Dimidium - Marvel Studios [7]

forty-eight.

January 2021

I lay in bed, Steve and I facing away from each other as his steady breathing filled the room. My arm was resting under my head, keeping it propped up from the pillow as I stared out the window, not being able to get to sleep tonight. This wasn't a regular occurrence anymore, normally I could sleep through the night perfectly fine, but I definitely should not have had 3 cups of coffee today. The snow was falling past the soft glow of the streetlights outside, ready to create a fresh layer for the residents of Brooklyn tomorrow.

I closed my eyes on an exhale, and as if on cue there was a small cluttering noise coming from somewhere. I opened my eyes up again immediately, waiting perfectly still to see if I could hear the noise again or if I had just imagined if. Just before I was going to grade it as a fragment of my imagination another noise came, like the sound of something falling over. I could tell it was coming from inside the house, how I don't know but something was telling me that it was, and my body was already kicking into a routine.

I swung my legs out of the bed, rising slowly as I stood still, trying to hear the noise again to figure out if it was real or part of my imagination. The clattering noise came again as I moved as quietly as I could, trying to ensure that the floorboards wouldn't creak under my feet. I made my way over to the closet, pushing the door open as I reached up onto the top shelf, reaching to the back and pulling out a show box as I laid it on the floor. I crouched down next to it, opening the box to reveal three small handguns and a few cases of bullets, ready to use in case of an emergency.

I grabbed out a gun and a bullet casing, leaving the box on the ground as I left the closet, Steve still lying silently in the bed as I made my way out of the room. I left the door open, knowing it would make too much noise if I tried to pull it closed. There was a loud clatter, the loud noise of something hitting the floor as I made my way down the stairs slowly. I stopped half way down, clicking the bullets into the gun quickly like it was second nature. I hovered for a moment, my muscles falling into the movements I had done so many times in life.

The smooth metal felt heavy in my hands, and I was surprised how fast and nimble my fingers were moving considering I hadn't touched one in over a year nowThere hadn't been a need for me to be armed, so the two guns I kept for safe keeping sat at the back of the closet far out of mental reach. The feeling to have my finger cupping the trigger felt good, like I was now finally complete with the extension to my arm added once again and I kind of liked how it felt after being gone for so long. I moved further down the stairs, my feet light and swift as I walked as silently and quickly as possible.

I made my way to the bottom floor, standing at the bottom of the stairs as I tried to figure out where the noise was coming from. l looked around the stairs, craning my neck to look into the living room, the sound of a quiet patter coming in from the kitchen. I moved to the archway, leaning against the wall as I lifted the gun, cocking it quickly as I moved around the corner, barging into the living room. I flicked on the light switch as I lifted my gun, aiming it at the intruder that I suspected was in the kitchen.