Deceitfully Devoted

Chapter 9

I was somehow able to slow my tears by the time we made it out of the control tower. I followed behind Maria as she guided us toward an area near the woods. She was trying to find a spot that was safe for Fury and Nat to come pick us up in the helicopter.

I stood, crossing my arms, as I watched flamed pieces of the Helicarrier fall into the Potomac river.

"Hill! Where's Steve?" Nat called through the coms. "You got a location on Rogers?"

"How are you going to explain to them that you killed Steve Rogers?" I scoffed, continuing to stare straight ahead into the water.

Maria let out a slow exhale, placing her hands on her hips. She shook her head, sighing as she walked away from me, disappearing further into the woods.

"Hill?" Nat asked, again.

"Yeah," Maria's voice croaked through the coms. "Rogers was on th-"

I took out my earpiece, chucking it as far as my arm could throw, not wanting to hear the rest. I slowly lowered myself to the ground, sitting in the riverbank sand. I pulled my legs into my chest, resting my chin on my knees. I focused on the water, watching pieces of the Helicarrier sink below the surface.

Something moved a few hundred feet away, further down the shoreline. I turned my head, following the movement. Squinting to try and bring the blurry image into focus, my eyes made out the figure of someone walking near the river. They looked like they were dragging something heavy out of the water. They dropped whatever they had been carrying, turned around, and began walking in our direction.

I hesitantly moved to stand, unsure of who exactly was walking toward us. I looked around, quietly calling for Hill.

There was no answer.

My attention shifted back to where I had last seen the person walking out of the water.

They were gone.

My hand slipped into my belt, retrieving one of my few remaining knives. I scanned the area before deciding to take cover in the woods, hoping that I would be able to find Maria before our unidentified guest. I was careful with my steps, stealthy as to avoid any unwanted recognition from the potential threat.

A branch snapped a few feet from where I was standing.

My head turned, listening to the faint sound of someone walking through the woods. I lowered my knife, relaxing my stance as I continued in the direction the sound was coming from.

Clearly whoever was walking toward me was unaware of my presence.

I navigated my way around a large tree trunk, dragging my hand along the rough texture of its bark. As I rounded the tree, I made contact with a pair of piercing blue eyes.

Startled by the sudden interaction, I instinctively drew my knife. I gripped the hilt tighter as I recognized who the blue eyes belonged to.

The Winter Soldier.

I lowered my stance, ready to strike but he just stood there, frozen.

I studied his face, as he continued to stare at me.

His eyes swelled with confusion and sorrow as they bore into my soul. He slowly lowered his gaze, looking down at the ground.

"Gray?" Maria called from somewhere behind me.

The Winter Soldier's eyes flicked to mine, making eye contact with me again. He glanced over his shoulder, turning to look back in the direction he came from. His gaze returned to mine as he motioned slightly with his head toward the riverbank.