le0smoke

Chapter 1 : The aftermath

Beth.

The couch made creaking sounds as she moved . It was destroyed with cuts from her knife. They had taken the couch from the garbage cans. She had repaired all of it.

The wood ,the fabric everything. It was the only thing she had fixed and not ruined. And then she ruined it again. She tore it, kicked it, sliced it, everything to destroy it.

Her eyes were glued to the ceiling darting back and forth, observing. She made a game out of it. How many cracks were on the ceiling? How many black spots are there? How many drinks before she went back to sleep? Everything wasa game if she tried hard enough.

Four months since her brother had left her . She turned her head to the side staring intensely at the old half empty bottle. It must have been vodka?

On the table she saw the makeshift bomb she had made, but she ignored it, opting for the bottle.

She commanded it to fly to her hand. She watched as the liquid thrashed inside the bottle. She let it go as it levitated infront of her just as she wanted. The cap unscrewed itself from the bottle. She needed liquid courage, that's it. Just to be brave for once.

She drank and drank the liquid burning her throat . She couldn't recognise the taste anymore; she did not care. When she finished the bottle there was hardly any left, satisfied she stood up. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath she walked towards their shared room. Her side was always a mess, she had months to step foot into their bedroom, changing clothes only when necessary and never sleeping in her bed choosing to sleep on the floor or the couch.

She didn't dare to look at Jay's side; she never could bring herself to do it.

The closet door opened and banged loudly. Inside there was his jacket. A red leather jacket that he wore on missions, beaten up and bloodied.

Memories flooded her mind and for a second, she thought she saw him, standing across her smiling.

She felt as though she would throw up her vision blackened. When she opened her eyes she was panting hard her hands trembling violently.

She stood straighter and took the leather jacket.

It still smelled like him , every single thing. It was as if he was watching her.

She wore his gloves and finally his mask.

"It needs to work. Or else, what is the point ? "

Taking a sharp breath. She began walking , taking the cellphone that the doctor had given them to communicate after their missions.

After Jay left , she couldn't contact anyone. Certainly not him.

She did, however, manage to send a message to Dylan , one of the most loyal followers of the doctor.

She demanded that if the doctor did not show up at the docks tonight, she would go to the Gotham police giving them intel about everything.

Dylan had responded with a time and place.

It was a great task to read the messages he had sent her, and she did nto dare to reread them.

Letters and words were difficult she often mixed them up even if she had gone to school.

So she didn't bother.

She walked out of her house carefully. She could be stopped and not by the police but by someone much worse. Tonight she couldn't get caught. Everything had to work.

After she recognised the road to the docks she looked around inspecting everything. No surprises yet. Not one person from the doctor was there. She couldn't take them.

Their blind loyalty to her, the doctor made her stomach turn. She got it she truly did . Loyalty was the one thing she could understand.

The doctor was charming and kind. Until she wasn't. The experiments, the pressure, the pain she could forgive that, but taking her brother...

No she couldn't forgive that.

The bomb ticked in her pocket reminding her of everything that was at stake . And then; her gaze met up with a dark figure. She quickly picked up the pace and walked quicker not long after she was running. When she was close , she realised it wasn't the doctor.

"No!" She cried out "No! No where is she, she was supposed to be here not, not you! "

She felt her throat hoarse she was screaming.

" Where is she ? Where, where is Jay?"

Infront of her stood Dylan with his broad stature nowhere near like the doctor's. How could she be so naive, just to believe she would be standing there instead of ...

He remained expressionless and repeated something. But she haven't heard what. Her eyes struggled to focus, they were going wild and blurry, looking around, she finally heard what he said.

" Do you have a message I can tell to the doctor?"

"Tell her ! Tell her, tell her..."

She grabbed him desperately but she did not care.

Nor did Dylan his eyes not doing anything, not even looking at her.

She was prepared to blow the doctor's face off is it meant she would find Jay but now? She knew the bomb soon would explode.