365 Days with You

Storage Room

In the weeks after the holidays, Steve and I had grown much closer, spending ninety percent of our time together. Wherever I went, Steve went, wherever Steve went, I went. He wasn't Loki, and he didn't understand my trauma like Loki, but he was close. He had scars of his own, he had seen loved ones die, and I could relate to him because of it. He didn't know all the details of my torture but he knew enough to comfort me.

"Aislin run this box to the storage room for
me." agent Hill ordered, shoving a cardboard box full of holiday decorations into my arms.

I groaned. "Where is it?"

"Somewhere in the basement."

I huffed. I hate the basement, it gives me a weird feeling.

As soon as I set foot on the metal stairwell, I felt chills run up my spine. I heard feet pounding down the hallway behind me as I descended.

"Hey! Need help?" Steve asked breathlessly.

"No, I'm okay, thank you though." I smiled at him, he grinned back, nodded, and then spun on his heel and continued down the hall.

Once I reached the cool, damp basement, I spun in a circle, searching for the storage room. There were a million doors, none were labeled, all identical and white. This would take forever.

I began opening every door searching for anything that looked like a storage room. Most of them were completely empty or held rows and rows of filing cabinets. Several of the rooms contained boilers and different types of technology that I assumed powered the Helicarrier.

I turned the corner and there were only two doors left that I hadn't opened. If neither of these are the storage room I'm just going to throw these damn decorations away.

I readjusted the box in my arms as I twisted the knob. The room before me was completely dark. I felt up and down the wall for a light switch and soon my fingers found it. The fluorescent lights flickered for several seconds before flicking on. I shielded my eyes from the harsh light with my arm.

Once my eyes adjusted I glanced around the room and furrowed my brows in confusion.

It was a bedroom?

It was small, it only held a single, queen sized bed, a large dresser, and on the far wall, a shattered mirror. The bed was messy as if it was recently slept in and the broken mirror had dried blood on it. My heart began to pound in my chest and I began to stumble from the room. Somethings not right.

Suddenly the covers on the bed moved erratically. I gasped and covered my mouth to stifle a scream. There was someone in the room. I turned on my heel and went to scramble from the bedroom, when I heard breathing.

"Aislin?" A voice said hoarsely.

My heart stopped.

I felt my breath hitch in my throat.

The box in my hands slipped from my grasp, shattering christmas ornaments in all directions when it hit the floor.

I slowly turned, my heart pounding out of my chest. When my eyes landed on him I thought I might be sick.

He slowly slid from under the covers and took a step towards me.

"No! No! No!" I screamed and stumbled backwards until my shoulder blades hit the wall. He continued to advance forward.

He got closer until his face was inches from mine. I felt tears streaming down my cheeks. He placed his hands on my cheeks, his eyes wide with tears.