Jason didn’t come to school today.
Nana stared at the empty seat—38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpmvIKuSWhJ
the one Jason always sat in.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUfQTm9FfSw
He always sat up straight.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7is39gHoau
Even though the chair wobbled,38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDsluoNdjkW
he made it look steady.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuOD1d7YCSX
Made it look like his throne.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE5pBROV43v
It was Jason’s spot.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡebETRYHBGb
No one dared touch it.
Nana touched the bread in her pocket.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyI5Ji7pTsx
She had saved it for him.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVR064eTI31
The boy ate a lot—38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtNGt2d8vof
he was always saying he was hungry.
She waited the whole day.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7mF9HaJRP1
But Jason never came.
Truth be told,38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡANWZAJIhZt
he looked like a troublemaker,38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4NscLghLBS
but he actually liked school.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbXsWRFtgXl
He respected the teacher.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ1cd6VGmr5
Even when scolded,38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe0k7kYSlqJ
he just frowned—never talked back.
Nana grew more and more uneasy.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd1vCpLHT2T
After school,38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOHTlnRydkT
she decided to go look for him.
She had never been to Jason’s home,38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbEDfseiDyB
but he’d described it a few times—38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuC0IWOZKoB
the pawn shop at the corner with a broken sign,38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0DXerhyGeO
stairs that creaked like they were ready to collapse,38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJUolLU290L
and a bottom-floor door that smelled like rotten shoes.
She spent a while searching,38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡraKWoUcmDQ
asking directions,38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR6pYeuHmzC
following fragments of memory.
The sun began to set38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡACc5tOzqr2
when she finally stepped into a deeper part of the slums.
It was the slums within the slums.
Nana kept her body close,38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqMmsRHGskh
avoiding drunken men vomiting on the street,38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQllGOW13lD
sidestepping women chatting in low, tired voices.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ16crykXaHn
At the end of the road,38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡagznh7CIEa
there were barely any people.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡed9fsNcK4F
The doors were shut tight.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡywyHzzGwk2
Graffiti and grime smeared the walls.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZdJsxZ2Sq2
The air reeked of mold.
Following Jason’s descriptions,38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQqpo9sKLAt
she found the second floor of the abandoned pawn shop.
Each step on the staircase38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOOzHuqWOfO
made her heart pound—38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw2G7nOxjvo
every creak whispering that life here was uncertain,38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd6jCUqOQ2J
like the world itself was warning her:38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEulvLuDMKc
No one should be here.
She reached the top,38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrzMYXTpbtq
stood before a door blackened by filth.
She raised her hand to knock—38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNZql28MuWe
but realized the door wasn’t closed.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFPQjQoCIuJ
The frame was cracked.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNQTUnOUypP
She pushed.
The door opened with a soft click-click.
Inside,38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsgUsB8Y6IT
it was dark.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn30FhR83JQ
So dark,38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGArM6EVG3B
it felt like light had never existed there.
Nana stepped inside slowly—38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡso3nbNV9n4
and kicked something.
She looked down.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMJYKMT2xeL
Her eyes had grown used to the dark.
What she saw38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhFIfutHzCq
froze her in place.
Jason was on the floor,38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ULZOkjz7t
his face covered in blood.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡedZ0zxYiu5
His lip was split,38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlSn4uBggSq
his nose still bleeding.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNQa15o7Mgz
His clothes were wrinkled,38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrbQWmQfTZm
and dried blood stained his chest38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSRz0wlZxdh
like an old, torn blanket.
Nana dropped to her knees, shaking.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiMbpHqQSGJ
She reached out and gently shook him.
His body was limp.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7mhLs0sxKD
No response.
She lowered her head,38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgq9BzamYrW
pressed her ear against his chest.
Thank God.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTuEMe1u7QL
There was still a heartbeat.
But it was faint.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhE0ZmEwDly
Slow.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8kj8ODaT7B
Like the heart itself was drifting into sleep.
Her eyes blurred.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3lPdNjIyYH
Tears streamed uncontrollably.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxMIGsykiaC
She had never cried like this before.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzrq7KJZUNA
Her throat burned—like it was on fire.
She opened her mouth—38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh1pvPjBLpz
and by sheer instinct,38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGxXm79Hes6
made a sound:
“J… Jason… Ja… son…”
The voice was hoarse.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLZKFxxmXAd
Broken.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi8iz2F3V1b
Like a rusty door creaking open.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtzKZrGsqmL
Like vocal cords that hadn’t worked in years38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7PwFMl707K
screaming for the first time.
Her face was soaked.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqGBpYMmdUh
She cried and looked around,38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa8UXXEizPJ
not knowing what to do.
As she wiped her tears,38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4KrxqOLWYg
something on the wall caught her eye.
The Batman symbol.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsztKtaxkmQ
Drawn in chalk.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQgZLnCuPLh
Smudged with time,38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLw79wQYe2F
but still clear.
A bat with its wings spread.
The police used it to call Batman.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlbKi5FuS7b
Jason said it was the mark of his hero.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9vKV4h7ggg
He said he drew it on the wall38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtRUZDy3gIh
because he hoped—someday—38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB7YaKnfK7o
to meet Batman.
“…Batman,” Nana murmured.
And then,38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdwS8RQxxCQ
suddenly, she understood.
She jumped to her feet38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqBXxyGR7xr
and ran outside.
The street wind was icy,38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0UayzQxASR
but she didn’t care.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDhkHM4Xckh
She ran—
toward the places Jason had told her about.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP1hf1Tdt1h
The underpass.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtOlxdzj2gl
The rooftop.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXe2WgeqXm7
The ruined lot.
Jason had once said,38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrhLVYtDzSs
completely serious:38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFgzTHt6W4E
Batman definitely patrols here.
Nana stopped.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs9qShGMpqW
Put her hands around her mouth like a megaphone.
“Bat… man!”
She shouted.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4o5oCGkSgQ
The voice cracked,38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡguGpu04tWv
the syllables broken by coughs.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1lYiSRGW1x
“Cough… Bat… man…!”
She cried.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJH46LCeIZy
Screamed.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡooaqDpSbc4
Each word tearing from her throat38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Nmq6jnEQK
like strips of flesh.
“R… Rob… cough… Robin…”
She felt herself crumbling.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡppfYLTmJ3T
Her throat was on fire.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF2O4oaRMGD
Her voice—shredded.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2lQjfk3nhQ
But she didn’t stop.
She was scared.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7CK3VuYb1y
Terrified.
She was about to lose Jason.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlxYlTm7b9f
He was still lying there.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSdXzj9arph
If they were too late…
“If you keep calling me Ro-cough-bin,38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTd2tmlVKMV
I’m gonna start thinking that’s my name.”
A voice.
Sudden.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxa7ooVLmMo
Calm.
Nana turned sharply.
Through her tear-streaked vision,38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpSg2mRNJNS
a figure stood in the dark mist of the Gotham night.
Red.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkAqAlEwKxa
Green.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw0TnJgvOEB
Yellow.
A cape.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKXXcJ5kIQH
An R on the chest.
Exactly as she’d seen in the newspapers.
A figure once from fantasy38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyZUBOIIHDq
was now standing before her in real life.
Robin.
He stepped forward.38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSq52fEj5jH
Gently ran a hand over her hair,38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj0okybzieA
like calming a bird about to break.
Then, softly, he asked:
“What happened?”
38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzDn36ny7TO
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