Joker's Face

Brutality

Violence was something that I was always surrounded by.

As a kid, my father would often beat me and my mother relentlessly. This went on for years until finally, the police hauled him off to jail once my mother finally got the courage to report him.
He subjected me to not only beatings but torture as well. Locking me in the bug-infested garage in the dark for hours, burning out cigarettes on my arms, Whipping me with phone wires, all the works. Punching, kicking, choking, stomping. I was spared nothing. Taught nothing.
Only violence.

"What the HELL do you want?!" The man yelled at me as I approached, my legs seeming to walk on their own despite my better judgment.

The girls sobbing softened for a bit as she slowly looked up at me. Her long black hair covering the blood and tears. Her left eye wide and full of fear, the other swollen shut.

"What, you wanna try something bitch!?" He said fully turning towards me, letting go of the girl's arm.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out my cigarettes.

"Nah man not at all, you got a light?"
I said putting the cig in my mouth.

For a moment there was silence.

"The fuck you just say?"

"I said do you have a light, like a lighter." I asked.

"This fucking bitch...are you playing with me right now!?"

"I guess that's a no then? Hey, what about you! You got a light?" I said looking back towards the station behind him.

He turned to see who I was talking to, of course, there was no one there.

"The fu-" He started but never finished.

My fist had connected with the left side of his face. The sound of the blow echoing through the night with a loud smack.

He stumbled to the ground. As he fell, I picked up a rock sitting on the ground. It was a good size and fit perfectly in my palm.

I walked over to him and as he scrambled back trying to get on his feet I threw it as hard as I could right into the center of his face.
Blood flowed from his nose as he screamed in pain and rolled around on the ground clutching his face.

Reaching into my pocket again and pulling out my lighter, I looked down at him with disgust.

"Found it."

The gravel crunched under my boots as I walked over to him and gave him a swift kick to the stomach. His eyes widened and he curled up, holding his stomach with his hands.

Leaning over him as he desperately tried to fill his lungs with air again I whispered whilst lighting my cigarette.

"I'm really sorry about that, but let's be honest with each other yeah? You had it coming."

The hate in his eyes shone even in the terrible lighting. The smell of tobacco once again filled the cold night air, along with the pungent scent of gasoline.

"Kill...you..." He sputtered.

I laughed and took the cigarette out of my mouth, blowing the smoke in his now red eyes.

I stood and kicked him again and again, this time causing him to vomit.

"P-ple..ase" he sputtered through his tears and vomit.

"Please what? Isn't this what you like? Hurting others? Is it different when you're the one getting hurt?"

I kicked him again and he yelped in pain.

"WELL? IS IT?"

As I went to kick him again a slight tug on my back stopped me.
Startled, I whirled around and to my surprise, it was the girl.

I had completely forgotten she was there.

"That's enough..." She said softly, her voice trembled.

I blinked.

"...Enough?" I asked.

I looked down at the man again, he had lost consciousness. Any more and I might have killed him...Shit, did I want to kill him?

I looked back at the girl, her one open eye still shedding tears. Her grip on my shirt tightened.

"It's enough."

The adrenaline started to fade. My breathing slowed. I could hear the sounds of insects and the buzz of the lights above us again. But besides those things, the silence now was almost unbearable. I looked back to the inside of the station. The man inside had been watching the whole time. He quickly looked away when our eyes met.

I sighed.

"Alright."

Come to think of it. Vincent was always the one to stop me before things went too far. And if my stubborn self wouldn't listen, he'd wind up kicking my ass instead.

Depressed, I stumbled back to my car and sat down in front of it. The now cold metal pushing against my back.
The girl rummaged through the man's pockets whilst he lay there still unconscious, Taking the money from his wallet and spitting on him before rushing back to their car.

"Aaahh...I never got her name" I thought to myself.

I sat there for a while, staring blankly. Trying desperately to recollect my thoughts, only to have the sound of a car door slamming shut interrupt. Suddenly the girl came rushing back over, carrying only a backpack.

"I've uh... kinda got no place to go now...and I'm definitely not waiting for him to wake up. Even if I run, he'll find me and probably kill me."

I stared at her.

"So go to the police" I sighed

"Can't"

"Why not?"

"Mmm..."

She paused for a moment, biting her lips, a nervous tick I'm sure.

"Look I have a bit of money, can I just tag along with you for a bit? Where are you heading anyways?" She persisted.

"Dunno"

"You don't know?"

"Yep"

A rather awkward silence filled the air for a moment.

"...Seriously?"

"Mmm..." I groaned rubbing my temples.

I stared back up at the flickering lights again absentmindedly.

"Haha...What's with that..." She said laughing.

Moths gathered around the lights and danced in the cool night air.
She sighed and sat down next to me, now that she was closer I could smell her perfume, coupled with sweat.

"You stink." I said bluntly.

"So do you asshole" she shot back.

I chuckled, And she smiled back.

"My names Rachel by the way...What's yours?"

"Grey"