Jason didn’t come to school today.
Nana stared at the empty seat—328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzI3PK1zymU
the one Jason always sat in.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3bDz35HgLJ
He always sat up straight.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLoxBiwgLhs
Even though the chair wobbled,328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtCdAULmGlC
he made it look steady.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnZwVm1DMTz
Made it look like his throne.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp0VgBu8Y4f
It was Jason’s spot.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRHznmjTH6b
No one dared touch it.
Nana touched the bread in her pocket.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS0fFMlSLJZ
She had saved it for him.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ytvkwr0XY
The boy ate a lot—328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlqEbUR8zFQ
he was always saying he was hungry.
She waited the whole day.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHSM0vmsfcB
But Jason never came.
Truth be told,328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYw9k363Vo3
he looked like a troublemaker,328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ62f4TdW29
but he actually liked school.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNVzgKa89Qp
He respected the teacher.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOPEmR57KAQ
Even when scolded,328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGt7oQcEKax
he just frowned—never talked back.
Nana grew more and more uneasy.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS7pUo4rvvw
After school,328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡemuQiKTuVM
she decided to go look for him.
She had never been to Jason’s home,328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfPGMMcDX65
but he’d described it a few times—328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw5oiplC1ZL
the pawn shop at the corner with a broken sign,328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtXdsLOBPjr
stairs that creaked like they were ready to collapse,328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxPE7gnoCZB
and a bottom-floor door that smelled like rotten shoes.
She spent a while searching,328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxhnAapjsui
asking directions,328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTQWs3er8nt
following fragments of memory.
The sun began to set328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQPasIIwq0O
when she finally stepped into a deeper part of the slums.
It was the slums within the slums.
Nana kept her body close,328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrGTDOXW7Lk
avoiding drunken men vomiting on the street,328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYX2NwHO27V
sidestepping women chatting in low, tired voices.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYyXhxxk7Fg
At the end of the road,328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEeu0Sx4fEA
there were barely any people.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqkQt0Nv26U
The doors were shut tight.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1MzBz8PGCd
Graffiti and grime smeared the walls.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ30qGwVJIhB
The air reeked of mold.
Following Jason’s descriptions,328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd78WsbZJcF
she found the second floor of the abandoned pawn shop.
Each step on the staircase328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdSnjn6Dxcy
made her heart pound—328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡczXFJyPryQ
every creak whispering that life here was uncertain,328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3wn678sHWx
like the world itself was warning her:328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7H23jbvdnX
No one should be here.
She reached the top,328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi8iQX8V6YA
stood before a door blackened by filth.
She raised her hand to knock—328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVz97Si8XRT
but realized the door wasn’t closed.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6QKJ7ZWsN0
The frame was cracked.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs3sSZW9fhi
She pushed.
The door opened with a soft click-click.
Inside,328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb3W0KUQ14O
it was dark.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLoBbivHPIc
So dark,328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiBDGTldJ5d
it felt like light had never existed there.
Nana stepped inside slowly—328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0DdDE38PBT
and kicked something.
She looked down.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKqPUCyP21Z
Her eyes had grown used to the dark.
What she saw328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOAbSD4DGed
froze her in place.
Jason was on the floor,328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQtWSWvSllR
his face covered in blood.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4vfcZuHe7b
His lip was split,328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX8uQBo0TS4
his nose still bleeding.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxI0KisTsvD
His clothes were wrinkled,328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMMan7Ocg7i
and dried blood stained his chest328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG1l6spHiqi
like an old, torn blanket.
Nana dropped to her knees, shaking.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRcbLiRCFFx
She reached out and gently shook him.
His body was limp.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO7agiFwIqh
No response.
She lowered her head,328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Nk4IftWZT
pressed her ear against his chest.
Thank God.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6FpgzlNOhr
There was still a heartbeat.
But it was faint.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl0hXjjhlX9
Slow.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxmNVRjBAHq
Like the heart itself was drifting into sleep.
Her eyes blurred.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6eW9lGL5QZ
Tears streamed uncontrollably.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq9XfUqhCXn
She had never cried like this before.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3kxfOSPVmF
Her throat burned—like it was on fire.
She opened her mouth—328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXwxjXmPd6f
and by sheer instinct,328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDbPmRimTS6
made a sound:
“J… Jason… Ja… son…”
The voice was hoarse.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR6UQe3BU95
Broken.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXGUeXZsTca
Like a rusty door creaking open.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKtyZpqArlP
Like vocal cords that hadn’t worked in years328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM0XlDHMn64
screaming for the first time.
Her face was soaked.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi2A7pCTImo
She cried and looked around,328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ88un5gdGlN
not knowing what to do.
As she wiped her tears,328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy91nnBuRuQ
something on the wall caught her eye.
The Batman symbol.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0u0KkpnTWH
Drawn in chalk.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwAlYrRhzAQ
Smudged with time,328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWuxb1eWa6a
but still clear.
A bat with its wings spread.
The police used it to call Batman.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCqy2KfHtjj
Jason said it was the mark of his hero.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCmKGjSvY6M
He said he drew it on the wall328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFqSjUPdYBW
because he hoped—someday—328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvN6xlEXFAz
to meet Batman.
“…Batman,” Nana murmured.
And then,328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbRrYzSQoc1
suddenly, she understood.
She jumped to her feet328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQjYW25tt6c
and ran outside.
The street wind was icy,328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0iyFVJKJFg
but she didn’t care.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbx9Opr1D5c
She ran—
toward the places Jason had told her about.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuXKbtW0W51
The underpass.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf0NbElm3ql
The rooftop.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLYmdF7Gd1O
The ruined lot.
Jason had once said,328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfjS5wpBfDP
completely serious:328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBi9F1n3Okq
Batman definitely patrols here.
Nana stopped.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVIuG9hHKX5
Put her hands around her mouth like a megaphone.
“Bat… man!”
She shouted.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcVgIeAQmFq
The voice cracked,328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHBYg2ZbmSP
the syllables broken by coughs.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhmsNGHEwRq
“Cough… Bat… man…!”
She cried.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkVdWcLTffo
Screamed.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVDqfZlbPL3
Each word tearing from her throat328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡug0pFQ8nVX
like strips of flesh.
“R… Rob… cough… Robin…”
She felt herself crumbling.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbInUUHh6dn
Her throat was on fire.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU1TlQKjpwW
Her voice—shredded.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLX4kYxVNcI
But she didn’t stop.
She was scared.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlU4OJ9iXLZ
Terrified.
She was about to lose Jason.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRgKBZaQTxf
He was still lying there.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOxOIHkPqRH
If they were too late…
“If you keep calling me Ro-cough-bin,328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7zv0c3FnwW
I’m gonna start thinking that’s my name.”
A voice.
Sudden.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR8FxxM7y61
Calm.
Nana turned sharply.
Through her tear-streaked vision,328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtBWsLIfham
a figure stood in the dark mist of the Gotham night.
Red.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmv89qEMeJn
Green.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Fy5kTFftB
Yellow.
A cape.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCiVPdPeehL
An R on the chest.
Exactly as she’d seen in the newspapers.
A figure once from fantasy328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ856fkFDVgP
was now standing before her in real life.
Robin.
He stepped forward.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYL4Couu8Dd
Gently ran a hand over her hair,328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrNQ40jhqf6
like calming a bird about to break.
Then, softly, he asked:
“What happened?”
328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAzOepX6j2E
and then Add to home screen.