Author's Note: I am counting down the days until the movie comes out. I know you are too.
Also thank you to the people who reviewed my work. You put a smile on my face! Ha did you get that
I went into autopilot as my animal survival instincts kicked in. The police would be on their way, I just had to keep myself safe until then right? I locked the door and then started pushing my desk towards it to brace it against intruders. I closed the blinds and shut the light. Then I look a deep breath
Then I knew it was hopeless. The ghostly invisible hand was stretching out for me. There was no where to hide. Its claws wanted to rip my soul from me.
And …. I was relieved.
I curled up in the closet and closed the door. I felt the darkness surround me like something tangible. It wouldn't be long now.
I had lived a life of safety. All of my life, I did what people expected of me. On the surface it seemed like it made perfect sense. I had been a straight A student in high school whilst being an prize gymnast. I had gotten a full ride to a prestigious university. I had gotten this job at Arkham, home to the most famous insane criminals in the world.
And I was bored. I felt as if I was only pretending to be alive. All my success, all my accolades were reduced to adornments on a corpse.
I heard gunfire at the door. I heard wood splintering against the barrage of bullets. They were shooting the door down with machines guns. The light momentarily blinded me as they opened the closet and pulled me out.
There were two thugs. One was strangely dressed like a panda, the other was wearing a giant eye ball mask. The panda pulled me up out of my fetal position and the eyeball guy pointed his gun at me.
Then the panda talked into a speaker placed on his left shoulder.
"We've secured the target, boss" The panda said in a deep voice. He paused as though he were listening to instructions. I could hear faint static coming from an ear piece on his left ear.
"Copy" He finally replied. They roughly pulled me out into the hallway. I felt the barrel of a gun poking me in the back. I would die a martyr, a beautiful brilliant doctor taken before her time. They would mourn me. I was glad
"Come on Dr. Quinzel" The eyeball guy said. His voice was familiar. I couldn't quite place it, but I knew he must have been the rat.
They were leading me to the electroconvlusive therapy ward. They shoved me to into one of the rooms. I suddenly tried to make a break for it but they were wary. One of them grabbed me by the arms and slammed me down on the metal table. I tried to claw at them. Tears were freely falling down my face. No I want to live
Once I was secured down with straps. One of them injected something into my right arm. I felt my vision turn all fuzzy. It was some sort of a hallucinogenic drug.
Then they finally left me alone. They stood at the door as if they were waiting for someone. There was a bright light above me off to the side, blinding me. I closed my eyes, and saw the bright red blood underneath my lids. I felt as though I were in a dream.
"Look what you did to my pumpkin's teddy" Mr. J said angrily. He was here. I forced my eyes open
"Sorry boss... She barricaded the door" One of them stuttered. I hear the sound of a smack. He must have hit one of them over the head with something hard.
"You get out of my sight" He demanded "And you guard the door"
I heard the shuffling of footsteps. Then I heard his voice change into something more playful.
"What do we have here?" He said to me. He pulled the light fixture so that it was directly in front of me, burning my retinas. I could still see his face to the left of the light. He was the devil, Satan in the guise of man.
His dead blue eyes stared in to my very soul.
"What are ya gonna do? Are ya gonna kill me, Mr. J?" I asked shaking my head. I felt my tears falling down the sides of my face.
"Oh I'm not gonna kill you ya" He said holding the charged cables in his hands.
"I'm just gonna hurt ya... really... really ... bad" He said leaning in with a grin. He momentarily put down the wires. He picked up a brown belt and snapped it above me.
"Bit down on this, pumpkin." He said nonchalantly. I did as I was asked. At least when they found me, my teeth would be okay, even if the rest of me would be gone.
He smiled at me as though he were simply performing a routine check up. He picked up the wires again. I could hear the electricity singing through them.
"Clear" He said. I saw the wires closing in on me.
I could hear music. It was Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody. The electricity sang in my brain. I vaguely heard a woman screaming in the distant. Then the pain stopped, and reality come back to me in waves
"Please... please just kill me" I pleaded. He put down the wires, and with a purple gloved hand, he stroked my hair.
