Moments later, James emerged from the bathroom, a bath towel wrapped around his waist. As he took in Kelly's distant expression, seemingly lost in thought, he couldn't help but notice her obliviousness to his presence, which he found quite odd as Kelly was one of the most perceptive people he knew with an unnatural ability to hear him coming a mile away. Her hearing ability was one of her greatest assets. An auditory disorder she bore since birth, an intense sensitivity to sound which she later learnt to weaponize in her teenage years.
Whatever preoccupied her thoughts was troubling enough to dull her senses to this extent. James studied her eyes through the mirror before her as she sat, tending to her wound and stitching it up. There was a particularly familiar emotion that was buried behind those beautiful honey brown eyes. He had seen that same darkness in his own. That same emptiness. And all he desired and that moment was to barnish that pain hidden deep in her heart, eating her from the inside out.
As James moved to catch Kelly's attention after she finished stitching her wound, he noticed her abrupt withdrawal from her thoughts. Then, in a swift motion, she turned towards him, finally acknowledging his presence.
"You're through." She said, studying him and relief washed her features as she noted the gloom that once hovered him seemed to have dissipated. Now shaven and clean he retained his effortless charm that once shook millions of fans. Although he lost a scary amount of weight over the past three months, he still retained a perfect athletic physique and lean model like structure. But there was a certain depth to his seemingly flawless physique. He wasn't the every day prince charming, Tainting that perfect image were the scars usually hidden by layers of fabric. And once visible, bore fangs and whispers of a horrible past. They ran across his chest and body all the way to his torso, some more prominent than the others. They weren't particularly gruesome but they weren't pretty either. In a way they were his identity, his past, reward for his survival through his horrible childhood. They were only a few people who knew of the existence of these scars, one of which was Kelly who had discovered them long since their teenage years in one of their hundreds of adventures. Although she had finally learnt to be comfortable around them she could never really shake off the unsettling feeling it brought her.
"Where are we going?" James asked. "I have no idea what to wear."
Kelly quietly waltzed into his closet and with a quick scan, she selected a casual black hoodie which she tossed at James and a loose T shirt for herself.
"Casual, I thought it was a date. " James teased.
"You wish." She blurted dryly.
She put on the shirt quickly, flashed her keys at James and threatened him to be down in five unless she was leaving him behind, which didn't seem like much of threat since he had no desire at all to leave his safe zone, but he was better off staying out of Kelly's black list
{R}
As the sun began its descent, casting Gotham's sky in an unnaturally beautiful red hue, James felt a surge of energy. Twilight, his favorite time of day, marked the seamless transition between light and darkness, a moment he cherished as it stirred a sense of vitality within him.
"Could you please tell me where we are going?" He pressured Kelly as she drove through plains he was unfamiliar with in a city he thought he knew too well.
"We're here." Kelly announced as the car came to a stop. James looked around to see a vast expanse of land, hills and plains covered by sparse vegetation with nothing particularly spectacular.
"Where exactly is here?" He asked, confusion washing his features as he studied the empty environ.
"Look over there." She pointed in a direction where some people gathered with firearms, simply laughing and enjoying their own company. He noted they were all retired military personnels, some due to age, others handicapped in war. The sound of gunfire drew his attention to a vast plain, nestled in a secluded valley, surrounded by towering cliffs that seemed to enclose the space in a protective embrace. A crisp breeze swept through the air, carrying the faint scent of gunpowder and excitement.
Shooting lanes stretched out across the space, equipped with sturdy targets with vivid hues of black and red which stood in sharp contrast to the natural beauty of the landscape. An old launch system stood at far ends of the lanes to facilitate ranged shooting and a simulation of moving targets
In the distance, a group of shooters could be seen honing their skills, their focused expressions illuminated by the warm glow of the setting sun. The sound of gunfire echoed through the valley, punctuated by the occasional clang of metal as bullets found their mark.
"A shooting range." He said to Kelly who feigned a shocked expression.
"Wow, You can think!" She taunted rather savagely and James heaved a tired sigh.
"Why did you bring me here?" He asked as they both alighted the car.
"I needed something to draw you out of that gloomy room. I figured my dad's shooting range would do the trick and Murphy needed some justice.
"Wait, what! What did you do to my dog?" He asked in shock.
