Police sirens wailed, the rain pounded against the concrete, and Bat ran for his life. He had finally obtained it! After all that searching - "Woah!" He narrowly avoided running headfirst into a telephone pole. He shook his head and sped up, his feet thundering against the puddled pavement, a splashing sound following him. Now wasn't the time to relish in his victory. First thing first - he had to shake off the cops. Their headlights shone brightly on his back, exposing the jean jacket and leaving him to serve as a beacon. He swore under his breath.
Come on...he thought. Anything would be incredibly nice right now...
As if on cue, Bat spotted an alleyway directly to his right. Yes! He skidded the corner, soaking his left shoe and disappearing down the wet, dark corridor. Giving a quick glance across his shoulder gave him the happiest feeling. They had stopped following him for now. Great! Now he just had to find a place to hide until - "Uwah!"
"Hey, watch it!" A man's voice yelled. Bat peeled himself from the ground, the treasure still clenched in his fist, and his knees and elbows throbbing with pain. Shoot, he thought. This was something he didn't count on. Police? Mad car chases? Sure, those he could deal with. Weird hobo guy lying camouflaged in the streets and tripping him? Not so much.
"Sorry, guy, but I gotta dash." Bat picked himself up to his feet and rocketed as fast as he could down the alley. The hobo called after him, saying something that Bat couldn't distinguish from the howling wind and pouring rain.
Where was he? This thought squirmed in his mind, demanding to be answered. He kept turning corners, trying to make out the dark figures of the industrial buildings that endlessly circled him. Where was it? Four o' two...four o' two...four o' two Jackson street! Three ninety nine, four hundred, four o' one...there it was! The curved exterior of the ancient building greeted him with a dark oak door with the golden number '402' emblazoned on it. Bat threw open the door and scuttled inside, quickly shutting the door behind him.
The sound of the rain was instantly muffled, and Bat finally let himself breathe. He leaned against the wooden door and sat, wiping his soaked ivory hair out of his face. He held out his right hand, and opened it. There it was, the treasure. A small, silver ring sat in his palm. To many, it could be seen as an ordinary ring. But to many more, it was a world treasure. The cursed ring, the sealed ring, it had many names. And yet here it was, a tiny piece of metal harmlessly in his hand. He took it in between his fingers, examining it. The little bugger had left a red imprint in his palm. Ah, well. It was worth it.
The ring was shiny, as if it were new. He could see his reflection in it easily; pale skin, dripping black hair that went just past his chin, and cold, inky eyes. Bat vaguely remembered something he had read about ancient treasures. This ring was over a thousand years old, apparently. Either there was a dedicated ring polisher or this really was a ring of legend. Or a fantasy tale, he thought, scowling.
"Was it a success?" A soft voice asked from the other room. Bat stood and walked into the living room, slumping on a tattered couch next to a pudgy, poorly clothed man. He had a well established 5 o'clock shadow, short brown hair, and nut brown eyes that focused on the television. He was locked in a heated one on three match in Super Smash Brothers, playing as a small, male character with green boxing gloves and an impressive six-pack.
"Little Mac, huh?" Bat reached into the cooler next to the couch and cracked open a beer.
"One of my best," His hands flew over the controller as Little Mac made a final hit on a giant monkey, sending it flying into oblivion. "But down to business. Did you get it?"
"Take a look," He held the silver ring in between his index finger and thumb. "One bloody brilliant cop chase and I lost 'em. What do you think it'll go for?" The man took the ring and held it up in the light with his fat fingers. "Well we're not gonna sell it. Though I'd wager it could go for at least a couple million. The plan that I have for this little devil...is bargaining."
"Isn't that the same thing, really?"
"Hush. The plan is easy. We wait a few days, then come out to the public. I'll say that we found a bloke carrying a ring that looked awfully familiar, so we asked him about it. When he said that it was none of our business, we prod and prod. It turns into a fight, we emerge victorious, and offer to only give the ring back if we get paid twenty million. It's a fail-safe plan." He sat back in his seat, controller in his lap.
