Chapter 4 – Explosive Meeting

BING.

I turn my head looking at the elevator. Bruce and Elena haven't left all that long ago. Did they forget something, but as the door opens I can feel my blood running cold because in the elevator aren't Bruce and my sister, but three man with clowns mask … and guns in their hand.

My body freezes on it´s spot. I´m unable to move. To speak. They keep staring at me until the center clown starts to enter slowly. It was a white mask with blue and red outlining, but what scared me the most was the eyes. They were just two black holes.

"Is everything al…" Alfred stops in the middle of his sentence as he now also comes across with the intruders. "Now I don´t know who you are, but I assure you that you are making a huge mistake."

"Where is Bruce Wayne?" asks the clown with the black eyes.

"Master Wayne is not here and you thugs aren't welcomed as well." I´m surprised to hear Alfred talk to these men like that. It feels like forever just standing in spot not knowing what to do before the two other men jump Alfred.

Amazingly enough Alfred defends himself pretty well for a man his age, but that's when I realized that the leader was starring me down. His head half tilted.

That´s when thankfully my instincts kicked in and my feet started to listen to me again as I took off running. Unfortunately for me the clown was way too fast for me, catching up just within seconds.

I ran into the kitchen to try and grab a knife. Something to protect myself with, but before my hand could reach the handle of the knife I feel a hand in my hair yanking me back.

I fall on my back and the clown comes on top of me strangling me. I try my hardest with my hands to scratch him to get him somehow away from me, but he easily grabs both of my hands in his huge one and pins it above my head.

CRAP! – I think to myself now I am completely defenseless. The commotion outside of the kitchen is still loud, but I´m stuck underneath this man with the black eyes. Struggling doesn't do much, but thankfully a thought rushes through my brain.

What was that again when someone traps you underneath them. Pull the knees in and thrust your hip up.

And that's exactly what I do. I silently thank all the gods above because he wasn't expecting that so I caught him off guard.

Now with the rolls switched I manage to crawl on top of him. My first instinct is to punch him in his face and I crawl as fast as I can away from him. I need to get out of the building!

As I try to get up to my feet I feel a hand wrapping around my ankle, making me again fall to the floor. I scream on the top of my lungs and try to crawl away from this man, but he just pulls me closer towards him.

With my free foot I manage to kick him in his shoulder, making his grip on my ankle loosen up. He again tries to come towards me and I manage to get a good kick to his groin.

But to my horror I don't get the reaction that I thought I was going to get. Instead of him screaming, cowering or at least showing any pain, he starts to laugh.

His laugh is maniac.

I´m frozen with shock. How can anyone be laughing right now?

I run to the door again trying to flee but the clown is already behind me, grabbing me by my throat and slamming me against a wall making me cry out in pain as my head hits the wall.

As I gasp for breath, I can hear a faint "CLICK" and before I know it a knife rests its self on my check.

Tears start to tears are welling up in my eyes, as I pray that this is not the night i will be reunited with my parents.

He stares at me while he runs the blade up and down my face.

"HEY, YOU FREAK!", I hear someone scream, but I don't dare to take my eyes off him and his knife.
All of a sudden he is pushed aside by Alfred, who is bleeding profusely from his head.

I make a move towards him but he quickly shakes his head no.

"The other two are out for a while. Get out of here! NOW!" I nod franticly, running towards the door. As I open the door I can hear a loud BANG which makes me freeze in my spot. I slowly turn my head to look back, to see Alfred lying in his own blood and the clown lifting his head up looking directly at me.

"No", I whisper. Screw this, I decide to risk it and make my way towards the elevator. The smell of something burning catches my nose. Did something go off? As I push the button multiple times, praying for the door to open in time. I glance to my side to find another of the intruders now with a knife in there shoulder.

"Oh my,…" I let myself sink to the floor. Where is this elevator? And where is the clown?

BING – Oh thank you, God. On all fours I crawl halfway inside when another – BANG – gunshot goes off mere inches from my head. I scream and cry as the clown approaches me slowly with a gun in his hand.

He is waywing it as if he is toying with me. The men bends down on top of me. Desperately I try to get him away from me and in the process I manage to remove his mask, which I wished I didn't.

One clown face replaced another, as I was now starring at a man with white face paint, black eyes and his scars.

I´ve seen his face once in the newspaper. I was now face to face with the JOKER.

He stares at me while he starts to laugh and that's the last thing I remember before being knocked out cold.