As the week went by, Alpine's food supply ran low, and she sure let me know. The constant meowing, the pouncing on me playfully, the list goes on. So as I got her little travel bag ready, she came up next to me and just watched me. I side glanced at her before continuing to lace the bottom of the bag with her favorite blanket.
When I finally finished, she didn't hesitate to jump right into the bag and make herself comfortable. While she was snuggling in the bag, waiting for me, I went to the door to grab my sneakers. As soon as I was done lacing them up, I walked back to Alpine. I picked up the bag and put the strap over my shoulder, making sure I didn't shake the bag too harshly while walking down the hall and down the stairs.
So after the dreaded 23 flights of stairs, we reached the old, rusted entrance door. I stopped for a moment before gazing down at Alpine, who was just laying, curled in a ball in the bag. "You sure do give me a workout going down those stairs, Alpine." I gave her a breathless laugh before going to the door.
When I pushed the door open to the outside world, it made a groaning creak. After all the years that it hadn't been used. Even with me living there, the door was nowhere as used as it once was.
Stepping out, the Sun blinded me for a moment since I had spent most of my time in my dark apartment. I had to squint my eyes for a while before they eventually got used to the intense amount of sunlight. Alpine, on the other hand, seemed to like the sunlight on her back because she just snuggled into her blankets even more. I could hear her soft snores in between my paced footsteps as I continued to walk.
As we got closer to the street vendors, I could hear the commotion get louder. Not that it was a bad thing. After all, it was the weekend. The only bad thing was that since it was a weekend, it meant there would be a lot of people. All the more reason to hurry with my shopping and return home.
Once I reached the main street of the vendor stands, the crowds people formed were overwhelming. It was a lot busier than it usually was, which was odd. I mean, sure, it was usually busy, but just not this busy.
Trying to maneuver my way through the river of people without getting pushed back with their current of footsteps was a difficult task, to say the least. All while Alpine just slept like a baby in the bag at my side. Finally pulling myself out of the stampede of people, fighting for my life, I made my way to a stand and began to look around at the items on display.
The stand didn't have anything I had been looking for in particular, as it was a jewelry stand, but the items on display were quite a sight for sore eyes. The (probably fake) jewels sparkled when the sunlight hit them just right. It reminded me of an all too familiar encounter; one that happened so many years ago.
"Are you just going to sit there and stare, or are you going to say something?" He said, in a defensive tone, still looking at me. You could tell his accent was that of an American.
I sat there for a moment, thinking about what I should say. My mother taught me that staring was rude, but I've been kidnapped, and I still have no clue where I am; so do the rules still apply?
"Would you happen to know where we are, or are you as clueless as I am?" I asked, trying to get some sort of reply. He didn't answer.
I turned my gaze towards the wall until out of the corner of my eye caught that of something glistening. When I looked at the source, I was shocked to find that the source of the glistening was coming from the man. Not only that, but it was his arm that was creating the effect. His gaze shifted from me, back to his arm.
"Pretty ugly, isn't it? Makes me look like a monster. They made me into this, this machine. You'd think after all these years of having it, I wouldn't even have a reaction to it anymore." The break in his voice, it hurt to see the self deprecation.
"I don't think it's ugly at all. It's unique. You're not a machine. What kind of machine would be able to have a full-on conversation with me?" I joked, trying to lighten the mood. He only let out a breathless laugh before his eyes went back to losing their spark, returning to full emptiness.
I shook my head to rid my head of the memory. As much as I missed him, it was probably better off if he just forgot I ever existed. It doesn't mean that it hurts any less when I think about him, though.
I began to walk away from the stand and over to a food vendor to get what I originally came here for: food. When I saw it had nothing I needed, I continued to walk around the stands. Nothing I saw caught my eyes, though. All of it was the same thing. Plus, there were too many people around the stands to actually get a good look at the stuff.
So, with a disappointed sigh, I held the strap of my bag tightly and began to walk to the convenience store for Alpine's food. And, of course, a Hostess cupcake for me.
When the bell above the door rang, signaling I was there, the woman at the counter didn't even bother to look up at me. I paid her no mind, though. As I ventured further into the store to get Alpine's cat food, people seemed to shy away from me as I walked. It was a little confusing, but I just assumed that they might have smelt Alpine or something.
Once I had found and gotten the kind of brand of food that Alpine likes, I made my way up to the counter to pay. On the little shelves near the register area, I grabbed a Hostess cupcake and set it on the counter, waiting for the clerk to scan my items. Once she was done scanning the items, I grabbed my cupcake and opened it, taking a bite out of it, all while I was fetching the money from my pocket.
With the cupcake still in my mouth, I went to hand her the money for the items that I bought. As she took my money, she finally did look up at me. She smiled in appreciation, so I gave her a tiny grin of my own. "Mulțumesc." (Thank you) Though, the smile that was on her face for a moment quickly disappeared the moment she saw me and took in my features. Her skin went pale, and she backed away from the counter, towards the back, muttering something under her breath.
While I was chewing the rest of my cupcake in my mouth, I looked around in confusion, trying to find context clues onto why and how I spooked the woman so badly that she turned as pale as a ghost. I looked around the counter, on the walls, and on the floor to see if I saw anything, but I saw nothing that stood out. Until my eye caught a tiny corner of something behind the register. A newspaper. I grabbed it, making sure not to spook the woman anymore than I already had, and I began to read the headline of the front page.
" Tyranny, also known as Blaire Carter, a former Hydra asset now a main suspect for the bombing at the UN building in Vienna, Austria, earlier this week."
The newspaper dropped from my hands, hitting the ground. All of the pages went everywhere, all but one. The headline landed, facing up. An image that had supposed evidence that I bombed a United Nations building. I stared down at it for a while, a million thoughts running through my head. But one was more prominent than all the others. Go home.
I ran for the door, pushing it so far open that it hit the wall of the building, making a crack in the brick outside. I kept a steady hold on the bag Alpine was in. She most definitely was awake now, but that didn't matter right at the moment.
I began to push people aside, trying to make it home in a quick amount of time, but that's when I realized something. I stopped in my tracks and immediately found an alleyway, making sure no one else was around.
I set my bag on the ground gently, trying not to hurt Alpine more than I already had. I was wanted, and there was a good chance that people would stop at nothing to find me. Even if I was innocent. I wasn't going to bring Alpine into all of this. And I'd be damned if she got hurt on my watch. So, choking back the tears, I began to say empty words to my beloved cat.
"You're not safe with me anymore, Alpine. I'm sorry. I have to let you go. But I promise you, when this is all over, and they're not after me anymore, I'll come and find you." She only tilted her head at me, her blue eyes looking at me in confusion. I felt the tears coming to my eyes. The longer I tried to hold them back, the harder it became. I tried so hard, but the dam broke. I picked her up and began to hold her like it was the last damn time I'd see her.
I buried my head into her fur and let out my sobs, trying not to get my tears on her purely white fur. She just nuzzled into my shirt and began to purr. Just like she always did. I leaned down and gently kissed her head, stroking her back, as my cries eventually ceased.
"I promise you, Alpine. I'll find you. All you have to do is -" I took a deep breath, gaining the courage to say the words that got stuck in my throat.
"Just wait for me."