Crazy for You - Valeska Brothers x Female OC (Gotham)

32. The Circus Part 3

Sam's P.O.V

"Is there a plan for all this madness?" Bruce scoffs, looking around the hordes of people that are fighting and killing each other.

"These people don't want a plan - they want an excuse," Jerome places his arm over Bruce's shoulder. "The mother who dreams of strangling her child. The husband who wants to stab his wife..." He looks over at me. "The daughter who hopes to shoot her father..."

"Leave him out of it!" I snap, straining against the assholes holding me back.

He ignores me, and continues talking to Bruce, "All they want is someone to tell them, 'Do it. Kill them. It doesn't matter.' It doesn't." He leans over to me at the last two words.

Then, his eyes brighten at the sight of another game, with a horrific twist, "Ooh, I love this game! One, please."

It's the dunking game. Where you throw the ball and if it hits the mark, the person on top falls in. This time there's live piranhas in the tanker.

"No, no, no! Please no!" A man shouts, as he is forced onto the seat above the tank.

Jerome steps closer to the game, grabbing a ball from the guy 'managing' it.

"You can't do this!" I protest, and Jerome rolls his eyes.

"Watch me, dollface."

"You won't get away with it," Bruce growls.

"Already did. Now shush. I need to concentrate," Jerome spits on the ground.

"A few dozen brainwashed maniacs can't keep the city hostage forever."

"Well, duh," Jerome huffs.

As he goes to throw the ball, Bruce speaks again.

"So what's the point?"

Jerome refrains from throwing the ball, and turns around to look at Bruce, edging closer to him.

"The point is that all these people out here, looting, robbing... killing, they're the people who wash your car, who pour your coffee, who take out your trash, and what happened the moment the lights went out? They showed their true faces. They showed how quickly they want to open up your rich boy veins and bathe in your blue blood. That is the point."

"That's not true," Bruce defends, "there are good people in Gotham."

Jerome laughs in response, "Like who? The sheep who lock their doors and crawl under their beds? Face it, kid. Gotham has no heroes."

"You're wrong," I shake my head, in which he focuses his attention on me.

"Unless you've got a valid point, sweetheart, you should-"

"James Gordon is a hero," I hold my head up high, glaring. "He's saved my life plenty of times."

Jerome laughs madly, stepping closer to me, "Good old Jimbo... he may be a hero in your eyes now, but after rich boy is dead, and you're still with me, well, that should put some perspective in you. Now I think about it, I need to toughen you up. Jim won't be here to save you, so how are you going to escape? Easy. You won't!"