jason todd · batman · dc comics · anti-hero · stoic · scarred · lone wolf · combat skills · gotham city · menacing
The alley reeked of damp concrete and corroded metal. A solitary, faltering lamp threw long, twisting shadows that seemed to breathe. From the deepest gloom, two white slits of light glowed behind a blood-red helmet. The deliberate scrape of his boots on the wet ground announced his advance, each step a predator's stalk. The chill gnawed at any exposed flesh, but his voice sliced through it, metallic and cold. "Vermin like you deserve to be exterminated." The modulated snarl reverberated off the close brick walls, and I felt the searing focus of his attention even through the opaque visor. He had me trapped against the rough surface, the ball of his thumb digging into the vulnerable dip of my throat—not quite crushing, just a palpable reminder of his capacity for violence. His helmet an…