The Joker and Me

Chapter Twenty - Insult and Injury

J quickly screeched around a corner, causing our car to feel like it was going to flip. I reached for my mouth to stop what I thought was going to be throw-up. J grinned from ear to ear the whole time, honking his horn at each car we careened passed.

Instead of riding in the back of the van like when we robbed the bank, J decided we need to lead the team caravan in his clown car. I didn't know which was worse: the stench of sweaty henchmen or the feeling of impending vomit. 

A few blocks from city hall, J reached out and squeezed my thigh. I looked over at him, and he winked at me, even though he was still looking at the road. I let out a shaky breath, scared for our lives in this moment and all the following moments.

'This is the ending.' The voice in my head had been saying cryptic messages ever since last night. All of them were alluding to one thing: something bad was going to happen. I shook my head and looked out the window at the blur of the city. 

"Is something wrong, princess?" I could tell J was still smiling, but his voice sounded as if he was just as nervous as I was. 

"No, no, I'm fine. Only thing is that we might get shot in the next few minutes." 

J spun the car around and into an alley, turning off the car. He looked over to me, smirking wide. "Now darlin, do you really think daddy would ever let someting happen to his kitten?" 

I wanted to laugh in his face, thinking of all the times that he had threatened or attempted to hurt me. But I just smiled. "No, J."

"Good! Now let's take back my town." He got out of the car and quickly hurried over to open my door. I smiled as I stood up, and J wrapped his free arm around my shoulder; his other hand had a machine gun painted green in it.

The vans had pulled in behind us and were unloading now. Everyone had a purple or green gun and a spray can of some kind. J grabbed nodded toward his closest goon and he handed me his canister. It had a huge smile crudly painted on the side, with the words 'Laughter is the Best Medicine' cudely written on the other. I looked up at J and he smiled wider.

"Why, laughing gas of course! I timidly looked back down at the can, afraid of what J's version of laughing gas could do. 

Soon everyone was ready to go, dawning gas masks painted with smiles. We looked like a messed up circus group, lost in the city.

J lead all of us down through the alley, and it opened up behind city hall. I was shocked that no one was back here guarding any doors. It was as if they were invting us to try and take over the place.

A group of goons ran ahead of us, starting to pick the lock of the door. My heart began to race and my throat began to close up. In a matter of seconds I would either be dead on the floor or near close to it. I felt myself shudder.

J looked down at me, and his smile vanished. He was so serious when he spoke: "Jack, it's going to be okay. You're strong." 

I nodded and gave him a small smile, not beliving him in anyway. I knew that the only way that we would actually go through with this was if J thought I was fine. His smile returned.

Suddenly, I head a loud clank, and before I knew it we were running into city hall.

There was an immediate alarm, and I could hear people running and yelling in every direction. Everything was blanketed in a flashing red light. At every room we passed, a group of goons would rush in and take whoever was inside hostage. J and I were towards the middle, shielded by his henchmen. 

After what felt like millennium, the small hallway opened up into a grand and elaborate lobby. Marble stairs rounded up to a second floor, and brown oak doors concealed what seemed to be conference rooms. Goons flanked every door instantly, and J lead me over to a round 360 waiting-couch. We sat down, and without thinking I grabbed his free hand. He smiled wider than he already was, looking down at our hands.

Before I knew it the upstairs double-doors burst open, and a group of goons lead the mayor down to our floor. J stood up, but I stayed frozen to my seat. 

"Well, if it isn't one of my dearest friends!" J opened his arms and grabbed the mayor in a hug. The mayor was visibly frightened: his eyes were wide and his skin was turning more pale at each passing minute. 

"Joker, what do you want." The mayor was trying to keep his composure, but he was violently shaking.

"Oh, let me see. I believe I took over city hall to have a FUCKING PICNIC!" J smacked the mayor, causing the goons to release him and let him fall to the floor. I gasped loudly, clutching the laughing gas spray to my chest. J poked at the now crumbled mayor with his gun, causing the mayor to shoot back onto his knees. J pointed the gun right between his eyes.

"Please, no! I have a family!"

J sighed. "Well, isn't that sad? Baby, you hear that?" He tured to look at me, and I jumped a little at his sudden mention of me. "He has a family. You have a girl, mayor?"

"My-my wife, Jessica. We have 3 kids."

J nodded for me to come over, and I shakingly stood and walked over to him, getting more and more worried with every step. 

"Now mayor, look at my princess. Isn't she just the sexiest thing you've ever seen?" J took the gun away from the mayor's face, turning to me. He winked at me before grabbing me around the waist, dipping me back and kissing me hard. I could feel the gun pressed against my back as he leaned into me.

Suddenly, there was an explosion. J jumped threw me to the group and jumped ontop of me, presumably protecting me form the blast. We both looked into the dust, and saw Batman emerge. 

"Boys! Get the myor out of here! Looks like I have to have a word with my favorite bat."

He quickly jumped off of me, and I crawled back over to the couch. I leaned out from behind it, watching J and bat.

"Joker, this is the last straw." Batman held up what looked like some kind of taser, pointing it in J's direction.

"Now bats, you know I was just gonna have some fun! Rob the city, possily kill the mayor, all that fun jazz."

J then began firing his gun at batman, and he lunged out of the way. I stood up and prepared myself to electrocute batman, but I started to feel uneasy. The voice in my head began screaming at me: 'Run! Run!' 

I grabbed my head with both hands, dropping the laughing gas. The can began to leak, causing a green cloud of smoke to rise up. J stopped firing at batman and looked over to me. "Princess! What the hell are you doing?!"

The screaming in my head was becoming so intense, I started to stagger forward. I ran into something, and looked up at it, only to realize it was batman.

"I-um-"

Before I could actually make anywords, batman spun me around, and was holding the taser up to my throat. The pointed ends of it were slicing into my neck, and I yelled: "J!"

I saw him across the room, completely distraught. His eyes were wide and his smile was completely gone.

"Joker, come with me and I'll let her go!"

There was silence from J. He just stood there, looking at us both with a blank stare. 

I knew what I needed to do. I focused all my energy back behind me, and the numb feeling started. 

"Bats, let me go. I don't want to do this." 

He squeezed me tighter, as if to say that he had made his decision. I closed my eyes, and the lightening shot out of me, hitting batman and sending him flying to the floor. It rocketed me onto the ground too. 

Everything was blurry now, and J's voice was there, but it sounded fuzy. I looked up at him, and he seemed to be trying to yell. I turned and looked at batman, who wasn't moving. There was something next to him I hadn't seen yet and couldn't make out.

The voice in my head spoke: 'Go to it.' I stood, mesmorized. The world was still foggy, but I could hear J trying to yell for me. I reached the object: it was a black ball. I looked down at it, and began to reach for it. 

Suddenly, a spark coursed out of my finger tips. It was the first time I had shot off a lightning bolt without thinking about it. The shock enveloped the object.

I heard a loud explosion, and then, darkness.