DECEPTION • STEVE ROGERS

pull the trigger on the gun

𖣂 CHAPTER ONE 𖣂
"pull the trigger on the gun"

He tried to lay low the best he could, but it was hard when everyone was in everyone else's business all the time.

"Hey, I've not seen you around here before, have I?"

The diner manager was traditionally dressed, dirty and worn white apron, grey hair, and a checkered shirt paired with slacks. Steve got the impression that he prided himself on knowing everyone in this town, and Steve was next on his list.

"I'm just passing through." He replied, shoving a fork full of cherry pie into his mouth, while keeping his head down.

"Ah," He replied, "Road trippin' or for work?"

Steve shrugged, "Bit of both."

The diner guy chuckled to himself, "You're a real chatty one, I'll just let you enjoy your food."

Finally.

In any other situation Steve would've jumped at the chance to have a friendly conversation with a stranger, he'd always been a naturally sociable person. But right now he had to keep his head down until everything blew over... If they blew over.

Steve ate the rest of his pie as quickly as he could, and threw some cash down on the counter before making a swift exit, making a note to himself not to go in that particular diner again in case the diner man tried to talk to him again and inevitably found out who he was.

The beard, long hair, and cap pulled over his face were usually enough to conceal his identity, but he could never shake the feeling that there was someone watching him or was two steps away from revealing his true identity.

He tried not to stay in the same place for too long. A week and a half in the same town tops.

But recently it had been getting harder to travel. Summer had turned to fall, and fall had turned to winter. And as late November came upon him the weather had turned.

With no car or truck, he was relying on public transport. Since he'd gotten out of the ice he'd been blessed with any mode of transport he could wish for from Avengers tower, or more rarely the New York subway if he was feeling adventurous. But with the winter weather came the transport cancellations. Busses cancelled at the last minute, trains stopping because there's too much snow on the tracks, and it's not like he'd make it through airport security to get on a plane- and with zero income and zero money, these cancellations were big hits in terms of jumping town.

For the time being he was seeking residence in an old, abandoned log cabin about a 40 minute walk out of town.

He'd never seen anyone anywhere near it before so he just assumed it was unused, and with the state of it he assumed it had been for years. Maybe the owner had moved away, or passed on.

Either way it meant Steve had a roof over his head, which had become unusual for these past couple of months. And a roof which had a flushing toilet, bed with a mattress and a stove that only worked 30% of the time was the best he was gonna get until he got himself back in Avengers tower.

The walk in this weather was tough. It rained heavy as he tracked his way back to the cabin. He walked right up to the edge of town, past the fields and small houses that became further and further scattered apart until he reached the edge of the woods.

Initially he'd planned on hiking into the woods far enough he could seek residence without anyone seeing him, but close enough that he could still walk into town for some essentials, but luck was on his side when he found the log cabin.