epiphany. (Bucky Barnes x Reader)

Chapter Fifteen

TRIGGER WARNING: description of a panic attack and past torture.

"Because I've been

Trapped in the darkness

For way too long

And now it's time for me

To open my eyes

I put myself in the trust of the devil's arms

And now it's time for me

To enter the light."

~*~*~*~

HYDRA Weapons Facility Ruins. Kreischberg, Austria. October 2014.

The valley was spotted with patches of snow interspersed through the lush green of the forest. The wind carried the promise of more snow to come. Upon seeing the first of the winter snowfall the night before, Bucky decided it was time to finally visit the Ruins of the HYDRA weapons facility. You carefully drove into the forest away from the valley town.

To say that you were anxious was an understatement. You had no idea what would happen once you were there. How would Bucky react? Was he ready? Were you ready? What if things went wrong? Your fingers tapped the steering wheel nervously. You glanced at Bucky, his forefinger and thumb rubbed circles around each other.

You reached out and squeezed his hand, smiling. He squeezed back.

"No need to put on a brave face for me, doll," Bucky said, eyeing the map.

You sighed, "How much further?" The road grew more narrow the deeper you moved into the forest. Now, it was only one lane and crumbling at the edges. You rounded a corner and were met by a low hanging gate that spanned the width of the road. It had numerous albeit faded warning signs, all in German. "I think I answered my own question," you said, rolling to a stop.

Bucky looked up and squinted to read the signs. "No Trespassing. Danger: Building Condemned."

You sighed. "Should we leave the car here or try to go further?"

"Leave it; we can't risk it getting stuck," Bucky said, "It's not that far of a walk from here."

You nodded, reading your weapons. After what happened in Brooklyn, you weren't taking any chances. You looked to Bucky who nodded and you turned off the car.

~*~*~*~

You and Bucky walked down what was left of the road, side by side, weapons at the ready. After a mile or so the trees began to thin out, slowly, revealing what was left of the factory.

"Dear gods," you whispered. You hadn't expected the complex to be as massive and spread out as it was. The SSR files you collected indicated that Johann Schmidt had blown up the factory when he realized they would be overrun. He did not want to risk his plans being discovered. There were some intact portions of the structure, but most were rubble. Grey interspersed with flecks of green. Nature had begun to retake what was hers.

"Never thought I'd be back here again," Bucky murmured, making his way toward the ruins.

You stood back, letting him move at his own pace, as you had done at the Smithsonian. You watched as he carefully picked his way through the bricks and metal. Something crunched under your foot, a piece of a helmet. You picked it up brushing the dirt off, revealing the sigil of a skull and octopus, the symbol for HYDRA. It was big and bulky; you wondered how anyone was able to see out of it. You dropped it back on the ground in disgust, moving to follow Bucky further into the ruins.