The drive home from your father's lab has always been uncomfortable but especially today. You were 17 and although your father had offered your brother Tony to come and see what he was doing there all the time, you came along. Tony's relationship with your father had been rather rocky the past few days and you didn't want him to be alone but Howard wanted one of his children to understand why he couldn't be at home with them lately.
When you arrived, you found yourself surrounded by people in white lab coats and advanced technology but the visit was pretty short. Your mother Maria preferred to wait in the car for she knew that Howard was only going to receive a suitcase, the content unknown to you. Howard ushered you back to the car and you rolled your eyes before you slumped down in the backseat. It was already dark outside and the place had been in the middle of the woods. The only light came from lampposts every now and then but other than that, it was pitch black outside.
Your eyes were glued to the passing trees and you felt yourself fall asleep until you heard the rumbling of a motorcycle engine. Confused as to who would be driving, apart from yourself, at this time and this particular road, you turned around to look out the back window. There was indeed someone on a bike and the distance between you was becoming smaller and smaller.
"Dad?" You repeatedly tapped your father's shoulder when the the driver was right next to your window.
Fear spread within you when you saw how heavily armed he was. A gun strapped to his back, another one at his waist alongside of a knife. But all that was pushed to the back of your mind when your eyes landed on his left arm in which the street lights reflected. A red star gave the silver metal a splash of color but the rest of his uniform consisted of black and leather. Your eyes met shortly before he took the gun and shot at one of the tires. The car went straight for a few more feet until your father swerved off the road and right into a tree.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Your head collided with the back of your mother's seat and you struggled to orientate yourself.
"Y/n are you alright?" Your mother turned around to you and you saw blood trickling down the side of her head.
"I'm fine." You groaned softly when you felt your head, throbbing and reached for the door handle to gain some balance.
You heard the rumbling of the engine return and quickly ducked your head when you saw him through the rear window. He opened the trunk and slammed it shut after he grabbed the suitcase and turned to the driver's side. Your father also suffered from a severe headache after his head had hit the steering wheel. He collapsed out of the car and tried to pull himself of the ground when your attacker picked him up by his hair.
"Sergeant Barnes?" Howard's voice was hoarse but he seemed to recognize the other man.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
His eyes held no emotion in them and you watched in shock as his metal fist collided with your father's face before the man dragged his now lifeless body back to the car.
"Howard!" Your mother's agonizing screams were barely perceived anymore due to you being paralyzed in fear.
The man heaved you father's corpse back into his seat and rounded the car to the passenger side. You moved back to the other door and pulled your knees up to your face. The only thing you saw was his torso and his hand that reached in and wrapped itself around your mother's throat.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Panic coursing through you, was what prevented you from opening the door and running away. You watched your mother take her last breath and her head drop to the side before the man ripped open your car door. There was nothing you could do to protect yourself from him. You didn't know how to fight, you couldn't run, you certainly didn't know how to use a gun, it was hopeless.
He got ahold of your ankle and pulled you into arms reach and grabbed your shirt collar before throwing you out on to the ground. All air left your lungs when your back hit the ground and you watched him with tears in your eyes as he pulled out the gun again, aiming it at you. In this moment you thought of Tony. If he pulled the trigger, your brother would have nobody. Him being older than you, you could always rely on him but his relationship with his parents was never as tight as yours, meaning you were not only his little sister but also his best friend.
Begging for your life would be useless, considering that the man hadn't flinched when bashing your father's face in or squeezing the life out of your mother. But here he stood, hesitant, the hand holding the gun, shaking. Maybe he knew that he was about to kill a kid. His icy blue gaze met yours as he towered above you and he seemed unsure of what to do. You let out a breath you didn't realize you were holding when he lowered the gun and looked around. The car had crashed into a tree that was next to a fence, on top of it being security cameras.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
He strode over there and looked dead into the lenses before shooting them. Once he returned, he roughly grabbed your arm and pulled you to your feet before pushing you to the street.
"Go."
His voice was low and you stared at him, afraid that once you had turned your back, he would gun you down.
"Go!"
He yelled at you and slowly took steps away from him. You didn't understand why he let you go but you didn't really care. All that mattered was that the man who just killed your parents spared your life and gave you an opportunity to escape. You could still return to your brother an be there for him for he wasn't going to be alone.
"Thank you, Sergeant Barnes." You said before turning and running down the street.
