Behind His Mask

Kingdom

The Joker and I finished what someone from the outside might see as a fit of evil laughter.

"No time like the present. We're off!" Joker reached down and laced his fingers with mine. "Just some additional security." He winked at me. His tone seemed playful but I took his words seriously. If I did run off he didn't want to have to shoot me. In some kind of dark way that made me feel good. Although it showed he didn't completely trust me, it was a step in the right direction. He grabbed my bag and we were off.

I willingly walked with him to the elevator down the hall. I reached for the button to call the elevator but he pulled back back.

"Uh, we really don't have the time to be stopping for photos and autographs right now." Joker giggled. His face had been on every news channel in the city yesterday. It would be bad if someone were to spot him. Probably worse for them than for him. I feared what he might would do in that situation.

"Let's get our cardio in for the day." He motioned towards the door to the stairwell. I groaned. He chuckled as he pulled me towards the door.

He didn't let go of my hand as we raced down the stairs. I was out of breath by the second flight. I should've hit the gym more.

When we exited the stairwell onto the first floor the Joker led me towards the back of the building. We walked down a few dimly lit hallways that led us to the back of the building. We came upon an old looking rusted door. Joker raised his leg and forcefully kicked it open. It led into the alleyway behind the apartment complex.

We exited the building and I looked up and down the alley. We seemed to be the only ones here. Not even two seconds had passed before a vehicle pulled into the alley and slowly approached us. Joker seemed to expect it because he didn't make a move to hide.

We took a step back as it pulled up next to us. A black van. It's side door slid open to reveal two dangerous looking men. I recognized one as the other guy I had run into at the high school. Would he hold some grudge against me for getting his buddy killed? The man gave me a cold stare. Joker turned to me and must've been able to see my apprehension. He gave my hand a reassuring squeeze.

"They know it's there too. They won't touch you." He nodded his head back, motioning towards the gun concealed beneath his jacket. I found little comfort in his words. Even if he could protect me, I didn't want another person dying because of me. Memories of the high school flashed through my mind.

The Joker apparently wasn't a patient man. When I didn't make a move, he pulled me along behind him as he climbed into the back of the van.

"Into the van of villainous men we go." He said in a singsong voice. Reluctantly, I climbed in behind him. The two men retreated to the back of the van and knelt down, giving the Joker and I plenty of room. There was no seating so I sat on the floor of the van. Joker finally released my hand to slide the door closed beside me. The Joker plopped down and rested himself against the back of the driver seat. There was no chance of me escaping now. I glanced at the two men in the back nervously. Both their eyes were cast down.

No one spoke as the van pulled out of the alley and onto the busy streets of Gotham. The silence felt more tense than awkward. What do you even chat about with villains? I could barely see out the front window from where I sat. Where were we going? I peered around the passenger chair to try to get a better look.

The Joker rested his hand on my shoulder and stopped me from leaning anymore. My eyes found his and his playful smile was gone again, but his look didn't seem as cold to me this time. Perhaps I was just getting use to it though. He playfully wagged his finger at me. His voice wasn't as dark as when he usually gave me warnings.