The Super Killer

Ch.19

Heather left the first-floor bedroom of the rental house and entered the common area. It was a colourful room with a canary-yellow couch, a low-sitting coffee table, and two wall-mounted televisions that connected to make one giant television. Kevin was sitting on the couch with Gracie, who sat on the floor. They were watching a basketball game on the televisions. Kevin was explaining different plays as Gracie listened and asked questions. Cheryl was on the couch next to her father, but she was reading a book. Heather joined them and sat between Cheryl and Kevin. She put an arm around her daughter and asked, "Still no crowds?"

Kevin responded without looking away from the television. "Not yet. Maybe in a couple weeks."

Heather tried to say something, but she stopped and remained silent until the game was over. She stood and asked, "Does anyone want to help with dinner?"

Cheryl set her book on the armrest and said, "I do."

Gracie said, "Can't. Dad's taking me to the park to practice some moves."

"Okay," Heather said, "but don't be out too late. Dinner won't take very long to prepare." Kevin left with Gracie as Heather met Cheryl in the kitchen. She asked Cheryl, "Can you grab me the carton of eggs from the fridge?" Heather then searched the many cupboards until she found a pan and set it on the counter next to where Cheryl had placed the eggs.

Cheryl asked, "Are we making ramen?"

"We are; is that okay with you?"

Cheryl nodded her head. "Could we make it with pork belly like last time?"

"Sure can. I even stopped at the butcher's shop today and bought some pork belly. Want to help me find the pots?"

"Mom?"

"Yes, Cheryl."

"Are we going back home?"

"Eventually, but not until the renovations are complete."

"Mom?"

"Yes, Cheryl."

"Will our house be haunted?"

"No, ghosts aren't real."

"Mom?"

"Yes?"

"Gracie said ghosts are real, and they haunt people."

Heather knelt to be eye level with Cheryl. "I've been haunted by a lot of things in life, but never have I seen a ghost."

"Mom?"

She stood. "Yes, Cheryl."

"Can you let him say goodbye?"

Heather paused. "Come help me find a pot."

She was alone on the sofa with her hands in her lap. The televisions were off, but she was looking at the screen where she could see a reflection of the hallway behind her. A door closed, Kevin walked in and sat next to her. He was wearing a white shirt with sweatpants. He put on his reading glasses and pulled out his phone. Heather asked, "Can we talk?"

Kevin put his phone on the armrest. "Sure. What about?"

"While I was out today, I went to the pharmacy to see about a refill, but they've never heard of my prescription."

Kevin straightened his spine as concern flooded his eyes. "I'm your physician; they should have called me."

"They said this drug doesn't exist."

Kevin took his glasses off. "That's absurd. If it doesn't exist, then what have you been taking all these years?"

Heather took his hand and squeezed it, so her hands covered his. "That's what I need you to answer."

Kevin stared at his hand. He looked agitated before saying, "It's a common benzodiazepine," he paused, "only modified with micro amounts of Bruce Banner's DNA."

"How did you get approval for that?"

"Dad secured a contract that negated the FDA or any ethics oversight."

"Why did the program fail?"

Kevin's mouth opened wide in shock. "How did you know that?"

"Answer the question."

"We thought you were Superman's daughter, and we bet everything on a future where you gained in power. But that never happened because you're not a superhero. The government shut us down and gave our contract to the Starks. My parents had to declare bankruptcy. We were going to lose everything until I fixed it."

Tears streamed down Heather's face. She knew. "How did you fix it?"

"I married you, and we had our girls. They're both exceptional, and I even think the prolonged exposure has done you some good."

Heather pushed through the sadness and asked, "Do you love me?"

Kevin didn't hesitate to answer, "I love your potential for a son."

Heather took away her top hand to reveal a loose fragment of the Lasso of Truth. She took the glowing bit of rope and clutched it in her palm. Kevin left the spell he was under and realized what he just admitted to. He tried to speak, but Heather silenced him and said, "You just killed me."

"Oh, come on," Kevin argued. "Do you have any idea what it's like to lose that much?"

"Of course I do! I've lost everything I've ever had, and last month I almost lost everything I've ever wanted. And you would know that if you didn't get so angry every time I talked about my past." She stopped Kevin from talking. "I buried so much of myself because I thought you hated supers, but now I see that you hated me because I wasn't super enough for your experiments to work."

"Heather wait."

"No."

"We can talk through this."

"I'm not going to spend my life with someone who doesn't love me."

Kevin started to speak but stopped. After a long silence he said, "At least let me say goodbye to the girls."

Heather was going to say no but changed her mind. As Kevin left to pack his bags, she buried her face into her hands and cried. Not again.