Haunted || Bucky Barnes

Chapter 1

She walked down the street with her head down as to not be noticed. There weren't many people around given that it was the early morning. Most were asleep and those who were up were in their own world, not giving her a second glance. It was peaceful although it did make her feel slightly exposed as she walked.

She opened the door to a small coffee shop that was just down the street from her apartment and stepped inside. Immediately getting hit with the intoxicating smell of freshly ground coffee beans, she smiled slightly to herself. Just what she needed at 5:30am as she was running on maybe three or four hours of sleep if that. She was currently the only one there as she'd beat the normal morning rush by about half an hour.

"Medium black coffee?" The barista asked as she walked up to the counter immediately recognizing her. She did come in fairly often around this time since she had moved to the area months ago.

"Yes please, Dana." She responded with a smile, placing the exact change on the counter. Dana quickly put the money in the register before turning around to pour the coffee. While she was distracted with that she slipped a $5 bill in the tip jar.

"So, Alyssa, how have you been? It's been a while since I've seen you." Dana asked, passing the cup across the counter.

"I've been pretty good." Alyssa replied, with a shrug as she took a sip. She winced slightly at the bitterness as it went down.

"I keep telling you I can make you something sweeter you might like more." Dana chided with a laugh.

"And I keep telling you that I'm fine with the black coffee." She replied. Her burner phone suddenly went off and she looked down at it confused. An unknown caller. No one had this number except a very select few for emergencies. She knew none of them would hide their identity if they called. "With that, duty calls. See you, Dana!"

"Bye, Alyssa!" She called after her as she walked out and back onto the street.

"Who is this?" Alyssa immediately asked as she picked up the call. She started walking in the opposite direction of her apartment and checking her surroundings.

"Is that anyway to greet an old friend?" The voice on the other end asked. She rolled her eyes and slowed her pace as she recognized who it was.

"Steve, how did you get this number?" She asked him.

"I have my ways. I may be over a hundred years old, but I still have a few tricks up my sleeve." He laughed and she couldn't help but smile at his response. "How have you been, kid?"

"Just fine. How about yourself, old man? Still enjoying Brooklyn?" She questioned as she relaxed. She hadn't seen him since she had left New York to move here.

"It's been good. I do miss your visits though." He admitted. She frowned at that. She had visited him a couple of times before she ended up going off the grid. She felt bad not saying anything, but didn't want him trying to persuade her at the same time.

"Yeah... I've been a bit busy lately." She lied.

"Why don't you stop by this afternoon? We could have lunch?" He offered. She could hear the hope in his voice which just made her feel worse.

"I'm just out of town... on business. Maybe some other time?" She told him. She heard a sigh from the other end and knew he had a look of disappointment on his face.

"I'm worried about you, Alyssa." He told her. "I know you left months ago but I would've thought you'd be back by now. You also didn't tell anyone where you were going. Buck's worried too even if he won't admit it. What's going on in that head of yours? You know you can talk to me. If it's about-"

"I have to go, Steve. Take care of yourself." She quickly ended the call then threw the phone and the rest of her coffee in the next trash can she came across.

With that Alyssa made a long loop back to her apartment, very aware of her surroundings as she walked. She locked the door behind her and leaned against it. Her mind was racing. How had Steve gotten her number? Did he secretly know where she was? Was she compromised? Did she need to move once again? Maybe it was her old lifestyle she was trying to escape making her paranoid. Maybe it was the fact that her friends couldn't seem to respect the fact that she had decided she had enough. Maybe it was the lack of closure she had from so many situations. Whatever it was, none of the thoughts seemed like they were going away anytime soon.

She made her way to her room and packed a bag, deciding it would be best to leave town for a few days. If anything, it wouldn't hurt to have a change of scenery. Maybe it would help her sleep better. Locking her door, she pulled her hoodie up and made her way to the parking garage she kept her car in. Her plan for now was to escape the big city and opt for somewhere less populated for a bit. This would allow for her to re-evaluate the situation and figure out her next steps if need be.

She was looking down at her keys, trying to find the right one when a voice broke her out of her focus.