It started that summer

Jokes on you

The hangover of my life is what it felt like. My headache was throbbing, and my stomach was twisted with hunger. I'd lost track of time—four days, maybe more. You know when everything is so crazy all you can do is laugh? Welcome to my world. I was strapped to a wheelchair in what looked like it used to be a hospital room. Dim lights flickered randomly, casting creepy ass shadows across the cracked and peeling walls. Rusted medical equipment was scattered on the floor. Barbed wire was wrapped around my wrists and ankles pressing me onto the wheelchair and digging painfully into my skin whenever I tried to move. My only contact had been Harley Quinn. She made her rounds dressed as a nurse, carrying a clipboard and wearing that pissy smile of hers. Her visits were regular, but her silence was driving me crazy. I had no idea what she wanted or why I was there. Somehow I was suited in my Red Hood outfit. My helmet was on, making everything feel more suffocating.

The door creaked open, and Black Mask strode in, He was dressed in his signature suit and ugly face. "Oh, you've got to be shitting me," I muttered dully. The pain and hunger had drained much of my usual sass. But for this loser, I still had some smart-ass in me.

Black Mask's eyes were cold. "Still trying to be defiant? That's bold considering your situation here."

I managed a weak smirk. "What's the matter, Mask Blackie? Miss me?"

He chuckled darkly, "Miss you? Hardly. Every time I turned around, you were meddling in my business."

I shifted uncomfortably in the wheelchair, the barbed wire digging in further. "Yeah, well, you never did play fair." I winced and held in my cries, my shoulder was flaring up. That bullet wound had to be infected by now.

"And you were always too eager to interfere. Tell me, does that mask of yours make you feel invincible?"

"Invincible?," I shot back. "Why? Are you finally curious about what's underneath?" I laughed, "You won't, no balls." I tried to provoke him. 

For the love of God please take this stupid thing off.

Black Mask's eyes narrowed, "Curious? I've always wondered about the person behind the mask—the man who could be so persistent, so infuriating. I never got a chance to see what you look like. Who you are." He stepped closer, his movements deliberate. With a quick motion, he yanked off my helmet.

Thank you dipshit!

"Look at you," he gasps with a mocking tone. He studies me with a smirk. "All strapped up, looking like some messed-up art project. I get to see you up close. And let me tell you, you're not what I was expecting. I've seen you in action before, but it's different seeing you like this so young. How old are you? Fifteen? Sixteen?"

"Funny," I muttered, trying to maintain my defiance despite the pain. "You know, you're not really into the whole 'taunting' thing, are you?"

"Hate is a useful motivator." He shrugged, "It drives people to act in ways that suit my interests." He picked up a metal rod from a nearby table. "Let's see how much you can take." Before I could respond, the rod made heavy contact with my legs.

"ACK!" I coughed and groaned. I winced, trying to keep my breathing steady despite the jolt of pain. He resumed his actions, each strike with more force than the last. I tried to stay focused and held my breath. The room's shadows and depressing atmosphere made every moment feel longer. "Well that's my cue," He tossed the rod on the floor and left.

Before I could even try and make sense of Black Mask or what was going on the door opened again. "Well, well, if it isn't another Boy Wonder," Penguin sneered. "Or should I say, the Boy Who Got Himself Into Quite a Mess?"