Here it is, the next chapter! Feel free to inbox me your thoughts and feelings about this one ... Or if you can work out the riddle (without googling it)
Thank yous go to BlueSkies95 for following the story and Emily Nigma for favouriting the story.
On with the Show!
"Mummy, mummy help he's hurting me!"
I awoke tied to a wooden chair, with Johnny and Alfred across the room. It was dark, a single spot light hung over our heads. We could only hear the voice, his voice.
"Morning, glad you all had a nice sleep. Now, you get to choose how you die. Johnny, you pick how Grandad dies, Grandad chooses how Jane dies and Jane ..." Something caressed my face, it felt like the top of a blade. "You get to chose how Johnny dies!"
I went to speak but couldn't. My mouth made no sound. Something began to drip down my cheeks, It almost felt like ... A mirror appeared in front of my face. I had the scars. I had his scars. Johnny was screaming, a knife had silently slid through dad and his eyes remained glassy and far away.
"See, this is what happens when you mix with the WRONG people. Why are you with Wayne, I deserve Wayne more than you do. I deserve you more than he does." The Joker appeared and began to walk closer and closer to where I was tied. I suddenly felt cold on my chest, looking down I realised I was bleeding. He cupped my face and kissed me gently. A weird feeling really bearing in mind I was trying to pull away.
"Now, come. And. Find. Us."
"AAAHHHHH" I rose to the surface of the real world. Bruce was around my bed along with two paramedics who were ripping the defibrillator pads off of my chest. His eyes brightened when I awoke, he'd obviously been worried.
"Jane, I'm so glad you're awake."
I wasn't. My eyes were scanning the room, my body was trying to move from the bed. I just couldn't do anything.
"Where's Johnny?" Is all I asked.
"We have the GCPD and the Batman on the case but ..."
"No Bruce you don't understand I need to find Johnny ... And dad! I had this vision that ..."
"You need to rest."
"God dammit Bruce will you just listen!" I shouted angrily. "I need to find Johnny now. I just had this vision where the Joker wants me to find them and I feel that if I leave it too long ..." I couldn't finish the sentence as I choked up with tears. Why me? Why us? Why Johnny?
Bruce embraced me, holding me close to his chest. I clung to him like a child and sobbed. I needed to find Him. I needed my boy home safe.
Bruce got up to leave the room. He said he'd return but I knew that it would be a while. This was my chance. I tried to get up but struggled so I clung to everything possible to get me to stand. After knocking over a lamp, a glass of water and medication tablets I was up on my feet. I needed to find my phone, I could google the Jokers past locations and figure out where he could be. I stumbled towards the table in the main living area which seemed eerily quiet without Johnny's feet pattering around. I grabbed my phone from my bag and say on the sofa. Man, the defibrillator pads had left marks on my chest.
Wait ... I looked down and realised I was in purple pyjamas. They were stripy and had my name sewn into them. Who gave me these? I scanned through the searches on the internet and eventually found the official GCN page. After typing in The Joker and narrowing down the locations I realised they were all in the narrows. I had to get my boys back. I ran to get changed and threw myself out the door. I still had Bruce's keys in my handbag so ran to the casual blue car and followed the maps to the Narrows.
Bad idea.
The Narrows was a rough and run down area. Dirty kids roamed the streets bare foot and men walked around with tools and crow bars in their hands. I'm not going to lie to you but I saw at least two dead bodies lying in alleys as I drove past and saw many women handcuffed to butch men. This was not the place for Johnny. This was not the place for me.
I bucked up the courage to get out the car and roam on foot. I had some pepper spray in my bag and I did do martial arts for 5 years. After walking in a circle back to my car I soon realised where The Joker would be. He was clever I'll admit it. All his previous locations had formed a circle around the edge of the Narrows and their was one piece that needed to complete the shape ... Lucky for me I could walk it in that distance.
Wait ... I soon realised my car was parked in the centre of that circle and that many eyes had been gazing upon me through shaking curtains.
Run.
My eyes never left my phone as I ran towards where the Joker was located. As the little pin which resembled me was upon the location I finally looked up. It was a run down building. Of course. It was huge, most likely a maze. The windows were missing half there glass and looked as of the life had been sucked out of them like the kids who lived here. I began to walk in, my heart was racing and I felt like I was going to be sick but I had to do this for my boy. I quietly pushed the door open and approached the sleeping beast of a home.
I was right, it was a maze, many confusing hallways lead me around the building at least three times and then I saw a light. I ran towards it.
"JOHNNY, MUMMYS HERE FOR YOU!" I shouted down the corridor. As I got closer to the room a net became wrapped around my body. Shit, this was just what I needed. A menacing laugh filled my ears. They twinged and like the rest of me wanted to curl into a ball and shut this nightmare out.
"So the Brit had returned." I heard a different voice say.
"Shut up clown just give me back my son!" I shouted even though the net was crushing my neck and face.
"Why I'm not the clown, he was busy. I'm much worse."
