Sight (A Bucky Barnes short story)

Part 3

I wake up in my cell. I can tell it's mine by the horrible stench of that blood. Because I'm the only girl in here, the men don't understand periods. I never have pads or tampons, only giving me an old rag to put inside my dirty panties. Often I have to free bleed, giving my room a disgusting smell.

I hear a quiet sound beside me. It's like someone is running their hands through the dirt that's on the floor.

"He-hello?" I whisper timidly.

"You're awake." I hear the unmistakable rumble of the Winter Soldier's voice. It's a deep sound, intimidating but also calming once you get used to it. Even though I don't know what this man looks like, I can tell that it's him just by his voice. "I-I'm so sorry."

"For what?" I ask him.

"For letting them do that to you. It was my fault. If I only listened to them then it wouldn't have happened."

"Listen. It wasn't your fault." He doesn't say anything so I assume that he nodded. "Now, can I get some water? I'm so thirsty."

The soldier soon passes me a glass. I put it to my lips, savoring the way it dampens my mouth.

"Aren't you supposed to be on a mission?" I ask.

"I already finished it." 

Already? That was a week long mission.

"But it's a week long."

"You've been out for just over a week." 

"What?"

"That sometimes happens after the machine." I slowly nod, still confused.

The soldier and I sit together for a few more minutes, talking about random stuff like the food here.

"It's so bad." I tell him.

"I keeps you energized."

"Does it though?"

"Yes, it does." I'm about to retort but I hear a loud sound coming from the hallway.

"What was that?" I ask the soldier.

"I'm not sure. I'll be right back." I hear him stand up and walk over to the cell door. I hear faint  screams and gunshots. Another loud sound echoes down the hallway, this time closer.

"Whats happening?" I ask the soldier.

"I'm not sure." 

'The Winter Soldier is needed at the front doors. I repeat, the Winter Soldier is needed at the front doors,' the loud speaker rang out.

"I have to go." The soldier tells me.

"Wait! Please don't leave. What if it's something really bad?"

"Don't worry. I'll be back as soon as I can. Just stay put."

"Please be careful." I tell him. I hear the soldier running down the hall, his boots scuffing the dirt. I sit on my tiny mattress for what seems like hours, listening to the gunshots and screaming. I wanted to get up and run but the soldier told me to stay here. I trusted his judgment more than mine so I stayed sitting, cringing when I heard a scream particularly close.

Another explosion went off, this time very close. I could feel my room getting hot with the heat of it.

"Get the prisoners! Don't let them escape!" I hear someone shout. I hear people running down the hallway, coming towards me. "Get the girl! Before they open her wall!" 

All of a sudden I feel myself being thrown forward. I hit the stone floor, feeling blood running down my cheek. A freezing cold breeze wafts over my exposed legs, making me shiver. The screaming is even louder now. I slowly stand up, leaning on the wall for support. It took me a minute to realize what was happening, but once I did, I started walking over to my know open wall.

I almost tripped a few times but still somehow got out of the building. The snow was freezing on my bare feet and the exposed skin on my back and legs were going numb. But I kept walking. 

People were fighting all around me, screams cutting through the harsh cold air. But I kept walking.

I fell over and my head hit the snowy ground hard. I got up, shook my head and kept walking.

Nothing was going to stop me from escaping this horrible place. No person, no obstacle, not even my blindness.

I suddenly feel a piercing pain shoot through my left thigh. I bring my hand where the pain is coming from, feeling a hole in my leg. I rip off the bottom of my dress and wrap the fabric around my leg, putting pressure on the wound. I assume it's from a bullet, probably a miss shot since it hit me in the thigh instead of the head or the chest.

I stumble forward, holding my leg with my left hand. People were screaming all around me. a cold breeze stung my face as I walked away from the compound. Someone ran into me, knocking me to the snowy ground. I tried to get up but I couldn't. My leg hurt way too much. Two strong arms picked me up.

"Don't worry. We'll take care of you." The male voice said. I felt him carrying me to a warm place. As I hear the metal sound that the structure makes when the man steps onto it, I realize that I'm now in a jet. I'm in a jet being carried by a stranger. I get put down in a seat, and I feel someone sit beside me. "We'll be leaving in just a minute."

I nod, still not fully understanding what's happening. I feel more people come on the jet, telling the driver to fly. We lift up in the air and start moving forward. I'm too tired to process what is happening to me, so I just sit there. Waiting to reach our destination.