Chapter 11
Escape
The night was still, Ana was lost in a deep sleep. She didn't hear her door creak open, and she didn't feel the cat jump off the bed. A dark figure walked over to the sleeping Ana that was facing the wall. They leaned on the bed and aggressively grabbed her shoulder.
Ana automatically woke up, drew out her pistol from underneath her pillow and twisted around. As she hurled the pistol ready to hit the intruder, the gloved man grabbed her forearm, stopping her. Ana glared with frantic wide eyes as she adjusted to the night and saw the Joker's painted face emerge through the darkness.
"They're here," the Joker growled.
"Who?" Ana sharply whispered.
"Maroni," the Joker darkly drew out. Ana looked over to the doorway to the lounge, searching for any signs of intruders. She saw two white flashlights beaming through the remainder of the broken window.
"Oh my god," she gasped as she pulled away from the Joker's grip and swiftly leapt out of bed. The Joker watched the window silently, his Uzi drawn. Ana pulled out an old gym bag from underneath her bed and dragged out a cat cage.
The bag was already filled with emergency clothing, money, and other necessities, ready for Ana if she ever had to make a quick getaway. A trick suggested by Duncan way back.
The cardboard that had been put up as a temporary fix for her window started to rustle as Maroni's men began to enter the apartment. The Joker let out a giggle as he stalked out of the room towards the intruders. The moment he locked eyes with the people climbing through the window, he opened fire.
The array of bullets shredded the kitchen wall and the rest of the window. Ana let out a shrill yelp whilst the Joker erupted into hysteria. One of Maroni's men went limp hanging over the windowsill, whilst the other fell off the fire escape outside having been pushed by the force of the bullets.
"Winston!" Ana angrily called as she hauled the cat out from underneath her wardrobe and into the cat cage. She frantically slipped on a pair of boots over her pyjama bottoms, threw on a black coat and hauled the gym bag strap across her body.
"We've got to get out of here!" Ana called to the Joker as she ran into the lounge towards the front door. The Joker grinned as he turned to her. Before he could respond, he was interrupted by a shower of bullets coming from the fire escape as more of Maroni's men made their way up. The pair yelped as they immediately hit the ground.
The Joker crawled to the front of the sofa as a shield and opened fire again towards the window. Ana did the same, dragging the cage across and crouching behind the Joker. Just as the Joker stopped shooting, she fired her pistol towards the window to ensure whoever was outside couldn't have time to retaliate.
There was a moment of silence. The pair weren't sure if they had killed the people outside but knew this was their chance to escape.
"Now," the Joker ordered, signalling both to stand and bolt to the front door. As they ran into the corridor, Ana noticed how the emergency lights were on, dimly lighting the hall in green.
"They must have cut the power," Ana whispered.
"Shh shh shh," The Joker raised his gloved finger to his face as he stared down the corridor. Ana glanced in the same direction. They both listened to the echoed voices a few floors down. Maroni's men were in the building, they were trapped.
Suddenly, the neighbour's door clicked open as Mrs Bowman shuffled outside.
"Elizabeth dear, is that you? What's happening?" the old lady called as she appeared in her nightgown. Ana's eyes widened as she flashed a look at the Joker and stepped towards her neighbour.
"Mrs Bowman don't worry. Just go back inside," Ana instructed. Mrs Bowman stepped further out to meet Ana.
"But dear, I heard such a ruckus…" Mrs Bowman looked up at Ana and saw the Joker standing behind her, shrouded in the shadows of the green emergency light.
"Joseph?" she stumbled. The Joker raised an eyebrow in confusion but assumed she was talking to him.
"Hello, Vera," he smirked as he cocked his head to the side.
"You're the…" she stuttered trying to find her words.
"Mrs Bowman, go back inside. Now!" Ana insisted as she stormed towards the old lady and forcibly guided her back into her own apartment.
"This way!" a low male voice called from the floor below.
