Chapter 2
Thugs
The first thing he felt was the crunching of the snow on his boots. However, the first thing he saw was not as peaceful. The street lamps seemed to turn to reveal them. Four men were crowded in a circle. The first man he saw was slightly overweight not cut out for this type of job, the next one he saw was small but had a strong build, the other was tall and looked strong but probably didn't know how to use it. The last man he saw didn't really look involved and had his back to the figure. The slight thump of a baseball bat hitting a glove was unmistakable. As if he felt the man's gaze the thug turned and addressed his friends. "There he is." He moaned as the rest of the thugs turned towards him. The man felt a snowflake graze his cheek then cling onto a hair. The flake couldn't compete with the warmth of the man and almost instantaneously the snowflake was replaced with a single water droplet. The first person to run at him wasn't very intelligent. He was short and the man could see the thug's lower belly escaping the sweater. His mask struggled to cover the whole of his head and he could see it clinging to his nose. The thug threw a lazy punch at the man and he responded by grabbing his arm and pulling him closer before stepping out of the way. The sickening 'smack' of bone meeting concrete was nauseating. The man broke into a sprint and charged into the man furthest away taken him off his feet. He got up in time to stop the foot about to hit him in the face but he couldn't stop the baseball bat going for his knee. The impact sent a ripple of pain through his body. The small thug went for another kick to the man's face but it was caught and the individual used it as a spring board into the thug with the bat. As the man straightened himself, he could feel the droplets in the air as it began to rain.
The man stepped back as a fist flew past his face and he pushed at the elbow joint. Crack! The thug fell onto the floor, whimpering. He didn't care; he was in a dark mood. The rain was blurring his vision but not his emotions. His fist brought baseball bat to his knees and the figure lifted his knee into the thug's chin. He was unconscious before he hit the ground. Clouds were forming above his head, the thunder crashed and lightening shone but in that brief display of light, he had noticed the last thug fumbling with something. There was a click followed by a bang and suddenly the smell of cordite filled his nostrils however that was quickly diminished by the sharp pain he felt in his chest. Blood was erupting from his chest like a volcano. Then there was another bang. A identical hole two centimetres away from the last one. He wanted to scream but his mouth refused to move. He stepped back and his foot caught a patch of ice. He saw the world falling from his view. Then it was gone.
He saw them. His parents screaming his name. Two deafening booms and then they were gone, leaving him in complete darkness. He saw a doorway. So bright it was blinding, so pure, so inviting. He took a step forward and he heard them calling his name again but he heard joy beneath their voices. He saw the two figures standing in the doorway holding hands. He was walking towards them and before he knew it running. He smiled the first time he had smiled like this for a long time. For a split second he turned around and his body locked. He saw it. His body on the floor being highlighted by the moon. He looked down at his unmoving feet. A hair's width from the door and he stopped. Why? So close to freedom and he stopped. Then he began to turn back towards his body, back towards the corrupted world, back into his identity. His eyes wide, his heart pounding and his anger brewing. In this dark world where most people see him as Bruce Wayne; self made billionaire, industrialist and philanthropist. In this world he was only one person. He was Batman.
