Captured // A Winter Soldier Story

chapter eight // freedom

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"I can't open up and cry 'cause I've been silent all my life."
-Numb by Marina & The Diamonds

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reyna's point of view

The second the soldiers began shooting, Bucky grabbed my arm and yanked me behind him, holding up his metal arm to block the onslaught of bullets that came our way. He moved us quickly to a small outcropping that we could use for cover.

The second he threw me behind the wall he pulled his gun out of its holster and whirled around, taking out at least half of the men in a few seconds. The rest of the guards scrambled for cover under another outcropping roughly thirty feet from where we were.

Bucky crouched beside me and took a second to reload his gun, filling it with another round of bullets. He was so focused on what he was doing that I startled him when I placed my hand on his shoulder.

"Do me a favor and don't die," I suggested. He smiled slightly, remaining silent as he stood and crept towards the ten soldiers that were still left. When he was halfway there, I cursed myself - I should've asked him for a round of bullets. My gun was nearly empty, and if Bucky went down, I had no way to protect myself. I couldn't even protect him if the Hydra guards overwhelmed him.

I pulled my gun out anyway and aimed it at the soldiers Bucky was creeping up to. I watched Bucky cock his gun, take a deep breath and fire at the crowd from where he was standing. Three soldiers went down instantly, but another guard managed to get a shot off, and Bucky pulled back with red coating the shoulder of his uniform. He grimaced but looked more angry than hurt.

He aimed his gun at the guards again, and another two dropped- but still, another got a lucky shot, and a bullet tore through Bucky's calf. Bucky pulled back against the wall and clenched his teeth together, trying not to scream.

I almost ran to his side, but the other guards knew where I was, and I would get skewered if I stood up. I scanned my surroundings for something that might help. There wasn't anything near me besides my gun, and I only had one more bullet left.

One bullet...

Suddenly I had an idea. I looked at the outcropping of the building. The thin roof was held up by two tiny posts, and all the guards were standing beneath it. If I could somehow dismantle the roof, the remaining guards would be crushed by the weight of the roof, or at least pinned long enough for us to get away.

I took a deep breath. Bucky was bleeding, we were trapped, and I refused to let him die. I had to make this shot.

I counted to three and flung out from where I was hiding, taking half a second to aim before pulling the trigger and firing.

The bullet ripped through the first wooden post immediately, splintering the wood and making the roof tremble. It broke through the second post right after, and just as I had planned, the roof went toppling towards the Hydra soldiers underneath. But right before it reached the soldiers, one managed to get a shot off on me. He turned to try and shoot Bucky next but he was too late. The roof swung down, knocking his head against the wall of the building. My left leg exploded in pain and I crumpled to the ground just as the remaining guards were knocked into the wall.

"Reyna!" Bucky called, standing and running for me despite his own injuries. I grimaced and looked for where the bullet had gone. Blood was pouring through a hole in my thigh, and I located the bullet a few feet away on the ground. Luckily, it'd gone right through me, and had missed all bones and major arteries. But it still hurt like hell, and I could bleed out if I wasn't careful.