Laughing On The Outside

Chapter 1

   

  Saying that you'd been there, that you've gone through what he was still going through, that you were driving yourself mad like he was, no, that would be a lie. Unlike him, life had been fair to you. Your family didn't reside in Gotham, but still, its existence was enough. You knew that there were people you could rely on and that was all you needed.

  You had a decent job, a dangerous one, but you tried to make the best out of it. You'd always try to see the bright side of being a reporter in Gotham City. However, aware of the recent events, you couldn't help but hesitate when it came to going out at night to take photographs of "whatever will make a great Headline, okay?"

  Your late-night travels in Gotham caused you to return home after midnight, and it sucked. It sucked because you were sleep-deprived. It was exhausting, both physically and mentally and the escape you so needed was not anywhere to be seen. You needed a break but you were aware that even that was too much to ask. Once you got fired, you knew it would take forever to get a new job. Gotham was rotting from the inside.

  After a long night of wandering in the city, you finally took the subway home. You were sitting next to a woman who was reading a book, clearly unbothered by the small group of men laughing like idiots right opposite of you. When they started talking to her, one of the men throwing some of his french fries at her, the woman simply threw them a pitiful glare before getting off at the next stop.

  You suddenly felt vulnerable and helpless. What if these guys tried to get to you too? There weren't any other people in this wagon, just you, the three guys and...This man dressed as a clown. The man that was now laughing hysterically, catching your attention. You got the chills, things were getting weirder and weirder and you just couldn't wait until you got out of there.

  When these men got up, approaching the clown, you let out a sigh of relief you've been trying to release ever since you got οn; They'd found someone else to focus on. But that was an innocent thought. A selfish one, sure, but you never imagined that within a few minutes they would throw him on the ground and start kicking him violently. The man was yelling for them to stop, letting out screams of pain mixed with... laughter? You couldn't quite catch everything that he was saying, some muffled stops and "not my stuff, please!"

  You were terrified. You'd never been the heroic type, you preferred staying in the safety of shadows but this time, something inside you caught fire. The urge to help him washed over you and with angry eyes, you shot up, dropping your things on your seat before approaching the three men.

  "What the fuck are you doing? Leave him alone, now!" You tried to sound as confident and brave as you could, but the tremble in your voice gave away more than you could control.

  "What's your problem, bitch? You mind your own fucking business unless you wanna end up like this asshole!"

  Chills ran down your spine as you let his words slowly sink in. What were you doing? You could end up severely injured or even dead for the sake of a man you didn't know. But you couldn't just stand there, watching that horrible scene unfold in front of your tired eyes. Gotham had its own poison now, that of injustice, it sprayed its people with it and just let it spread. All hell broke loose, the city could never be saved and you knew it. Wayne's promises were empty.

  You took a step back from them, contemplating on whether asking for help from another wagon or even the driver was a good idea. The subway was empty at this hour, it could take several minutes for you to find someone. Your heart was beating really fast and your brain was panicking, not allowing logical and sane thoughts to enter your head.

  The horrible scene turned out to an utter nightmare when you heard a gunshot. Then another and then another one...Tears of terror started pooling from your eyes as you saw two of the men fall down, blood jetting from where they'd been shot. The clown was holding a gun as he tried his best to retain his balance and get up.

  You were frozen. You wanted to scream, run and never look back...

  You couldn't. You just couldn't. It was like your whole system had suddenly turned off. Your legs weren't responding to your orders, instead, they started to shake, ready to give in at any moment. All you could do was stand and watch as the third man ran past you, ran for his life, something that you should have been doing successfully.

  You closed your eyes tightly, choked sobs escaping your lips as you prayed, Prayed that you wouldn't be next. That in some way, you'd turn invisible or find yourself wearing an armor.

  None of that happened. No angel came to the rescue, no miracle happened, nothing. You were simply ignored.

  You were seen but ignored. Because you simply did nothing. You didn't make fun of him. You tried to help.

  And he'd thank you later. He had been memorizing your face for a while. You never felt his eyes on you, you didn't even notice when he'd got on...

  He'd thank you later, he knew he had to somehow...

  But for now, there was this man he just couldn't let run away. He had to get what he deserved.