"What's worse than The Joker?" The voice was much lower and almost sounded humanly.
"We are the children of darkness and evil. We make people do the most regrettable things."
"Mummy!" I heard Johnny shout from somewhere followed by the sound of pressurised gas and a high pitched scream. I began to crawl forward into the room.
One hand at a time. Grab the carpet fibres. Johnny needs you.
A lower scream followed by a spluttering cough was the next sound.
Faster. Pull the carpet fibres. Dad needs you.
"Rolling around will get you no where Miss Pennyworth."
"Stop being a pussy and show your face then!" I retaliated.
A man emerged in a suit leaning on his cane while tilting his hat. He was dressed head to toe in green with little question marks all over his clothing.
"Why, you're smarter than I thought!"
"Well thank you question mark man!" I shouted back." Give me my family and then we will leave!"
"I'm afraid it's not that easy" a lower almost sarcastic voice chipped in. "You see, you and the boy are needed. Someone has payed us to keep you in our custody. They've also payed us to kill Bruce Wayne."
"NO! YOU CAN'T! JUST LEAVE US ALONE!" I rocked back and forth until I became free of the net. I pelted forward and pushed through the men guarding the door. Johnny and dad were tied to chairs, eyes glazed and occasionally screaming in fear. I untied Johnny and held him close. The clown had us now, he can leave us alone.
"Jane don't interfere with our Project." The sarcastic voice spoke.
"No, leave my boy alone!"
"The clown would not like us if you and the boy ran away!" Two men emerged now. Question mark man was one of them but the other was just purely terrifying. He had a silver mask covering his mouth which almost looked like two fists. It was tightly strapped to the back of his head which was completely shaved. He was ripped ... I mean he was proper muscly, his thighs could crush a mans skull apart! And he wore khaki trousers ... No shirt. Am I attracted or scared? If he put a top on then maybe I'd be more scared.
"We will stay but please ... Don't hurt my boy!"
"Fine!" Question Mark man said. "Let the butler go, we don't actually need him, we just need to keep these two in our custody." Alfred was knocked out and driven somewhere, but where that was I do not know. What I do know is that now it's just me, Johnny, the mask man, the question mark man and the Joker ... When he returns.
We were both left in the surprisingly colourful room. The yellow paint bought out the blood stained carpet as if it were sunshine on a battlefield. Johnny still clung to me, I prised him off to inspect him. Nope, no scars, no smile lines, no bruises or cuts (except the Pinnochio scar had become inflamed, obviously the chip inside his arm had been taken out.)
"Mummy, they're going to hurt Uncle Bruce! And Grandad as well!"
"Honey, there's nothing we can do at the moment. Remember in Monsters inc where the monsters came through the wardrobe?"
"Yeah, I like that film!"
"Well its kind of like that at the moment except we are lucky and the monsters aren't going to scare us!"
"Ohh, so we are stuck in the wardrobe?"
"Yeah, that's right sweety!"
"Ohh good! So we can pretend to be monsters!" Johnny leapt off my lap and began growling at the door. He would gently twist the door knob and scratch the door.
"RAAAAAWWWWRRRR" he playfully shouted at me. I fell over giggling as he began to tickle me. I gently pushed him back and tickled him. His laugh could make thousands of frowns turn into smiles.
"Hello beautiful" the clown shouted as he walked in. I didn't mean this smile. He crept closer and closer to us. Johnny had stopped laughing and was now clinging to my shoulder with terror in his eyes. Crouching in front of me, he began to smile.
"Why she's still cradling her baby!" He laughed, spitting in my direction. I couldn't show my disgust as I knew he had knifes on him.
"Who has payed for us? I mean to stay, why can't we go?" Anger and confusion swirled around inside me like a hurricane.
"Why would I tell you that sweety?"
"Why would you steal my boy, force me to come after him and not tell me!"
"Fine! Some guy named Bane wanted you two alive but no ones seen him yet." The two men from earlier came in.
"Now this is the Riddler and this is ... Uh, what's your name claw mouth?"
"Metalcide sir" the sarcastic attractive man replied. His eyes stayed on me, his hands clenching into fists every so often.
"OHH yeah and this 'Bane' also wanted to kill Bruce Wayne ... Not sure why ... I bet he's working with Daggett industries.
"Mummy, who's Daggett?" Johnny asked.
The clown leant down and whispered into his ear. "He's a powerful man who will kill or eliminate anyone who gets in his way." The joker whispered popping his 't's' and 'p's'.
"Go away clown!" Johnny shouted shoving his little hand in his face. The Joker started to laugh, I patted him on the back as I was chuffed he stood up to his demon.
"Our eldest is a not so bad guy, But thinks of himself so high" The Riddler spoke out of turn.
"Sshhh, let the girl work out your riddle later" The sarcastic voice replied.
"Riddle?" What was going on?
"The riddle which could possibly mean your freedom." The Joker chuckled and with that he fell to the floor laughing.