Give Me a Smile

I woke up in another room. Cars and people were loud outside, and the TV was on. My tongue was dry and my head hurt. That son of a bitch had drugged me. And, by the looks of it, moved me somewhere else. I moaned and grabbed my head. “Fuck....”

A chuckle grabbed my attention. “Quinn. You’re awake.” The Joker was sitting on a couch, that tattered suitcase in his lap. He grinned at me. “Look at the TV. I gave you something. Just to see you smile. Recorded the broadcast of it and everything.”

I turned my eyes to the screen. The news was on. A blandly pretty reporter was looking seriously at the camera. I couldn’t hear her quite clearly, but I caught ‘breaking news’ ‘murder’ ‘Joker’ and ‘disturbing’. Then the screen flashed to a picture of a man I knew.

He was dead, and a wide smile had been slashed across his face. The Joker had killed Herman Stol. In spite of myself, I smiled. He caught it, clapping his hands together and laughing. “See! Ah, look at that smile! Ha, beautiful.”

The Joker got up and put an arm around my shoulder. “I’ll destroy anything that steals your smile, Quinn.” “You, uh, drugged me,” I muttered. “Sorry about that, but, uh, y’know that flying rodent?” I nodded.

“He was, he was getting TOO close. And although I just love a little, ha!, excitement, I can’t have him ruining my fun.” The Joker flipped the TV off and dusted off his pants. “And you were so....open, too. Maybe you’re starting to like me a bit, eh?” He nudged me. “I was drugged.” I said. “Mhm.” He grinned and got up.

“But I killed that nasty man for ya, Quinn. And I gave him, hoo!, a pretty new GRIN! Don’t I, eh, get a bit of, aha, thanks for that? Although your smile was enough.” “Thank you,” I mumbled. “Quinnie, you’re so obedient, haha! I like that about you.”

He tossed me water and a granola bar. “I even brought you dinner.” I only had one hand free (still handcuffed) so I had to rip it open with my teeth. I gulped them down, praying they weren’t drugged. I had no idea how he drugged me earlier, and I didn’t want it to happen again.

“I gotta leave you for a bit longer, but I’ll be back. Maybe I’ll even, hoo!, bring you a present!” I watched him leave before I settled back against the bed side, staring at the wall.