Gotham Gazette // J.V

Chapter 40

Kat's POV:

My eyes were fixated on the same spot on the wall it had been for what I thought was a week, just a guess. My fingers were gently tapping my thigh repetitively keeping to the imaginary rhythm, my thoughts were interrupted by a chillingly familiar voice.

"Here Kitty Kitty." I jumped at the sudden noise but began to do what I'd practiced. Calm down Kat, it's all in your head again. "Oh come on Kat, surely you got a better reaction than that one, no screaming, crying, praying I don't care just amuse me." I looked up and squinted my eyes slightly, he looked different from how he usually was, in a different outfit.

"You aren't real. Ha, I'm too smart of that. I'm not falling for it again, he isn't coming to get me out of here ok? I'm crazy stop talking to yourself. Dude, you're still doing it. Ok, I'm stopping." I shook my head, disappointed in myself, I talked about this. He began to move toward the door. Why didn't just pop in here like he normally does?

He inserted a large silver key into the lock and it opened with a click. My eyes widened in panic and my heart rate was increasing. None of my visions ever did that, they said that only the real Jerome could do things like that but I was still skeptical, the other Jerome's liked to play tricks on me. I couldn't help but feel slightly relieved, had he come to release me? I didn't like this room, it was too lonely.

"Been thinkin' bout me huh?" His tone was different from the other Jerome's he was more playful than malicious.

"Are you real?" I couldn't help asking, the question was burning through my mind. The look on his face confirmed the answer and I tried to get off the bed, horrible memories playing through my mind and the fear of being punished for running away. Would he kill me? Take me again?

"Come on Kat don't be like that, of course, I'm real." His hand stroked my hair and the moment I felt the pressure of his touch I screamed. The visions couldn't touch me, well I didn't feel the touch anyway. This is real, he is real. Terror flooded my veins like adrenaline but I couldn't help the excitement, was he really gonna get me out of here?

"Don't come near me! Alfred will shoot you!" I screamed, trying to get him to get away from me.

"You mean the butler I just tied up? He was real tough." He smirked and I felt the blood drain from my face, he tied up Alfred? There goes my protection.

"Please just kill me. I can't live like this, I know this is why you're here anyway so please just do it." Tears were pouring down my cheeks as I felt the slight sense of happiness that I had gathered over the week of hiding from him wither away into the depressing realisation that my life would be taken and I was asking him to do it again.

"Well sorry to disappoint darling but I came here to have a nice chat, give you a little something and invite you to my big night tonight! Here that you can get outta here!" He placed a black duffel bag at my feet and I stared at it questioningly. Why does he always have to prolong the inevitable? "Don't you wanna get outta here?" His voice decreased to a whisper and I glanced at him, letting my hair shield my tear stained face.

"Why?" My voice cracked as I asked him.

"Because you." He paused until I glanced back into his eyes. They looked different now, the green looked brighter and they held something I hadn't seen before, it wasn't violence or malicious intentions it was something I couldn't quite put my finger on. "Deserve better than this stupid little room with no company, trust me, I've been there." My lips betrayed me as the corners quirked in the slightest upwards motion but I tried extremely hard to keep them in a straight line. "Hey, there it is! That's what I'm lookin' for." My smile grew and I looked at him