"Relax, I just sent someone over to clean up the place and take care of Murphy. You were barely giving him any attention and you barely walked him in days."
"Fair enough." He replied submissively.
When Kelly opened the trunk of the car, a smile tugged on James lip. One she hadn't seen in months.
"You never ever cease to impress me." James praised obviously pleased at what he saw.
"You know, most other people are usually horrified by the sight of this not the other way round." Kelly remarked dryly, completely unperturbed by his psychotic infatuation.
Adorning the trunk was an array of firearms. From revolvers to precision sniper rifles, each weapon exuding a potent yet unsettling aura, silently beckoning to him."
"You still remember how to handle these, right?" she asked, just to double-check. "It's been a while since you've had one in your hands."
"Are you kidding ?" He laughed. "There's no way in hell I'd forget how to handle these."
"Sorry I asked." Kelly said with a chuckle.
"What now?" He asked.
"We have some fun." She replied with her signature devilish grin.
Before long everything was set up, targets were placed and safety gears worn. Kelly begun with a riffle. The targets were launched in the distance, little red balls projected into the sky, with gravity fuelling their descent. Swiftly, she targeted each ball with laser like focus and every shot she took was on point. Taking out each ball with a pow and leaving a red powdery hue in it's wake to signify the fallen target. The witnesses around lauded her skill and even James seemed impressed.
"You've improved; not a single shot missed," he commended as she handed him the gun.
"But out of fifteen targets launched, you only hit nine. You still need to work on your speed."
"Alright big shot, let's see what you got." She taunted as James reloaded the riffle.
With a smile, he took his aim ready to strike but when targets were launched, He became still, suddenly enfeebled. He could barely touch the trigger as his mind fell into the dark side, the hell he was stuck in six months ago. The war unfolded before him, Soldiers raging, gritting their teeth as the marched to their death. Sounds of gunfire accompanied with horrified screams as bodies dropped like dried leaves falling in autumn. A soldier with a disfigured face and mutilated limbs crawled up to James, bathed in blood. Clawing him, begging him. "Help!" He cried gnashing his teeth before an avian creature swooped in violently like an eagle catching it's prey, tearing him apart before it reached the sky. But of all the disturbing scenes that unfolded right in front him, there was only one that horrified him. Ng dying slowly in his arms.
"James. Are you okay?" Kelly asked bringing him back to reality as all the balls hit the ground.
"James?" She called again with grave concern when he didn't reply.
"I... I'm fine." He stuttered, completely out of breath and she could hear the rasping in his breathing. "I'm fine, I'm just out of practice."
Kelly stared at him unconvinced and terribly concerned as James gave her back the gun dreadfully like it were a plague. Kelly's expression softened as she finally understood.
"You saw it, didn't you?" Her question came as a shock to him. And he stared bewildered.
"The war unfold before your very eyes, like you're reliving the worst part of it."
"You... You've experienced it." He stated completely baffled by her calm composure and she nodded in reply, subconsciously fiddling with the little glacial ring on her finger. For the first time, Her face expressed the pain she had always hidden within and James felt a sudden pang of guilt.
"The first time I held a gun after the war, I actually threw up. I could barely get out of bed for days."
"How did you get over it?" He asked, earning a warm smile from her.
"My dad, he took my hand and placed it on the gun like this..." She explained, gently putting the gun in his hand, then carefully using his other hand to trace its way up to the trigger. In a way she he held him steady like a father teaching his son to ride a bike.
"Then he said, 'Everyone falls, some so hard that it's like they'll never get up, but only in your darkest hour will you find your truest friend, your most loyal family who will raise you up, no matter how hard you fall.'"
She let go after she said these words to him and he held the riffle firmly as if recalling all the trials he faced, all the wars he fought that honed his skill to perfection. Recalling the feeling he felt after every hard-fought victory, he aimed the gun. The targets were launched and almost immediately he unleashed fire, taking out every single ball with pinpoint accuracy before the even completed their ascent into the sky.
"All fifteen of them, Impressive." Kelly clapped and James gazed at her suspiciously.
"Why do I feel like this was an elaborate therapy session set up, you roped me into."
"I have no idea what you're talking about." She denied feigning ignorance with an innocent expression, averting her eyes from his questioning gaze surreptitiously.
"You little rascal." James accused playfully and she let out a hearty laugh.