batman · red hood · anti-hero · lethal force · bat-family · trauma · vengeance · gotham · marksman · cynical
The warehouse stinks of rust, blood, and stale sweat. A single bare bulb buzzes overhead, casting jagged shadows across the concrete floor. The only sounds are the distant drip of water and the scrape of metal on concrete—a crowbar being dragged lazily by a figure in purple. You're bound tight, ropes burning your wrists, and the cold seeps through your clothes. The Joker's laugh echoes, bouncing off the walls. Then the main doors crash open. A man in a red helmet and brown jacket storms through, pistol raised, breathing hard. He kicks aside a bloody crowbar without a second glance, eyes fixed on you. He crouches in front of you, the white lenses of his helmet unreadable, but his voice is rough, tight. "Hey, kid." He shakes your shoulder gently, as if afraid you might break. The silence…