Scars Along the Way

Never Leave You Behind

This was the most uncomfortable car ride ever. The zip ties were really starting to dig in. She tried to shift around a bit to get more comfortable, but she was so tightly wedged between the two men that she could barely move.

She snuck a peek at the Joker every once in a while. His face had changed so much, yet was undeniably Jack. Just much more grown-up.

The deep scars on his mouth saddened her. She had to wonder, though - what were the chances of them both ending up with disfiguring scars on their faces? And what were the chances of ending up in the same place at the same time?

She alternated between staring at her shoes and staring out at the dark road ahead of them. She could see that she was being taken to some place pretty far out from the city. There was no way to tell where they were, as she wasn't that familiar with anything except for the ride from her house to the main part of the city. They had been riding in complete silence for at least an hour.

They drove up to the back of a building. In the moonlight, she could see that it was some type of warehouse, one that looked old and abandoned. Eva looked to the Joker, who was still looking ahead. They eased into an open garage, the headlights illuminating boxes that were stacked high along the wall.

As they parked, the men opened the doors and stepped out of the vehicle. Eva was dragged by her arm, nearly tripping as her feet hit the concrete.

The men followed behind the Joker. They entered through large metal doors, walking into a room that appeared to be a run-down kitchen, with stainless steel industrial equipment like a cafeteria would have. The floor was littered with paper and rusty silverware.

They followed the Joker through the entry into the next room, a dining hall equally as neglected as the kitchen where four men sat at the tables, waiting.

"Honey, I'm hooome!" sang the Joker. The men stood up as he entered the room.

He walked over to one of the men. "Clean up a nice little room for our ah, guest." the man nodded and left the room.

"How'd it go, boss?" asked one of the men sitting at the tables. He was the shortest of all the henchmen, probably why he wasn't one of them that helped crash the party. He looked at her and back at the Joker curiously. Another of the men who had stayed here in the warehouse, a bald man who had to be at least 6'3 and looked like a predator, stared at her creepily.

The Joker dragged a chair out and straddled it, facing all of the men. Everybody else took a seat. She wanted to stay and hear more of Jack's voice, but the man he had sent to set up a room for her had reappeared and the other henchman who was still holding onto her arm dragged her out of the dining hall as the Joker held his meeting with the goons.

Eva was taken down a corridor. They stopped at the fifth room, where the door was open. Suddenly, his large hand grabbed her shoulder. He shoved her into the room, causing her to trip on the threshold and fall to the hard floor, unable to put her hands out in front of her to break her fall. "I think you know this, but it wouldn't be too smart for you to try anything." he said before slamming the door shut. She heard him lock it and walk away. She rolled over and sat up painfully, her arm and ribs throbbing. She looked around the room she was now imprisoned in.

It was grimey like the rest of this place. The windows were barred. The room was bare besides the dirt and flakes of peeled paint on the floor, and there was a musty, mildewy smell in the air.

There was a room to the left of the door, which appeared to have had the door removed from the hinges. With her hands tied behind her back, she got onto her knees and stood up, then walked over to look inside.