Arkham Days

I felt my knees tremble and buckle as the scarred man's face pressed into the back of my neck. His arms supported my weight only for a second before tossing me on to a cot by my side.

"You, ah, haven't been playing very nice." He walked towards me his head cocked to the side. There was no way out, the door had already been shut and locked leaving me trapped inside. The guards usually did a few patrols to double check things before lights out, but as I heard the loud click of the electricity shutting off the lights in the hall, I knew the Joker had already taken care of that.

"You haven't been playing fair." I spat back. His mouth formed odd "o" shapes as he laughed at my quip.

"No, but ah, I never really do." I drew me feet in, pulling my knees to my chest as the mattress gave underneath his weight.

"I'll scream." I narrowed my eyes, although my legs were ready to spring, I was hoping my threat, as empty as it was, would scare him at least a little. He smirked as he began edging over top, his weight threatening to crush me.

"Go ahead," he leaned in licking his lips and smacking them together by my ear, making me jump at the loud pop that echoed around my head. "I, ah, like it when they scream." I opened my mouth to make my threat reality when his hand clamped over my lips and forced my head back against the cot. I tried to kick my feet out but his weight and proximity didn't allow any force behind my blow and he merely grunted as he pressed in further pinning my knees against my chest. My hands clasped at his grip over my mouth, throwing my head back and forth trying to get free, but the fight was short lived as his free hand came up confining both my wrists to his one large hand. I thrashed my body around, but he remained steady.

"If you don't stop moving I will break your arms." I stopped my movements, unlike my words I knew he would hold true to his. He sat up pulling me with him.

"If you move a -ah, little muscle...I will kill you. Do you understand?" I nodded. "Good girl." His hands slid from my wrists and mouth, turning to grasp the sides of my shirt.

"Hey what are you-" A large hand clamped over my mouth once more, this time the grip almost painful.

"At-tat-tat-ta," He shook his head. "Now what did I say?" He released his grip once more his hand returning to the hem of my shirt tugging it up and over my head. I inhaled sharply as the cold air hit my bare skin, my mind fighting my arms desire to cross over my chest, and shield me from the cold and prying eyes. I squeezed my eyes closed determine not to see whatever it was he was going to do anything, but I couldn't help the shiver that ran through my skin when his fingers lightly traced the curved outline of my small breast. I could feel one arm press to my side, his weight causing the mattress to tilt slightly as the other hand went up to my right side and his fingers began lightly tracing. I knew his fingers were close to my breast, but for some reason the skin felt strange. Kind of like when your leg falls asleep and you know your touching your leg, but you can't tell if what you're feeling is actually a feeling or your brains acknowledgement that something is touching you. Hesitantly, I cracked my eyes open searching for the numb flesh the clown as molesting and then I saw it. They were light colored and shiny, the skin looking extremely stretched as the form came extended from my ribs creating an almost moon shape around the side of my bust.

A burn.

How did I never notice before? I washed everyday, I looked in the mirror everyday and somehow this mark of a former life had been completely blind to me. Like I had been trying to put together puzzle pieces by the shapes, and then some reminded me I could use the colors. I had never noticed it, just like I had been sitting here for who knows how long and never even noticed he had stopped. My eyes turned up to look at him. For the first time since he had arrived, he wasn't smiling. He cocked his head to the side staring at the blemish.

"How did you get it?" Our eyes met and like two dogs trying to claim leadership neither of us would turn away. I crossed my arms over my chest to cover myself.

"I don't know. How did you get yours?" He barked a small laugh before sliding off of me and over to my side. He leaned back on his arms sprawling his feet out as I relaxed my form and slid to the far end of the bed.

"You wanna know how I got these scars?" He turned his head. I nodded his affirmation, as he let out another short crow. "Which story would you like?"

"You don't remember?" My voice was very quiet.

"Sometimes I remember it one way, sometimes another... if I'm going to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice!"* He cackled and laughed but his face look disturbed.

"Do you still feel them?" My hand shot up to cover my mouth, as the words poured out past my lips before I could seal them. He cocked his head to the side smacking his lips together.

"Feel. What?" His lips pressed into a thin line, his eyes rolling up to meet mine as he hunched over towards me, his face tilted down to create a menacing look all the while looking surprisingly nonchalant.

"I just...." I sighed. I had already open the box might as well finish digging. "I just recently found I had a scar. It's on the side of my foot." I pulled my leg up grabbing the pants and hoisting them up around my calf to expose the delicate line. "Like the scar on my side. When I touch it, when you just touched it...I know I'm touching it, but it's like I can't really feel it. Almost numb in a way, you know?"

"Ah," he turned away from me leaning back. "It must not be that, ah, old." I stared at him, my body shivering of its own accord. He slid back closer, closing the distance between us, his face leaning in close to mine.

"You, ah, want to give them a touch?"

Author's notes:

So this is another finished chapter. More Joker just like I promised. I also wrote a little diddle 'Tips from Writer to Writer' which I posted on Fan Fiction.net (same author name.). Check it out and comment, I'm curious to see how many people agree with me, and how many people are utterly offended. Anyway I'll update more soon, sorry it took so long. Comment and let me know what you think?

*Line used from Joker in The Killing Joke: Disclaimer I do not own the Joker nor any of the comics he was featured in, or anything by DC for that matter.