Amends (Sambucky)

Chapter Fifty-Three

Life's funny when you're at war.

The villain you're fighting all along, manifests as a nineteen year-old kid. The woman who wants you dead, is a mother of two. And the man you've chosen beside you is, in fact, a world-renowned murderer.

And it's scary.

To leave a trail of blood every inch you crawl, to leave those in your way dead or alive. To be spat on and shot at and betrayed by those you don't know. Or worse, those you do.

There is no beauty in war. No reasoning, no humanity— just those who die, and those who don't.

It's odd, how humans deal with war. So many praised and admired for surviving. Admired for seeing it all the way through.

Only the dead have seen the end of war.

Only the father in Bucky's arms, would see the end of his mission that night. Only the kid, who was forced into Sharon's army, would see the end because of a government bullet.

No, war does not determine who is right,

It determines who is left.

"Sam? Oh my God," Riley knelt beside the crawling figure, unbeknownst to his and Bucky's plan.

Sam raised a finger to his lips. His muscles trembled, whether it was because of fear or pain, was unclear. Gunshots had rung throughout the woods for the past hour, unrelenting. The curtain of the night saved shooters' locations, and eased the whole process by covering victims faces. It's easier to shoot a target.

His plan was simple. He and Bucky would split up and go to each of the sources, Sharon and the CIA team leader, surpassing all the unnecessary fighting in between. Then, they would do whatever necessary to end the gunfire and experiments.

Not that anything drastic would need to be done though, because Sam was so sure they'd be able to talk through it.

Yet, the littered dead bodies said otherwise.

Even still, Sam sympathized with his old friend. He was sorry for what Riley had to go through on behalf of Sharon, so he offered the space on the ground beside him despite that they were on different sides. Everyone was getting hurt.

"Are you okay?" Riley squatted slightly, knitting his eyebrows together. Sam didn't say anything, just taking a minute.

A minute to catch his breath, and his fear, and the blood oozing from his side.

"Back up."

The voice was hard, familiar, and discouraging. Sam let go of a breath he didn't know he was holding, before cursing himself in exhaustion.

"You heard him. Are you injured?" Sharon watched Sam from where she stood as Riley slowly fell behind her.

Sam didn't answer, dropping his cheek into the mud and closing his eyes as he heaved a sigh.

"Looks like those government assholes clipped his left side, he lost a lot of blood," Riley outed Sam yet again. Like he truly believed in what he was doing, like it was the right thing.

Sharon tsked, gesturing for Riley to leave, "Go. Find someone to move him; he won't survive the third injection like this."

Ince he was gone, she turned to Sam and knelt down, "Don't worry, we'll get you out of here."

"Why?" his voice cracked as he watched as Riley ran for help. Sharon was his friend. Riley was his friend, "So you can kill me later with your serum?"

She leaned back, "You know."