Revenge Turned Sweet

Chapter 2: Remember Me?

You took everything from me. Now, I'm going to destroy you.

I've always been told that my enhancement was a gift. That it made me unique. I've grown to hate those people and those sentiments. My 'enhancements' have painted a target, not only on my back, but my family's as well. I was cursed with what I have. I'd give it up in a heartbeat.

My eyes wander the buildings crowded together, though everyone seems to be inside their homes early. Though there are streetlights every couple of feet, it's dark. Ominous, in a way that tells me I'm in the right place at the right time. Begrudgingly, I continue walking down the street towards a more well-lit section. I pass a small bookstore that looks to be open at the hour.

I stop in front of it, looking through the softly lit windows at the oak bookshelves holding mounds of books that I would love to read but could never afford to buy. Austin has lent me some classics like 'The Great Gatsby' and 'The Metamorphosis.' But there are things I want to read, worlds I want to explore and create in my mind. However, my paychecks only cover rent and groceries. I haven't had the luxury of things that aren't necessities. I've always hoped that someday I can own my own books, annotate them how I like and keep them forever.

I haven't had much time to figure out what I like to do in my free time. I know I like to read, I think. The only books I own I have read at least ten times cover to cover. So, do I actually like reading or do I just like those specific stories? I've never had an aptitude for art. My time has always been filled with work, managing my apartment, and trying to find where The Soldier is located that I haven't been able to truly find myself.

I know when I was young I wanted to be a writer. I begged my father for a typewriter but was given a notebook and some pencils. I remember writing stories upon stories, worlds that were vast with endless possibilities. But those are long gone. I don't think I could ever bring myself to write again.

"My first date in years, and I couldn't decide what flowers to bring..." A deep voice echoes in my head.

My ears perk up and my eyes widen in alert. I was so lost in my own thoughts that I can't tell if that was someone speaking or thinking. My breathing quickens, thinking I've walked into some kind of trap. I scan the street frantically until my eyes fall upon a large man standing outside what looks like a small restaurant.

"Will she think it's weird? Damnit, I'm well over one hundred years old. I can handle a date..." The voice says again.

That has to be him. Similar to Steve Rogers, it was revealed that James Barnes was also given the super-soldier serum. Making him the most notorious  super-solider assassin, with abilities that made him invincible. Therefore, giving him a longer shelf-life than any of his victims have had.

My breathing hitches, flooding my entire body with adrenaline. My hands begin shake as I stare at the mountain of a man standing like a statue outside of the dim restaurant. Currents of electricity flow into my palms, my body ready to avenge the crime before I've even decided on what to do.

I have to be sure it's him.

I walk closer as he finally walks into the establishment with a bouquet heavy in his hand. I keep my head low as I walk, my eyes watching only the sidewalk as it passes underneath me. As soon as I reach the sidewalk outside the windows, images flood through my brain. Images of Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson, Black Widow, and all of the other Avengers alongside him. It infuriates me. He should be rotting away in a cell or, better yet, dead.

Now, I know it's him.

Tears prick the edges of my eyes as I relive the night he came to kill me. My heart thumps against my ribcage as the images of that night fill my brain. It physically hurts me, it pains me to relive those moments as if they're presently happening.