The Winter Wraith

Chapter 4

Adina wandered into a rough neighborhood after taking random twists and turns on the busy sidewalks. She now had her desired freedom, but she didn't know what she wanted to do. Adina tried to remember what her life was like before Hydra, but that only succeeded in giving her a throbbing headache. She had already spent one day aimlessly strolling around the big city trying to find something that was familiar to her. After the fruitless search, she had climbed up a fire escape to the top of an old apartment building and attempted to sleep there.

The sun had now set, bringing the temperature down a few degrees, on the second day of her wandering. Adina felt a few cold drops on the top of her head and gazed up. It was starting to drizzle. Sleeping on a roof completely exposed to the elements seemed like even less of a good idea on this second day. She didn't want to get hypothermia and was already shivering due to the cold wind. She realized she would need somewhere to sleep, even though the city she had teleported to just didn't seem to go to sleep. This was good for her, as she was able to find someone with an apartment to rent, who didn't question why a 15-year-old girl was paying for it. Adina handed over the crumpled up cash to the man that she had gotten from some people who would be going home short of some money.

The short man with greasy black hair led Adina up a narrow concrete staircase to the third floor of his building. He walked down the hallway with peeling dark green wallpaper and an ugly mustard yellow carpet. The smell was not pleasant in this old building. The man stopped at the third door on the right.

"Ah, here we are. Room 3C. Enjoy," he said as he tossed her a key and abruptly turned his back and started heading back down the stairs before Adina could even say thanks.

What a warm welcome, Adina sarcastically thought as she rolled her eyes at the short man's back.

She jammed the key in the lock on the door and twisted it to the right. She heard a faint click and opened the door. The room...well, it was definitely a room. Someone had started painting over the white walls with grey paint, but never finished. The hardwood floor had seen better days. There was a small kitchen area that looked like it no longer functioned. On the bright side, there was a small window above the mattress laying on the floor that allowed some sunlight to stream in. Adina went up to the window to see what view she had. The view was another, identical apartment building, though this one was somehow in even worse shape than the one she now resides in. No wonder the apartment was so cheap, she thought.

Adina left the window and walked to the last part of the small apartment that she hadn't yet explored. She opened a rickety door that looked like it was barely hanging onto the door frame. The bathroom had a small sink, a faded white toilet, and a rusty shower. It'll do. I'm just glad to have gotten out of the rain before it started pouring.

Adina looked at the cracked mirror above the sink. Her blue-green eyes were bloodshot with dark bags underneath them. Half of her brown hair was coming out of her ponytail. She looked down at her dirty clothes and finally had a plan, well a small one. Tomorrow I'm going to find some new clothes that don't have any blood stains, she thought as her stomach grumbled, and I should probably get some food. I haven't eaten in quite a few days.

With that new plan in mind, Adina took off her dirty clothes and hopped in the shower. She cleaned off all the grime her body had accumulated over the past few days and watched the tainted water swirl down the drain. After the refreshing shower, Adina tiredly crashed on the mattress with the sound of rain in the background soothing her into a troubled sleep.

~~~~~~

Adina felt a harsh slap connect with the side of her face.

"Wraith, are you paying attention?" the man who slapped her furiously asked.

"Yes, sir. Sorry, sir," Adina replied. She hadn't actually been paying full attention. She could hear the rain pitter-pattering outside the building they were in and had gotten distracted by it. She couldn't recall the last time she had been able to feel rain on her face.

"As I was saying, the Soldier will be here any second. You are expected to complete this mission with him by working together. Compliance is rewarded. Failure is not tolerated."

Adina nodded her head to show her that she was listening this time. She disliked working with the Winter Soldier. Working with him meant that the mission was an extra important matter, and she didn't like the added stress. Failure was not good, she thought with a shiver.

The Winter Soldier himself was not that bad. He was cold and always glared at others, but he wasn't cruel to Adina. She still didn't trust him, though. Just because someone hasn't directly hurt you doesn't mean that they should be trusted.

Adina could hear heavy footsteps down the hall coming towards the large room. The Winter Soldier walked into the room flanked by a few Hydra agents. He was already ready for the mission dressed in full combat gear and a mask identical to Adina's was covering the lower half of his face.

"Soldier, you will be in charge of the Wraith for this mission. Use any means necessary to control her," directed the Wraith's handler as he handed over a small, black item in the shape and size of a key fob that had one button and a dial on it. Adina knew exactly what that remote did, and it wasn't pleasant.

"This should keep it in order. Just twist the dial to the desired level, press the button, and voilà," the man said as his thumb lowered onto the button.

The Wraith fell to her knees with a quiet whimper as a powerful electric shock went through her. Ever since she got her powers, she had been subject to electric shockings through the metal band on her right wrist. After countless shockings, she'd have thought she would've been used to this by now. However, one can never build up tolerance to electricity, a lesson Adina quickly learned during her time at Hydra.

The Winter Soldier took the small remote and slipped it in one of the many pockets on his outfit.

"Get up, Wraith. I won't ask again. Make sure to be on your best behavior," her handler, Bryan, nastily said while he gave her a harsh kick to the stomach.

Adina rushed to her feet and stood at attention. She was already exhausted from sparring today and couldn't afford any more shocks, or she may be unable to get up next time.

"Yes, sir. Sorry, sir."

~~~~~~

Adina woke up from the past memory with a start. She sat up on her mattress, stretched her arms, and looked out the window to see that it was beginning to get light out. She guessed it was around 6:00 A.M., and time to start her day. Adina got up and went to the small bathroom to wash up and take another shower.

She had a lot of things to get done today. She wanted to get food for a few days and new clothes. A clock or watch would also be nice. She also wanted to figure out where exactly she was. She knew that she was in some city in the United States due to the currency. Generally, most people were speaking English with a slight accent, so she probably wasn't in the Midwest. It also wasn't warm out, so she wasn't down south. If Adina had to guess, she'd say she was in the Northeast. Where exactly, she would find out today.

Adina finished her shower, and after she dried off, she put her clothes back on. She grabbed her key, plus some small knives for safety reasons, and set off for the day.

Published: 2/19/22