Winter's Redemption [winter soldier//Bucky Barnes AU]

Chapter Eight

BUCKY'S POV

In a matter of seconds, hundreds of bullets flew through the glass, missing me and Sarah by inches.

"Get down!" I shouted, shoving her to the floor and towards the kitchen. She stumbled a bit from the push and crawled behind the cabinets. I ran to the living room and grabbed my machine gun.

I waited for the bullets to stop, hiding behind a wall. Once the shooting ceased, I heard footsteps, and jumped out from behind the corner to shoot them. The first row went down and someone attacked me from behind. I grabbed their fist and twisted it hard, until I heard his wrist pop out of place, and he fell to the floor in pain. A bullet hit my metal arm and I raised my gun again, shooting down two more. 

There were five guys left now, and they tried to circle me immediately. I swept the legs out from under two of them, and blocked a hard punch from another guy. I kneed him in the stomach and sent him flying, and leaned back as the fourth sent a roundhouse kick my way. I socked him in the jaw and he answered with a quick punch my stomach, making me gasp for air. I punched him back square in the nose, cracking the bone and knocking him out cold. 

The two I had knocked down first got back up, groaning and muttering obscenities. One tried to get me in a headlock and I flipped them over, kicking their skull and knocking them out. His friend swung his arm towards my head and I quickly grabbed it, yanking as hard as I could until I heard a loud pop. He wailed in pain and I jumped, kicking him in the head and watching as he dropped limply to the floor. I stood over his broken form, my breathing jagged, and unclenched my fists. Suddenly I heard the click of a gun, and I glanced behind me to see another man standing by the door, with his gun aimed at my head. I hurriedly looked for a way out, but before I found one, the froze. He fell to the floor with a spurt of blood, revealing Sarah standing behind him with a gun and a wild look in her eyes. They were no longer clear; they were now a stormy blue-gray.

I moved the dead guy off of my foot and brushed my hair from my eyes.

"Thanks." I breathed.

"Don't mention it. Who were those guys?" She asked, frowning.

"Hydra. They're trying to get me back. We need to leave now- they know our location." I told her.

We headed upstairs. I grabbed a bag and put most of the money in it, along with some clothes I found lying around. I packed me and Sarah's few belongings in. The towels got packed, along with two blankets and a pillow. I tucked my gun into the waistband of my pants and Sarah did the same.

"Any idea where we can go from here?" Sarah asked. I shook my head.

"No idea. You have ties to S.H.I.E.L.D. Do you think you could find us a place?" I asked. She took out her phone from a hidden pocket and turned it on, typing her thumbs furiously.

"Ok. Based on our location, there are four hotels, one inn, and three motels all within two miles, once we get out of the woods. We aren't gonna find another abandoned house as great as this one has been." She said, and I nodded.

"We can try the inn. It'll have less people but it won't be as easy for Hydra to find us," I replied. Sarah nodded.

I pulled on a long sleeve shirt and a glove to cover my arm and hand, along with a hat to cover my hair. It came untied during the fight. Sarah grabbed the last box of cereal and we left the house behind, beginning our trek in the woods.

----

ONE HOUR LATER

"Ok, here are your room keys. Enjoy your stay!" The perky secretary said. Sarah smiled and nodded at her, turning on her heels and heading to the elevator. I followed.

Our room was on the third floor between the elevator and stairs, which was perfect. Far from the entrance, and far from the stairs. We'd see any attack coming from a mile away.

Sarah opened the door with the key and we walked in. There was a small couch, coffee table, TV, and king sized bed. Next to the door was a decent sized bathroom. I put the bag of stuff on the bed and sat on the couch. My metal arm was aching like crazy. Sarah flopped down next to me, exhausted.

After a few moments of silence, I looked over at her. We found each other due to a freak accident, in which she needed help and I needed redemption: and since then there's been some unspoken agreement that we need to stick together. And I'm glad, because it's nice to have someone else around for once that I'm not expected to remember. Sarah was a new face, that didn't make my head hurt with old memories or make me nostalgic for something I'd lost. She was just Sarah.

"So...what now?" She asked, meeting my gaze. I looked away and thought for a second.

"I first need to figure out who I am. I don't know anything about myself," I said, looking down. "We also still need to get new clothes," I added once I saw the smoking holes adorning my old uniform.

Sarah nodded.

"Well, I can help with the first one right now. Let's go down to the public computers."

---

"James Buchanan Barnes, died 1944. Barnes served in the 107th during World War 2. He was in a combat group called the Howling Commandos, and was the only Howling Commando to die in battle. His best friend since childhood was Steven Grant Rogers, who later became the world's first avenger, going by the name Captain America. As children Bucky took care of Steve, who was a sickly boy, and continued to for almost his whole life until Steve received a serum that enhanced his immune system and doubled his body's size and strength. Rogers refuses to speak about Barnes, but our sources say that him and Barnes only had each other throughout much of their childhood. Barnes never had a significant other, but our sources say he had plenty of admirers. He was a well liked and well respected man, that served his country bravely before coming to an untimely end," Sarah read from the screen. 

I stared intently at it, noticing how often my name mixed with Steve's. Our lives were so intertwined that one couldn't seem to be mentioned without the other. I didn't know if that comforted me or disturbed me, as memories of Steve were still hazy. For some reason, the only thing I could see when I closed my eyes and thought of him were tiny, thin hands, with jagged fingernails and rough callouses. Every time I closed my eyes I watched the frail hands shakily rolled up pieces of newspaper. The ink would rub onto the person's hands every time, blackening their skin as they shoved the pieces in the soles of their shoes. I had a strong feeling that those hands belonged to Steve, though I wasn't sure why. Those frail things could never had fought the way Steve did. They wouldn't have been able to punch like he does.

It all gave me a massive headache to think about.

I sighed and put my head in my hands. It was difficult to try and remember my past when every time I tried, my mind felt like it was slamming the door on me and locking me out.

I felt a hand on my back, interrupting my thoughts, and I turned quickly to Sarah. Her eyes went wide at the sheer speed of my reaction, and she slowly pulled her hand away. I blinked and frowned. I hadn't meant to scare her, but of course, that's exactly what I did. I hated that.

"I'm sorry. I..I don't mean to scare you. I just don't seem to be in control of myself," I muttered, leaning away from her to give both of us some space. There were a few moments of silence and I wondered if she would get up and leave. But she stayed perfectly still.

"I'm not scared. I want to help," her voice whispered, so quietly that I wondered if i'd even heard it. But when I turned, I was met with a hesitant, calculated look, as if she was attempting to judge my reaction while simultaneously preparing herself for anything I might say. Her eyes were stormy again.

I wasn't sure what to say at first. I just stared into her eyes and thought- thought about how I needed to get away from her before I got too close, that I needed to escape before another person's blood was added to the trail behind me. I swore I could almost see the storm raging inside of her eyes. I realized what I needed to say, even if it would hurt her.

"Helping me will only hurt you," I replied gruffly, my walls coming up again as I stood and stalked across the lobby, jumping onto the elevator and leaving her behind. Once I was safely out of her sight, I realized I had barely been breathing, and sucked in a huge breath.

Oh Sarah, I thought. What are you doing to me?