battle | b. barnes

previously...

Staring up at the dull, yellow light, memories flash through my mind. Snippets of a younger me running through the playground as my little sister chased me. Then a memory of me graduating S.H.I.E.L.D. academy and celebrating with Mark and Trisha appears. Mark's mom took a picture of the three of us the day we all successfully survived the academy. We were so young. We had no idea what the future had in store for us.

I fight the urge to laugh as I think about my situation. I left S.H.I.E.L.D. so that I wouldn't have to risk my life anymore, but here I am, lying on the floor of some HYDRA owned warehouse, probably breathing my last few breaths and I had no one else to blame but myself.

You can't save everyone, Corinna. You're going to get yourself killed if you keep thinking that you can.

Trisha is probably going to kill me if I somehow end up surviving this. She always had the uncanny ability of being right, I wonder how she would feel about this. Probably angry at the fact that I went behind her back...again.

I look up at the dull, yellow lights of the warehouse. Frowning as I hear footsteps, except, it seems far away.

"Corinna!" I hear a voice echo in the distance.

I smile as I recognize the voice. It was Bucky's. I wonder how he got here. Maybe it's my mind playing tricks on me. Surely he wouldn't be here, especially after our last encounter.

Maybe I shouldn't have said those things that I did. I probably should've written an apology letter or something, but I had no idea I would be dying tonight. But I guess that's the irony of it. Death is something that is always there. We all know that we're going to experience it, but the question is when? And now I finally know.

It comes when you least expect it.

"Oh my god, Corinna!" I hear someone scream, but it sounds far away.

Shit, shit, shit. That sounds like Trisha. What is she doing here? How'd she find me?

Suddenly, Trisha's frantic face appears in my vision. I frown as I struggle to bring my hand up. This seems too real for it to be a figment of my imagination.

"Corinna, oh my god. There's so – so much blood!"  Trisha sobs. I feel something wet hit my cheek and my eyes widen in realization. This isn't a dream. Trisha is really here. Shit, shit, shit.

"I'm – I'm," I try to say something, but I close my mouth when my abdomen begins to throb.

"Bucky, she's over here!" Trisha screams, looking up momentarily.

I pinch my eyes shut as I dread the next few moments. It's one thing to have your best friend see you die, but it's another when the second most person you give a shit about is there to witness it as well. I just wish I never pushed him away, but there's no use in feeling guilty. It doesn't change the fact that I went behind Trisha and Bucky' back only to prove their worries right.

"Shit, Corinna. Please tell me she's breathing." I hear Bucky say. Trisha moves to the side and Bucky's distressed face comes into view. He grabs my hand gently, "What have you done, Core?" he asks, taking in my battered appearance before looking at me.

"I'm...sor-sorry."  I manage to say. My vision blurs as I feel tears slide down my face. I'm not sure if it's from the pain that I'm in or from the immense guilt that I'm feeling.

I shift my eyes to look at Trisha who seems to be talking to someone on the phone; her tear stricken face looking at me anxiously as she gently holds my leg.

I look back at Bucky and frown when I take in his crumbled expression. His normal icy blue eyes filled with unshed tears, his bottom lip sucked in as he frowns at me.

"Don't...cr-cry old man," I manage to choke out. I try to smile, but I clamp my mouth shut when my body screams in agony. I stare at Bucky wordlessly as everything begins to slow down.

"You're going to be okay, just focus on my voice." Bucky instructs as he strokes my cheek with his thumb. I close my eyes, leaning into his touch.

"I'm so-sorry for...for being a bi-bitch." I whisper, opening my eyes to look up at him.

He shakes his head with a small frown, "It's okay. You had to do what you had to do. You could've just not been stupid about it." He replies shaking his head as he looks at my stab wounds.

A small chuckle leaves my mouth, but it ends up coming out as a fit of coughs. I pinch my eyes shut as an indescribable wave of shooting pain travels across my body, making me dizzy. I rapidly blink as I try to concentrate on the flickering light, but Bucky's worried face comes into my vision. His mouth is moving, but I can't seem to understand what he's saying as everything begins to slow down.

I can feel my heart begin to slow down as my brain feels like it's floating away to another planet. I force my eyes to stay open as I look into Bucky's broken gaze.

"It's not your fault." I whisper before I allow myself to succumb to the darkness.

AND WE ARE BACK!! I changed my mind about ending Corinna's story in the first book. It didn't feel right leaving a badass like her to die at the hands of Brock - fucking - Rumlow, so here we are. You know Corinna is back for blood. So prepare yourselves everyone. Our favorite sassy, sarcastic, and profanity loving girl is back!!