"Gus, there's a thousand things wrong with that idea. Why don't we just come out as the thieves and demand the trade then?" Gus frowned, and shrugged. "Suppose you're right. Let's do it, then!"
The news boards rocketed with media, the story of the two thieves travelling far and wide. But their faces remained hidden, and were never known.
"Dashing Devils, huh?" Bat crumpled the newspaper he was reading, throwing it carelessly on the ground.
"Hey, watch it!" A familiar voice forced Bat to freeze in his tracks. He turned to the source of the voice, only to see a homeless man scowling at him. "Sorry," Bat said. "But I gotta dash."
"Hold on a sec..." The hobo cocked his head to the side. "I know who you are."
"What? Sorry, I've never seen you before in my life. You can, uh, keep the newspaper." He quickly walked away, shoving his hands in the pockets of his blue hoodie. Thank god he wasn't wearing that other jacket. He could have easily been recognized. Bat continued on his way, browsing by the lively city. Just as he was admiring a collection of necklaces, he felt a force pull him to the side, and into a nearby ally.
"What do you want?" Bat was face to face with the hobo from before. The man licked his lips and held him to the wall. "You're that thief that stole the ring that night. You have it."
"Sir, I have countless evidence that says I did otherwise. Now please, I'll be on my way." Bat made to walk away, but the man held him firmly in place. "I'll make you a deal," he said. "But first you're going to take me to your base."
"Base?"
"Place of operations, whatever. I have some information that could be of great interest to you."
"Bat, what did I say about bringing hobos into the apartment?" Gus complained upon seeing the man.
"Shut the windows and lock them. I'll get the door." When the last blinds were shut tightly and Bat was sure none could hear them, he spoke again. "It's about the ring-"
"You told him? Why would you tell a hobo about-"
"You'd be surprised about the secrets I know. Living among the rats provides one with a whole system of knowledge and advantages." The man stared at Gus through striking brown eyes. Gus scoffed. "You think you know us, old man? Prove it. You couldn't hurt a fly in your position." The man raised an eyebrow, and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small jar with something crawling inside and shook it. Gus jumped back in fright. "You wouldn't bloody dare." The man smiled. "Oh, but I would. Get on my bad side and there's an entire litter waiting for you. After all, I know this neighbourhood like the back of my hand. It won't be hard to find you." The man took the jar of spiders and placed it back in his torn pocket.
"Go on then. What do you want?" Gus' eyes were wide and angered.
"The ring of course. And if not that I want half of what you're bargaining for."
"And if we don't comply?" The man smiled again, the corners of his eyes wrinkling. "Take a look at this, laddies." He reached into another one of his pockets and pulled out a small, thin piece of paper. Upon it was a simple drawing of a pink lotus flower. The very image made the colour in Gus' face disappear almost instantaneously.
"We'll split it three ways then." he said.
"No, no." The man laughed. "We want all of it."
"A third is all I'm bargaining."
"Gus, what is that?" Bat flicked his eyes on the card.
"They're an assassination group. We don't want to make an enemy of them."
"Right you are," The man said. "And we want the ring."
"But-" Bat protested.
"Shut it!" Gus slammed his hand on the old, creaky table. "I'll give you the ring only if you grant is with something." The man paused for a moment, staring unblinking at Gus. He motioned for him to go on. "Let us join the Lotus. Either that or we get ten million."
The man sighed. "Both of those are highly unlikely. The Lotus doesn't just have ten million dollars hanging around in our pockets. However, if you offer the ring in a peaceful manner, they just might accept you. Are you boys up for a road trip?"
Bat sat up excitedly. "Seriously?!"
Gus raised a hand. "Slow down there, Bat. How can we trust what you're saying isn't just a load of bull?"
"What choice do you have?" he drawled.
"Fine," Gus said. "Let's go."
When Bat first thought of a secret assassin organization, he didn't think of the sewers. At all. And yet he found himself holding a flashlight and trying not to step in anything, all while following a hobo. Not how he exactly envisioned his Saturdays. "Should be just past here," the man said, leading the way. After a couple more turns and an especially close encounter with something smelly, the three came to an iron door with the Lotus flower in the dead centre. The man knocked, and was greeted by a set of green eyes. He whispered something, and the eyes slipped away.