"I'm sorry," Ana breathed before closing Mrs Bowman's door, denying her neighbour to speak. Ana felt a sting of guilt as she ran back to the Joker.
"The roof!" she called, running past him and leading them up the stairs to the upper floors.
As they ran up the stairs, their feet pounding on the hard steps, they could hear the mob chasing them a floor down. Ana panted, trying to maintain her stamina as she carried the plastic cat cage.
The Joker was just giggling like a child as he ran. He licked his scars and then fished into his inner right pocket. Ana couldn't see what he was doing, she just heard a click and saw the Joker drop a metal object down the steps. It bounced off each step with a high-pitched twang.
As they moved away quickly, up another flight of stairs, Ana went to ask what that was but her question was answered. A loud, sharp boom echoed throughout the stairway, causing a sudden flash of heat and light.
"A grenade?!" Ana shouted in disbelief.
"For emergencies," the Joker cackled behind her. Ana couldn't believe he was casually carrying a grenade in his coat.
Ana slammed open the door to the roof. Before they could think of where to go next, a spray of bullets rang out from the fire escape on the far right. The Joker immediately fired back as Ana dashed to the opposite side. The building was an end terrace, connecting to other apartments.
Ana ducked as bullets hit the conditioning unit next to her. She heard the Joker wince in pain and then let out a high-pitched laugh as a bullet hit him in the shoulder. Ana frantically glanced back.
"Boss!" Ana fearfully called.
The Joker ignored her and reached into his lower inside pocket. Ana heard two familiar clicks as he threw the metal devices at the oncoming mob. More grenades.
The Joker ran towards Ana, evilly cackling as they went off causing the henchmen to dive out of the way.
"How many grenades do you have in there?" Ana yelled following the Joker as he sped past her.
"I love this job," he wickedly grinned. Ana followed as they climbed onto the next building's roof, avoiding chimneys and piping.
Ana was growing tired of carrying the cat cage, she could feel Winston sporadically darting around inside the small space, making it difficult to balance herself.
As they made it to the end of the terraced buildings, they ran into the edge of the fencing on the roof and looked down to a dark alley below.
"I'm not jumping off any more buildings!" Ana panted. The Joker sucked his scars as he glanced around the roof, clocking the railing to another fire escape. He shoved Ana in that direction.
They bolted for the escape. The Joker climbed over the ladder to reach the stairs. He let out a grunt as his injured shoulder made his arm feel weaker as he leveraged himself over. Ana struggled to climb over with the cat cage.
"Take this!" she instructed, shoving the cage into the Joker. He begrudgingly growled as he grabbed the handle with one hand, his other shaking as he weakly held onto the ladder. Ana swiftly climbed over before the mob were in sight.
As they started down the stairs, Ana had a sudden thought that the Joker could randomly choose to throw the cat cage off the fire escape. She swiftly snatched the cage out of the Joker's grasp.
Once they were on the ground, they sprinted down the alley to the street entrance. They could hear the mob calling from above but chose to ignore them.
The street was empty of people but lined with various vehicles that were carefully parallel parked on both sides. The Joker flashed his eyes at each one, finding the best option. Ana could see a cluster of cars parked in front of her apartment building. The Joker ran to a pickup truck, Ana glanced back and hastily followed.
Using the butt of his gun, the Joker smashed the glass on the driver's side and unlocked his door. The car alarm blared out and echoed down the street, bouncing off the townhouses. Ana ran to the other side just as the Joker unlocked it. As Ana climbed in, the Joker hotwired the car to roar to a start.
"Here you go!" the Joker sang, handing Ana one of his pinned grenades. Ana flashed him a look of confusion but took the weapon.
The Joker pressed his foot on the acceleration causing the truck to screech in place before setting off down the road, heading towards her apartment building.
"Now!" the Joker ordered, wickedly grinning. Ana understood and quickly unpinned the grenade, making the same clicking noise, and threw it out of her window. It clanged against the mobs' vehicles before erupting viciously into a smoky fireball.
