Status: i'm abroad right now, so it'll be difficult to upload chapters - i'm still writing them though :')

Coffee Republic

One Crazy Day

Avery was stumbling down the maze of alleyways and sideroads, the cool shade of the towering buildings drowning her trembling body in a cold darkness.

The shattered remains of her phone had been abandoned by the side of the road, and yet she could still hear the buzzing of her mother calling her, ringing in her ears. Rubbing at her right ear self-consciously, she continued down the narrow little road, still anxious about bumping into either the clown or one of his goons again.

The encounter had lasted a handful of minutes at most, but the feeling of the gun pressing against her forehead still made her want to gag whenever she thought about it. With the joints in her fingers cold and stiff, she clumsily tied the grey cardigan around her waist and tucked her black shirt into her skirt.

Little pieces of the Joker's dialouge were floating back to her as she tried to look presentable, little fragments of memory that she had obviously misplaced in her moments of pure panic. One of them immediately made her skin crawl, and she bit down harshly on her lip at the realisation.

I heard it's going to be a blast!

There was a disgusting, metallic taste in her mouth, but Avery was too occupied by his words to notice the small smear of blood across her lips.

"Oh god. Sammy." Her voice rose hysterically at her brother's name, and with only a short second of hesitation she was running down the road, following the cheers and trumpet blares of the Parade as it marched closer and closer to both her, and undoubtedly the Joker, were.

Image

The parade was a flurry of police officers and men in red coats proudly playing the trumpets, seperated from the rest of the ordinary citizens by a thin metal gate. Everyone was cheering, leaning over the barrier and waving posters and pictures, constantly chanting 'I believe in Harvey Dent!'

After a year or so of solemn appreciation and a speech in his honour, Harvey Dent Day had become more of a festival than anything. The majority of Gotham flocked around the small parade like sheep, waiting in anticipation for the float that would come rolling in, adorning a picture of the late D.A's face.

Everyone was acting hysterical and excited at that point, so Avery's panic went unnoticed as she shoved her way through the crowd, craning her neck and trying to spot her little brother and her mother. The clown's words were repeating themselves over and over again like a broken record player, and with each blast she was becoming more and more wound up.

blast
blast
blast
blast


Her chest felt tight and her head felt heavy, so when a hand clapped on her shoulder Avery jolted in surprise, snapping out of the haze she had been in.

"Where were you? You missed most of the parade!" Her mother's whisper declined into a hiss, and Avery grimaced.

She wasn't proud of what she did next - it was a small, insignificant thing, but one that mattered greatly in the grand scheme of things. Avery hesitated, the promise she had made to the clown flashing across the forefront of her mind.

And she won't tell anyone, will you doll?

I won't tell anyone.


Why was she listening to him anyway? Her eyes flickered down to see Sammy clinging onto her mother's hand, dark green eyes wide with fright. Like he could sense the panic and fear radiating off of her.

A sudden burst of defiance and stubborness shook her, and Avery parted her lips to tell her mother what she had seen; but those few seconds of hesitation had cost her so much.

A shrill scream shattered the harmonious chorus of cheers and chants, and the crowd immediately quietened for a split second, stunned. More screams and gasps followed, a horrifying wave of shrieks that forced Avery to whip around and face whatever was shocking the citizens so much.

The float had arrived, but it was horribly disfigured. Mayor Garcia had unrolled the banner, only to reveal that the handsome face of Harvey Dent had been defaced, half of it smeared in scarlet blood paint. It was paint, it had to be paint. Words were scribbled over the blue background behind him in a nearly unintelligable scrawl.

The White Knight
Shone so bright
That he scared the Big Bad Bat away.


Avery frowned in confusion as she deciphered the scrawled handwriting, ignoring the screams of the public as they frantically pushed and shoved at one another to run away. As if they knew what was going to happen next.

Avery blinked, and the picture burst into flames.

The shrieks grew louder and higher in pitch as the picture curled up into a cracked, black shell, before it dropped limply to the ground, setting the whole float alight.

"Avery. Don't just stand there!"

The bright orange flames hungrily ate away at the wooden float, and the mayor jumped off of the platform just in time to escape its wrath. She felt compelled to watch the fire, almost hypnotised, swaying slightly as chaos erupted around her; the only one remaining still, listening to the crackle of the flames.

But then she blinked again and it was all over. Her rational thinking kicked in, and with one fleeting glance she turned around and joined the frenzied swarm of citizens.

The cry of a firetruck was already ripping through the still summer air, and Harvey Dent Day was lying in tatters on the floor, at the hands of a clown that had disappeared for two years.

All it took was one crazy day to really mess up your life.
♠ ♠ ♠
Fire is pretty damn hypnotising. I don't blame Avery. xD

Anyway, sorry this is short, but it felt like the right place to stop it. Next chapter is when my plot kicks in, (note Avery's past failed careers). Comments are lovely, and I hope you liked it. c: