That room stayed silent for a long time. Not the ticking of clocks, the whirring of machines, or the distant idle chatter present to fill up the space and the silence, like it had so many times before, and it threatened to swallow you whole.
You put your hands up in surrender, panting as your heart slowed to your normal, some of your hair in your face, obscuring your vision when it fell in front of your eyes as you looked around the room at the frozen with fear doctors who only stared back, waiting for your next move.
"Hey," The quietest, softest voice broke the silence and it belonged to the doctor with glasses as he approached you with slow, careful steps, "We're not going to hurt you."
Your eyes were set on him, but your breathing picked up as he got closer, eyeing the straps that had once secured your wrists to the chair as they lay torn on the floor at your sides.
When you saw what he had only looked at for a second, you started to panic, knowing you did something that was worth a punishment.
"No, no," He hurried to say, shaking his head as you stared at him with wild eyes, "It's okay – nobody's," He turned to the others who were standing there like NPCs or something, just waiting for instruction, "Clear the room, please," And they didn't hesitate to jump into action, leaving the room to just you and him in less than twenty seconds before he turned back to you with a small smile, "My name is," He put a hand flat to his chest, "Doctor Banner."
You nodded, slowly calming down because names were sacred, you never received a name from your caretaker or The Butcher or The Winter Soldier – but all those people hurt you, "Okay."
"Can you tell me your name?" He asked carefully, noticing how you panicked only a little.
"Kel – Keller."
He furrowed his eyebrows, a quick expression of recognition washing over his face, but then it was gone as he refocused, "Keller. Okay. Do you know why you're here?"
You swallowed thickly, feeling hot, "Killer...I'm a killer."
"That's the thing," He gently helped you off the chair so that you were standing next to him, silently waiting as he studied you for a moment, "I don't believe you are."
You didn't know whether this Banner guy was overly trusting, stupid, or knew something you didn't because you've definitely reached the triple digits when it came to what you've done murder-wise.
"Do you have a first name?"
You've only shared it with two other people in your whole life, so you shook your head.
"I need to see my friend," You told him urgently as he slowly led you out into the hall, only to bring you into a room across from the previous, "He's in the hospital."
"Agent Hill told me," He nodded solemnly and by his tone, you already knew, "And we did call the hospital, but I'm sorry...he didn't make it. His heart gave out while you were out on the road. The doctor's said he didn't feel it. I'm so sorry for your loss."
And your world came crashing down, just like that. Any ounce of happiness in reach, any glimmer of hope, any possibility for a life outside of this horrible – your friend. Someone who cared for you for over half your life, someone with a kind soul, a nice smile, and an open heart was gone from the world because you had made a mistake. You had asked about him. When you were leaving the house after returning about a year ago, you went into town and sought him out. Word got around about your reappearance, unknown to you, and they set out a search for who you were looking for – who brought you back to this small town in Ohio with a thousand secrets?
You fell to the floor at some point as sobs wracked your body and you covered your ears with your hands as you hunched over, silent screams leaving your throat as you squeezed your eyes shut. Your heart was pounding rapidly in your chest and you suddenly couldn't breathe. You were dizzy and wheezing as you tried to gasp for air.