They both laughed as the Joker took a sharp corner and drove away from the building. He raised his arm to reveal a device. Ana glanced at the unusual shape; it reminded her of a detonator. Before she could comment, the Joker grinned and pressed a concealed button with his thumb.
Ana's eyes widened as she looked back at her apartment, which was getting smaller in the distance. Unexpectedly, the windows that once were her apartment exploded with large flames erupting from within. Ana watched in horror as her home burned.
"What!? Why did you do that!?" Ana roared as she shoved the Joker as he drove.
"Too many secrets in plain sight," the Joker licked his scars and giggled as he watched the road.
Ana's head started to race. She began to panic as she questioned how her home was gone and how big the explosion was. It didn't engulf the whole building or even the whole floor. Even the Joker couldn't pull that off with such limited resources.
"What about Mrs Bowman?" Ana whispered fending off her nerves. The Joker cocked his head to her with a smirk then went back to the road.
"Relax she'll be fine. Unless she was near the adjoining wall," the Joker made a sucking noise as he chewed his scars. Ana let out a sharp exhale as she could feel herself panic and struggle to breathe. She tried to push it down and distract herself.
"Where are we going?" she exhaled worriedly staring ahead.
"Home sweet home," the Joker smirked.
Ana remained quiet as the Joker sped through the streets of Gotham in his new pickup truck. He had made a few phone calls to Charles, Duncan, and some others to meet them at the new base.
She held onto the door whilst clutching Winston's cage, able to predict when the Joker would turn sharply with enough time to brace herself. She silently stared out the window as the street rushed past her, knowing that they were still in the Narrows but unsure where exactly.
The Joker started to giggle excitedly. Ana glanced over to him observing his eyes dart around the surrounding street. She took that to mean that they had arrived.
She peered out the window to gaze at a forgotten road, laced with run-down buildings, and cheap or burnt-out cars. She noticed a group of homeless people gathered on one side, drinking out of bottles, and chatting among themselves. Her eyes landed on an oil barrel that was alight to help keep the group warm.
She let out a quiet sigh as she realised that she'd have to get used to her new surroundings. The Joker slowed the truck down and turned down an alley, safely tucking them away out of sight from the rest of Gotham.
The vehicle slowed to a metal fence with an open gate, as the Joker drove through, one of his familiar henchmen quickly closed the gate behind them and locked it. Ana realised that most of the gang was probably already there. She felt a sense of relief knowing that a few of her team members were here, giving her a sense of familiarity in the space of the unknown, but she then felt a twist in her stomach as she remembered that she was only in pyjamas, a black coat, and boots.
The truck stopped in front of a derelict townhouse, tucked away in the alley. As Ana jumped out, she gawked up at the new hideout. The 2-story hauntingly loomed over her, the brown, grimy bricks spoke tales of the past, whilst the traditional windows on the ground and first floor hid away behind tattered boards. The front door was down a narrow alley on the right side, the original glass panel door was leaning against the wall, having been replaced by a sturdy metal door instead. Ana suspected that this was once a fancy house during a better time in Gotham's history.
The Joker sauntered into the building while Ana sheepishly followed, Winston in tow. As Ana reached the entrance hall, she noticed Duncan, Charles, Drew and Allie were waiting for them in the ground-floor lounge, off to the left originally shrouded by the boarded windows outside.
The entrance hall looked old but once clearly bragged about its magnificence with its wood-panelled walls and tarnished wallpaper. A grand L-staircase wrapped around the far-right corner of the hall leading to the second floor, with a doorway to the left leading further into the house and another tucked in the corner under the steps, undoubtedly leading to the basement.
"Where do you find these places?" Ana scoffed at the Joker as they walked towards the group. The Joker let out a grunt in response.
"How'd it go, Boss?" Duncan asked.
"As good as expected," the Joker grumbled, clutching onto his shoulder. "I guess the Doctor will see me now," the Joker chuckled as Drew ushered him out of the room.
"Come on Chuck, we have matters to discuss," the Joker patted Charles' shoulders leading him away from the others. He stopped in his tracks and quickly spun back around.
