Olivia Vitale is trying her best to get her life back on track. After escaping an abusive relationship, she moves back to her home city of Joy. She promises her roommate Carol to take it slow with relationships. That promise becomes harder to keep a...
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𝐒𝐡𝐞 leans over the wheels and glares up at the sky. It's going to rain, and she lets out a groan. There's been such a nice streak of sunshine and good weather. Wonderful sunsets with the prettiest of colours that she and Maria have taken full advantage of. Seems that ride is over.
Carol falls back in her seat and turns the car down in the direction of the Compound. The trip still makes her feel nervous and on edge. She's taken it plenty of times, but it became different after she stopped working there. It's a place she dreads moving past. She can't believe Sam would go as far as to suggest her coming back to her boss. The way that conversation went isn't hard to imagine.
Her car passes the gates as she rolls into the parking lot. Seeing it without the abundance of bikes or people in leather feels wrong but helps her calm her from the rush of anxiety. In the corner, sits an old beat-up truck, lower half almost rusted to pieces and the sight of it makes her smile. Scott's gotten plenty of offers from people to fix his car, but he's always declined, too attached to the old thing.
Carol parks her car a few spaces from it and slams the door behind her as she leaves. If it starts to rain, she's going to be pissed at Bucky for taking down the half-roof on her usual parking spot. Car keys spin around her fingers as she pushes past the open door and into the back office of the Compound.
Instantly, she knows something is wrong. Furniture spreads across the space with ripped papers and turned tables everywhere. Her heart beats wildly in her chest as she runs to the meeting room. There could still be someone here and Carol needs protection if she isn't along. Her hand plunges between the pillows on the small couch, wrapping around the handgun there.
For the first time in a very long while, she's grateful to Bucky and Steve for teaching her how to handle a gun. She stretches it in front of herself and returns to the turned over room. Her movements are slow, breathing heavy while she goes through the place searching for anyone.
Her heartbeat never calms in her chest. Carol was supposed to come here so she could look out for Olivia, make sure nothing happened to her while Bucky took care of business. They didn't think anything would happen. Not at the Compound. It's in the middle of town. Coming here would be a reckless decision.
They were wrong. Her friend shouldn't have been here along. Scott was supposed to be here. Carol can't stop herself, doesn't want to and she sets into a run. If something has happened to Olivia, if she isn't okay, she's going to kill Bucky. It's his fault for pulling her into all of this.
All of the rooms are empty. There's no sound in the building. She runs further and faster, needing to check the whole thing. It's in the last hallway she finds him. Face down. Pool of blood next to his head, clumping in the short dark hair. Carol dashes to the floor but she remembers the things Olivia taught her and doesn't flip Scott around.
