ZEITGEIST | james b. barnes

[ 31 ]

A choked scream had her head snapping back to James. Colonel Lohmer had his foot right above his wrist, pressing with a force Lucy knew could break bones. The sweat trickling down her head grew cold as white hot rage filled every part of her being. She sprinted forwards and shoved through Dum Dum and Gabe, tackling the Colonel harshly to the side. He slammed into the ground along with Lucy and he tried to shove her off, but she knees him in the chest, lifting a fist and slamming it into his face.

His nose snapped with a crack and Lucy huffed as blood trickled down his lips. Colonel Lohmer let out a pained groan, and Lucy stepped off of him, moving to sit besides James who pushed himself into a sitting position. He cradled his right wrist with his left, a pained grimace on his lips. Tears welled in his eyes but he forced them not to fall as he lifted his gaze to meet Lucy's worried eyes.

She hesitantly reached forwards to grab his hand, just as a gunshot went off.

Everyone flinched, but Lucy's eyes grew cold, hardening like glaciers as she stared ahead. James gazed at her with confusion, though he was still busy trying not to cry with pain. Lucy knew what a broken wrist felt like, so she didn't blame him.

She slowly tilted her head back, a bullet only a few centimeters from her head. It trembled in the air before dissolving into nothing but metallic dust. Her gaze shifted to Colonel Lohmer, who's hand clenched into fists to stop himself from shaking with fear.

Her eyes were dark and dead as Colonel Lohmer stared at her with horror.

"The Verfall Soldier-"

She started emotionlessly.

"-can only be decommissioned by it's handler."

She tilted her head.

Colonel Lohmer sputtered gibberish as he tried to push himself to his feet. Lucy raised one hand, standing as white mist circled her hand, climbing up her arm and slowly travelling across her body. The same wisps circled Colonel Lohmer who fought the invisible force pressing him into the ground.

"Well said, Ver." Dr. Schaffer said with a chuckle.

Lucy turned to look at him as the other prisoners took a small step backwards, away from the commotion.

She looked back at the man on the floor, shifting her hand, fingers twisting.

Colonel Lohmer let out a cry of pain as his wrist snapped.

She wanted him to remember what he'd done to the Jews in Auschwitz, what he'd screamed and yelled, and who he'd killed in cold blood. She wanted him to know what it felt like to be hopeless and scared to death. She wanted him to know what it felt like to be Joseph and his family and the citizens of Germany who feared the Nazi's.

His gun pulled from his hand and floated into hers as she pointed it at his forehead. His terrified eyes looked to Dr. Schaffer with desperation but Dr. Schaffer merely winked, a smile on his lips.

"You were killing too many." Dr. Schaffer said, as if he were speaking to a child. "Besides, you don't kill things that are mine."

Colonel Lohmer opened his mouth to speak as Lucy pulled the trigger. The bullet buried itself in between his eyes, and she dropped the gun.

The white tendrils encircling her and the Colonel slowly dissipated. She lowered her hand and looked to the side, swallowing a lump in her throat as several of the prisoners stumbled back with paled faces. James looked up at her with wide eyes and Lucy's anger was suddenly replaced with guilt.

She looked down at her hands, which were shaking with rage. She gulped as realization hit her in the gut, her face falling. She sank to her knees, looking down at James's hand and grasping it gently.