The Batman & The Investgator

The Call.

"Lenna." A voice lures me from the dark. Slowly and despite me trying to let the darkness consume me for a few moments longer , my eyes flutter open. "Lenna there we are, thought I'd lost you for a bit." My vision is blurry for a few seconds but I can feel a hand on my chin , the only thing holding my head up right now.

As I focus on the face right in front of me I gasp, immediately pulling away from their touch but instantly regret it. Try to hold in my cry of pain but I'm not that strong. I look down to my torso, the black handle of the knife still sits lodged into my left side and my green sweater is stained red. Every movement just adds to the torture. I try and breathe but it causes the blade to shift and cut deeper, unfortunately for me I need to breathe to survive.

It's all too overwhelming and I start to slip into the darkness again, seeking escape from the pain but he shakes my head and hits my cheek a few times keeping me awake. I groan. "That's right. You're staying with me for a little longer."

"Why are you doing this." I whisper, I do my best to send him a death glare but I'm sure with how weak I feel it can't have been all that intimidating.

He huffs in frustration and drops his hand from my chin making me use my energy to hold it up instead. "I've already told you Lenna, because you couldn't do your job when I simply asked you to prove my Father innocent." I have learnt my lesson about pushing that topic any further so I stray onto a different one instead.

"So you're just going to kill me like those other two victims?"Even though it's a question, I already know that the answer is yes. I am not making it out alive.

"No. I have better plans tonight. I was getting a little bored so tonight i've decided to make it more interesting." The way he perceives this all as some sick game makes me nauseous. He seems almost giddy. "I left a little something at your apartment Last night, and it is such a nice apartment. Your view is spectacular." He's taunting me, trying to get a rise out of me so I lash out and hurt myself again. Don't react Lenna. It takes all my will to stay silent and let him have his moment. After a few moments of tense glaring back and fourth at each other he seems disappointed I didn't give him a reason to get angry at me again.

As a silence rings out between us I take the chance to finally scan my surroundings once more. The sun no longer blares through the windows instead all I see is an endless black void, all signs of anything outside this warehouse, anything that could possibly be coming to help me, vanished with the sun. He has three large white lights set up on stands around the vicinity, casting a harsh cold light onto us and my desk, draining all the colour from everything it touches.

"Your detective friend should be calling any minute, along with that Batman fellow, I saw you all being all friendly last night at my scene. I'd imagine they're all quite worried for your safety. But they have nothing to worry about don't they." At his sarcastic last few words he leans forward and gives the knife a little push, not a lot but just enough for the pain, which I thought couldn't possibly get any worse to erupt in a fiery dance all through my entire body. Even after his added pressure disappears, it takes a few seconds before the agony dims down and i'm even able to think again. My throat aches from the screams I hadn't known I'd let out and my eyesight now seems to be stuck in a constantly blurry state, no matter how many times I try to blink the fuzziness away.

"You bitch" I spit.

He chuckles lightly. "Ooh, harsh." His voice drips with unenthusiastic sarcasm and he rolls his eyes.

"Please just kill me. We both know I'm not making it out of this Warehouse alive."

"Well, yes you are right but where's the fun in that I-" he's cut off when the sound of a phone ringing fills the air. "Aaand that should be your friends. Oh yes just incase you decide to say something stupid." He reaches to the desk behind him and picks up a roll of duct tape, rips off a peice, covering my mouth with it- despite my best attempts to avoid it I am stuck being silent. He stands up and walks around the desk into the open floor and answers his phone.

"Helloo." He draws out the o and stares at me menacingly as silence rings out and the person on the other end of the call talks. My heart beat picks up and it's all I can focus on as the quiet seconds draw out. I notice I've started to shiver and I know that can't be a good sign.

"Yes she's right here. But unfortunately she can't come to the phone right now." I try to yell and scream and call out to tell whoever is on the other end that I'm here but all that comes out is a muffled gurgle against the tape.

"Well I guess you'll just have to trust me on this one. Anyway onto the task at hand, if you haven't already found it you should have a look at the file I've left for you. You will have found it stuck to the outside of that nice big window along with that phone of yours, don't ask me how I got it there. " he starts pacing back and forth and looks quickly to his watch before sending me another glance. "I'd say you've got about an hour before she bleeds out, less if I get bored." At that he hangs up and pockets his phone once more. He looks up at me, I want to question him but stare at him in silence begging him with my gaze to take the tape off. He realises what I'm getting at and makes his way over to me, quickly ripping the tape off without hesitation. I hiss as it leaves my face stinging.

"Why would you want them here? They'll send you to prison." I immediately ask as soon as I can talk again.

"I'll be long gone by then and I doubt they'll be able to figure out the clues I've left in time. I love giving false hope." My stomach drops, any thought I'd had of possibly getting rescued extinguished. Suddenly I cough, a pain in my lungs forcing me too, I force myself to ignore the pain it causes from the blade. After a few seconds of coughing uncontrollably my mouth fills with a coppery taste. You're not doing too good there Lenna.

"By the looks of you I may have been too generous with my timeframe." I roll my eyes at him. "Well I'm just about done here so I'll be off. This is a good scene, so many files from your apartment, and this desk, what is this mahogany? Anyway." He pats me playfully on the head. "If you survive this then you've earned my forgiveness and I will leave you alone, if you don't... I'll have served my revenge."

He takes one last scan over the scene, admiring his work with a proud gaze. He points to the knife in my side says "you keep that." And then promptly turns and walks away, his form quickly disappearing behind the giant white lights. Just before he is out of earshot I can make out him mumbling to himself  "Trust me she won't last long enough."

At that he's gone and I am left alone to my pain and my thoughts, neither very welcoming at the moment.