Calling Cardinal

A Zombie and The Mayor

A freshly opened pint of ice cream is the best way to get over any break-up. Thankfully, I know just the place where the frozen goodness is on tap.

"He doesn't know what he's missing," Bullock says, cracking open the chocolate chip cookie dough. "Give him time, Sera. I'm not calling you Cardinal. This town already has too many damn birds."

"That's okay." I smile behind my first bite. "I don't mind. Either one is okay."

"As I was saying, you're way out of his league. He and Ed are meant for each other."

Somehow, I feel even worse than I did.

"All that to say he'll realize the prize he's missing out on! You two were together for so long. You have way too much history. He won't just throw that away. And even if he does, you deserve so much better than what he can give you."

His kind words start to restore the shattered pieces of my heart.

"Why don't you try dating again? Let a nice man buy you a fancy dinner. If that doesn't convince him to come back to you, he's even dumber than I imagined.

"But I'm not much of a—"

My phone buzzes.

"Hello?"

"Cardinal, I need you back here. Our territory is being invaded."

"I gotta go. Apparently, my home is under invasion. Thanks for the ice cream. I'll see you soon Harvey."

"Do you need help?" He stops me at the door. "I know you're basically a superhero now, but your brother and I will always have your back."

I hug him quickly. "Thanks."

Fries wasn't lying. There's an entire mob of thugs trying to break into Snowy's Factory. From the looks of it, they aren't Penguin's men. I don't waste any time screaming and throwing my fists at any man who dares to approach me. From the inside, the familiar sound of Victor's ice gun is music to my ears.

I feel untouchable in this wake of death, blood, and bone. I am powerful and somewhere in the darkest parts of myself, I enjoy this change in dynamic. I would've cowered from this fight before. Now I welcome it. Some kind of grin has placed itself upon my face as the last man perishes to my scream.

I follow the icy trail of crimson and shattered body parts to Victor.

"Nice work."

"Thanks. You know, I reall—"

My entire body halts. Knees buckle under my weight. I grab onto Victor's arm, but it doesn't keep me from hitting the cold ground. My hands shake uncontrollably. Sharp pain courses through my veins.

"Cardinal? Cardinal, get up! What's wrong?"

This is what Strange was talking about back at the asylum. Using my powers too much will kill me and I've used them in excess in the last few days. How long do I have left? Why didn't I notice the symptoms? I light headache here, a sore throat. The signs pointed to regular use of my powers. Not a complete change in DNA.

"I need Hugo Strange," I gasp.

He picks me up to carry me to bed. "No one knows where he is! He left with Fish Mooney and hasn't been seen since. How are you planning to find him in time?"

"I know someone who can find him. I'll go to him."

"Tomorrow. You need to save what strength you have for the journey."

With that, I allow myself to pass out in his arms.

I wake to the image of Fries hovering over me with a squirt bottle.