips but grimaced and spit when the taint of his own blood lingered on the inside of his mouth. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and cracked his knuckles. He curled them into fists and remembered how the woman had done the same thing. She had a decent right cross.
He giggled and pondered whether he should whisper that to her while she cried. It would make the scene more memorable – something to distinguish it from the others. He set out after her and savored the pursuit…
She whipped around a corner and the knuckle of her right hand grazed the rough brick wall. It was scraped and sore as she sprinted for her life.
She skidded to a stop in front of a police car halted at a red stoplight. Her purse, still dangling from one arm, banged on the hood as she leaned on to it to rest. The officers got out of the car, but stayed behind the doors, wary. "Please…" she gasped. "Please, you must…"
Her words trailed off as the brightly colored figure of the Joker appeared at the end of the street. Even though his lips weren't lined with the Cadillac Red lipstick she could still make out the shape of his grin, the corners of his mouth stretched halfway up his cheeks.
The police officers asked her questions in guarded voices, but their words were lost on her. She tripped over her feet in her hurry to get away and left her black high heels lying forlornly on their sides in the street.
She was running again before the police could reach her at the front of the car. She haplessly dodged a lone Honda turning onto the street, letting out a startled cry when the car honked its horn at her. A mother exiting her minivan with her child frowned at her, turning the small boy's face in the opposite direction and quickly ushering him into their apartment building.
Her feet, shoeless and now frozen from the puddles littering the street, couldn't gain anymore traction on the ground and she went sprawling in the middle of the deserted street. Her head banged on the pavement painfully and the world spun in dizzying variations of red, white, and green. She sat up on her knees when her head had cleared marginally and put a hand to her head. She prayed there wouldn't be blood.
Something colorful whizzed past her head, a tornado of energy and malice. From the opposite direction came the Joker's hot breath on her cheek, hungry. He placed his cold hands flush against her cheeks and held her head in place. His much larger body, with her back pressed unwillingly against his chest, was more than enough of a cage to hold the rest of her body down. In any case, the waves of emotion – danger, anxiety, sadness, insanity – radiating from his flesh, was more than enough to alert her to his extreme proximity.
"Nice." his graveled voice started as his fingers dug into her cheeks. "Right." Tighter and tighter they pressed down. "Cross." She screamed shrilly as his fingernails broke the skin on her face, drawing blood. His chuckle sounded in her ear, low, throaty, and pleased.
"What do you-"
His hand left her cheek to place on hand over her lips. "Shh, don't…speak. Just…watch."
As soon as the words left his mouth her eyes caught sight of something at the other end of the street. A car – an eighteen wheeler big rig. The headlights blinded her, enlarging the black pupils till they nearly touched the very edge of her eyes.
Its horn blared, a warning to stay out of its way that was unheeded. She began to struggle in his strong hold, her body twisting wildly, the muscles in her arms bulging in their attempt to break free. She struggled to push up out of her kneeling position, but it was useless.
Her neck creaked ominously as her head broke free of his hold. The Joker swore as her pearly white teeth sunk into the hand that had covered her lips. His grunt of surprise and pain gave her little satisfaction. Even with such an attempt, he was strong enough to hold her in place.
By now the big truck was close enough for her to see that the driver's eyes were wide with fright and uncertainty. She squeezed her eyes tight, letting the silver grill of the truck be the last image she saw. Her body tensed in anticipation, waiting the moment of impact. The horn blared again, and her fingers curled into tight balls of fear and –
She was flung to the side; the jolt of body hitting the sidewalk was bracingly real. Her captor rolled with her, dragging her out of the way of death at the last second. He still had not let go of her.
Her mind latched onto the hope that the truck driver would stop and help her. He would call the police and fight off her attacker and she would be saved. But the truck crushed that, powering on down the street, and she watched the Maine license plate grow small and smaller…
Joker sat up, pulling the woman with him so that they were facing. Her eyes were as wide as the truck's hub caps had been and she seemed frozen in shock. He placed his hands on her cheeks again (they were already scabbing over) and smiled. "We couldn't have you getting squished, now could we?"
Her eyes hardly flickered at his voice, his taunt, his ploy to mess with her mind. They stared at each other for a long time, the tension of hunter and prey thick between them. His grin gradually faded till his face was as dead as when she'd found him in the alley.
He awoke from his mind because of the sharp pain in his thigh.
His captive took advantage of his surprise and lunged to her feet. The glint of metal in her hand told him she'd dug her keys from her pocket and stabbed him with them. She'd cut across the street by the time he'd gained his feet. 'Well, if she wants to be the mouse…'
She sprinted for all she was worth, down the next street and up the stairs and into the building to finally charge into the elevator in the lobby. But it wasn't the ride of relief that she had expected – there was no feeling of safety. The ride up to her floor turned out to be brutal – at every moment she expected the clown to pop up from some impossible place and finish his night in blood.
As soon as the doors opened she burst out of them and ran down the hall, not caring that she tripped her cranky, cat loving neighbor, Mr. Furinball. His yells beat at her ears as she fumbled for her keys and unlocked the door.
She slammed it shut and locked it with shaking fingers. Her back pressed against the wooden door as she slid down it and sat on the floor, her hair pooling about her in a rumpled mess. She put her head in her hands and tried to push the night away, over an abyss where it could never reach her again. With that not working she walked into her living room and switched on the TV. She turned the volume all the way up, blasting it, not caring that her lease forbade doing so. 'There has to be something here to knock me out for the night…'
Joker watched her from the ledge of her living room window, his legs folded underneath his body casually. "Oh, what a game." He announced to himself, and laughed, placing a hand over his chest in true mirth.
AN – Once again, I hope that you all enjoyed the chapter.
And remember, reviews are an author's food, so if you don't feed me…then I couldn't possible write. So review please!