Why So Serious? (Heath Ledger)

Chapter 10

I woke up looking around frantically wondering what had happened, where I was. It's like I had just awoken from a dream.

But then I came to my senses and realized that I was at my apartment sitting in my bed, under my covers.

I pulled them off to see that my dress was still on, but my high heels were placed next to my bed, neatly on the floor.

Strange, I couldn't remember a thing from last night.

I fell back down on my pillow with a long sigh and threw my arm over my eyes. My stomach felt like it was having a gymnastics tournament, and my forhead felt like it was on fire, my eyes rolling in the back of my head.

What had happened last night? I figured I probably had a hangover and decided to take a warm shower, maybe go get some fresh air, drink a couple glasses of water.

I rolled out of bed and very cautiously found my way to the bathroom. God, I needed to get a job, the police would only help pay for another week or so, I'd forgotten all about that.

I quickly took a shower and threw on some clothes with my white sneakers. I decided maybe I should go out to a park or something.... like the one by John's house. Only problem was, I couldn't find my damn keys.

And then a thought came to mind. Who drove me home last night? I mean, I must've been seriously drunk.... maybe John drove me home in his car and kept my keys for safety precautions?

I went found my purse sitting next to the front door on the small wooden table and dug around in it for my phone.

I picked it up and called John, continuing to shuffle through my purse in search for some gum.

"Alisa?" He sounded susprised.

"Yeah, hey John I was wondering if you had my keys from last night, I mean you did drive me home? Right?"

I heard him sigh on the other end of the line and then he spoke.

"Alisa, I didn't drive you home, I didn't see you after that dance with the masked man. You never even said goodbye, I figured something important had popped up and you had to leave?"

I found a folded up peice of paper in my purse and stuck my phone inbetween my ear and my shoulder so I could open it.

"Masked man? John what are you talking about? Didn't I dance with you, and then... um? I-."

I opened up the paper and it said, keys are in the mail box. Strange.... maybe I wrote myself a note.

"Well Alisa I really don't know what to tell you? Maybe you drove yourself home and forgot?"

I looked at the paper confused. I couldn't possibly have driven myself home if I were so drunk, that I couldn't even remember what happened last night.

"Um.. well thanks John, I think I found my... keys. So I'll talk to you later."

"Yeah, well good luck remembering Alisa. I'll catch up with you later."

I took my phone in my hand and hung up. I quickly grabbed the sweater that was draped over the couch and ran outside. And sure enough, there were my keys, in my mailbox.

I grabbed them and went back inside. I needed some water. I walked over to the kitchen and grabbed a water bottle from on top of the fridge, before wandering over to the couch and turning on the TV

The news channel was broadcasting. The reporter was standing in front of a tall glassy building, several police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances everywhere.

"We have just received news that the mayor has been discovered inside the town recreation center, hooked up to several gasoline tanks... unstable tanks that have a possibly blowing at any given moment.

"Police say that the tanks are rigged to explodr at one wrong move, so specialists have been brought in to unhook and secure the mayor to safetey. We'll get back to you on the story, but now here is a video just sent in to us."

A video taken by a camcorder appeared on the TV. My eyes were wide with disbelief, this had to be him, and indeed it was. The footage showed the joker in the building talking to the mayor who was hooked up to the tanks.

The Joker said that this city needed a better class of criminals, a greater threat, a better challenge. He said that unless the batman took off the mask and turned himself in, he would continue to kill one person everyday.

He started laughing hysterically and the video began to blur, you could hear the mayor screaming in the background. And then the video abruptly cut off.

The reporter was displayed onto the screen again.

"You have just seen this disturbing video submitted to us by an anonymous, not even filmed an hour ago, more news-"

An explosion, in the background, from the fourth story of the building, cut her broadcast short. The reporter ducked and dropped the microphone while the camera zoomed in on the explosion, debree flying in all directions.

Windows shattered, and people were heard screaming. The police and firefighters were backing away their vehicles.

You could clearly hear the police yelling out that the floor that the mayor was on was the sixth floor. I let out a breath and then my phone rang. It was John.

"Alisa, turn on the local news." He sounded panicked.

"I am, I just saw everything. What are they going to do? John, what's going on?"

"I heard they're trying to send troops up in building with the bomb specialists to rescue the mayor, but they don't know how many other floors are wired."

I stared at the TV, watching the chaos spread as the camera man zoomed out and showed what was happening behind him.

What ever the Joker was trying to do, it was working, and I wondered if the batman really would turn himself in...