Jason didn’t come to school today.
Nana stared at the empty seat—27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSyfqiMVP6c
the one Jason always sat in.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtGI7HzlVum
He always sat up straight.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNNcaCgAQav
Even though the chair wobbled,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCuyBfRKafJ
he made it look steady.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtHnizswdvI
Made it look like his throne.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡENGJXWjm0Q
It was Jason’s spot.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡudCwJh5A0m
No one dared touch it.
Nana touched the bread in her pocket.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoECuGk5heo
She had saved it for him.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡczmgOGviNj
The boy ate a lot—27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiMWdWjPQ2p
he was always saying he was hungry.
She waited the whole day.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhC6lBU8GJj
But Jason never came.
Truth be told,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtf6rhI8gT2
he looked like a troublemaker,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOPojPRWhQp
but he actually liked school.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzGDafuQ3sm
He respected the teacher.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5yqk562uR9
Even when scolded,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvWgJqNRj3s
he just frowned—never talked back.
Nana grew more and more uneasy.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHSrs9er5eU
After school,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFQYj5hZ9nP
she decided to go look for him.
She had never been to Jason’s home,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqpOj3LAn00
but he’d described it a few times—27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDOOHgUTLdR
the pawn shop at the corner with a broken sign,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ZsydwN56m
stairs that creaked like they were ready to collapse,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrjX70L823p
and a bottom-floor door that smelled like rotten shoes.
She spent a while searching,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOOmNBerI9b
asking directions,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgn6VYyyxwy
following fragments of memory.
The sun began to set27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtqsI2YlPI9
when she finally stepped into a deeper part of the slums.
It was the slums within the slums.
Nana kept her body close,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkr8VGhFJne
avoiding drunken men vomiting on the street,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxYlv1KFW0w
sidestepping women chatting in low, tired voices.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeuYWWlg2h1
At the end of the road,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWm5S6TJjr6
there were barely any people.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK3XODnhcMS
The doors were shut tight.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ28xmG3nyYL
Graffiti and grime smeared the walls.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCLYjBozVVx
The air reeked of mold.
Following Jason’s descriptions,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ONpfQO1Zb
she found the second floor of the abandoned pawn shop.
Each step on the staircase27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp4UbL5mliY
made her heart pound—27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRliJnyBMxT
every creak whispering that life here was uncertain,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUG4zXl5TQA
like the world itself was warning her:27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdUQWZj1OrU
No one should be here.
She reached the top,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS0pHhykS7Y
stood before a door blackened by filth.
She raised her hand to knock—27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPJ1paAiNsT
but realized the door wasn’t closed.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxY991VXuyV
The frame was cracked.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKGvDjVjb63
She pushed.
The door opened with a soft click-click.
Inside,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvevpovibtp
it was dark.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlFw7Ox1KX8
So dark,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8jQj5PCEME
it felt like light had never existed there.
Nana stepped inside slowly—27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkUrcXuicfu
and kicked something.
She looked down.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGNYmtDpuM9
Her eyes had grown used to the dark.
What she saw27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡktN1BVOGVP
froze her in place.
Jason was on the floor,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaheeTAaU1F
his face covered in blood.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvpo4rFUkj6
His lip was split,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgmprpZGLUn
his nose still bleeding.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBNLgeHz7rS
His clothes were wrinkled,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmgHVuEPGv0
and dried blood stained his chest27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYrpicsNV7s
like an old, torn blanket.
Nana dropped to her knees, shaking.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeF0Pg1KBEl
She reached out and gently shook him.
His body was limp.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtG9FzY8lNr
No response.
She lowered her head,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo01U0DZocS
pressed her ear against his chest.
Thank God.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbUpPnlFVAH
There was still a heartbeat.
But it was faint.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhpnkCkzNFu
Slow.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW3Nr4KOYw9
Like the heart itself was drifting into sleep.
Her eyes blurred.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHQsawQB5y3
Tears streamed uncontrollably.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQjEV7HHr2x
She had never cried like this before.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEaai4xQ0ib
Her throat burned—like it was on fire.
She opened her mouth—27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHNvuY1rYyM
and by sheer instinct,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkehnFL1X35
made a sound:
“J… Jason… Ja… son…”
The voice was hoarse.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeCUPLo3tWF
Broken.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdppWbLIJbI
Like a rusty door creaking open.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6UaeXW1EXh
Like vocal cords that hadn’t worked in years27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH9ZXYVSNY8
screaming for the first time.
Her face was soaked.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzIL6251ELf
She cried and looked around,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVigOon0s2k
not knowing what to do.
As she wiped her tears,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkWLS10nnVQ
something on the wall caught her eye.
The Batman symbol.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgmlUDrMkco
Drawn in chalk.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Hv5ICIpdm
Smudged with time,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnSKMZRE0Gp
but still clear.
A bat with its wings spread.
The police used it to call Batman.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhYLv96Kst9
Jason said it was the mark of his hero.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡems6S88YLu
He said he drew it on the wall27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaEs6vnamZz
because he hoped—someday—27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡojb0cceCaR
to meet Batman.
“…Batman,” Nana murmured.
And then,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyV2OrRo3fQ
suddenly, she understood.
She jumped to her feet27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzlFMfyXz9B
and ran outside.
The street wind was icy,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK3JkNM0gA1
but she didn’t care.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLLamkamm4N
She ran—
toward the places Jason had told her about.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxla6ekGTaU
The underpass.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIQ7LBN8p8E
The rooftop.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡweJpVQ71FN
The ruined lot.
Jason had once said,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwJD1GD1hmt
completely serious:27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOOAG89DAne
Batman definitely patrols here.
Nana stopped.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡob2XiveHMY
Put her hands around her mouth like a megaphone.
“Bat… man!”
She shouted.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqsCs0Ekk72
The voice cracked,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6uU0XdzW5w
the syllables broken by coughs.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhg1xKQGfS1
“Cough… Bat… man…!”
She cried.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpPejuhOYaI
Screamed.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk0Cfyl5ZV3
Each word tearing from her throat27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzEEb0wLI4J
like strips of flesh.
“R… Rob… cough… Robin…”
She felt herself crumbling.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjK5Ns1IDNt
Her throat was on fire.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq7kKaKf6WS
Her voice—shredded.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6fimY9YbQ4
But she didn’t stop.
She was scared.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5jaWasR2PP
Terrified.
She was about to lose Jason.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoe6T7qE4hy
He was still lying there.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFkZggPx8y6
If they were too late…
“If you keep calling me Ro-cough-bin,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcs3Hr9We1Z
I’m gonna start thinking that’s my name.”
A voice.
Sudden.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQIQEOZdDlT
Calm.
Nana turned sharply.
Through her tear-streaked vision,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9VAUOa8XjM
a figure stood in the dark mist of the Gotham night.
Red.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4BlV0pU7YV
Green.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvHI10lQyW6
Yellow.
A cape.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh1vjNE9Lk2
An R on the chest.
Exactly as she’d seen in the newspapers.
A figure once from fantasy27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv4Usql6REm
was now standing before her in real life.
Robin.
He stepped forward.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNOU1omVHy9
Gently ran a hand over her hair,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2hszAhK8vo
like calming a bird about to break.
Then, softly, he asked:
“What happened?”
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrXRjwxtg6W
