Captain America Bucky Barnes Winter Soldier Steve Rogers Fan Fic - The Constant

Chapter Forty-Seven: Behind Closed Doors

Behind Closed Doors

The guard pauses to beg a light from his friend. He doesn't know it but his friend will be dead within six months; the cigarette in his mouth is helping bang yet another nail into his coffin. He thinks his weight loss is because he is exercising more, but he is annoyed he is having to get up more to pee in the night. It hasn't occurred to him it might be something else.

He has pancreatic cancer.

"Cold night. Trust you to get the better duty!" But it is said in jest. He is to patrol outside whilst his friend gets to check the corridors within.

Another normal night.

The guard we are following steps into the building and starts to walk the floors. He is looking for anything out of the ordinary but most people are asleep. He knows who and what is behind most of the closed doors.

Although he is conscientious, his mind is also on other things. Her name is Sophia and she works in the kitchens. He has never met anyone like her before, and he is besotted. As he walks along he plans out his whole life with her. And he is lucky. The two of them will stay together, marry and live to see their five children grow up to have families of their own. But all that is all in the future. He is luckier that the other guard in so many ways.

Eric Jakobs

We pass the door leading to Eric Jakob's room. He is in there sleeping. It is not a pleasant sleep and in the morning he will wake feeling tired and out-of-sorts. In his dream, he is climbing up a hill. The sun is shining and he can hear the birds sing. The grass is green underfoot and his son is ahead of him, running.

"Wait for me!" he calls. He looks behind him at his wife who is laying out the picnic blanket. Their daughter is helping her. He looks forward again and is beginning to feel apprehensive as his son disappears over the brow of the hill.

"Wait," he calls again. The sky, once blue, is now marred by clouds coming in. He hurries and reaches the top of the hill and can see his son running down the other side, kite string unravelling in his hand, and for a moment he watches the kite lift and soar like some magical beast. Another bank of clouds scud in front of the sun and he shivers as a gentle wind wafts by. He looks back to the kite but it has disappeared. So has his son.

He cannot move.

There is a figure of a young man climbing upwards towards him. The figure is blurred but lifts its hand to wave to him, and as it comes closer he recognises him. It is James Barnes.

Jakobs has forgotten he was here with his son. He has forgotten the day of the picnic. He can see that James is smiling. He is dressed in trousers and a shirt; his hair is short.

Jakobs can smell smoke. He looks around and then to the side of him he can see it. Fire. It is sweeping the side of the hill, scorching the grass, turning it black, turning everything black. The fire will miss him, but not James.

"Run!" he yells frantically, waving at James but all that accomplishes is to make James stop, doubt on his face.

"Run, for Gods' sake, run!" Jakobs yells. He still cannot move so he tries to point towards the fire coming nearer. He sees James' face the minute he realises the danger. But James can't run, instead he is struggling. A long red plant has grown up around his legs, long tentacles growing upward to stop the young man from being able to move. And Jakobs hears his voice.

"Help me." He is looking at Jakobs, but Jakobs still cannot move and has to watch in horror as the fire reaches the struggling form. Then he hears James screaming.

"Help me please! For Gods' sake!"

And then there are no words, just screams of agony as the young man becomes a pillar of fire until the flames sweep past and leaves a blackened twisted husk which sinks slowly to the ground.