Jason didn’t come to school today.
Nana stared at the empty seat—15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl1JZUyHEM7
the one Jason always sat in.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGu7HitQEGz
He always sat up straight.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjlsqpOZqmu
Even though the chair wobbled,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnNe4uA8xWv
he made it look steady.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFTo0PXd1dp
Made it look like his throne.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRVE8jJy4vV
It was Jason’s spot.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3UzI64X7sZ
No one dared touch it.
Nana touched the bread in her pocket.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzyXUUOj13M
She had saved it for him.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBjh6bateMI
The boy ate a lot—15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvqrO2UoQhk
he was always saying he was hungry.
She waited the whole day.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPY7RVLy4UZ
But Jason never came.
Truth be told,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ452Hmiyg2b
he looked like a troublemaker,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3kNwtL5OPJ
but he actually liked school.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7iaqOtFczr
He respected the teacher.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtVTfJp7DSN
Even when scolded,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡogp3Hwughh
he just frowned—never talked back.
Nana grew more and more uneasy.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZY5pB543A4
After school,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcGf0jXlMs0
she decided to go look for him.
She had never been to Jason’s home,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsWecVrHrUl
but he’d described it a few times—15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv5Qdzqq9r9
the pawn shop at the corner with a broken sign,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqWOTO7a4MB
stairs that creaked like they were ready to collapse,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpZIGFzZTKF
and a bottom-floor door that smelled like rotten shoes.
She spent a while searching,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH1pB4z6PFx
asking directions,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPJHDo2DQjc
following fragments of memory.
The sun began to set15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTLkIxgRM9y
when she finally stepped into a deeper part of the slums.
It was the slums within the slums.
Nana kept her body close,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdkfIJjKahX
avoiding drunken men vomiting on the street,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdndyK48lce
sidestepping women chatting in low, tired voices.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd6vnbgcCpB
At the end of the road,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKGzZXyTExI
there were barely any people.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTZhsVbEeoR
The doors were shut tight.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOeM2YyeGWC
Graffiti and grime smeared the walls.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVyTAMO72wZ
The air reeked of mold.
Following Jason’s descriptions,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6pA3Mz6Nkg
she found the second floor of the abandoned pawn shop.
Each step on the staircase15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxjAWWc6Z5r
made her heart pound—15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlhMWTFMK68
every creak whispering that life here was uncertain,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcvb7leloFo
like the world itself was warning her:15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdls8Spi3B8
No one should be here.
She reached the top,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRWyH6m0oRC
stood before a door blackened by filth.
She raised her hand to knock—15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo0ORV7AvrN
but realized the door wasn’t closed.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIc3CVqhYM5
The frame was cracked.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuHCzPrDDyU
She pushed.
The door opened with a soft click-click.
Inside,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4DfhSLeSyN
it was dark.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY52KcUXz9z
So dark,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnnByLrKqvD
it felt like light had never existed there.
Nana stepped inside slowly—15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTDaC9Ruznk
and kicked something.
She looked down.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0unaKawn0F
Her eyes had grown used to the dark.
What she saw15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSU7vuPprCT
froze her in place.
Jason was on the floor,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmveVgoPefj
his face covered in blood.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp4VCMPAIAr
His lip was split,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH7yxH7UYgq
his nose still bleeding.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtI6uz2ZLCB
His clothes were wrinkled,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDTrnkadl75
and dried blood stained his chest15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtkW5dj8YSb
like an old, torn blanket.
Nana dropped to her knees, shaking.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkunfuu4UuV
She reached out and gently shook him.
His body was limp.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeVqEanAVV3
No response.
She lowered her head,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEMY1WJiZFp
pressed her ear against his chest.
Thank God.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSqQjX551kJ
There was still a heartbeat.
But it was faint.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjUpIBVt5JY
Slow.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjsT9ng2YWf
Like the heart itself was drifting into sleep.
Her eyes blurred.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJwMnRrH4rD
Tears streamed uncontrollably.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx2lQZTYtvJ
She had never cried like this before.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1EnjB8G4Dr
Her throat burned—like it was on fire.
She opened her mouth—15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMCxxJE2bom
and by sheer instinct,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIb6vYi5tv4
made a sound:
“J… Jason… Ja… son…”
The voice was hoarse.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCxkKxAc2d6
Broken.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpo3KmXsyEt
Like a rusty door creaking open.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU2h8lDtsZW
Like vocal cords that hadn’t worked in years15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZHtLSEKVkw
screaming for the first time.
Her face was soaked.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnaG9fIpUyC
She cried and looked around,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiNdAHKeBG1
not knowing what to do.
As she wiped her tears,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaXbtVVUOaE
something on the wall caught her eye.
The Batman symbol.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgRs4OGECXh
Drawn in chalk.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQPYcJ6eyrY
Smudged with time,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOD34XYSEEW
but still clear.
A bat with its wings spread.
The police used it to call Batman.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJaiTxXA5IY
Jason said it was the mark of his hero.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOxbtMb2EqQ
He said he drew it on the wall15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBvUW1vRPyK
because he hoped—someday—15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBG24ip6IxB
to meet Batman.
“…Batman,” Nana murmured.
And then,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYQXUkp8X1E
suddenly, she understood.
She jumped to her feet15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyl4JSKKAGp
and ran outside.
The street wind was icy,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqfd5GaG3IW
but she didn’t care.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnwMgU0AjMs
She ran—
toward the places Jason had told her about.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2JZe2jgGjH
The underpass.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbb050iY9x0
The rooftop.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡExikHT5BDv
The ruined lot.
Jason had once said,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXQpgmLNwtf
completely serious:15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkM5Od3LJrY
Batman definitely patrols here.
Nana stopped.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxcmvOwPIP1
Put her hands around her mouth like a megaphone.
“Bat… man!”
She shouted.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB3bnnBA94x
The voice cracked,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOUWLLq9apK
the syllables broken by coughs.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWqwh9qYDZ4
“Cough… Bat… man…!”
She cried.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡioS8UqXN51
Screamed.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl8cADdLXRA
Each word tearing from her throat15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxdzlzyrw1j
like strips of flesh.
“R… Rob… cough… Robin…”
She felt herself crumbling.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ2S4AxKeGA
Her throat was on fire.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFHb8D5MEHm
Her voice—shredded.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkjj4fZLcVC
But she didn’t stop.
She was scared.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsjLV1FWOcB
Terrified.
She was about to lose Jason.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF6V7TvjbWO
He was still lying there.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡojQdDd9zX2
If they were too late…
“If you keep calling me Ro-cough-bin,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNH4U8Q8N8p
I’m gonna start thinking that’s my name.”
A voice.
Sudden.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW0CDyEeFlS
Calm.
Nana turned sharply.
Through her tear-streaked vision,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0xJMvtZhEd
a figure stood in the dark mist of the Gotham night.
Red.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3M5MvYh0wm
Green.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9e7pIANVIH
Yellow.
A cape.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBV84XAUlx8
An R on the chest.
Exactly as she’d seen in the newspapers.
A figure once from fantasy15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBGEMAJiA1o
was now standing before her in real life.
Robin.
He stepped forward.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg6Vi9N3KAL
Gently ran a hand over her hair,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhdGbhWIibo
like calming a bird about to break.
Then, softly, he asked:
“What happened?”
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl9bf1hqWgF
