James is the man who rescued her the morning this shit went down.
The man sitting in front of them is a different person. Calculated and cold. Suspicious.
Steve told her that they should keep saying his name, reminding him of who he is so that the programming is overridden and Bucky's memories can slowly come back.
The person in front of her is a blank slate— well, almost. He knows what he's done as the Winter Soldier, but refuses to talk about anything before or after Bucky fought through the programming.
Steve and Reilly watch with wide eyes as Bucky tears into the food from the grocery store, devouring granola bars, chocolate, and canned peaches like he's never going to eat again. Every time one of them makes a move, he growls a little, like a lion protecting a fresh kill. Reilly stands up to get a bottle of water and Bucky flinches. She takes a breath, but before she can speak, Steve does it for her.
"We're not gonna take it, pal. You can eat."
Bucky drains the can of peaches, the juice dripping down his chin and into his tactical gear. His eyes stay fixed on Steve, no softness in them. No love. He's afraid. He doesn't trust them.
They're back to square one.
She blinks away tears as she rifles through a duffel bag and grabs a bottle of water. They still have Mark's head. Steve tied a piece of blue cloth around the bag that contains it. The only thing it has in there is trash and used gauze from cleaning up after their fight. Reilly and Steve are bruised and beaten while Bucky is virtually untouched. The apartment still smells like blood and unwashed bodies from all of those men staying in there.
"Bucky?" Steve asks.
Bucky sets the can of peaches down beside him and digs through his duffel bag, pulling out a box of cookies. He grunts to let Steve know that he heard the question and Steve leans over.
"Buck, one of those men called you Soldat. Do you know who he was?"
"Hydra. I don't know who the others were." Bucky looks around. "If you want to get to Săpânța we should get moving, get a car."
"We can't," Reilly whispers. "There's... Steve, how do I explain this?"
"Zombies," Steve whispers.
"What's a zombie?" Bucky asks, his voice gruff.
"They're infected," Steve replies. "They eat human flesh, can run as fast as you or me, and they're deadly. The only way to kill them is to shoot them in the head."