"I know it hurts baby, but I have to. I have to fix you. I have to wake you up" He said in a soothing voice. I could smell burning flesh and faintly registered that it was my flesh.
He turned the voltage all the way up.
A part of me died on that table, and what remained was the creation of a madman, made in his image.
Helicopter lights dance across the windows.
Then an ocean of black washed over me.
When I next awoke, I was in a hospital bed. I heard a nurse briefly gasp as I fluttered my eyes.
"Oh my god, shes awake" She said. I could barely hear her as if my ears were stuffed with cotton.
I lifted my right hand to my face, which took tremendous effort. The sides of my face were covered in gauze and medical cloth.
I could see the figure of a doctor walking into the room. He wore big clown shoes and a bright red nose that I knew only I could see. I began to laugh.
"How did I get here" I asked, still lightheaded.
"It was Batman; he delivered you here in critical condition. He saved your life during the Arkham riot" The doctor explained.
I felt loud vibrant laughter come out from my belly. Save me? He didn't save me. He was too late.
"Dr. Quinzel" He said uncomfortably through my laughter "You've been in a coma for two weeks"
"Gosh, a girl's got to have her beauty rest" I said with a smirk on my face. I wondered why they weren't laughing. In fact they both looked very grim.
"You are most likely suffering form PTSD. I can have Ms. Daisy give you a mild sedative" The doctors said motioning towards the nurse.
I swung my legs over the bed.
"No can do. This sleeping beauty's gotta find her prince" I said forcefully. The nurse pressed a call button on the wall.
"I don't think you should get up, Dr. Quinzel" He said it as if it were a suggestion but I knew it wasn't
What should I do? Two options appeared before me written in Comic Sans. Only I seemed to be able to see them
(A) Invoke my rights as a patient, refuse treatment, sign release papers, and go home without having the police involved
(B) God damn the paperwork.
"I came here to chew bubblegum and kick ass... and I'm all outta bubblegum" I said with a big smile on my face. I could hear laughter from nowhere in particular.
The nurse came slowly towards me. I gave her a right hook that could knock out a prize fighter. She fell on the ground with a thud.
Next two security officers came into the room. I was quick. Before they had any time to react. I stole the baton form his side. I hit them both really hard over the head with it. They were down for the count.
"Doctor, I think you have more patients than you can handle" I said brandishing the baton. I pointed it at him. He reluctantly got out of my way.
I made it all the way to the hall. Then the other me woke up from her slumber.
"What do you think you're doing" Dr. Harleen Quinzel asked me.
"Whaddya think, I'm busting outta this joint" I replied to her chagrin.
I ran down the stairs and out an emergency exit. It was night time, and I was in a dank dark alleyway.
I ran toward the main street still dressed in hospital garbs. There was a man walking down the street. I really liked his jacket. Impulsively I hit him over the head with the baton I still had. Then I took his jacket from his limp body.
I don't think you should judge me. It was a really nice jacket.
I made it down another two streets before the Bat Signal came on lighting up the cloudy sky. Damn...
I fished around the pockets and found a wallet in the jacket. I needed to get into one of these cabs waiting outside the hospital. I took the nearest one.
"Miss... how can I help you" He stuttered. He must have seem me hit the other guy over head.
I aimed my baton at him, while sitting in the back seat.
"I know you probably have a gun in your glove box. I wouldn't reach for it" I said threateningly "Unless you want a headache"
He nodded.
"Be good and there's a two hundred dollars in it for you" I said carefully
"Where would you like to ..." He began.
I cut him off with directions to my apartment. I needed to do research. I needed to find Mr. J and when I did, I would do him the favor he never did me. I would kill him.
The cab drive got there surprisingly fast. I gave him all the money in the wallet and also a vague warning about if he ever told anyone.
I took the elevator up to my floor. Once I got to my door, I picked up the spare key from underneath my floor mat and let myself in.
There was a man standing in the dark in the middle of my living room. He turned around.
"Batman" I said as if his name were a disease.
"Hello Dr. Quinzel" He replied in a gruff voice.
"How did you get in here?" I asked accusingly.
"Spare key" He simply replied.