grace under pressure • jerome valeska

CHAP.19: Grace's Revenge

  After we left Jim and his partner I didn't know the name of yet, lying in the hallway, we went into the van to drive to the outskirts of Gotham city to visit my brother. I was very jittery. More than normal. I felt this feeling in my gut. It was anticipation. A strong feeling of anticipation. It was eating at me every second we neared my brothers place.

  I didn't know if I could do this. My foot was shaking uncontrollably. I didn't even notice. I didn't care. Why should I? I was on my way to see my brother to kill him. My life's mission was coming in exactly a few minutes. I couldn't wait yet I thought I could wait forever. I had never felt this way before. I then felt a hand come onto of mine. I looked up.

  I saw Jerome looking down at me. 

  "You need to stop shaking. The whole van is moving with you." He jokes. I stop and smile a bit.

  "Sorry, I'm just a little...excited." I tell him. He nods in understanding. 

  "Yeah, I get it. Nerves?" He asks and I laugh. 

  "Yeah." I answer. He puts a hand around my shoulder, pulling me closer to him and I snuggle into his side. He rests his head on top of my head and I close my eyes, breathing in his scent. We sit like that for the rest of the car ride, just in each other's arms. That was, until the van came to a halt. 

  My heart rate increased ten fold and even more when Tabitha opened the doors.

  "Let's get this over with." She mutters then walks away. I swallow a large lump in my throat, it hurting as it went down. I pull away from Jerome and stand, walking off the van with Jerome trailing behind me. I look around at were my brother was staying. The first thing to hit me was the horrible smell. It smelled like rotting fish. 

  I then realized we were next to Gotham's river. It stunk of foul things that found it's way into the water and settles it's way at the bottom never to be found again. I look ahead of me to see a small three story building. It was run down to a point it looked like it would collapse at any moment. I raise a brow. My brother lived here? Strange, I thought he would take all the money and rent some fancy apartment or condo before he left for good. 

  I follow Tabitha to the building doors. She pulls out a piece of paper and scans it before turning to me.

  "He's on the third floor. Room 10." She says. I nod and look back at the building. I stare at it. I was hesitant. I then feel Jerome place a hand on my back. 

  I nod then lift my head, taking my first step with Jerome guiding me along. I walk into the front doors and since this place was so small it didn't have an elevator so we had to walk up the stairs. I didn't mind. It gave me more time to think about what to say. 

  As we walk up I look in front of me with a blank expression, everything seeming to go in slow motion around me. I glide up the stairs, my hand hovering over the staircase handle. 

  We finally reach the top and I walk down the hall, my gut feeling slowly fading away. I was starting to feel...nothing. Just like when I killed them before. I felt empty and dull, everything grey around me. I reach room 10 and stare at the number on the front. I blink before reaching for the door handle. I turned it. I smile. Steve never had the habit to lock doors.

  I walk in, opening the door slowly. I suddenly felt alone. No one was there. I was by myself. I was going to kill my brother. 

  The floor was plain wooden and there was barley any furniture. A small brown carpet lay in the middle of the floor, a TV standing on a table in the corner of the room. The kitchen was connected to the living room but if you kept looking ahead, you could see a white door, part way open and showing the room inside a crack.