The Snow Always Melts

Untitled Part 2

Winter Soldier.

Winter. Soldier.

Winter, snow. Memories frozen, buried.

Who am I? The truth lies below the white blinding snow of winter. Sometimes the snow melts and I catch a glimpse of a memory but everything I see is distorted by a layer of ice. I see summer sometimes when the snow lets up. I hear familiar voices when the wind stops. He is my friend, but I have no friends.

Soldier, weapon, built to kill.

I’m not entirely human. Somewhere, sometime I traded an arm for an iron fist. But I think I stopped being human before they gave me that arm, the arm with the red star, my red badge of courage. I should have died, but they kept me alive. I don’t know how many times my hands have killed, but I know with each life I’ve taken, I die too. Freezing water, snow, ice. It’s always cold when I go under. And the snow falls on my memories again.

The dossier made my mission clear—kill Captain America. I tried, but I couldn’t get the upper hand. I saw him and the blizzard stopped. If I really listened, I heard a familiar voice. When I looked at him I saw a place I’d been before. I wanted him to kill me, but he didn’t—he set me free. I have no friends, but he is my friend.

My coffee is hot and it warms my hands. I always keep my hood up, eyes down. I’ve been hiding for a year now. I live on the streets, but these streets are familiar to me. Winter was dark and terrible, but I’m a soldier and I know how to survive. The snow is melting and I’m starting to remember. I had friends once and I will again.