Hero for a Day
Drive.
Claire flicked between the channels of her television. It was the same thing every god damned night. Interest rates are down, stock values are up, Batman stopped the Penguin from finishing a hiest, a house was burned down, Batman threw the Riddler into Arkham Asylum. The news only seemed to exist to remind the citizens of Gotham what a hell hole they lived in.
She stopped on a channel that was showing old footage of the Bat pushing Killer Croc through the gates of Arkham while the Gotham City Police Department stood back watching. She scoffed. She almost felt sorry for Batman. It was as if the entirety of Gotham had given up on the laws of justice and decided they were better off not trying; that they were better off leaving it for Batman to deal with. She could only imagine how it would feel to be the only thing standing between these organised crime lords and their justice – shitty.
Claire turned the television off. She had to go to the shops. She was supposed to be planning a hens night for her best friend's impending nuptials and so far she had only booked the venue. She needed to pick up her game. The hens night was only two weeks away. Claire grabbed her bag from her kitchen table, fished her keys out of it, and left the comfort of her home.
The reason she had been putting off buying the party favors and decorations was because it obligated her to go to at least one of the many adult stores in Gotham. She did not like this. Most of the adult stores were tucked away in dingy side streets or in bad neighborhoods. But, unfortunately for Claire, it was the only place she could think of to buy silly straws shaped like penises and confetti shaped like penises and even those ridiculously oversize dress glasses that had – you guessed it – penises on them. She could still hear her best friend's voice echoing through her head as she said, “It's a hens night, Claire! It is meant to be filled with penises!”
As Claire got out of the car and made her way into the dingy little store she shuddered. Partially because the place horrified her, but also because the air-conditioning was freezing compared to the humidity outside. Claire got a brief glance from the woman behind the counter who gave her a small smile and then dropped her gaze. Good. She didn't want to be bothered. She made her way through the store until she found the novelty goods section she was looking for. She didn't try to hang around too long. She took a quick look at what was there but, with her best friends words in mind, she really just grabbed some of everything they had. She carried it all up to the registers, dumping it on the counter for the sales woman to sort out into bags for her. Luckily the bags were discreet, so as long as there was no one to see her actually leaving the store with so many bags, she would be alright.
On her way back to the car Claire failed to notice anything out of the ordinary. She unlocked her car. She plopped down into the drivers seat and flung the bags into the passenger seat. She put the keys into the ignition. She pulled out of the parking spot and began to leave the parking lot. That's when she felt it. The knife on her skin.
'Drive.'
She stopped on a channel that was showing old footage of the Bat pushing Killer Croc through the gates of Arkham while the Gotham City Police Department stood back watching. She scoffed. She almost felt sorry for Batman. It was as if the entirety of Gotham had given up on the laws of justice and decided they were better off not trying; that they were better off leaving it for Batman to deal with. She could only imagine how it would feel to be the only thing standing between these organised crime lords and their justice – shitty.
Claire turned the television off. She had to go to the shops. She was supposed to be planning a hens night for her best friend's impending nuptials and so far she had only booked the venue. She needed to pick up her game. The hens night was only two weeks away. Claire grabbed her bag from her kitchen table, fished her keys out of it, and left the comfort of her home.
The reason she had been putting off buying the party favors and decorations was because it obligated her to go to at least one of the many adult stores in Gotham. She did not like this. Most of the adult stores were tucked away in dingy side streets or in bad neighborhoods. But, unfortunately for Claire, it was the only place she could think of to buy silly straws shaped like penises and confetti shaped like penises and even those ridiculously oversize dress glasses that had – you guessed it – penises on them. She could still hear her best friend's voice echoing through her head as she said, “It's a hens night, Claire! It is meant to be filled with penises!”
As Claire got out of the car and made her way into the dingy little store she shuddered. Partially because the place horrified her, but also because the air-conditioning was freezing compared to the humidity outside. Claire got a brief glance from the woman behind the counter who gave her a small smile and then dropped her gaze. Good. She didn't want to be bothered. She made her way through the store until she found the novelty goods section she was looking for. She didn't try to hang around too long. She took a quick look at what was there but, with her best friends words in mind, she really just grabbed some of everything they had. She carried it all up to the registers, dumping it on the counter for the sales woman to sort out into bags for her. Luckily the bags were discreet, so as long as there was no one to see her actually leaving the store with so many bags, she would be alright.
On her way back to the car Claire failed to notice anything out of the ordinary. She unlocked her car. She plopped down into the drivers seat and flung the bags into the passenger seat. She put the keys into the ignition. She pulled out of the parking spot and began to leave the parking lot. That's when she felt it. The knife on her skin.
'Drive.'