Necessary Good, Unnecessary Evil | No rest For Wounded Souls [Bucky Barnes]

Force Of Habit

"I have never yet heard of a murderer who is not afraid of a ghost."

-John Philpot Curran

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Nova's POV

The GPS beeps, announcing we have arrived at our destination.
I pull over to a sidewalk, looking around.
We are on a secondary road, and there is just a house across the street.
"You think he's here?" Steve asks, staring at the house.
I shake my head, searching for any sign in the house.
The front door opens, and a woman walks out, taking out a plastic bag and tossing it in the dumpster.
"He must be somewhere here, but definitely not in that house." I nod at the house and take the map Steve is holding.
"The place is pretty much all wood here, hunting terrain. If he's still there, he's in the woods." I hum, looking at the map.
"Then we have to go look there," Steve says. I look up at him, knitting my brows.
"Not now. We don't know the area. Bucky is good at covering his tracks. We will get back here tomorrow, in the daylight." I turn on the engine, driving away.
"So now what?" He inquires, keeping his eyes on me.
"We need to find a place for the night. Winter in Ohio is pretty cold. If we stay in the car, we're going to freeze." I say, handing him the map and driving to the closest town.
"Yeah, no. Let's avoid that." Steve hums, shrugging and looking at the map.
"There's a motel in two miles, on the forty-four." He dictates, pointing his finger at the map.
I keep driving, looking at the iced road and keeping my hands on the wheel.

"Is this it?" I ask, slowing down the car.
We get to an old building, probably from the seventies, and it's the only thing on the road.
The LED reads Hiltoncreek. It's missing the 'h', and there are only a few cars parked inside.
"What are the chances we're going to die here?" I joke, glancing at the parking lots.
"Aren't you a trained assassin?" Steve points out, getting out of the car.
"Yeah, not a trained ghostbuster." I scoff, and he chuckles.
We get to the front desk, but it's empty.
The hall is covered in dark wood panels, contrasting the worn beige carpet.
I look around, hoping to see someone, but nothing.
Steve uses the bell on the counter, and we hear footsteps coming from the stairs.
A woman peeks her head around the corner and looks at us.

"Yes?" She grunts, visibly annoyed. I guess they don't do late check-in.
"We wanted to spend the night. Here." I tell her, and she walks to the desk.
She tucks her platinum hair behind her ear, giving Steve a lewd glance, his body tensing up, uncomfortable.
I look away and hide my snort in a cough.
She gives us a key and opens the guest book, handing me a pen.
"Is it a double?" Steve asks, and she smiles at him.
"No, sweetie. We only have a single left." She says, drawing out the vowels.
"There are three cars parked outside, are you sure?" I jeer, getting a vicious look back. How is this place packed with only three cars?
"Never mind." I sigh, signing the book and putting down the pen.
"Go left, and then right. Your room is on the left. One of our best." She speaks to Steve, ignoring me.
"Thanks." He says with a shy smile, and I walk away, shaking my head amused.
That was the worst flirting I've ever witnessed since middle school.

"God, if this is the best they have, I don't want to see what's in the other rooms." The room is barely two hundred square feet, and the furniture is older than me.
I've slept in the worst places, but at least I didn't have to pay for it.
"It's not too bad." Steve resonates, closing the door behind him.
I walk in, checking the window and the lights.
"What are you doing?" Steve asks, confused.
I stop and look at him, still kneeling down next to the bed.
"Checking for bugs," I say, shoving my hand behind the headboard.
I stop and realize this is pointless.
"Sorry, force of habit," I murmur, getting up and brushing the dust off my knees.
Steve nods, still perplexed.
He moves the covers off the bed, discovering a stain in the center of the sheets.
"Maybe you should sleep on the covers," I suggest, crashing on the armchair.
I would have gone for the floor, but it doesn't look like a good idea. I don't know if even my immunity could defend me from it.