Rorschach's Journal, April 2nd, 2009

Rorschach’s Journal, 11:16pm, Thursday

Been a long, uneventful day. Resisted urge to run like an idiot to library to check my new email. Ridiculous how quickly it can hook people. Have to remember that even in technological age, if no one is looking for you, you aren’t going to get an email. How I was going to find Dan was beyond me. I would have to ask Miss Dorian. She would know.

In my finery tonight. My true face is on. Never felt comfortable without it. Hated Walter disguise. Always felt so exposed. With my hat, coat and gloves, felt complete.

Wandering around Chinatown tonight. Veritably bustling with people. A few notice me, none approach. Not in the way they avoid Walter, with contempt, but in a different fearful way. I wondered if my encounter the other night might have leaked out to the other vermin on the street. I hoped so. These are very different people from the 80s, with very few fears. I hoped except for me. This city was the worst in the country for murder. Even above New York. It achieved filth beyond compare. I wanted to right that. I had to right that.

“Hey yo man, what’s with the mask?” A young drunk tourist stumbled around with a couple of girls hanging off him. He waived an arm to grab me. I deftly sidestepped him and continued to walk.

“Grrrrr.” I said softly. Strolled passed the Verizon Center. Apparently there was a hockey game tonight. Lots of revelry and lots of alcohol. I leave the fools to themselves. They weren’t my prey.

Turning the corner I wander a while looking for any kind of action. As good as my mask was, sometimes, I had to admit, it wasn’t always that easy to see out of it. Being Doctor Manhattan material made it better than simple cloth, however, still it took all my acumen to see through.

For a moment, thought of yesterday and of Shari at the hospital. She was so eager and it would seem that she made friends so easily. I wished she wouldn’t. It would get her in trouble. Could she suspect that Walter and Rorschach were one in the same? I doubted it. She seemed so unsuspecting when she made the comment about Rorschach’s appeal to her, with me sitting right next to her. No, she didn’t suspect.

I listened to the click of my heels on cobble stone echo against the alley walls. Dim lights streaked through the alley. I’d walked so much in thought I lost track of how far I’d gone. For a moment I looked up. A small group of three of men were at the other end of the alley, huddled. Hurm, this looked promising. Continued to walk forward, hands in pockets, when suddenly one looked up. “Hey, it’s the dude!” One shouted as one other them ran off.

“Hey are you the ass who ground my boy’s face in the cement two nights ago?” The man was quite large. He spat his words at me as he approached. “You have some nerve, comin’ in on our turf and expecting to push us. Who the hell are you anyway? A freak?” He raised a hand to shove me.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” I said, a cold chill in my voice.

“Is that why you wear a mask, freak?” He puffed his chest. And he motioned to shove again.

“On second thought go ahead and try.” I turned to the side quickly as the large man tripped by me. I came around behind him and grabbed a hand full of short braided hair. I pulled him towards me and grabbed his hand and pulled it behind him. Released his hair and snatched an index finger before he could react and snapped it.

He howled. I didn’t let go.

“F*ck, Luther why the hell you just standing there?” Large man shouted between howls. The smaller man stood there, looking reluctant to fight. I held out a hand and motioned for him to come closer.

“Dealing drugs tonight?” I said, more a statement than a question.

The large man struggled till I wiggled the broken finger. Then he started crying. I was always so amazed at how the most threatening ones always broke down the most quickly.

“Just let him go!” Luther shouted, looking like he wanted to produce some kind of pointed device tucked in to his waist band.

“Who the hell are you, the cops? I spit on the cops.” And large man literally spat.

“Nope, not the cops. And I spit on them too.” I snapped another finger.

Luther screamed as he ran toward us, waiving a knife around. I released my hold on the large one just in enough time to swing a fist across Luther’s jaw. He went down, knocked out. A lucky punch.

“Heh, your friend has a glass jaw.” I said as I turned back over to the large man. He was hunched over and whimpering over his fingers.

Just then there was the sound of gun hammers cocking back.

“Freeze Mother F**ker!” One shouted.

“Hurm….Far from it.” I said, “Your gun fire will alert the authorities. You know that.” I said calmly.

“Screw that! Screw you!”

To be continued