Jason didn’t come to school today.
Nana stared at the empty seat—28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGTi6qyaVuQ
the one Jason always sat in.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡruQyWHFcHI
He always sat up straight.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Ojgv8x52S
Even though the chair wobbled,28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYNGPfsbJx4
he made it look steady.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS0uvkIBkIc
Made it look like his throne.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQPIWtZ0k5Z
It was Jason’s spot.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsI1nfH8kBt
No one dared touch it.
Nana touched the bread in her pocket.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBCZBNVynYW
She had saved it for him.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCEAXAYajGy
The boy ate a lot—28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeQdxceuR4K
he was always saying he was hungry.
She waited the whole day.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOEeezt130k
But Jason never came.
Truth be told,28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeclzYXSLcm
he looked like a troublemaker,28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡekTlUdyo5T
but he actually liked school.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDIq4KUgV2X
He respected the teacher.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV1Ho6nEFaH
Even when scolded,28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxybMqhvTeC
he just frowned—never talked back.
Nana grew more and more uneasy.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvSl4PLWeUa
After school,28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe1lbsiHDdL
she decided to go look for him.
She had never been to Jason’s home,28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0oinx3I3Fa
but he’d described it a few times—28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6l91zusadh
the pawn shop at the corner with a broken sign,28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWtBdQk5qAt
stairs that creaked like they were ready to collapse,28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCPysuxnGFa
and a bottom-floor door that smelled like rotten shoes.
She spent a while searching,28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmVDlQuCqON
asking directions,28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkYoDMUwbWa
following fragments of memory.
The sun began to set28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWJoXafG5MB
when she finally stepped into a deeper part of the slums.
It was the slums within the slums.
Nana kept her body close,28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYaEoqVWvN9
avoiding drunken men vomiting on the street,28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHQH2Mbxw8c
sidestepping women chatting in low, tired voices.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFzjHIIEA2M
At the end of the road,28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlWOtdayYFk
there were barely any people.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbZ5S8VXNo7
The doors were shut tight.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu4ZKx7IwOM
Graffiti and grime smeared the walls.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9OUYI76M6O
The air reeked of mold.
Following Jason’s descriptions,28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaLFg6GyfNu
she found the second floor of the abandoned pawn shop.
Each step on the staircase28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDxuMHOK102
made her heart pound—28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAbYEvja3ab
every creak whispering that life here was uncertain,28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWiirHlE7fu
like the world itself was warning her:28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3UEGU3mi0H
No one should be here.
She reached the top,28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡinDxVkOtSr
stood before a door blackened by filth.
She raised her hand to knock—28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8etgzzQmPt
but realized the door wasn’t closed.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbpmoI0P48u
The frame was cracked.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrILrzCtX81
She pushed.
The door opened with a soft click-click.
Inside,28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpMZSoNV7PG
it was dark.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtnMpMZzDpl
So dark,28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjFdIc9PiwW
it felt like light had never existed there.
Nana stepped inside slowly—28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7TNR3TbDEr
and kicked something.
She looked down.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBaerFXnJmm
Her eyes had grown used to the dark.
What she saw28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGQcG8GJUsl
froze her in place.
Jason was on the floor,28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡurT4Lo9LFd
his face covered in blood.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVgrszSvKrc
His lip was split,28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpC9KmT9tCC
his nose still bleeding.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4svr2lv8fN
His clothes were wrinkled,28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxvDsyEJpUR
and dried blood stained his chest28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEJUwkg8mU4
like an old, torn blanket.
Nana dropped to her knees, shaking.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeGlQUBqJ1c
She reached out and gently shook him.
His body was limp.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmaxTdA0SBt
No response.
She lowered her head,28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDoPkFQbXu7
pressed her ear against his chest.
Thank God.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm40HJC0HFt
There was still a heartbeat.
But it was faint.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡATd8VNBbE1
Slow.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuR3nrNg6gp
Like the heart itself was drifting into sleep.
Her eyes blurred.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBSptfU2PgJ
Tears streamed uncontrollably.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡablIZDulnI
She had never cried like this before.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡENairvJppR
Her throat burned—like it was on fire.
She opened her mouth—28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKqjBTfJb7Y
and by sheer instinct,28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOX6ZIllDYT
made a sound:
“J… Jason… Ja… son…”
The voice was hoarse.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Rr64Bk0Ju
Broken.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡryye3rQ4HY
Like a rusty door creaking open.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRClxRPnEvw
Like vocal cords that hadn’t worked in years28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHJG1rCOIPw
screaming for the first time.
Her face was soaked.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa3wy6Nz6PV
She cried and looked around,28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYJrSWk08ol
not knowing what to do.
As she wiped her tears,28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡanC8b4w69v
something on the wall caught her eye.
The Batman symbol.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXx21eGcoCt
Drawn in chalk.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMjyAGv7lan
Smudged with time,28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡapIThlAafr
but still clear.
A bat with its wings spread.
The police used it to call Batman.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLKXMNsmR5W
Jason said it was the mark of his hero.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3TwpVQ547Q
He said he drew it on the wall28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTCEhOk6dws
because he hoped—someday—28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsA0i6kmX0d
to meet Batman.
“…Batman,” Nana murmured.
And then,28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9bpGnGmUIk
suddenly, she understood.
She jumped to her feet28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzqt9lbbf7S
and ran outside.
The street wind was icy,28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdUEgc1Ftl5
but she didn’t care.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoBMY4FpEFn
She ran—
toward the places Jason had told her about.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYI2SgpBVRK
The underpass.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBfoy0rJMrj
The rooftop.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBi2dDIJ9bG
The ruined lot.
Jason had once said,28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkMC8iCpfPs
completely serious:28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVfpBzwLYiv
Batman definitely patrols here.
Nana stopped.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ8d2AkzUnI
Put her hands around her mouth like a megaphone.
“Bat… man!”
She shouted.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMStxrQk42D
The voice cracked,28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3XdL3uaMsj
the syllables broken by coughs.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe8J5ZI0bs7
“Cough… Bat… man…!”
She cried.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzIjzH5ZndE
Screamed.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZf1zYoTK7y
Each word tearing from her throat28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQUIBwkqqGs
like strips of flesh.
“R… Rob… cough… Robin…”
She felt herself crumbling.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMvV76MAmEt
Her throat was on fire.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHhW5eyMd8E
Her voice—shredded.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSPESnoPIQg
But she didn’t stop.
She was scared.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGGRHZqE9Ky
Terrified.
She was about to lose Jason.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEQwc0p6Xo1
He was still lying there.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNpihQBL3Mk
If they were too late…
“If you keep calling me Ro-cough-bin,28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4TZzOC4oj3
I’m gonna start thinking that’s my name.”
A voice.
Sudden.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvORfQuo3N8
Calm.
Nana turned sharply.
Through her tear-streaked vision,28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNBCYr8PzDo
a figure stood in the dark mist of the Gotham night.
Red.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7biL04KqhF
Green.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdS1pWn9kzC
Yellow.
A cape.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAFJmG6tatW
An R on the chest.
Exactly as she’d seen in the newspapers.
A figure once from fantasy28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwhvNo2rcOJ
was now standing before her in real life.
Robin.
He stepped forward.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdd5d4qN6eZ
Gently ran a hand over her hair,28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbYahIWxiI8
like calming a bird about to break.
Then, softly, he asked:
“What happened?”
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCyY5FcLo74
and then Add to home screen.