Haunted || Bucky Barnes

Chapter 2

"Lawson! Nice to know you're not dead." Sam Wilson said from where he was leaning on her car. He was dressed in street clothes with a baseball cap and sunglasses on to help hide his identity. She froze where she stood. It was official. Her cover was officially blown. Crap.

"Yeah, I guess it's been a while..." She trailed off, already trying to figure out her quickest exits from where she stood.

"Took awhile for us to track you down." He continued, moving closer. She stepped back out of instinct. She thought it would take them longer than three, almost four months to find her. She had made sure to cover her tracks when she left and settled here.

"Almost like I didn't want to be found." She stated, glaring slightly at him. She felt her blood starting to boil and tried to calm herself down. It was Sam, she could reason with him.

"Look, Aly, I respect that. I know you wanted out. I know you've been through a lot. I wouldn't be here if we didn't absolutely need your help." Sam explained, holding his hands up in surrender.

"You keep saying we but I only see you." Aly pointed out, checking around the garage to make sure no one was hiding out to ambush her. She didn't think Sam would try a tactic like that on her, but really anything was possible if he was as desperate to get her back in the game as he seemed.

"Barnes and I need your help." Sam finally admitted knowing that information would hit a nerve with her. Her heart tightened slightly at the mention of Bucky and she felt her breath hitch.

"Well, sorry to break it to you, but I'm retired. End of discussion. Now move." She snapped at him gesturing for him to move out of the way so she could get to her car.

"I can't take no as an answer, Lawson." He told her as he grabbed her wrist before she could open her car door.

"Sam." She said in warning as she gave him a look to show him she wasn't messing around. He simply gave her a sympathetic look in response.

Alyssa sighed and then flipped him, using her training from the previous years to her advantage. He wasn't expecting this and hit the ground with a thud. Before he could get back to his feet she ran back the way that she had come in. Luckily, it was now busier on the streets due to the morning commute starting. The city was now alive which made it easy to get lost in the crowd. Perfect. She picked a direction and started walking in it, expertly weaving through the crowd. She took her hoodie off and shoved it in her bag she had somehow managed to keep a hold of in the minor scuffle. Looking over her shoulder occasionally she noticed she had left Sam in the dust and breathed a sigh of relief. It was time for her to figure out her next move.

Alyssa couldn't go back to her car at this point. It was too risky. Her apartment wouldn't be safe either due to the proximity. If they could find her car, they weren't far from finding that. A plane was out of the question because she was certain they'd track those records without a problem despite operating on the down low. Trains also posed a risk, but less than a plane if she paid in cash at the station.

"Train it is." She mumbled to herself as she headed towards the nearest metro stop which could take her to the train station located deeper into the city. Getting on the metro she looked out the window to see a familiar face staring back at her from where he leaned against the wall on the platform. A gasp escaped her lips as the train doors closed.

Bucky. He was also in dark street clothes like Sam had been, although he only had a baseball cap on. His hair was cut short rather than the long length she had last seen him wearing it at. It looked good on him if she was being honest. A glare was on his face as they made eye contact. Despite the hard exterior she noticed the sadness and dullness in his eyes. It made her heart break a bit more seeing him like that.

The train finally picked up speed and left the station leaving Bucky as nothing more than a memory. She would have assumed it was a hallucination had it not been for Sam mentioning him earlier. Clearly he didn't want anything to do with her given the fact that he didn't even try to stop her. She didn't blame him.

Arriving at the city's train station. Alyssa immediately walked up to the ticket counter, pulling out a few bills to pay.

"Where are you planning on traveling today, young lady?" The old man working the ticket counter asked her.

"One ticket to New York City, please. Soonest train possible." She told him, handing over the money. Going to the city might not be the smartest plan, but it was a hub which meant she'd have plenty of places to go from there and it would be nice to see Steve again if she was being honest. One last time before truly disappearing if she could pull it off.

"Someone's eager! Have fun!" He replied, handing her ticket over. She gave him a quick smile before making her way to the train platform. She found an empty seat and dropped her stuff down. Pulling out her MP3 player, the one way she could listen to music off the grid since she had to ditch her original phone months ago, she plugged in her headphones. She tried to drown out the thoughts running around her head. It was going to be a long train ride if she couldn't.

Seeing Bucky again wasn't something she had wanted to deal with, especially with how she had broken things off with him after years of dating. She knew in the back of her mind that she had handled the whole situation terribly. It wasn't something she was proud of, but in the state she was in at the time it seemed like the only solution. She shook the thoughts and memories out of her head, choosing to lean her head on the window and take in the scenery as it went by instead.