Jason didn’t come to school today.
Nana stared at the empty seat—33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkrbT8uPerv
the one Jason always sat in.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOY7DHXwpcK
He always sat up straight.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaiRqYsQpxX
Even though the chair wobbled,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk6MAaFp6W5
he made it look steady.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQztsYhNMpk
Made it look like his throne.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8hBaTx15i4
It was Jason’s spot.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTKCmYu1BSq
No one dared touch it.
Nana touched the bread in her pocket.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEdhMetNkuU
She had saved it for him.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0V8qRKwXuw
The boy ate a lot—33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuoBGrapO1p
he was always saying he was hungry.
She waited the whole day.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiwcprkf7kL
But Jason never came.
Truth be told,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrD4h6KolMt
he looked like a troublemaker,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmWF64v4szH
but he actually liked school.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1J7yH9KGrP
He respected the teacher.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPvkXQ77F1n
Even when scolded,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5t3SvE3UFY
he just frowned—never talked back.
Nana grew more and more uneasy.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnmVJN4HHnw
After school,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡINfSJnl2TS
she decided to go look for him.
She had never been to Jason’s home,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFCjRnQZ8MT
but he’d described it a few times—33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMk1MtzVImi
the pawn shop at the corner with a broken sign,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡglPYLeS2i3
stairs that creaked like they were ready to collapse,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQtOPtEcbfc
and a bottom-floor door that smelled like rotten shoes.
She spent a while searching,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgGDfMRkpx5
asking directions,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwfGB6QwUum
following fragments of memory.
The sun began to set33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRRLWB3jBtx
when she finally stepped into a deeper part of the slums.
It was the slums within the slums.
Nana kept her body close,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNKfnk72M1G
avoiding drunken men vomiting on the street,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTyIAc1H1bC
sidestepping women chatting in low, tired voices.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0OMLR8hMMj
At the end of the road,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq6b0UjhLbd
there were barely any people.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR4XxJ76yeD
The doors were shut tight.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlMkJcI0NzE
Graffiti and grime smeared the walls.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrWMRN9iKg3
The air reeked of mold.
Following Jason’s descriptions,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡISuJfZtuXq
she found the second floor of the abandoned pawn shop.
Each step on the staircase33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1zkDiVNcSY
made her heart pound—33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9EBoOVjmea
every creak whispering that life here was uncertain,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ZqZUjm0qd
like the world itself was warning her:33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDMm4g41Ujz
No one should be here.
She reached the top,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0EcLnww5wZ
stood before a door blackened by filth.
She raised her hand to knock—33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBSGZOaUIGM
but realized the door wasn’t closed.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfZrT9pV1wH
The frame was cracked.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDzZCJx9mpP
She pushed.
The door opened with a soft click-click.
Inside,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ26FUR4pcNh
it was dark.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrtMyXHcfcw
So dark,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRsY6lsGrZB
it felt like light had never existed there.
Nana stepped inside slowly—33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2fwMboFGjp
and kicked something.
She looked down.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4LNy0DBQ5A
Her eyes had grown used to the dark.
What she saw33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0bGrMDpRc7
froze her in place.
Jason was on the floor,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN7zjdQ9pf7
his face covered in blood.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJNHY9SF7JL
His lip was split,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNuqCGTnFNL
his nose still bleeding.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS2csVp2hCt
His clothes were wrinkled,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0NjXy1BiB2
and dried blood stained his chest33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSkDRtTjpQv
like an old, torn blanket.
Nana dropped to her knees, shaking.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwpge7vCYua
She reached out and gently shook him.
His body was limp.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0qfLD0jWqb
No response.
She lowered her head,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTTM6hFqfl8
pressed her ear against his chest.
Thank God.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Kz0y1mpLX
There was still a heartbeat.
But it was faint.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuZyejpDA7n
Slow.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaiwHmKQov2
Like the heart itself was drifting into sleep.
Her eyes blurred.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ62HALfei5G
Tears streamed uncontrollably.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSW3VWXYXiI
She had never cried like this before.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKNT3osOqa2
Her throat burned—like it was on fire.
She opened her mouth—33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY8qyVurmC9
and by sheer instinct,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsxxTQykhWV
made a sound:
“J… Jason… Ja… son…”
The voice was hoarse.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ44EYpSHfMW
Broken.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx0FKqkyqp5
Like a rusty door creaking open.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjoc0YYjP5l
Like vocal cords that hadn’t worked in years33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgoyFdTxk58
screaming for the first time.
Her face was soaked.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKiGbU71iFm
She cried and looked around,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaFUmmLh2hV
not knowing what to do.
As she wiped her tears,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr1IsrLG8Mn
something on the wall caught her eye.
The Batman symbol.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDJM6obPomD
Drawn in chalk.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPl4xjlBq7b
Smudged with time,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡznekmDa9YA
but still clear.
A bat with its wings spread.
The police used it to call Batman.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvWrBsxwYYH
Jason said it was the mark of his hero.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTJ93b9BVP3
He said he drew it on the wall33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVnFReZ3mNo
because he hoped—someday—33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH21um9qWt2
to meet Batman.
“…Batman,” Nana murmured.
And then,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQHhSZnAd3j
suddenly, she understood.
She jumped to her feet33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7YI7rDEG5k
and ran outside.
The street wind was icy,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVXOPQNQZA5
but she didn’t care.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnOwT2vexGQ
She ran—
toward the places Jason had told her about.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtSVWarlUI0
The underpass.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCW72fcaxiM
The rooftop.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiBtCrYxzEg
The ruined lot.
Jason had once said,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMMGJBV4EKy
completely serious:33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjwcLsWoicd
Batman definitely patrols here.
Nana stopped.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQJ5UdsnIRY
Put her hands around her mouth like a megaphone.
“Bat… man!”
She shouted.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2r6yGcav3a
The voice cracked,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2SlYeLH44L
the syllables broken by coughs.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNhDGpvz5C7
“Cough… Bat… man…!”
She cried.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4CzbalbI98
Screamed.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo5MUctdoEw
Each word tearing from her throat33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnSHsfd816v
like strips of flesh.
“R… Rob… cough… Robin…”
She felt herself crumbling.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUJXsorvjMj
Her throat was on fire.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0PihQdISzu
Her voice—shredded.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9VlvdTqEMp
But she didn’t stop.
She was scared.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsl8d4TQmrv
Terrified.
She was about to lose Jason.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqss7gYDyQ6
He was still lying there.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP07IYcMjOB
If they were too late…
“If you keep calling me Ro-cough-bin,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEULbPQAhvM
I’m gonna start thinking that’s my name.”
A voice.
Sudden.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxMS5G3otOy
Calm.
Nana turned sharply.
Through her tear-streaked vision,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡepCYMuATsq
a figure stood in the dark mist of the Gotham night.
Red.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHCeCdASRpB
Green.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtH3jw706KN
Yellow.
A cape.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb46TuoWyZx
An R on the chest.
Exactly as she’d seen in the newspapers.
A figure once from fantasy33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkPVBQeeZ1p
was now standing before her in real life.
Robin.
He stepped forward.33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRE1BAhEpOA
Gently ran a hand over her hair,33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6U5ZvTsiVZ
like calming a bird about to break.
Then, softly, he asked:
“What happened?”
33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtssw2UPnUx
