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An ear-splitting ringing pounded mercilessly against my skull while nauseating fatigue stripped my body of any other feeling or sensation. Gradually coming to, the aching discomfort was abruptly replaced with a sharp, throbbing pain encircling around my right shoulder, causing my flickering eyes to strain open as an immediate reaction to a suspected threat to my safety.
"Ah, the little monster has awoken from her slumber." A thick Russian accent observed trailing his clammy, calloused hand across my jawline with a malicious grin twisting his lips into a smile; making the last dwindling source of warmth within me run completely ice-cold beneath my skin.
"You're the fucking monster." I hoarsely sneered through gritted teeth while jerking my searing skin away from his lustful touch, nearly hacking up a lung when the few words felt like sandpaper against my raw, parched throat screaming for as little as a drop of water to quench my insatiable thirst.
"I beg to differ, midnight walker." He matter-of-factly corrected, taking sheer delight in the way my face contorted in both confusion and contempt towards his ambiguous comment.
"Am I supposed to know what your dumbass comments mean, asshole?" I sarcastically imposted attempting to punch his teeth in, but was stopped in my tracks by steel enforced cuffs securing me to the chair I sat hopelessly idle in; now feeling the metal's preying chill sinking through my skin. "Why am I restrained to this extent? Scared of a little sass?" I jokingly inquired rotating my wrists as much as I was physically capable, taking notice of the exact same cuffs encircled around my ankles. In that moment of skeptical observation, my trailing eyes were drawn to the stark contrast of my once limp limbs compared to the unrecognizable, carved muscles seemingly chiseled onto my body.
My heart began to rattle within my rib cage as my chest began to frantically rise and fall, my curling fingers became desperate to wipe the rounded beads of stinging sweat forming atop my temple; however, my now overwhelmingly perfectly acute sense of hearing partially distracted my racing thoughts as they caught a high pitched squeaking noise approaching.
"Just look at all of the blood on your hands, all of the innocent blood." The mysterious man mused roughly lifting my clenched jaw up to watch the gruesome, depraved violence committed by once innocent hands now permanently stained with a haunting crimson red.
He was right, I am a monster, I am a fucking monster.
"W-what the fuck have I done?"
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"It's been months, no traces, no leads, nothing. Just a new fucking psycho killer on the loose." Tony vented aloud while restlessly cradling his throbbing temple within his calloused hands in hopeless defeat; verbally struggling to push the few agonizing words through his teeth gritted in both frustration and anger.
"Anyone talk to Barnes at all today?" Natasha spoke up lifting her heavy emerald eyes, that hadn't known the luxury of ceasing to strain themselves open for days on end, towards Steve who stood idle with his arms crossed flush against his chest while his jaw rigidly clenched at her words.
The truth was, something as simple as talking to Bucky has become nearly an impossible task, ever since the incident everything within him snapped in ways not even he knew was possible. His once softened, almost tender, heart had helplessly returned to its cold and calloused state as a coping mechanism. Because forcing himself to feel nothing was far more enticing than suffering the fatal injury caused by both love and loss's jagged blade piercing his already broken heart. Now all James Buchanan Barnes lived for was finding the one who filled the gaping void within his now hollow chest, the one who's smile lit up his entire world, the one who's eyes sparkled brighter than the night sky bursting with glittering stars.
"You know I've tried, Nat." Steve exasperatedly sighed as his hands anxiously combed through his unkept head of hair while rogue strands of blonde nimbly becoming tangled within his fingers; his dull, exhausted eyes mindlessly trailing towards the dim hallway that had now become a ghost town; that was her hallway. Nothing was the same with her absence, the delicate ecosystem that had been built upon her unexpected presence, which they originally thought was surely going to be a thorn in their sides, was shattered and left the four walls hollowed with an inescapable sense of tangible emptiness saturating the atmosphere.
"Sir, Secretary Ross is on the line, there's been another hit." F.R.I.D.A.Y's gentle Irish accent alerted the room of exhausted individuals desperately craving anything to break the excruciatingly mundane cycle that had now become their life; even if it meant going back to work.
"Give me everything filed under, midnight walker." Tony instructed aloud mindlessly fiddling with the unkept stubble shadowing his jawline while his soar eyes strained towards the screen illuminated by a myriad of recordings and photos brimming with an unsettling hue of red. "Woah, woah, stop. Freeze frame and zoom in." His raspy voice commanded as a pang of an eerie, bone chilling sensation sat like a pile of bricks in his gut while he swallowed hard on the constricting knot clawing up his throat. Proceeding with caution, his hands hesitated for a brief moment before continuing with his hunch as the sound of his pounding heart drowned out every other sound, feeling, and thought. "Oh god, please don't let this be what I think it is." He shakily exhaled as his stinging eyes squinted towards the pixelated picture gradually becoming more precise with the coming of each agonizing second of uncertainty.
His glassy eyes widened in horror as a wave of unexplainable emotion drew his jaw towards the floor while everything within him seemed to coil in unnatural ways he'd never experienced, his entire body feeling the sharp sting of pulsating needles down his spine. "Jesus Christ." He exhaled in one shallow breath as his trembling hands cupped his face now falling into them while the weight of guilt took up residence upon his shoulders already carrying an ample amount.
"Tony, Tony." Natasha's gentle voice repeated with a subtle tone of urgency as her hand softly squeezed the billionaire's tensed shoulder, her emerald eyes momentarily wincing at just how stiff his muscles felt beneath her delicate touch. "Tony." She nearly snapped at his oblivion but felt a nagging pang of sympathy due to the nature of the situation at hand along with the fact that she knew in her gut he blamed himself; as he always does.
"It's her." His hoarse, exhausted voice choked out while his fatigued body didn't bother to shift its position to face the redhead who's intentions were to comfort, yet her presence only worsened his condition because he knew that would now have to verbalize the horrific explanation of Kate Wilder's whereabouts.
Leaving him with a nauseating headache and churning insides when beginning to imagine having to tell the one man who cared for her more than anyone else.
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I am in fact NOT dead, on the outside at least💀😂 once again I just wanted to say that I'm soooooo extremely sorry for the big ass delay due to a dangerous mix of writers block and no free time👀 however, she's finally here and heavy and sad as a ton of bricks!! You're welcome 🥵
Also I was in a TONY mood and decided to give y'all some insight on just how much he cares for Kate WE STAN ONE DAD IN THIS HOUSE😭❤️
Also I low-key did not edit this chapter much because I was very eager to get it you guys as promised!