"I'm not sure about this anymore..." Bat whispered to Gus.
"And you think I am? This bloke's got to be nuts!" The metal door swung open to reveal a long, oval table surrounded by chairs. Each if the chairs had someone in it, there were about twenty in all. But what came as the greatest shock of all was that they were all skeletons. Dried to the bone, their gaping mouths laughing at something unseen. Bat held a hand to his mouth, forcing the bile in his throat to remain inside his body. The same couldn't be said for Gus, however, as he quickly dipped to the side and vomited.
"What kind of sick joke is this?!" Gus wiped the side if his moth with his sleeve, spitting the words at the homeless man. The man laughed, holding his stomach and almost keeling over. "I'm only getting started, boys!" His face stretched to insanity as he cackled horridly.
"Gus! Let's bolt!" Bat grabbed him by the arm and dragged him, but he refused to move. He looked back at Gus, his ally, his friend. A dark look had crossed onto his face. "This is the end of the road, Bat." Bat yelled, dropping his hand and making a in for it. He didn't make it far, for as he turned the corner, he skidded on something he'd rather not name, soaking his left shoe, and fell. What he fell into, he didn't know. For in that moment, he opened his eyes.
His face was a little too close to the cement than he would have preferred. But what struck him as odd was that the concrete was not soaked in layers of droppings, but in fact water. Rainwater, Bat corrected himself, gazing up at the sky. He peeled himself up from the ground into a sitting position.
"Oh, you're awake?" The voice sent hovers trough his spine. "Thank goodness, you took quite the fall. I was hoping you didn't die because of a silly slip. I'm Jeff, by the way. Most call me the local hobo." he laughed heartily, extending his hand. Bat remained still, flashes of his dream still running past his eyes. "Are you sure you're alright there?" Jeff's face turned to one of concern.
"I - Fine." Bat cleared his throat. "What happened, anyway?" Jeff's face softened. "Well, here I was, making myself a place to sleep out of the rain, when you come barrelling down the alley. It was a nasty shock when you fell. Startled me, it did. You've only been out for a minute, mind, but it enough to send an old bloke like me into a panic. You, uh, were carrying this, too. Is it anything important?" He held out the silver ring in his left palm. Bat gingerly took the ring in his own and laughed. "All that fuss for one little ring?" He shook his head, taking a glance at his watch. He was going to be late at this rate. "Thank you," he said. "But I need to go."
Jeff nodded. "Someone dressed as finely as you definitely looks like they have someplace to be. May peace be with you, sir."
"As with you," Bat stood, taking a final glance at the ring and clenching it in his fist, jogging down the alley and turning into a street. Four o' two... He thought, smiling when he saw the chapel. Bat checked his watch. Five minutes early. He rushed into the doors, giving himself a quick once-over in the mirror. His black hair was combed nicely, but still remained its messy style, dangling above his ebony eyes. The black and white tuxedo he wore suited him perfectly and, in his opinion, made him look like a sexy beast.
"Bloody hell! You're almost late, man! Get in there before Janet loses her mind!"
"Sure thing, Gus. Don't forget-"
"I'm your best mate, I know. Now go!"
Bat walked in through the double doors, ere he dashed to the end of the aisle and waited. Almost instantly, the doors opened again and a beautiful woman in a long, white dress emerged, accompanied by an older man. She was a thing of absolute desire. Her hair, soft and blonde, trailing down her back in curls, marked with white flowers. Her eyes, a soft blue that soothed Bat's nerves at a glance. And the greatest part was - she was even more beautiful on the inside than she was out, and that's why Bat loved her so.
She slowly stepped across the aisle, her dress trailing behind her. She came to stand before him.
"The ring?" A man beside them said.
"Of course," Bat pulled the ring from his hand and slipped it on Janet's ring finger. "What would a bride be without her ring?" he smiled, taking hold of her hand, and feeling the beginning kindles of love tickle inside of his chest.
ns 172.71.254.162da2
