AN: I apologize in advance for the short chapter! I've got a lot going on in the next one. I wanna give all my thanks to my dear followers (old & new)! I noticed that I have had over 2,000 views for this story so even if someone reads just one chapter, it definitely makes me feel special. I definitely want to thank my best friend, seremela05, for encouraging me! And that I do promise I'll make her my Beta reader for the next chapter :)
Round two, Samantha thought. She had been awake only minutes and felt as though she spent a long night drinking margaritas. Her head throbbed worse, most likely from dehydration. Her hair had fallen from its trademark bun and tickled the back of her neck. At least her nervous system was working, she thought. She coughed once, in hopes someone would hear her. A few moments later, she heard the door open behind her and the Joker walked in with one of his masked henchmen.
"'Morning sunshine! The birds are chirping, the sun shining, isn't it…sickening?" He giggled and crouched low enough Samantha's eye level. "Now, here's the deal: my buddy here is gonna escort you to the bathroom. Any funny business, and I mean any and I'll break one of your legs." The Joker's tone dropped to a menacing growl at the end which sent shivers down Samantha's spine. She nodded in compliance. "Oh, and before I forget, you've gotta put this on," the Joker said as he blindfolded Samantha. "Can't have you eyein' all my nice stuff." Samantha sighed and was once again enshrouded in darkness.
The henchman untied Samantha and grabbed underneath one of her arms, in an attempt to force her on her feet. It took a few moments for her to get used to walking again, after sitting for hours. The henchman shoved her in the bathroom and closed the door. Thankfully, he was smart enough to wait outside. The first thing Samantha did was rip off the blindfold.
The bathroom was extremely simple and contained only a mirror, sink, shower, and toilet. She noticed a black bag sitting on top of the lid of the toilet. Cautiously, she unzipped it and looked inside; she recognized her own toothbrush, toothpaste, shower supplies, and even clean clothes in the bag. With a sickening feeling, Samantha emptied the bag. He's been in my home, she thought. A wave of dizziness rushed over her and put both hands on the side of the sink, waiting for the feeling to pass. After a moment, she looked up and into the mirror.
Strands of her chestnut brown hair were knotted and greasy looking. It's gonna take more than a hairbrush to fix this, she thought as she grabbed the brush and tried to make it comb her hair. Her skin was paler than normal and her large green eyes trailed down to the rest of her body. She could tell it had been a few days she had anything to eat or drink and her stomach rumbled. Sighing heavily, she turned on the shower and waited for it to warm up.
Samantha let the warm water flow over her tired body and as she lathered up, she noticed new, purple bruises forming on her arms and legs. The water seemed clean enough, but she felt as though the Joker had something else up his sleeve, so she took her time washing her thick hair. Thoughts rushed through her head: Bruce Wayne and his kindness, the Joker's menacing smile, and Jonathan Crane's piercing blue eyes. Samantha came to the realization she attracted damaged people. Or they were attracted to her, she couldn't tell. She washed her hair a second time.
"Hey, don't use up all my hot water, sweetheart!" The Joker's voice pulled Samantha out of her warped reverie. His tone seemed almost playful and that scared her. A moment later, she felt the heat from the water switched to ice and she let out a surprised shriek. Bath time's over, she thought as the Joker's giggles rang through the bathroom. The Joker had provided the barest of clothes: a black tank top and grey gym shorts. After changing, she put the blindfold back on, to prevent any more beatings.
"So clean and beautiful!" The Joker exclaimed and placed a hand on each shoulder. "C'mon, I've got somethin' to show you." He led her back through the darkened maze and felt him shove her back onto the chair. He ripped off the blindfold in a graceful motion and the newest addition to her "cell" was sitting in front of her: a television.
The Joker walked over to the TV and picked up a black remote. "I figured," he pressed a few buttons and wasn't getting the result he wanted, so he growled. "Ah-hem, anyways, since you've been cooped up here, I would provide you with some entertainment." He finally accessed a DVD menu screen and pressed "play", laughing as he left the room.
