Released

Chapter Two

A blood-curdling scream suddenly pierced the silent night. A heavy silence filled the air as the neighborhood woke up, wondering if they had actually heard someone scream. Gunshots broke the silence, proving the neighborhood's worst suspicions correct. Another scream pierced the air shortly after. Shouting leaked out of the house on the corner, the voices raising with every word. Another terrified scream punctured the air. Finally, one last gunshot echoed out of the house on the corner. A shout from the only survivor. Then, it was silent again. The entire neighborhood was awake and alert now, rushing towards the house and breaking open the doors. The site laid out before them was terrifying. Bodies were splayed out in the living room. An entire family was dead in half an hour. However, one member of the household was missing. What happened to the second-eldest daughter?

My eyes flew open and I shot up into a sitting position, my heart racing from remembering that night. That was the worst night of my life- when everything took a sharp turn for the worse. Judging from the ice patches surrounding my hands, I had lost control again. I took note of the fog in my head and sighed, checking my phone for the time. It was 5:55 in the morning, and I could see sunlight peeking in through my blinds.

"I seriously need sleep," I mumbled, rubbing my face furiously.

I held my head in my hands and groaned. I hadn't slept consecutively for ages, collecting an abysmal amount of sleep each night. Running on three to four hours of sleep should not be physically possible. This was too much. I was going to end up dead due to collapsing in the middle of a mission because I ran out of energy. I just needed six hours of sleep. I looked up and bit my lip.

I stared intently at the boxes laid on the floor, before shaking my head. I couldn't resort to what I was. I had to keep moving forward. What was that saying? Once you hit rock bottom, there's only up to go? I just had to believe that. It'd get easier eventually.

I laid back down, closing my eyes. I took a few deep breaths, trying to fall back asleep, or at least clear the ever-persistent fog in my head. I thought about what resided in one of my boxes, wondering where in the hell I had put the tin case. I shook my head. I needed to move past that. I couldn't go back after eight months.

I was dragged out of my thoughts when I heard a soft knock on my door. "Liz?"

I sat up, instantly recognizing Natasha's voice and presence.

"Yeah?" I asked, subconsciously digging my fingernails into my palms.

My door opened, and Nat peeked in around my door. She had her red hair done up messily. "Hi."

I smiled. "Hi."

"Were you asleep or were you already awake?" Natasha inquired, stepping into my room.

I scoffed, trying to count the loose strands of her hair. "I was already up. I can't sleep."

Natasha leaned against my door, smirking. "Join the club, Liz. The Avengers is basically a team of people who can't sleep. Wanda, Bucky, Steve, Clint, and Sam are already up, and I wanted to see if you were up and wanted to join us."

I nodded and got out of bed. "Of course."

We trudged out to the commons and I sat down across from James, smiling softly at him. Natasha sat down next to me and a heavy silence filled the air. Normally, I would've felt uncomfortable in the silence, but seeing as I was so deep in my glazed over mind, I couldn't fully comprehend the silence. I tried digging my nails deeper into my palms but to no avail.

"How many hours of sleep did you get, Liz?" Steve asked, breaking the silence.

I blinked at him before finally comprehending the question. "Three hours."