The Gemini

1 - Trapped

Oct 14, 1988

She was uncertain as to how long she'd been screaming, but if her throat had a mind of its own, it would surmise that it'd been hours. It was sore; she could feel it's rasping red hue. The pitch of her wailing cries had dulled. Her vocal chords were exhausted. The taste of blood seeped onto her tongue, sourcing from a busted lip. Her own panicked feet the cause. She'd tripped. Over what, she wasn't sure. While bolting through the darkened warehouse, she couldn't see a thing. Still, adrenaline and the fear for her very life drove her in a desperate pursuit for an exit.

She found none.

Now here she sat, body trembling and rain water in her hair. Scared. In a high ceiling there was a gaping hole; rain tumbled in, splashing heavily onto the floor. The pinging thud of the drops echoed throughout the wide open space. A storm raged relentlessly in the night. Thunder rolls and lightning strikes sending white electricity charging brightly across the sky. Usually, out of involuntary habit, her body would jump at the roaring clap. She wasn't phased this time, figuring her overloaded senses were shot.

Hoarse whimpers spill from her mouth. Unlike the screaming pleas for help from before, she knew no one would hear these pathetic sighs, but at this point they'd served as a distraction to her own mind. The constant sound of creaks and drip-drops around her had begun to strike up a previously non-existent feeling of claustrophobia within. It coated each muscle, begging her to run once more. Only now she couldn't muster the energy.

Grey clouds thick with precipitation overtake the moon, snuffing out it's light and rendering dark the damp night air. Claustrophobia grew bringing with it anxiety and panic. Standing to her feet, she went to step but her left ankle buckled bringing her body stumbling to the hard grown.

"Shhiii-" she hissed at the sharp pain that shot through her left ankle. Hands immediately flew to it only to snatch away just as fast when the pressured touch -- meant to comfort -- caused the unpleasant sensation to repeat. Her lip wasn't the only thing busted.

Thunder rolls. Lightning strikes. Another white electric glow. This time it was so close that she could hear the voltage hum. It's illumination allowing her to see the jagged scuff across the toe of her shoe.

"Not my damn sneakers," she mumbled irritated. Material importance at a time like this was foolish, she was aware, but the five-hundred-dollar multicolored suede kicks told her otherwise. Two weekends spent spinning tired doo-wop tunes is what made the impulsive purchase possible. It had even set her back a month in rent. Defeated she got on her hands and knees and began to crawl, carefully feeling out her way.

I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die and my shoes are scuffed. My shoes are scuffed, my ankle is busted and I'm gonna die.

She no longer heard the chasing steps of her captors, yet she didn't allow herself to feel relived. They could be hidden and awaiting their prey in any of the dark nooks that surrounded. That very thought caused her breath to quicken along with her pace.

Their image stuck in her head. They were suited in a plum hue and nicely so. Fitted, even. She never knew thugs to be so decent outside of her favorite cinematic pictures.

It had happened in the alley parkway behind the club. The only light being the single security bulb on side of the building. It's dull orange beam lit up the faces of three men. Each of them taller than she and twice the weight. All it took was one look, a millisecond glance at each before her brain shifted into survival mode. With quick pounds her feet had hit the pavement in a short lived escape effort. Kicking and screaming, she was hoisted over the shoulder of one and thrown into the trunk of a car. She had no idea as to where they'd taken her, but as soon as she was placed back on her feet she bolted. In a dark that was heavy enough to feel, she ran and ran. The place seemed never ending.

And now she crawled.

The sound of glass breaking nearby made her movements still. She held her breath and with ears listening intently, she heard crunching shards under footsteps that grew closer. Panic surged. She decided to try and stand, this time making sure to place her weight on the uninjured right foot. Still she grit her teeth in pain.

Hop. Limp. Quickly hop.

A dull light from above shown down onto her, stinging eyes that had adjusted to darkness. A dead-end she had reached. There was no where to turn. She pressed her back against the wall of rusted metal. Heart beating madly in her chest.

"Hello Jody Bell." A deep voice spoke her name in an unsettling greeting. The owner of the voice stopped just shy of stepping into the light. "Don't cry." A man. In the velvet was a tenderness that was almost mocking.

She hadn't noticed the silent tears that were rolling down her cheeks. The image before her rips a cry from her mouth and the air from her lungs. The man extends his arm and in his hand a gun.

"Shh," he soothed, assuming perfect aim to her forehead. "I only want to play."

Her own scream was all she heard before he pulled the trigger.

AN: Although "Gemini" is a character created by Prince in relation to Batman/Joker, this story is not intended to be related to either character. This story is an original working that is based on an idea that I had while listening to the song "Trust" from the Batman soundtrack. I hope whoever reads this enjoys it. Let me know what you think! 💜