A room unfamiliar to Samantha appeared on the screen, it resembled the very room she was one, except it was much darker and held two chairs, facing each other. A guard was easing a man in the chair facing the camera. He appeared in his early twenties and was confined in a straitjacket. His blonde hair looked disheveled and he was murmuring incoherent words. He looked pitiful, Samantha thought.
Another man entered the room. He was wearing a dark grey suit and was holding a notepad. "Hello, Fischer," his voice was soft and soothing, as if talking to a child, "and how are we today?" The man sat down and ran a hand through his thick, brown hair.
The boy, Fischer, shifted in his seat. "Fi-fine Doc."
"Excuse me?" The doctor's tone was chastising and fear flashed across Fischer's face.
"I'm…I'm sorry…I'm fine, Dr. Crane."
Dr. Crane jotted a few notes down then looked up, "how are the nightmares?"
Fischer swallowed hard enough to make his Adam's apple visibly move. "I c-c-can't sleep, they keep me up. I thought you make them stop!" His tone drastically changed and hatred filled his voice. "Make them stop, please" Fischer switched to a child-like tone.
"All in good time, Fischer, all in good time. Are we ready to begin?" Jonathan's voice deepened. Fischer shook his head and tried to back against his seat. His eyes grew wider as he noticed Jonathan was holding a needle.
"It's just a syringed, Fischer, we talked about this. You are helping the greater good of mankind," Jonathan crooned and he stood up as Fischer writhed in his seat, trying to get away. Jonathan was quick and injected the needle into one of Fischer's arteries in his neck, since he couldn't have access to his arm. Jonathan sat back down and picked up his notepad.
A few moments passed and Fischer's eyes had glazed over, then a piercing scream rang through the room and caused the camera's sound to distort momentarily. Fischer's screams were animalistic and sent chills down Samantha's spine, but she continued to watch, for what other choice was there?
"What do you see, Fischer?" Through the screams, Jonathan was able to remain calm. Fischer rocked back and forth in his seat, trying to loosen the straitjacket. His face was wet with tears and glistened on camera.
"THEY'RE CLIMBING! CLIMBING ALL OVER ME! PLEASE, DOCTOR! MAKE THEM STOP! I'LL BE GOOD, I'LL LISTEN, AND I'LL DO WHATEVER YOU NEED! JUST MAKE THEM STOP!" Fischer's voice was rapidly become hoarse and full of desperation. Jonathan Crane remained in his seat, observing.
"You can't fight the, can't you?" Jonathan asked.
Fischer fervently nodded his head. "I CAN'T, THEY'RE EVERYWHERE AND MY HANDS ARE TIED UP. JUST STOMP ON THEM FOR ME, PLEASE! OH GOD, THEY'RE GETTING CLOSER TO MY FACE!" Fischer's screams rose to an inhuman level and continued to distort the sound on the camera. He continued to thrash, wail, and eventually exhausted his voice. Suddenly, his eyes grew wide and his body convulsed, then fell limp.
Jonathan clicked his tongue, a habit he exhibited when agitated. Rising out of his chair he placed two fingers to the artery in Fischer's neck. Running his hands through his hair, he calmly walked over to the edge of the viewing area and pressed a button. A few moments later, the guard who ushered Fischer in appeared. "Please move him back to his cell; we'll deal with it in the morning." Jonathan began packing up his papers and placed everything in a simple briefcase.
"And where are you headed, doctor?" The guard inquired, unhooking Fischer's lifeless body. He tried his best to hide his agitation; he was paid very handsomely to acquiesce to the doctor's odd requests.
Jonathan sighed and ran his hand through his hair yet again. "Home. I've got to play the role of dutiful husband," and walked out of the room.
The video went blank and the Joker laughed. "After all this time, you thought he loved you. You were never his first love."
Samantha squirmed; she was never aware that Jonathan had let a patient die. How many times had he come home after torturing an innocent person to death?
"You think so highly of him, but where you're blinded by affection, you've left yourself so vulnerable," the Joker said as he began to exit the room. As he started to leave, he smacked his head. "I almost forgot!" He walked back to where the television sat and turned on a small tape recorder.
"Nighty-night, Sam!" And he left her to the sounds of recorded screams from Dr. Crane's other sessions.