Before You Came

Cursed

"All available units, we have a 207 at Citation Blvd. on the East side of Gotham Bay with reports of a 245."

Dick Grayson looked at the radio in disgust, he'd never liked the 245s. He straightened his cap and picked up the radio, looking back out onto the road as he drove his cruiser faster. "Copy that, this is Deputy Sheriff Grayson, will arrive in 20."

The deputy put the radio back and silence filled the air around him until the radio flared to life again with a staticky, "Roger that, Deputy."

Dick Grayson, or rather Deputy Sheriff Grayson now, a product of his recent promotion, loved his job, he really did. He loved the people he worked with, he loved the feeling of doing something bigger than yourself; he was a bit 'ridiculously virtuous' as his partner Lieutenant Todd liked to tell him. Doing good for others had always been his calling, had been since he was little and still lived in Romania where he remembered teaching the village kids gymnastics tricks before his family departed for another circus tour. It was what made him Dick Grayson.

Todd always told him that his heart was bigger than a city and if there was a particular city that needed it the most, it was Gotham.

The week before his parents arrived in Gotham, exactly two weeks before their deaths, his mother told him a town legend, how the founders of Gotham, the original settlers, forcibly took Native land. The Natives demanded their land back and the settlers only laughed and laughed and laughed.

The natives were insulted and enraged, and fought against the invaders of the land. The next weeks they were defeated harshly in almost every battle and lost many of their tribe members. The next day they were forced off the land and as they left, with the laughter of the settlers taunting them, the chief turned back and cursed the city of Gotham and its people, for all of eternity. He cursed them so that they would never laugh again.

Even if the story had been seemed false to him, it still managed to instill fear deep into his young, impressionable mind. Twenty years later, that fear was still there and he was older now to realize that his fear would never leave. Especially not in a city like this.

This town was cursed by every sense of the word but he couldn't bring himself to leave. Even after he got out of high school, or the orphanage, or college. This town needed him, even if it had taken everything from him.

He pulled up to the building mentioned on the broadcasted location, the three cop cars flashing around it was enough indication that he was in the right place. Dick hopped out of the car and walked to the spot where a couple of cops stood around talking, looking back at the building every so often.

When he arrived a cop, who he identified as his friend, Lieutenant Jason Todd, turned to him with a teasing grin, "Nice of you to join us, Sheriff."

Dick rolled his eyes at the jab and ignored him, looking back at the other two officers, he asked, "Any information on the situation, gentlemen?"

The two cops shook their heads as the shorter one of the two, whose badge read Espinoza, said, "We tried to find an opening but all the entrances we found were locked up tight."

The other cop, Lawrence, continued on, shaking his blonde hair in obvious irritation, "We tried to signal any possible occupants of the building but nobody has responded, the place seems dead, Deputy."

Dick nodded his head and pushed his hat tighter on his head in anger. "Do you think this was a scam?"

Jason shrugged. "Probably, there doesn't seem to be any signs of life."