Obsessed

"Mark, I didn't get the promotion, I know it," I was speed walking down the sidewalk, trying to get through the large crowds of city goers, so I could try to make it to my job on time. My bosses told me I was made for the job they were offering. It was great because finally, I would be out of Gotham City. Secondly, well, there actually was no second point to why it was great. The job itself seemed horrible. I was a reporter at The Gotham Quarterly, and it was not as fun as most people seemed to think it was. Most of the time, I was working at a boring desk while other people were assigned to actual stories. My biggest story of all time was the blood drive that happened last month.

"Reed, I need you to listen to me. Take the day off, okay," he accented the end of his second sentence as more of a demanded question. Mark has been my best friend since we were small and attended Gotham Elementary.

I grumbled some incomprehensible noise into the phone and I could basically hear him smile into the phone. "So, did Mystery Man strike again?"

I smiled; just thinking about him sent my head into a frenzy. He never left any notes explaining who he was or why he did it, but I had some odd suspicions on who he could be. Usually, some people used color schemes when they wrapped presents, but him, he was clever. Always a different wrapping paper, always different colors. He always wanted to seem like a mystery to me I guessed, so his wish was granted.

"I really can't think about him, now. I need to get to work," I tried to argue with him but he started clucking his tongue and laughed.

"I already called you in sick, so have a good day, now!" Before I could protest any further, he hung up the phone and I sighed, sliding my own phone back into the front pocket of my trench coat. I hadn't noticed that the sky was so dark today. Rain was never a good sign of a good day in my books.

I didn't know what to do today, I was already dressed and out of my apartment, no sense in going back and just lazing around, doing nothing. I figured today would be a fine day to get things I had been putting off lately. There was nothing to do, though. It was a working day for me, and that's what I wanted to do. The only reason that Mark called me in sick was because we all knew that Bradford Crowley had gotten the job, and I didn't. Once again, I was left in second place.

I should be used to it, really. The only good thing I had going for me here in Gotham was my only friend, Mark, and Mystery Man. Although I doubted that he would actually show himself to me in the next lifetime. A girl could only hope.

I never was fond of this city, mostly for the crime. Sure, the architecture of the older buildings was incredible, but soon enough, the criminals that inhabited this place would blow them all to bits. Another reason I detested Gotham. Those criminals, those mobsters that ruled this town. It was sickening, knowing that they had the power to kill anyone they wanted whenever they wanted, and they took that power graciously, not caring about the consequences to come with the power.

I looked behind me to see a poor little man running around, screaming incoherently. He came up to me and stopped, fear in his eyes. "Miss! Miss, you have to be careful, he's back!"

I laughed with a small hint of anxiety in it and looked seriously at him. He looked as if he had been crying and had faced death, itself. "What are you talking about?"

"The Joker, he's back!" The man started to bawl and he pointed his index finger directly at me. "You have to be watchful, he's coming after you!"

Everybody now stopped walking to his or her destinations to see what the yelling was. There were people crying, people calling others to inform them of the grave news that has now struck Gotham. Mothers were holding their children close to them while others simply blew off the man's warning and ignored him. I never was that interested in the Joker, sure, he intimidated me a whole lot, but I usually just stayed clear of where he would strike most. Stores, banks, and anything revolving around politics. He had scared all of Gotham to just stay in their homes and let him take over the city.

"Is there anywhere I can take you? Where's your house?" I tried to console the man to stop crying but he simply shook his head and continued to run down the sidewalk.

I sighed and a wicked laugh came into the air. A laugh so vile, so notoriously evil, it was known around the city and feared by all. The large crowd all looked up to the origins of the cackle and everyone including me gasped. In all his glory stood the infamous Joker standing on a building's roof. This was a new way to make his appearance known, so obviously, he wanted everyone to know that he was finally back.

Usually by now, he would be in a long speech about bringing doom to our beloved Gotham and how he would have the respect he deserved. However, he did not do this today. He was just staring down at us, not saying anything, just smiling. Then he did something much unexpected. He simply lifted his hand; his arm longed out to us and pointed. My eyes must have been deceiving me because it seemed like he was pointing at me. Other people must have hallucinated also, since they were all looking at me. And just as fast as he had gotten our attention, he was gone in a blink of the eye.

Today was definitely a bad day.