I Walk The Line (A Bucky Barnes Fanfiction)

Chapter 36

I didn't have much time. I knew that. My attempt at bandaging my head with a part of Miles' shirt was only a temporary solution. It somewhat stopped the bleeding, at least. It didn't stop my head from spinning. 

I took slow and quiet steps as I walked through the empty corridors. Every time I heard even the faintest sound, I'd stop dead in my track. I'd learned how to deal with panic years ago. That's almost the first thing they teach you at SHIELD. The one thing they never tell you is that it only works three out of ten times. 

I'd always been okay with dying on the job. Not while I was in HYDRA, for the most part, but I was okay with it. But this wasn't a job. This was me walking the line between life and death. I could collapse any second. And I was really fucking hungry.

The first person I encountered was a guard - he was standing with his back to me, listening to orders on his earpiece. I came up to him quietly and tapped his shoulder. When he turned around, I pressed a gun to his lips. I stared at his bewildered eyes as I took his gun and told him to kneel. 

He had blue eyes. I watched as they slowly turned to gray with fear. Like Bucky's.

That's when the panic took over. That's when I pulled the trigger. 

The blood sprayed my face. The gunshot echoed through the hallway. The guard's eyes were still open, still gray, bloodshot. 

I imagined Bucky in his place. I had no idea if Miles was bluffing when he told me they had Bucky, too. I couldn't afford to lose him. I just couldn't. 

The guard's clothes were slightly too big for me, but not enough for anyone to suspect anything. Better that than my blood stained shirt and jeans. The baseball cap he was wearing covered my bandage nicely, and kept it firm on my head. I dragged his body a bit further down the hall, hiding it in the broom closet. 

During the course of my days in HYDRA, I'd learned they don't like change. They kept the structure of their bases pretty similar, as long as the location allowed it. Thus, I had a fairly clear idea how to get out. The difficult part was trying to avoid people. 

I tried my very best to walk in a straight line, despite my dizziness. I walked past a few offices, each guarded by at least one guard, none of which took any notice of me. After a minute or so, I noticed an exit sign.

Turning a corner, I bumped into someone. A tall man in a grey suit was looking down at me, furrowing his eyebrows. I mumbled an apology and tried to walk around him, but he stopped me.

"I've never seen you before."

I avoided eye contact. I had never seen him before, I was sure of that. But I couldn't risk it. 

"I'm new."

He looked me up and down.

"You look pale."

Fuck. If he notices even a drop of blood anywhere on me, I'm dead.

"Just got my period. Trying to work through the cramps."

If I know anything about these HYDRA men, it's that they fucking hated period talk. I remembered how difficult it was to get pads sometimes. I was right. He made a disgusted face and walked away. 

Couple more minutes of walking, and I saw the exit. Finally. The two guards stared me down as I walked up to them.

"Where do you think you're going? We don't get off until 6", one of them spoke.

"I'm on my period. I just need some fresh air."

They exchanged looks, both making faces, then the other one opened the door for me. "You have 5 minutes."