Jason didn’t come to school today.
Nana stared at the empty seat—45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBNQNKAQZxB
the one Jason always sat in.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6XE5pCun2F
He always sat up straight.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRXXucFcGEk
Even though the chair wobbled,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4UAOGq2iPw
he made it look steady.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrE8n4CsCbH
Made it look like his throne.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4vCo7mgwxE
It was Jason’s spot.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv562AJDTJq
No one dared touch it.
Nana touched the bread in her pocket.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCLvAltRNjU
She had saved it for him.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfN7LBw3baJ
The boy ate a lot—45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7LnLyX2pzU
he was always saying he was hungry.
She waited the whole day.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSA1nbMWEAZ
But Jason never came.
Truth be told,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJrtMfjMpTU
he looked like a troublemaker,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr2zkmKKrRj
but he actually liked school.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQzYCGzURQQ
He respected the teacher.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7218ohdgOx
Even when scolded,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiVfp5qG8Yc
he just frowned—never talked back.
Nana grew more and more uneasy.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyW8roRGfoz
After school,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ47GbAABxRR
she decided to go look for him.
She had never been to Jason’s home,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1xrweqN3Tp
but he’d described it a few times—45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3GeLJxzUGc
the pawn shop at the corner with a broken sign,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlo81vAQYZn
stairs that creaked like they were ready to collapse,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ88ePmIRqJS
and a bottom-floor door that smelled like rotten shoes.
She spent a while searching,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUZXpSb7st6
asking directions,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsGXD0xH3ut
following fragments of memory.
The sun began to set45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF4UXBZgsOn
when she finally stepped into a deeper part of the slums.
It was the slums within the slums.
Nana kept her body close,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlmFGiQ1K30
avoiding drunken men vomiting on the street,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHz6b76xpeN
sidestepping women chatting in low, tired voices.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrtW1qDvARP
At the end of the road,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4DaGGaFb1q
there were barely any people.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr1qC0UpNs9
The doors were shut tight.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ59n7w7f6G6
Graffiti and grime smeared the walls.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8zEvtNL7W5
The air reeked of mold.
Following Jason’s descriptions,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRTIDIrVy5C
she found the second floor of the abandoned pawn shop.
Each step on the staircase45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtE7QpTg8D4
made her heart pound—45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGW7Jr4r5V3
every creak whispering that life here was uncertain,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLObxeGOefS
like the world itself was warning her:45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYAp4qq9Yqn
No one should be here.
She reached the top,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdD9c6Wb6BG
stood before a door blackened by filth.
She raised her hand to knock—45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg9GvJrwwiR
but realized the door wasn’t closed.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeiRiaf2pyQ
The frame was cracked.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcCXfBe32VP
She pushed.
The door opened with a soft click-click.
Inside,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPqthBmP0vh
it was dark.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3NTWywdARc
So dark,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSjqunxeRla
it felt like light had never existed there.
Nana stepped inside slowly—45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTKIYb0TwPy
and kicked something.
She looked down.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTV9KXJmDnc
Her eyes had grown used to the dark.
What she saw45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2XCwap3q8Y
froze her in place.
Jason was on the floor,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxjwTFaxIee
his face covered in blood.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzo5djWbtvR
His lip was split,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyAMYpVXsQp
his nose still bleeding.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiIqFiZ4D9i
His clothes were wrinkled,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRUt7afAHRv
and dried blood stained his chest45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcCP9epIT5g
like an old, torn blanket.
Nana dropped to her knees, shaking.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡENPhlfLaqJ
She reached out and gently shook him.
His body was limp.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn1s5DKzg70
No response.
She lowered her head,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtaKj6s8CEK
pressed her ear against his chest.
Thank God.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7mc4UJUyJo
There was still a heartbeat.
But it was faint.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEE9msmb5ZW
Slow.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUvJ2VZLOxa
Like the heart itself was drifting into sleep.
Her eyes blurred.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi9nWCmwRXy
Tears streamed uncontrollably.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Xo9UPb6Mc
She had never cried like this before.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRoJUyEE5uD
Her throat burned—like it was on fire.
She opened her mouth—45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3v6jnaMkoO
and by sheer instinct,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ12UDDBpqPE
made a sound:
“J… Jason… Ja… son…”
The voice was hoarse.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHDHZfX3yJx
Broken.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8NSffbNijZ
Like a rusty door creaking open.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc7UaDA8jDB
Like vocal cords that hadn’t worked in years45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcP0YXw8LDW
screaming for the first time.
Her face was soaked.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnlwwrhbUHi
She cried and looked around,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAVGBlZVWuY
not knowing what to do.
As she wiped her tears,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw0NXVo9x20
something on the wall caught her eye.
The Batman symbol.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSdLGFgocXn
Drawn in chalk.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡctqqHw4J2d
Smudged with time,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvd2YEsWw41
but still clear.
A bat with its wings spread.
The police used it to call Batman.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO6FhZJQUa7
Jason said it was the mark of his hero.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf3KPMXoOtc
He said he drew it on the wall45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz4hpHkcBCO
because he hoped—someday—45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoLmWWtgUf5
to meet Batman.
“…Batman,” Nana murmured.
And then,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvxsvmwfmTb
suddenly, she understood.
She jumped to her feet45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8OYhd9qaKC
and ran outside.
The street wind was icy,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv2ZlJkDOXw
but she didn’t care.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV0ZbcS9P7L
She ran—
toward the places Jason had told her about.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoq3f5xgLlv
The underpass.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjSbY2xDhSZ
The rooftop.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgIimtXmt8p
The ruined lot.
Jason had once said,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXICCplxDh0
completely serious:45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnTUX3TkRGj
Batman definitely patrols here.
Nana stopped.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQFIZLXUJvt
Put her hands around her mouth like a megaphone.
“Bat… man!”
She shouted.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIUOXoPhlMR
The voice cracked,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUPCiTnFxsJ
the syllables broken by coughs.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR3XWq8Rv7j
“Cough… Bat… man…!”
She cried.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv3hNRDvh7H
Screamed.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM7Zss3ceYZ
Each word tearing from her throat45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTpj9ftmg8U
like strips of flesh.
“R… Rob… cough… Robin…”
She felt herself crumbling.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7fCJqKKvVU
Her throat was on fire.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIoG2blo0da
Her voice—shredded.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ5EY0U1noK
But she didn’t stop.
She was scared.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVgcaGbF28x
Terrified.
She was about to lose Jason.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBde2Ka4bXu
He was still lying there.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Z1IgnLoHk
If they were too late…
“If you keep calling me Ro-cough-bin,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡStZ4ppsiqx
I’m gonna start thinking that’s my name.”
A voice.
Sudden.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1SHbFniA43
Calm.
Nana turned sharply.
Through her tear-streaked vision,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb5jE8eSseG
a figure stood in the dark mist of the Gotham night.
Red.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiXhicWq4G9
Green.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsJvI1qo6G9
Yellow.
A cape.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqrIQkMpx8X
An R on the chest.
Exactly as she’d seen in the newspapers.
A figure once from fantasy45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpxixwN2eOB
was now standing before her in real life.
Robin.
He stepped forward.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1aBhtgQC55
Gently ran a hand over her hair,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx2IMG51CU1
like calming a bird about to break.
Then, softly, he asked:
“What happened?”
45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsxeYhFhRUP
and then Add to home screen.