Sam: Imprisoned (Book 3)

Self-Destruction

  "What's the matter, sweetpea?" the man hissed, threateningly.
  Unfortunately, I was backed against a wall then froze while my head was spinning with ideas of what I should do. "Steve!" I screamed and ran to try to pass the man.
  However, the guard reacted quickly and yanked me off the ground by my waist. I shrieked when my feet couldn't touch the floor anymore. Then my back slammed against the wall which turned my vision blurry.
  "Think you could escape so easily?" he sneered, pressing me harder against the wall.
  I breathed heavily but ignored the fear that was rushing through me and sassed, "What's the matter, Walter? Are you gonna miss me?"
  At first, the man was shocked that I knew his name then he glared at me and pressed his arm into my throat. The pressure made me cough as I tried to breathe. My lungs were burning as they screamed for air and my vision was becoming even more blurry and obstructed from the lack of oxygen. The next thing I know, the guard was launched away from me and stumbled back. I choked a raspy breath as I bent over and held my throat. Finally, air-filled back in my lungs so I looked up to see Steve right on top of Walter as he knocked the guard to the ground.
  Rogers goes to throw another punch but Walter kicked his foot against the hero so Rogers became off-balanced. Then the sinister guard rolled over on the floor and pinned Steve to the ground. Once Walter got his bearings, he raised his fist and smashed it against Steve's face. The Avenger was too stunned to do anything as Walter slugged him again. Fortunately, Steve didn't take the hits as he kicked Walter off of him and - since Steve was so strong - it knocked Walter back pretty far. This gave Steve enough opportunity to grab his shield, stand up, then slam the metal into the guard's face. The force was so strong that it shoved him back and into a state of unconsciousness.
  Carefully, Steve stood up and slowly made his way back to me so we both - simultaneously - asked, "Are you okay?"
  "I'm great," I brushed the question off. "What about you?" I pressed then reached my hand up to touch the small cut on his cheek.
  However, he stopped my hand before I could touch him and smiled, "I'm fine." Then his facial expression changed to determination as he pulled my arm down and tugged at my hand while he started walking, "We got to go."
  Although I dug my heels into the floor which forced Rogers stop. "Thanks, Steve," my eyes softened, feeling a pang of guilt that he got hurt. Of course, it was his job and it probably didn't hurt as bad as I made it out to be but I still felt bad. If I could've just gotten away from the evil man myself then maybe Steve wouldn't have to fight him. Alas, no matter how much I wanted to believe it, I was just too weak to fend off the man - especially with the lack of food and sleep recently.
  Maybe Steve caught the guilt in my expression because he stated, "I won't leave you next time. Now let's go."
  This time, I obeyed with a nod of my head and raced after him. Luckily, Rogers knew where he was going as he turned down sharp corridors while I was still lost. This part of the building was unknown to me so I just watched the unfamiliar rooms and hallways pass by me. The metal laboratory was a maze. I couldn't tell if we were close at all and - to be honest - I didn't even know where we were going. However, I followed Steve with confidence.
  "Almost there," Steve informed me.
  My heart skipped a beat with excitement at the thought of going home. I hated this place with a burning passion so all I wanted to do was leave. Then I noted the windows that passed us by. We really were on the edge of a mountain. In the distance was another mountain top but - from the window - there was a clear drop. Just the thought made my stomach tighten as I felt nauseated.
  "Self-destruction activated," an automatic voice exclaimed.
  The two of us paused as we exchanged glances then Steve sped up the pace as we bolted down the hall. Alas, it was instant before there was a loud boom. The ground shook beneath us but the explosives were probably placed under the building because the walls didn't implode on us.
  Almost immediately, the two of us were thrust away from each other. The jolt of the blast knocked me to my hands and knees while my head started spinning with fear. The floor beneath us rumbled and shook until there was a fierce crack then the floor started to split into two. My eyes widened as I watched a giant crack slither its way between me and Rogers.
  My head slowly lifted up as my gaze connected with the hero's, "Steve..."
  So, Steve snapped into action and launched toward me, "Hold on. I got-," he reached his hand out toward me but before he could finish his sentence, the floor gave out which split me and Steve up. The ground beneath Rogers was stable, however, my floor collapsed in on itself. It wasn't long until I felt my body start falling with the floor. A shriek shot out of my mouth as I cut through the air. "SAM!" Steve shouted as he stared out over the edge of the floor.
  The fall felt like it went on forever, but, finally, my back slammed into something hard beneath me. It cracked under me but I was too busy trying to fight consciousness that it was hard to tell where I was. Finally, I leaned up and held my head in pain. Officially, everything was hurting. I didn't think I broke anything but the fall was long and it definitely hurt to slam into something under me. Then my eyes widened as I realized I was alive so I slowly glanced below me to see what was keeping me up. My heart dropped and I froze as I saw that I was sitting on glass. It was a window. I landed on an unstable window...
  To make matters worse, I noticed my bracelet had slipped off of me in the tumble. Prior to the incident, I figured it would be a good thing to have a bracelet that wasn't tight on my wrist but - in hindsight - it was clearly a dumb move. Now the only chance of activating my suit was dangerously far away. 
  "Sam, don't move!" Steve ordered as he glanced around for something to use.
  As I swallowed a lump in my throat, I heard the quiet cracking from under me. It didn't take me long to realize what was about to happen. Eventually, the cracks surrounded me and I knew the glass was about to break. Despite the searing pain that was coursing through my body, I jumped to my feet and raced across the glass. If I could find something stable then I could be safe long enough for Steve to help me out. Alas, the glass broke under me. Luckily, I saw a metal bar that was separating the windows and I knew that was stable enough to hold onto. Before the glass could disappear under me, I leaped and hooked my hands against the iron bar. My body swung as glass shattered around my body. There were even still some shards of glass that ripped into my palms. I gulped in a breath then my eyes wandered below me. I couldn't see the ground because we were at such a height. The mountains around me were covered in snow and were huge compared to my small, dangling body.
  "Stay there! I'll get some rope!" Steve exclaimed then I could hear him step away from the edge.
  However, I stopped him, "Steve!" I shouted then continued. "I'm slipping," my voice broke from fear. My eyes were stinging with the threat of tears. Horror hit me hard as I realized that I didn't want to die; not like this, not now. If I was going to die, I certainly didn't want to be alone. I knew I couldn't last long enough for Steve to grab something to help me with and it was only a matter of time before I slipped. My palms were sweaty and bloody while my body was screaming at me. It felt like if I held on any longer then my whole body would break like the glass. With one last desperate gasp, my fingers slipped and my body soared through the sky as I fell toward the bottom of the mountain floor.
  "NO!" Steve cried which sounded hushed since I fell so far from him.
  This was it. This was the end.