Understanding Me

Another Fire

Another night coming home with bloody knuckles meant another cold icepack from the freezer and another pounding headache which luckily only lasted ten minutes. Kicking my shoes off and wrapping up in my small, single bed, I slowly drift to sleep. My dreams are aimless and are filled with dull blank faces of people I can't recognise. Occasionally, a face I know all too well appears, but I wake up soon after it arrives. After unsuccessfully trying to get back to sleep I decide to sweep my computer for a few things. I check for any major new reports and anything on S.H.I.E.L.D or Hydra.

After I left Aunt Jane's I went off the grid, kept low and went west to Ohio then Chicago making sure to mind for cameras or anything traceable. Jane gave me some cash that I could use till I was ready to settle, I told her to buy a separate phone bought by a family friend to contact me so there's no trace back to me. What was most important to me was to keep Jane and Beth safe. For a couple of months I stayed away until I was sure that I could come back to new York, once I did I found a small apartment and started my job at a quiet gym, I always kept up to date with news about the agency, where they were, what they were doing, the people... making sure I was always one step ahead of them.

The knock on the door startled me from my seat, I cautiously stood and slowly walked to the door. Another knock rang out, louder than the previous one making my heart pound harder in my chest. Who was calling this time in the morning? I silently looked through the peep hole and saw a small, old woman stood at my door, someone I remember from seeing down stairs. I quickly open my door and enquire what is wrong.

"Miss, everyone has been advised to exit the building." She said sourly before turning to leave.

"Excuse me," She turns back, "why do we have to leave." I question.

"There's a fire in the next building and until it's been extinguished the owner has advised that everyone be evacuated." I swiftly nod before closing my door again. I run to the window facing out to the other building a see that it is in fact on fire. I quickly grab a jumper and slip on some trousers before running down the stairs of my building. Running around to the fire I stand at the entrance to the flames, there are a few people watching as the building starts to crumble, a few are calling ambulances and fire fighters while the others are gossiping and holding their breaths.

From one of the windows an older woman calls out for help, I my lip as I look around for the fire engine, I can't just run into the fire, people will see me.

"Please help me! Someone please!" The woman calls again from the window, I feel the anger grow inside of me as I know I can't help. What will people think? I'll be questioned when I come out of there completely unharmed. What if S.H.I.E.L.D or even Hydra find me? I look around and people are starting to cry, and many try to enter but quickly come back coughing. No one can help her... no one but me. I shake my head looking down as I question myself.

"Fuck." I whisper as I look up at the opening flames. I take a breath before running through the buildings entrance. The lobby is almost fully engulphed in the fire, I look around for the stairs which is in the fire corner. I run through flames as the fire licks at my legs creating burns which blister my skin. I scream in pain as I start to climb the stairs and can feel my legs already starting to numb and heal. As I arrive on the third floor, I can hear the screams of the woman and try to listen in to what room they come from. "Where are you?" I scream over the crackling fire which continues to burn at my hands and feet, causing me to cough every couple of seconds. I wait moment before a voice calls back.

"I'm here! Please! Please help me!" I find the room and immediately try to push open the door, however, the handle blisters my hand with its scorching heat. I scream out again, louder this time. I take a quick step back, taking in a long breath before focusing on the door. I lift my hands and concentration my powers on pushing through the door. I feel my hands start to shake as push harder and harder, my powers weaken as my arms burn more from the flames around me, my knees become weak and I drop onto the thin floor, I hear a crack as the wood starts to crush.

"Come on." I say to myself as I try to hold on and push harder. "Please!" I scream as focus everything I have on opening the door. With one final push the door shatters and splinters the outside walls as I start to feel the building shake. I look up from the ground and see the flames closing in on the woman. "Hey!" I shout as loud as I can. "Run!" She hesitates before running through the flames to me, crying out when stepping into the flames. I try to stand up but fall back when my legs give out and the blistering completely numbs my legs, not because it's healing, but instead getting worse. I point her towards the stairs down the hall covered in flames.

"I can't!" She cries as she stays in the corner of the hallway not fully exposed to flames. I don't speak, instead I direct my powers to making a way through the flames, pushing them apart. She seems shocked for a moment, not understanding what was happening.

"Go!" I shout to her. She shakes her head before running down the hallway. I hold on just long enough for her to enter the stairwell, then I use my energy to stop the fire from getting to me. I take a breath, only quick as the burning hasn't stopped nor have I started to heal; I found that when I'm using my power to move things my body couldn't use that same power to heal. I slowly begin to stand using the wall as a support, but as I begin to move, I feel the floor underneath me give way. I fall through the floor to the lower level and as my body hits the floor I fall through to the next, then again to the ground fall. As my body hits the floor, I hear the bone of my arm and leg snap as well as my head start to pound. I feel the air leave my lungs and blood flowing around me head, matting my hair.

The flames haven't reached me in the corner of the lobby yet and as I look to the left, I can see the entrance of the building. I left my hand to reach out but hiss as the bone cracks under the skin. I again try to crawl on my back, using my good leg to push me but stopped when I felt arms around my waist lifting me up. I didn't have any power to stop them and even my wounds were numb from the pain. The figure takes me in their arms and starts to carry me out towards the entrance. The smoke in the building and tears in my eyes clouded my vision, but as I looked up... I recognised the face.

"Steve?"