Little Miss Gotham

Chapter Twenty

The abandoned drug factory resided in the desolate wasteland of Gotham's warehouses. The gravel throughout the roads overgrown with weeds and littered with trash and crates created a path for Joker to drive along. I recalled the times I went on tours with my mother through these once clean streets to persuade investors to put some more money into the "heart of Gotham's economy". But Bane destroyed it all and we simply rebuilt elsewhere which was actually a lot easier than trying to fix everything. These buildings were deteriorating and some even missed corners of the roofs and were left with a gaping hole of wires and bricks. Others had missing windows which revealed the empty insides. Then there were places like the one Scarecrow owned. 

We turned the corner and came to a long, narrow building two stories high with probably another two underneath. It seemed to take up an entire block but I couldn't tell. The roof was curved like a quarter of a circle on the side of the building and funnels blew a white smoke through them. Scarecrow was definitely doing his work.

As soon as he stopped the car, I stepped out of it. 

"You're gonna go in there and get yourself hurt." Joker said. 

I stopped, turned around and reached into the car to grab my gun underneath the seat.

"I got it covered." I said.

I glanced at him before I left and headed to the double doors. In the back of my mind, I knew Joker was a little tense after I told him he was my worst fear. Joker wasn't tense in an upset way. He was angry. But Eric was more important. Whether or not I had true feelings for him, I couldn't let him get caught up in my mess. 
I easily pulled open the metal doors that creaked and echoed through the dimly lit warehouse. It was wide open and left with rusted machines that had cobwebs stretched out among them. I heard the faint sound of steam blowing and the sound of gears moving against each other along with distant whirring sound. As I took careful steps along the concrete isle, I felt the ground humming beneath my feet. 
If it were any quiet, my heavy heartbeat would be echoing through the cold warehouse. As I neared another set of doors, my palms became a little clammy. The sounds were becoming louder and I started to worry. What if Eric was already killed? What if this was a trap set up for me? What if I had to go through that horrifying experience again?

I stood before the doors, waiting to go through. I patiently listened to the sounds and pushed my ear up against the door. The sounds seemed dull but louder and I listened for any signs of a person being in there. 

"When will Miss Gotham arrive?" a man yelled. "The villain becomes a hero and saves her secret lover? Perhaps not..." 

I tensed and my blood ran cold.

Did he know I was here?

Before I could even get a second to prepare myself, the loud bang against the door that bounced off my eardrums sent me staggering back and collapsing to the solid ground. But I immediately gathered myself and forced myself back on my feet as I came face to face with Dr.Jonathan Crane. With a nice suit and combed hair, I stared into the eyes of a man who might come off as a normal human being. But in fact, I was sickened to my stomach just looking at him.

"Where's Eric?" I demanded. I felt shaky and sick. I've never been in on my own before.
"Where's Miss Gotham? Do you leave her with the Joker or are you going solo now?" he asked, taking a step closer. My grip on the gun became tighter.
"She's not here at the moment. I'm just looking for my friend." I said, attempting to sound more demanding instead of scared.
"Oh, she's always here." Jonathan grinned, tapping his head. I couldn't disagree with him. 
"Fine. You want to see that side to me?" I asked. "You're going to wish you hadn't asked." I stepped forward and in one swift move I was quick enough to kick him in his chest before he could react. Jonathan stumbled back and before I could step closer, another person came into the room behind him and I stopped everything I was doing.

The bleached skin with blonde hair in pigtails colored in red and blue made me think of all the nightmares I've had about this moment. If she wasn't dressed in the "shorts" and T-shirt that belonged to a toddler, I might have suspected it was someone else. But that grin as crazy as Joker's eyes confirmed my worst fear.

"Ooh, this is the girl I've heard so much about!" she said with a raspy voice and a strong accent. I grimaced. 

"Funny, I've never heard Joker mention you." I said, smiling sweetly. I knew I had the upper hand. I was classy and crazy and she was just...crazy. That crazy smile changed into the scariest death stare I've ever seen. 
"Why you little--"
My heart would have jumped out of my chest if Jonathan didn't hold her back. "Not yet." he mumbled. "Now that you two have met, let's get down to business." he said more loud and clear. I raised my eyebrows and crossed my arms. Before I commented, I made a mental note that I was still equipped with knives in my boots. 
"What business? I'm taking my friend and leaving no matter who I have to go through. Or what, for that matter." I said, looking at Harley with a scowl. I was utterly disgusted with her. I was jealous too but that didn't matter. I was Joker's, right? At least this time she didn't comment. She only stared.

"You bring our Clown Prince inside and let me handle him and I'll give you your friend Eric. No games. I have people watching." Jonathan proposed. 
"Or I just shoot the two of you?" I suggested, holding up my gun and pointing right at Harley. "I'd like to do this world a favor." 

"That won't be a problem."

I recognized that long, drawn out vocabulary anywhere. I looked up at the Joker but for some reason, I wasn't thrilled to hear that deep voice of his. He walked along the narrow balcony along the perimeter of the inside of the building and seemed to be looking at Harley. Not me. My heart started to crumble a little but I remained hopeful that he was here to help me get Eric. 

"Puddin'!" Harley cried as he came down the steps which ironically left him standing on their side. I waited for him to push her away and come to me. Hell, he could have blown off their heads for all I care! But he didn't. He let Harley run into his arms. While he didn't make any faces and remained with his blank stare, he still had an arm around her waist. My throat tightened and I wanted to cry. I felt sick. But I kept my shoulders straight and took a deep breath.

"Go get her friend. I got places to be." Joker said, looking at Harley while directing his command to Jonathan who very well looked intimidated. 

"Follow me." he said, looking at me. I nodded and followed him into the smoky room that was another level beneath the floor I was just on. I didn't dare look at Joker or Harley. My heart shattered and I felt numb as I watched the drugs mix and burn through the various machines as they were made into liquids or pills that went into vials and buckets. 

"I guess that didn't go as you planned, huh?" I asked.
"Shut up." Jonathan mumbled. 
Across the room, I noticed Eric wrapped up in rope, dangling over a large, metal contraption that had a yellow substance in it. In that moment, my fear of Eric's life woke me up. The foul smell and the pain in my heart all hit me as I ran to him. I pulled the lever and immediately brought the sleeping Eric back over the edge. When I let him fall to the floor, he gasped for air and started to panic. Tears formed in my eyes. I was happy to have saved him but inside, I was completely heart broken.

"Shh, Eric." I said, my voice cracking as I unwrapped him from the rope as quickly as I could. "I'm here." I kept repeating those words in hopes to calm him down. But how can you even help someone else when you feel like you're dying inside?

I am so sorry for my slow updates. School started and it's a bitch. By the time I'm free of work and chores, I'm exhausted. But I hope you all enjoy this!