The Super Killer

Epilogue

Heather passed Amber's office, which was still a memorial site filled with bouquets and unlit candles. Under the picture of Amber standing on the Olympic podium was a banner that read, "But not forgotten." Next to the banner was a poster with photos from Amber's life, along with a card with signatures from all the staff. Heather had yet to sign the card and couldn't even look at it for very long. The doors to the elevator opened, and Heather hurried inside.

The ride to the parking garage was quick. But the moment Heather left the elevator, she felt eyes crawling over her skin. A rush of warmth ran up her spine as she looked around the empty garage. Heather wanted a benzo to calm her nerves. She needed the benzo to calm herself. No, this will pass, she reminded herself. Heather continued toward her car, and although she couldn't see anyone in the garage, she couldn't stop the feeling of dread taking over her senses. She panicked and ran to her car and locked the door once she got inside.

Heather closed her eyes and breathed. It's okay. This is normal. You've been through a lot, and this is just a normal response.

Heather started her car and drove forward out of the garage where she turned right and was met with traffic. I don't miss this. She took her first right and drove down a side street all the way to Main Street, then turned off Main to take Central. There was never any traffic on Central no matter what time of day, but when she turned onto the street, she noticed that a small sedan was driving behind her. They're not following you, but just in case. Heather made a quick left and then a quick right; she was now driving up a one-way street that would eventually curve and drive parallel with Central. She glanced in her mirror to see an empty road. All that worry for nothing.

When Heather arrived at home, she paid the sitter and locked the door behind her, making sure to lock both the deadbolt and the security chain. She turned to her living room, which still didn't feel like her living room. There was no bookcase, and the carpet was replaced with hardwood floor. She took her shoes off and set her bag on the floor. Cheryl was in the living room playing with their cat. Heather asked, "Where's your sister?"

"I don't know," she said, trying to hide a smile behind her hair.

Heather caught on. "Are you two up to something?"

Cheryl laughed. "No."

From upstairs Gracie shouted, "You're ruining it."

Heather walked to the stairs. "What are you doing up there?"

Gracie walked down holding a book, The Lathe of Heaven. "We wanted to surprise you with something special, but Cheryl ruined it."

"No one ruined anything. Whatever you had in mind, I want to see it."

Gracie and Heather joined Cheryl in the living room. "We wanted you to read to us."

"Yeah, come read to us."

"Who are you, and what have you done to my children?"

Heather and the kids went to a little nook in the living room and sat in a love seat just big enough for the three of them. She waited for her girls to be comfortable before opening the book to the first chapter. She read, "Confucius and you are both dreams, and I who say you are dreams am a dream myself. This is a paradox. Tomorrow a wise man may explain it; that tomorrow will not be for ten thousand generations."

"What does that mean?" Gracie asked.

Heather explained, "It's an epigraph about time."

"What's an ep-e-graph?" asked Cheryl.

"It's a quote that authors use to suggest a theme."

"But what does the theme mean?" Gracie asked once again.

"Well, the theme is patience. The answers you seek will come in time. But remember, it doesn't really mean anything because it's a paradox, which is like an illusion made from words. That's what makes it fun. You get to create your own meaning from words." The girls looked more confused. "Why don't we read and try to figure it out together?" Heather was about to start when there was a knock at the door. The girls panicked, as did Heather, but she calmed herself and said, "Don't be worried. It's probably a package." Heather went to the door and looked at the security monitor. The camera was higher and showed a wide shot of a man she did not recognize, standing with his hands in his jacket pockets. He wasn't wearing a uniform of any kind. Heather spoke through the intercom and said, "Can I help you?" The man looked at the camera above him but didn't speak. He looked sad, then excited, then apprehensive. Heather became nervous. He looked lost and a bit frightened and nervously rolled up his sleeves. Heather noticed that the man had what looked like a raven tattoo on his hairy forearm. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

The man had a plain style haircut and a bit of a gut. He ran his hands across his face and said into the intercom, "Heather—it's Roland."

It took a second for Heather to realize what was said, but then it came to her. She unlocked the security chain and threw open the door. It was Roland; she hugged her big sibling. "I thought I lost you."

Roland was the first to cry. "I'm so sorry I didn't come back. I wanted to write to you, but I didn't know how."

"You don't need to apologize. My God, I'm shaking. How did you find me?"

Roland wiped tears from their eyes. "I mean you're not hard to miss these days. I can't turn on a news program without seeing your face. When I found out where you worked I, well, sort of followed you home. By the way, you really need to work on your evasive manoeuvres."

I knew it!

Heather pushed her thoughts aside and again hugged Roland. "You have no idea how hard I worked to get your attention. Please, come in. I want you to meet my family."

Roland backed away, "I really don't have much time and there's something I really need to tell you."

"Nonsense," Heather said. "We have all the time in the world." Heather held the door open and welcomed her big sibling into her home. In Heather's excitement she didn't realize that she left the front door open as she yelled, "Cheryl, Gracie. Come downstairs I have a surprise for you both." Heather had been dreaming of this moment for so long and couldn't believe that it was finally happening. After many years of wondering whether or not Roland was alive, and after suppressing the very image of Roland because of how uncomfortable it made Kevin, she would finally have her moment. Her children would get to meet her sibling, someone she only knew for a brief moment, but someone who showed her unconditional love and trust at a time when she most needed it.

Heather heard her heart beat against her chest as loudly as the footsteps making their way down the stairs. She said, "Kids. This is my sibling—Roland," but stopped. Cheryl was white like a ghost and trembling.

Cheryl hugged Gracie and hid behind her big sister. "That's him," Cheryl said, pointing at Roland. "That's the man from my dreams who made me hurt Wonder Woman. That's him!"

Heather felt her stomach drop. This can't be. She turned to face Roland to confirm what her daughter had said, but she found in Roland's place was a bright white light that transformed into a raven, the very same raven that flew through their open bedroom window and landed on the Super Investigator. Heather realized that it was Roland all along, the leader of the coup to kill all the supers, the one directing Stephen Strange, and the one who tricked her into that basement dungeon. Of course it was Roland, it had to be Roland. They were the Super Killer. The raven rose into the air and flew out the open door. Heather ran to the door and closed it, locked it, and turned around to face her children. "You're okay. You're safe," she repeated, as she hugged both of her daughters into her body. Heather fell silent but she wanted to scream, yet no words emerged. All she could hear were the sounds of her children crying and her own thoughts that repeated in her head. They said, Not again.

The end.