Jason didn’t come to school today.
Nana stared at the empty seat—17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDAFTsG5Zne
the one Jason always sat in.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYoup4IogAl
He always sat up straight.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuFBQkeHQ2W
Even though the chair wobbled,17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdg95rR9Dgn
he made it look steady.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU6lEpQaQ30
Made it look like his throne.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡijxHxsdZWd
It was Jason’s spot.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6SCkDFehgh
No one dared touch it.
Nana touched the bread in her pocket.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHMzMCghCS2
She had saved it for him.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV1d6jhpdMZ
The boy ate a lot—17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWD5yur8OEy
he was always saying he was hungry.
She waited the whole day.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjZJnKY8O0x
But Jason never came.
Truth be told,17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkdjNSnVpAy
he looked like a troublemaker,17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm9ondvSuME
but he actually liked school.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrRCVfrVeu3
He respected the teacher.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4KKfD9wn71
Even when scolded,17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡok88rZXmJS
he just frowned—never talked back.
Nana grew more and more uneasy.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdGUaVnGRsn
After school,17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWepbWm9Xnp
she decided to go look for him.
She had never been to Jason’s home,17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv0267hbt1g
but he’d described it a few times—17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYaVb8dYYq0
the pawn shop at the corner with a broken sign,17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSvPq3PycRb
stairs that creaked like they were ready to collapse,17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkvUAqnEegG
and a bottom-floor door that smelled like rotten shoes.
She spent a while searching,17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3qeMpHvkZB
asking directions,17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRyUG3IZBrI
following fragments of memory.
The sun began to set17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUBefH3Y94G
when she finally stepped into a deeper part of the slums.
It was the slums within the slums.
Nana kept her body close,17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDEsYEoN0KY
avoiding drunken men vomiting on the street,17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEHLAOpkYV7
sidestepping women chatting in low, tired voices.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiyLTVuA6hC
At the end of the road,17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡllk3UMZ1yt
there were barely any people.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi6FVWNRIkg
The doors were shut tight.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSTFmYkoDlN
Graffiti and grime smeared the walls.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdNYoWuyQsC
The air reeked of mold.
Following Jason’s descriptions,17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbx0gHt8sp4
she found the second floor of the abandoned pawn shop.
Each step on the staircase17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYqVrO3zsMf
made her heart pound—17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs39vDpLSjK
every creak whispering that life here was uncertain,17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlRPZStMy5z
like the world itself was warning her:17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzk3jjihsXr
No one should be here.
She reached the top,17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf5qiCXxjsE
stood before a door blackened by filth.
She raised her hand to knock—17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ36fzTumP8k
but realized the door wasn’t closed.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2wJgDNhclA
The frame was cracked.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfqsVz47pmA
She pushed.
The door opened with a soft click-click.
Inside,17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5c7nU707Ps
it was dark.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmwHyhJA3Dt
So dark,17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDrvRjM7YWI
it felt like light had never existed there.
Nana stepped inside slowly—17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWKv1hdNsgV
and kicked something.
She looked down.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ93m1lTjVpE
Her eyes had grown used to the dark.
What she saw17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡegM9quOCkK
froze her in place.
Jason was on the floor,17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwQ2lUVY8uW
his face covered in blood.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ew1FHSnVi
His lip was split,17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGqGzJA7QLX
his nose still bleeding.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYiED52XpuH
His clothes were wrinkled,17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmlKDLzNelf
and dried blood stained his chest17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvKkgJOXsCO
like an old, torn blanket.
Nana dropped to her knees, shaking.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIyBHQrYw3z
She reached out and gently shook him.
His body was limp.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD73qlJgu9a
No response.
She lowered her head,17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZRLjHrMHaw
pressed her ear against his chest.
Thank God.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlrqhxONl0M
There was still a heartbeat.
But it was faint.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjHWaNDhgSX
Slow.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRYavM9Qhef
Like the heart itself was drifting into sleep.
Her eyes blurred.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOKQkKklKxD
Tears streamed uncontrollably.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl6fuJd7xf6
She had never cried like this before.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡffgyaPO2SG
Her throat burned—like it was on fire.
She opened her mouth—17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLjvnsK2f2a
and by sheer instinct,17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdlYSqsR9jG
made a sound:
“J… Jason… Ja… son…”
The voice was hoarse.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHI74ZomPdY
Broken.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJrZEw6IVBq
Like a rusty door creaking open.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKlsJSKjiJN
Like vocal cords that hadn’t worked in years17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsZwfze7VHZ
screaming for the first time.
Her face was soaked.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfZaGMMgy5a
She cried and looked around,17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbRJf7zA0J1
not knowing what to do.
As she wiped her tears,17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvwn1ryu1M9
something on the wall caught her eye.
The Batman symbol.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaF3tEXSxGs
Drawn in chalk.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzz50SuSoD6
Smudged with time,17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2hLOQsCN3W
but still clear.
A bat with its wings spread.
The police used it to call Batman.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK1k1K4dnxt
Jason said it was the mark of his hero.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1s2spLoSZP
He said he drew it on the wall17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHXtLDq7eHV
because he hoped—someday—17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9K9qXjEphw
to meet Batman.
“…Batman,” Nana murmured.
And then,17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq5LDER2mun
suddenly, she understood.
She jumped to her feet17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb9EH39vlNy
and ran outside.
The street wind was icy,17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMM3xjOasuw
but she didn’t care.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxUMMspGcko
She ran—
toward the places Jason had told her about.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0x5eSy7J2Q
The underpass.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZTdbuxuqKR
The rooftop.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyXpCcK27LD
The ruined lot.
Jason had once said,17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4FXxzVfGKb
completely serious:17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3FcXXETHMr
Batman definitely patrols here.
Nana stopped.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxY0ixkzzp5
Put her hands around her mouth like a megaphone.
“Bat… man!”
She shouted.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ss69pI7Gn
The voice cracked,17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr66uJU4cBv
the syllables broken by coughs.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvS564uvCap
“Cough… Bat… man…!”
She cried.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk4CbjIzKI5
Screamed.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs5FE4GKJLx
Each word tearing from her throat17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcfSQdLEreO
like strips of flesh.
“R… Rob… cough… Robin…”
She felt herself crumbling.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbrOp3oIoCx
Her throat was on fire.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg8gEljQQFS
Her voice—shredded.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf1q2ZDoWRa
But she didn’t stop.
She was scared.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKFOHjJgu1Z
Terrified.
She was about to lose Jason.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXDGIY6I9EO
He was still lying there.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaBKYRnc3kL
If they were too late…
“If you keep calling me Ro-cough-bin,17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLoa48HI9Qu
I’m gonna start thinking that’s my name.”
A voice.
Sudden.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxZbhK1vA7m
Calm.
Nana turned sharply.
Through her tear-streaked vision,17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpsTqCBp3P1
a figure stood in the dark mist of the Gotham night.
Red.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxWHUs2Skt0
Green.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5aXlqW0ggU
Yellow.
A cape.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAsBpcVRHsK
An R on the chest.
Exactly as she’d seen in the newspapers.
A figure once from fantasy17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTP8o8eedpe
was now standing before her in real life.
Robin.
He stepped forward.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ89ruFpUqcU
Gently ran a hand over her hair,17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0sE0glOYDj
like calming a bird about to break.
Then, softly, he asked:
“What happened?”
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiCmL6I33EK
and then Add to home screen.