Protect Me From What I Want

I was completely paralysed with a mix of emotions. Months of therapy completely shattered in a split second with two little words. I didn’t know what to do. I first I just wanted to run up to him and completely devour him, but the other side of me was telling me to run. “They all thought you were dead,” was the first thing I managed to stammer out. I nervously twiddled my fingers together trying to distract myself from him penetrating glaze.

“Boy, did I prove them wrong,” he snickered with a lick of his lips. “You’re late, Harely. You could have had me sitting here all night waiting up for you. And yeesh. What happened to you? You don’t look to good, you know that?” I rolled my eyes at yet again another insult.

“How did you know I was going to come?”

“You’re forgetting how well I know you, toots. I knew that little, naive Harley would jump at the first chance she gets to find another sign of life. You saw the light on and immediately assumed that someone will be there to help you. Like a moth to a flame. But in reality you just shot yourself in the foot. And you even came prepared,” he said as he waved his hand towards the nightstick.

“What have you done with Brooke?” I asked urgently.

“Brooke? Who- Oh Dr Reed! Wait right there. I’ll show you,” he started as he leaned over to his left. I debated running away from him while he had disappeared, but he was sitting up straight almost a second later. He slammed Brooke’s lifeless body onto the desk in front of him and my hand simultaneously covered my mouth to stop me from screaming. Her perfect face had now been engraved with a permanent smile and her eyes were wide open in rigor mortis. It was the cut to the throat that must have killed her. “Isn’t she beautiful? It was too easy cutting into her delicate skin.” The back of his leather hand made its way down along her face, neck and body.

I refused to dignify that question with an answer. I was still in shock from the sight.

“So, I and Dr Reed here were reading through some of her reports on you,” he stated allowing Brooke’s body to slide off the desk and back onto the floor. His feet replaced her spot on the desk as he leaned back in her chair, opening one of the files in the process. “It seems as if you liked to talk about me a lot. Were you missing me?” Once again I didn’t reply, because I didn’t want to admit to what I had been doing every night. Blinking rapidly, he slowly took the glasses away from his eyes and placed them on the desk. Pinching the bridge of his nose he stated, “She must have been as blind as a bat. Speaking of which, it also states in the reports that you had a little scrap with Batsy and Commissioner. I’d love to know what made you snap.” I remained quiet. “What happened? Did they cut your tongue off and give you lobotomy or something? You’ve hardly said to words to me since you came in. There’s no need to be shy, my little harlequin. It’s just your Prince Charming coming to take his fair Princess away from this dreaded place. It’s the perfect fairytale really.”

He stood up from the chair and slowly began to edge his way over to me. I took a step back closer to the door getting ready to run.

“Ah tah tah tah tah. Where do you think you’re going?” He questioned maliciously as me made is way closer to me. As a mere reflex, I shoved the tip of the nightstick into his chest knocking the air out of him with a grunt and then gave a swift kick to his stomach straight after knocking him over the desk. I didn’t have a chance to see if he actually tumbled over the desk since I was already shooting out of the room before I saw him fall. The thought of him falling over the desk was quite comical; however, the low growl that he emitted made me think otherwise. I began speeding up down the corridors trying my best not to trip over any dead bodies. I could see the elevator just in the distance with the doors wide open as if fate was on my side today. It made me even more determined to reach the door before The Joker grabbed me. I turned around for a second and realised that he was further away than I expected giving me plenty of time to press the button.

Once I stepped inside I frantically pushed the button for the ground floor, praying that the doors would close before he reached them. I saw him approaching closer and closer and still the doors did not close. Just when I thought he was about to make it in, the doors began to close and he came slamming into them not being able to stop himself in time. Another annoyed growl escaped his lips as the elevator began to move down. I let out a sigh of relief thinking I was safe for awhile.

It wasn’t till the elevator was halfway down to ground level when I realised that his stupid long legs were probably going to be able to run down the stairs faster than the elevator could reach the destination. Urgently, I began pressing any button I could hoping that it would stop at any floor other than the ground floor. Luck wasn’t on my side as I heard the ping of the elevator doors beginning to open as it reached ground level.

I let out a scream when The Joker barged through the doors as soon as they had opened and began flailing the nightstick at him. This time he was more aware and caught the nightstick as I attempted striking him. He pulled it out of my grip and threw it aside viciously. Straight after he slammed me into the side of the elevator, wrapping a hand around my throat and with my head banging into the metal in the process making me emit a discomforted groan in response.

“What are you playing at, hmm? I thought you’d be happy to see me, judging by the crazy stuff you’ve said in your sessions. This place must have really brainwashed you. You do remember me don’t you, hmm? Then why are you acting so hostile and afraid? It’s me; your Mr J. I’d never do anything to hurt you, toots.” Kind of contradicting considering the fact that his hand was wrapped tightly around my neck. The cheesy music still playing in the background was the cherry on top of the most beautifully contradicting predicament.