"Dear Dunks, show Ana where her uh… room is," the Joker smirked as Ana glanced up at him. She was surprised that she was allowed to stay here, but then she considered that it was the least the Boss could do after blowing up her home. She felt a sharp stab of sadness at the thought.
Once Charles, Drew and the Joker left, Duncan stepped closer to Ana.
"Are you alright?" he placed his hand on her shoulder.
"I can help you carry that," Allie smiled sweetly as she took the cat cage off Ana. Ana sadly glanced at them both.
"He blew up my flat," Ana breathed.
"I heard," Duncan sighed. "Come on, there's plenty of rooms here. We'll show you where yours is," Duncan gently pressed on Ana's shoulder, guiding her up the staircase.
They walked down the corridor, a lampshade flickered above them, Ana suspected it was coming from an old generator somewhere in the building. On the left were two doors.
As they entered the furthest one, it revealed a room with a high ceiling and a boarded-up window that would look down at the vans parked outside. There was forgotten furniture covered in dirty white sheets, but the outlines revealed a bed, drawers, chair and desk spaced out in the room.
"Not bad," Ana nodded, falsely smiling at the other two.
"I think your kitty likes it," Allie said, opening the cage and letting Winston out.
"Winston is an indoor cat, he'll be okay," Ana spoke watching him assess his new surroundings.
"Winston is so cute," Allie laughed, observing him. "Well, I'm going to see if J needs me," she grinned.
"Thanks for helping with my things," Ana politely smiled, before Allie ran out of the room and closed the door.
As she left, Ana's face dropped. Duncan watched her as she walked to the sheet-covered bed and whipped it off, disrupting the heavy dust and forcing it to dance into the air. She placed her bag on the bed and rummaged through it.
"Ana?" Duncan said as he walked towards her. Ana ignored him as she started to anxiously search the bag, trying to find her emergency stash of coke.
"Ana," Duncan sighed, coming up behind her. Ana felt a tear fall down her face, struggling to restrain her emotions any longer. Duncan gently grabbed her shoulder and pulled her to face him.
"Ana," he said once again, looking down at her. Ana had the sachet in her hand, as more tears started to stream down. "It's okay, you don't need this," Duncan pushed her hand down. "Just let it out," Duncan softly spoke, trying to get her to look at him.
Ana slowly glanced up at Duncan, the feeling of defeat washing over her. As she met his eyes, she couldn't control her pain any longer. She loudly sobbed as the dam broke through and simply cried. Duncan watched her, then decided to pull her in to embrace her. She wheezed as the pain felt too great.
"That was my home," she cried.
"I know," he said.
"Do you know how long it took me to save up for that place," Ana wheezed.
"I know," he stroked her hair.
"It's all gone, everything I had was in that apartment," Ana sobbed.
"I know Ana, I can't imagine what you're feeling right now. But it's just stuff. You'll be able to start again," Duncan explained, resting his chin on her head.
"I know, but this is getting too much. I can't live with the Joker on my own any longer," she cried louder.
"You won't have to," Duncan sighed. Ana looked up at him.
"What do you mean?" she sniffed, her eyes glistening from her tears.
"I'm living here too," Duncan smiled down at her.
"You are?" Ana started to calm down her sobs.
"My landlord was giving me crap so I'm in between apartments", he shrugged.
"I remember the Boss saying something about that," she wiped her nose.
"Yeah, so I have a room just down the corridor. A few of the others have moved in too, the place is big enough," Duncan nodded toward the corridor outside her door.
"You could move in here and share with me?" Ana slowly spoke feeling nerves start to creep up. Duncan let out a laugh.
"Best not all the time, but I don't see why not," Duncan smirked down at Ana as she stared up at him. Duncan rarely sees Ana like this anymore, she tries to hide her feelings. But her eyes were bigger than usual, revealing her vulnerability.
