Crimson Blade

Three

3086 words

I was standing on a cliff. A warm sun dipping into the ocean. I peaceful breeze rushing through my hair.
I looked up to my mother. Her long brown hair and her rosey smile. She sat he down on her lap and started singing Everything stays. She played with my hair.
I turned around hugging her as she placed a kiss on my forehead. I looked past to see a tall dark figure in the distance. Strawberry blond hair like mine chopped at the shoulder, a shining metal arm with red details on it. They raised a gun and I heard a bang.

I fell off the bench onto the hard metal floor. I heard Sam chuckle. "You sleep well, sleeping beauty?" I groaned getting up. I looked over to see Bucky sitting on the container tapping his finger. I walked over to the bathroom still shaken by the dream.

I closed the door sighing. I leaned on the door feeling my heart beat faster, my breath became shallow as I tried to take in more air. I started panicking. I started feeling nauseous. I got on my knees pressing myself over the toilet. I stayed there for abit until I realized I was ok on that part. I went over to the sink and ran cold water. Splashing it on my face trying to calm down. I only felt worse when I looked up. To see myself, but it wasn't me. There were dark circles around my eyes, my hair was choppy and uneven, I had the mask on, my face and hands were covered in blood. I panicked punching the glass letting it shatter everywhere. I breathed heavily looking down at my hand.

It had a glass shard stuck in the base of my thumb, a giant gash trailed on my palm from my index finger to my wrist, and various other small scratched. "Shit."
I fell to the floor biting my lip. I wrapped my hand in paper. I heard a loud knock on the door.  "Riley, you ok in there?" Bucky called. I didn't respond as I was trying not to cry. Tears pinched my eyes as I held my breath. "Henke, open this door or I'll kick it down!" He threatened. I didn't respond again just resting my elbow on my knee with my hand stretched out forward.

I heard the door swing open, the to hinge broke.  Bucky walked in looking over at the mirror than to me. "Oh my god, Riley." He said more softly. He grabbed my wrist pulling me to stand up. As we walked out he called over to Sam.

He sat my down pulling one of the tables out resting my hand. I bit my lip looking away a tear close to rolling down my face. He brought out tweezers and a stitch needle with the thread. "Hey, hey, hey." He grabbed my face lightly swiping away the tear. "Its gonna be ok. And I may say that but we are still gonna talk about what happened in there." I rolled my eyes resting on the back of the bench. He put on two blue latex gloves. Sam brought over a trash can and sat on a box near by.

Buck carefully unwrapped the blood soaked paper. He tossed it in the trash looking at my hand. "Jeez Riley, how'd you do that?" He said grabbed the tweezers. I bit my knuckle as he pulled the shard out of my thumb. I closed my hand alittle flinching. " I know" he said with sympathy. He stitched up my hand and cleaned his station.

Sam out the first aid kit back. "Theres someone you guys should meet." Bucky said sighing sitting next to us.

•~•
Baltimore, Maryland

"Hey it's black falcon! Whats up!" A kid calle out.

"Just Falcon, kid." Sam responded.

"No, no. My dad told me it's black falcon." The kid countered.

"Is it because Im Black and Im the Falcon?"

"Well, technically, yes."

"So are you, like, Black kid?" I chuckled at his response.

"Whatever man." We walked off.

We got to an old small house with red brick stairs and old paint. He got up the deck and Bucky knocked on the Steel frame door. A teenager opened it. "We're here to see Isaiah." Bucky said quietly.