Naked -h.s.

Leaf

The cool winter air bit at August as she leaned her head against the stone wall. Closing her eyes feeling a small but sad smile play on her face at the thought of going home playing in the Autumn leaves. She always loved Autumn, one reason was because it led up into winter, another was because of the beautiful scenery. August remembered picking up a leaf every year and placing it in a book then storing it away until the following year to see how it changed.

Suddenly, a plate of food slid under the iron door that was blocking any way out. The plate slid on the cold and hard marble flooring until it stopped just shy of the small ray of sunlight coming in through the small looking vent in the ceiling.

Immediately August slid her shackled feet and wrists to the plate falling on her side eventually face to face with the mush of so called food. As tasteless as it was she still ate it, heaven knows when she would get another meal again, if ever. She couldn't help but feel negative, no hope of escape or survival. Joker, the name that brought fear to all the people of Gotham. If the FBI, policemen, and the SWAT team could not stop nevertheless catch the Joker, August knew that she could never hatch a plan clever enough to escape his grasp. Instead of wondering 'why me?' August simply just pushed it to the back of her mind, the twisted sociopath didn't need any reason for anything he did, it was because he was just crazy.

Something she had always read in her fan fictions and novels was kidnappings and scary stories but with a twist of some famous person being the captor. In the books when the innocent victim wakes up there is magically some handsome figure already standing there waiting for her and within seconds the innocent victim is some moaning mess of sexual desire. August scoffed in her mind, that would be a blessing compared to this reality.

Since she was taken, she guessed about two days ago, nobody had been in the dark and cold room with her. Nobody to watch her or stand over her creepily, just darkness and silence. She waited for what felt like hours upon hours by herself, loneliness slowly starting to drive her to be nervous and jumpy. She almost wished somebody would come in instead of the bitter and cruel solitude.

Until, finally, after days of waiting with little food or water, having the use the bathroom in a small bucket in the corner, the big iron door opened.

Suddenly August wanted solitude again when it was opened, due to the harsh reality the door revealed when it slowly creaked open. August thought her eyes were about to burn up because of the bright light illuminating a muscular figure in the door way. She shut her eyes preparing herself for what was to come. Before she could think, the door closed, slammed actually. Causing darkness to flood in and fill the room again thus making August shoot her eyes open in fear. She breathed out, again being alone in the room. It wasn't until she noticed a dark brown pair of boots standing in the small slit of sunlight the vent from the ceiling let in, that she realized she wasn't alone. The person standing at the door never left. She laid with her back to the wall, eyes looking wide, directly on the brown pair of boots. She wished she could disappear into the wall.

What scared August was that whoever was standing there was not illuminated past the boots, making it unknown of who they were. But what really got to her was the fact that since the door had shut around five minutes ago the person had been standing there, waiting, watching, silently in the darkness. Those brown boots striking fear into her gut as they still,

did.not.move.

The intentions behind what the person wearing those shoes had to be bad, why else would they be standing there for now what has probably been ten minutes? What was the person thinking about? What are their true intentions?

August, still a little girl, couldn't help but start crying and whimpering hysterically. Suddenly the boots moved closer to her making her jump. In place of the boots was a face, the face of a madman, a clown, an evil sick sociopath, mentally getting pleasure out of pain and seeing the world as a negative hate-fueled place by conducting his little social experiments. The Joker was crouching down in place of his boots, letting the little amount of available sunlight shine on his face.

Confused, August wondered why concerned and sad features played on the Jokers face rather than some demented smile. In a normal voice, though it still made August shiver, the Joker asked,

"Why are you crying?" Bringing his hand up to wipe a tear from Augusts face causing her to recoil back in fear.

The two just looked at each other.

August studied his face, her own face scrunching up in confusion and anger. After a moment or two of looking the devil right in his eye did she pick something up.

The Joker had asked that in a sincere and caring tone. Almost as if he actually truly did not know why August was so upset and horrified. August looked at him for some type of answer.

Her eyes widened, when she finally saw he didn't understand why she was crying. He really was clueless as to why she was so distraught, when a couple days ago he was a completely different person laughing at her misery. He didn't have remorse only utter confusion.

Only then did August realize just how psychotic the man in front of her, really was.