Ana glanced down at Duncan's mouth and then back up to his earthy eyes. Her throat and lips suddenly felt dry and tingly. Ana thought for a moment as she felt Duncan's arms around her waist. She leaned in and gently kissed him.
Duncan returned her kiss and pressed his body into hers. She suddenly felt alive as they shared a kiss that was different to the times they had simply fooled around.
Ana wrapped her arms around his neck as she deepened the kiss. Letting their lips taste each other again and again.
They both leaned back slightly, looking into each other's eyes, silently accepting each other before continuing the kiss.
Ana moved one hand from behind Duncan's neck, slowly caressed his jawline, and then lightly grazed down his neck to his chest. As she moved both hands down further, she tugged at his top, signalling him to take it off.
After he whipped it off, he pulled her in for a deep kiss and then unbuttoned her coat and lifted her top. Their bare bodies pressed against each other as Duncan pushed Ana onto the bed.
The titillating night helped the night-time fly by, a relief for the pair as they were staying in the unknown, creaky place for the first time.
In the morning, Ana and Duncan sat at a rickety, wooden table eating some cereal in the lounge. Charles, Rex and four other henchmen were also amongst them, returning for an early shift. Charles was sat at the table reading his book quietly, whilst the other henchmen played a card game. Rex was chatting with two other teammates at the back of the room.
Ana sat hunched over with one foot on her chair, sporting her emergency clothing comprising of a black hoodie and leggings. She was watching the news on a dated TV that sat at the back of the room.
It mentioned a possible double homicide between two roommates and their friend. Ana scoffed as she took another spoonful of her cereal.
Winston quickly scurried into the lounge and began rubbing his coat onto the table leg next to Ana. As she checked on the feline, the Joker casually strolled in with Allie by his side.
"What a night!" he grinned as he wrapped his arm around Allie's waist. She let out an ecstatic giggle as she gawked up at the Boss. Ana glanced at the pair and then unenthusiastically went back to her breakfast, not wanting them to ruin her appetite.
"See I'm a guy of simple taste, bring me a mob attack and explosions and I'd call that a good date," he smirked as he eyed Allie, making her smile wider and lean in closer.
"But how did they know to attack my place?" Ana called as she watched the TV. It started to announce the explosion at Ana's apartment, stating how the tenant known as Elizabeth was classed as missing. The Joker gave an inquisitive humming sound as he sauntered to the other side of the table, opposite Ana.
"Any suggestions?" he looked down at his crew one by one. The two henchmen playing cards kept their heads down.
"It's got to be a mole," Ana responded taking another spoonful of cereal.
"Like a double agent?" Allie asked as she skipped to the Joker's side.
Ana glanced back at the TV, watching them show footage of her apartment burnt to a crisp, followed by a firefighter incorrectly recounting what could have happened. It listed a few of her neighbours, who mentioned hearing the sounds of gunfire on the roof that night.
Ana stopped chewing her cereal and froze. An image appeared of Mrs Bowman, who had been killed in the incident, it revealed that she was caught in the explosion and later died of heart failure in the hospital.
Ana felt a sudden weight in her chest as she glared up at the Joker. He stared back at her blankly after noticing the obituary on the TV screen. He sucked his scars and waited as if he was expecting her to react.
Ana let out a quiet sigh as she pushed down the weighted feeling and started twizzling her spoon around her cereal. The Joker let out a subtle scoff.
"Now, we've got a uh… situation. First our hiding place, then our rendezvous," the Joker watched each of his team as they intently listened. "We do have a little schemer in the team," he lowered his voice.
Each of the henchmen glanced at the other, unsure whether to show trust or suspicion. Ana sat up straight, staring at Rex who stood with his arms crossed. She returned any glances her way with a hard glare.
"But there's no way to weed them out. Yet," the Joker growled, as he recognised that everyone knew about their previous hideout, and most of the team knew he was laying low at Ana's apartment.
"And since I can't get rid of the lot of you," the Joker giggled as he glanced back at Ana. "We'll just have to play their little game," he smirked.