Maniacs (Gotham)

Never Ends Well

[No Man's Land - Day 90]

"Kai!" I hissed, trying to climb up the emergency ladder as quietly as possible, "You're gonna get us caught."

I received narrowed eyes, "It's my shoes." He had on boots, which caused him to walk heavily, and I was about ready to chop his feet off. "And if we get caught, it's your fault because we're not even supposed to be here." He retorted, crossing his arms.

That is true.

We were currently peeking around Safe Haven - A ginormous complex of apartments. It was the nicest place that I have ever seen on this island. It was full of light and happiness. The common area in the center had children playing outside, everyone else seemed comfortable, almost without much fear. There were tents outside to eat; It made me think about how cramped and how little food they must have. No matter how commanding and desperate the GCPD was, they couldn't make any miracles happen.

"You know why we're here," I replied, rolling my eyes.

We peeked into the windows, looking around all over the place. A grimace came onto my face as I noticed several people inside, making it difficult to scan the area. It took a while but eventually, I could see the silhouette of a young boy - Will. He was sitting on one of the bunk beds, a blue cast wrapped around his arm.

I lightly hit the dusty window; the first time, the sound flew over his head as he was too deep in his own thoughts. The second time around, the knocking caught his attention. His head looked up and around until we connected eyes. I raised a hand, waving at him just to let him know that I was actually here. A tiny grin looped on his face. He looked around and put a finger to his mouth, telling me to not make any noise before pointing me somewhere else. Kai and I immediately were on the move, meeting up with the boy in a more isolated area.

"Reese. Kai." He breathed, elated, immediately after opening the small window.

I beamed, "It's so nice to see you."

The male behind me ruffled Will's hair, "Hey, buddy."

Will threw himself toward me, wrapping his only good arm around my neck and pulling me close to him, "You actually kept your promise."

"Of course I did, kiddo," I whispered, hugging him back, pressing a hand upon the back of his head to comfort. "Sorry I didn't come earlier."

"It's okay. You still came."

When we pulled apart, I motioned to the blue cast and sling sustaining his forearm, "And what happened 'ere?"

He became nervous, hesitating, "Um - I've been having nightmares... I fell out of bed."

My heart sunk to my stomach, feeling sorry for him, "Oh, dear." Honestly, after everything he's been through, I wouldn't expect less. Now, he is alone because the Soothsayers murdered his parents. I dreaded his future because of all these bad memories, but I could only wish that his life would get better when we got out of this predicament. He didn't deserve this... none of those kids did.

The little boy's eyes welled, "I dreamt that I tried to escape the Soothsayers, and I got lost in the dark." He sighed, "It never ends well."

My eyes burned, remembering the times when I have felt as miserable. I ran my fingers through his disheveled hair, "You're safe. You're going to be okay."

"Doesn't feel like it."

"I know." I bit my lip, thinking about something I could say to him - There wasn't much, truthfully. "Someone I love once told me to keep fighting... even when it all became dark."

His brown eyes filled with wonder, "Jeremiah?"

"Good guess, but no." I chuckled sadly, my heart skipping a beat at the thought of this important person, "Someone I miss a lot. My best friend. A lot more than that." I didn't want to divulge much of that personal story with anyone.