Sight (A Bucky Barnes short story)

Part 2

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Lilith's POV

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It has been about a year since I've last seen my home. Eight months since my sight left. six months since I met that man. And two weeks since he went on the mission that was supposed to last three nights.

Ever since we met he has been coming to my room late at night, bringing me food. I don't know where he gets it. I just really hope that he's not giving all of his food to me.

"Girl! Wake up!" I hear clanging on the other side of the door so I sit upon the dirty floor. "We're coming in!"

 I think two men in guard uniforms walk into the cell. They grab me by my arms and put cold metal handcuffs onto my wrists. They pull me out of my room and start to drag me down the hall.

Left

Left

Right

Left

Right

Right

Right

Left

Into a room

I think as I'm being dragged. I don't know what is happening, but it can't be good.

"Ah! 9354! You made it!" A male voice called out to me. I have always hated the way they call me by that number. At first I would tell them to stop, but it was no use. It just made the situation worse.

I feel the slight vibration in the ground as the man walks towards me.

"We are doing a presentation right now. Don't embarrass me." He leans in close, whispering those words. I nod and he walks back to where ever he was before.

"Hello, everyone! Today we are trying a new tactic of torture. So the Winter Soldier has been... misbehaving recently."

The Winter Soldier? Isn't that what they call the man?

 "He has not cooperated, refusing to follow direct orders, among other things that we take very seriously here. And since none of the torture that we have been giving him these past few weeks has worked, we are trying a new tactic. The mighty assassin, the Winter Soldier, has taken a liking to this small blind girl. So instead of trying to beat him into line, we shall beat her instead while he has to watch." A strange laugh echoed along the walls of the room we were in. I feel someone pulling my hair forward, and I have to stumble to keep up with their long strides.

I get thrown down on the ground, sensing that someone is right in front of me.

"Are you ready?" The man asks me. I could tell by the sound of his voice that it was the lab coat man. I nod, even though I am not ready for anything. "Good."

I was picked up again and tossed into a cold chair. It was hard, most likely metal.

"As most of you  are aware, this is the machine that erases memories. But today, we are not using it in that way. Instead, we are simply going to turn the machine on  and let it mess with her head. No memories will be taken or even touched. It will just have the same level of pain."

I hear a whirring sound to my left and I turn my head to face it. Someone behind me forces my head back to where it was facing the front of the room.

"Bring him in!" Someone yells. I hear the doors to the room open and the sound of something dragging on the floor. I can also hear the sounds of two men groaning and straining. "Set him up in that chair."

I hear a loud sound, and what sounds like someone snapping their fingers.

"He's awake!" Another person yells.

"Perfect! So, Soldier. Do you see that girl in that chair? Recognize her? She's the one that you have been bringing your meals to and talking with. And I just want you to know, everything that happens after this moment is all your fault. Start the machine!"

The whirring sound beside me gets louder and I can hear something moving on either side of me. Someone pushes what feels like a mouth guard into my mouth and calls out to the lab coat man.

"It's ready!"

"Good! Hit it!"

Something clasps over my arms, pinning them to the chair. The whirring sound is now piercing, the sound right in my ear. A strange hot pain starts shooting into my skull. It feels like a million needles and being forced into my brain. The pain is horrible. I feel like I'm going to die but I don't. The pain won't stop... Make it stop...

Then silence.

I open my eyes and see white all around me. There are no sounds. Just me.

I look around, amazed that I can see. A strange image flashes past me. It is a small child sitting in a high chair. A little boy. Distantly the name 'Ben' is said. 

Ben was my best friend growing up. He died in a freak machinery accident when we were ten.

Another image flies past. A small dog, still just a puppy. It's chasing its tail, jumping around when it finally catches it.

Then the under side of a cow, small hands pulling on its utter. White milk slashing into an old metal pail.

Slightly older hands reaching for an egg thats under a mean looking chicken.

A wooden ruler snapping on an old school desk.

A collie chasing sheep in a field of grass.

Handing money to a street vender.

An apron hanging on a door.

Fireworks at a county fair.

An old playground.

Peeling wallpaper.

Children running.

A small bedroom.

Beer cans.

Barbecue.

Then everything freezes. One image is right in front of me. A frozen shot of a short, pudgy woman with freckles covering her face.

My ma.

As quickly as it started, I feel myself slipping away. Sounds start to flow into my ears. Scents filling my nostrils. The taste of blood on my tongue. Cold metal on my under me. My eye sight starting to blur.

The pain in my head returned. It was still piercing. And there was a horrible scream echoing through the high-ceiling room. It took a moment for me to recognize that the scream was coming out of my own mouth.

But I wasn't the only one screaming. There was another voice. This one was deeper and more masculine. I tried to make out the words that he was saying, but I could only understand bits and pieces.

"No... she didn't... anything!... me instead.... I'll... good!"

Finally the pain stopped along with the screaming. I felt dizzy, like I was going to collapse at any second. Someone tried to pull me up and out of my chair, but I couldn't stand. Instead of catching me they let me fall. I felt the cold stone floor meet  my cheek.

Then all I saw was black.