𝐈𝐧 𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫, 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐭.
†††
The infamous Winter Soldier and Morana are assigned on a mission once more, but things don't go as planned for them this time. To survive, they confront emoti...
The world beneath me shakes as my eyes open. I turn my head, seeing that my lifeless body is being dragged down a dark, dingy hallway by a stretcher. The tared, old material seeps into my skin as I make it towards a cell door with a handful of men dressed in protective gear. Even with a sense of familiarity, I don't know where I am. I don't remember how I got here or who I am. My head aches as I stare up at the ceiling, watching small specs of dust trickle from the hanging lights and onto the floor.
The wheels squeak against the concrete floor before they abruptly stop at a barred door, open it, and tilt the stretcher, throwing me on the floor. My body slams against it, hitting my already-pounding head. They shut the door behind them, walking away without a care. A trickle of water is felt down the side of my head, so I feel it with my index finger, looking at the tip.
Red.
Shit.
With the shooting pain of my numerous injuries and the streaming blood from my head, I attempt to shift my body to sit upright. But, with the dominating suffering in my bones, it becomes a more difficult task than thought. I push through it, sitting up straight and tucking my knees under my chin, hugging my body to keep warm. The fear overrides the confusion swarming in my head.
Through the shadows, a groan erupts from a groggy throat, alerting me. My body tenses at the sound, making the long hairs on my arms stand up. Fight or flight mode runs through my bones, getting ready to eliminate whoever made the noise. But, a strained voice interrupts my planning.
"Morana? Is that you?"
The sound of the voice rings in my ears as an ache springs in my head, trying to place where I know it from. Sure enough, a face comes to mind quickly. Long brown hair, piercing blue eyes, and a wide smile with pearly white teeth.
"Winter?" I call out.
Shuffling echoes through the cell as a body comes out of the shadows, revealing himself. Winter stands before me, looking relieved when he sees me. Even though not all of me remembers who he is or how I know him, a sense of comfort washes over me when I look into his eyes.
"Are you hurt?" He asks.
"Not too badly." I lie. "You?"
"I'm alright." He walks over to me and sits down.
"What did they do to you?"
"I don't remember." He admits.
His eyes wander to the side of my head, suddenly looking alert. In the small amount of time being with him, I completely forgot the blood trickling down my face. His fingers come up to my head, following the blood drop as it falls down my cheek. It hangs off the tip of my chin and then drops onto the floor, staining it.
"I can help with this."
From his back pocket, he pulls out a dirty cloth, unravelling it and looks back into my eyes.
"Where did you get that?" I ask.
"Stole it. I didn't think they would need it, they ain't gonna clean us up, are they?"
He taps my head with it, cleaning up the slowly drying blood from my hairline. I watch his face harden with concentration and concern. Once he's done, he places the cloth under the mattress, hiding it. He looks back at me, smiling at his work. I can't help but reciprocate, feeling safe with him.
"How much do you remember?" He questions.
"I remember your name."
"I remember you. Not a lot, though."
With his metal hand holding him up as he sits, he uses the other to place it on my knee, making me look deeper into his eyes. When I do, my brain fuzzes further, trying to place the growing feeling in the pit of my stomach.
"Even If I don't, I know one thing. I feel strongly connected to you, like a pull towards you. One that I can't seem to shake as hard as I try. But, the thing is, I don't want to." His eyes shift around the room as he speaks.
"I don't want you to either." I place my hand over his.
He looks up at me, smiling. A smile spreads across my own face as I, once again, look into his blue eyes. Falling deep and deeper into them, I remember something. Something that I know I need to never forget. A promise.
"Winter. No matter what happens to us next, I know that I need to protect you. We will protect each other."
"I know we will. I will protect you."
——————————————— I'm sorry about how short this chapter is, but it is only a filler. We will be getting back into the main storyline next chapter.
