Killing Cardinals

Chapter 2

The ticking clock was my noisebox. As I sat there, it was the one constant thing around me. My blueprints were complex, abstract, scribblings and notes in every corner. Every plan, every angle, down to a tee, were all over these papers.

The clock got louder and louder it seemed. My breathing was so even that it was almost in time with the ticking. But it was also short, almost labored, mainly from exhaustion.

I heard the gentle creaking of my bedroom door from the back right corner. Surprised, I turned, seeing a tall man with light brown hair, a somewhat tan skin, wearing a button up and slacks. He looked professional, powerful, yet somehow still so unpredictable. He came towards me, stopping a foot from me. We held eye contact for the longest time, and I could feel myself nearly shaking. His eyes were green, and they matched mine.

"Dad?" The man took a step forward.

"Hello, my songbird." My father had always called me "his little songbird". It was always such an endearing term to me, and yet I was so incredibly uncomfortable in this moment, I felt like my heart would burst in my chest.

"This isn't real." I said, and it practically echoed in my home, which seemed to only be lit by a flickering candle now. He nodded.

"It's not." I let out a shaky breath. The pencil I was once holding fell from my fingers and onto the ground. It sounded so much louder in the dead silent room.

"You've done well, Nicole." I nodded, putting my hands together.

"Well, you taught me well." He seemed to chuckle at that. It was almost heartwarming, but why was I still so uncomfortable? I knew this was a dream, or hallucination. It wasn't real, and he even said so. I was shocked that I wasn't standing up and hugging him, but I was frozen in place. I felt like a stone, solid in my chair, immovable.

"I miss you." I finally said, after a pause that felt like an eternity. He hummed a bit with a smile.

"I miss you too, songbird." He reached out his hand, and I assumed he wanted me to take it. I hesitantly did so.

"You've still got a long way to go." He said, almost coldly. It sent a chill through me. I took a breath.

"I know." I pulled my hand away, turning away from him.

"You aren't my dad." I said, letting out a very nervous chuckle. He tilted his head, and raised his eyebrows at me.

"Why do you say that?" He said, almost painfully. I let out a laugh as tears gathered in my eyes.

"Because my father wouldn't want me to do this. Nor would my mother." He walked closer to me, almost stumbling, and for some reason, that comforted me.

"But you want to do it." He said, simply, and I was faced with a hard truth; that he was right.

"Somebody has to. There's no justice in this world anymore." He put a strong hand on my shoulder, his green eyes looking foggy. He almost seemed faceless at this point.

"I'm proud of you, songbird." I wiped the tears away, laughing again. I lifted my hand, a gun suddenly in it as I pointed it at my father's forehead.

"No you're not."

***

I was jolted awake by the sound of knocking on my door. I sat up, looking down at my blueprints, and wiping the sweat from my head. Luckily nothing had smudged too bad, just a little. Everything was still normal, or at least, not normal- normal.

I heard the knock again, which I had almost forgotten about in my thoughts. I stood up, listening for a second to see if anyone would announce themselves.