Immersed in her music, the woman did not notice a thing around her. She moved habitually around the other people on the trail with her bike. This was by far her favourite time of the day; the time where she could turn off all of her worn out senses and reboot her brain. The trail that she rode home on every day was always busy, especially when the weather was nice. Following the river, there were multiple parks situated around the trail that was often packed with families and teenagers. There are way too many details in this environment for her to take in or analyze; as a result, they washed over her, cleansed her. For the past two days, her bike had been making a slight knock every time her right foot passed the 150-degree angle from perpendicular. However, she had no intention of fixing it, the repetitive sound gave a nice rhythm to her journey. The woman started to slow down as she neared her destination, wishing for the song to end at the precise moment that she was to arrive.
The final chord played as she leaped off of her bike and popped out her earbuds. The building that she had stopped at, looked as though it had been around since the city was established. The dull red brick seemed to be perfectly aligned with no smaller pieces around the edges, giving it almost a cartoon-like appearance. The door looked recently replaced, glowing white in comparison to the brick. This seemed to be the only new addition to the house though, all of the windows had worn out shutters and looked to be only single paned. Heading around the side of the house, the woman looked up as she walked beside the waist-high fence as a robin set down on the metal beam that used to hold the Canadian Flag.
After unlocking the door on the side with an ancient key, she stepped into the den. The woman took off her light jacket and shoes hanging up her keys and helmet on a hook by the door. Silently, she moved across the room through majestic wooden double doors and into the front entryway. Here, she left her shoes and hung up her jacket on a curvy coat rack with an elegant wolf emerging from the top knob mid-howl. Then, turning on her heels to face the gigantic stairway, she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. The aroma that entered her nose was that of oak, fire, and linen; pure and beautiful. Opening her eyes, she slid her hand along the railing as she climbed the dark stained stairs that wind around to her right, above the den. In the hallway of the second floor, she passed her bedrooms open door without a glance and heading straight for the kitchen.
Again, there was no hesitation as she went directly for the cabinet situated just beside the fridge. Reaching into the cabinet, she brought out a box of cereal. Pulling a bowl out of the same cabinet, she set them both on the counter and opened the box. The bag which contained the cereal was scrunched down to the very bottom, as there was not much left. As she pulled her hand out, she pivoted to face her opponent, arms outstretched and gun in hand.
It took her only a moment to identify him and pull the trigger, seconds to reach him and catch him before he hit the ground. Sliding the mans own pistol out of his hand and across the floor, she cradled his motionless body. She held him until the warmth left his body and the tears stopped flowing. Gently, she set his body down, closed his eyes and crossed his arms on his chest.
Leaving the kitchen, and heading back down the upper hallway, she closed her bedroom door as she passed. At the bottom of the stairs in her jacket pocket, she retrieved her cell phone and dialed an all too familiar number. The phone rang four and a half tones before her boss picked up. “Char? What is wrong,” the last part almost seemed like a statement, as his voice dropped so low that it was hardly in his voice range. The woman opened her mouth but did not say a word. Inhaling deeply, this time her senses were filled with the scent of death, and she let out a shaky breath. “I am coming Char, but I need to know who else I need to bring.” This time he sounded stern, in control, and ready.
“Bring everyone.”
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