Radioactive | Bucky Barnes

Captain America: The First Avenger (8)

Dusk fell upon the group of soldiers slowly. Not a single soul could be seen, nor heard. The only noises that rumbled through the abandoned town were the crickets and the rustling of wild animals. From the outside, it still looked to be a ghost town haunted by the people who had lived there before the war had begun.

Rhiley lay on her back gazing up at the fading sky. The blues have darkened and shades of pink and orange started to fade into the mix. She listened to the crickets.

"Still nothing." James breathed, moving the binoculars from his eyes. The two had positioned themselves on the roof of one of many houses that were still barely standing. "Maybe they wanted to make us look stupid and gave false coordinates."

"Maybe." Rhiley kept her hands on her stomach, she tapped each finger against her black shirt periodically. "Maybe not." She tried to ignore the slight ting of pain that came from her bruised knuckles.

"How can you stay so calm?" James turned onto his back, occasionally looking from the night sky to Rhiley.

"What else am I supposed to do?" She asked, "Panic? Run around screaming making a ruckus? That's not gonna get us anywhere. There's nothing to do but wait."

"Aren't you even a bit scared?" James questioned Rhiley, he glanced back up at the sky, "I'm terrified."

"I'm fucking terrified." Rhiley hadn't hesitated. She finally broke eye contact with the sky and looked over at James, "Just because I don't look it doesn't mean I'm not." She looked away. "Someone I knew once told me it's normal to be scared." She paused, "It's how you react in the face of your fears that matters the most."

"They sound very brave."

"She was."

Another silence fell between the two. "Look," James pointed with his eyes to the night sky, "It's the first star, you should make a wish."

Rhiley tried her best not to laugh out loud. "What?" James smiled, "Don't believe in making a wish?"

"I don't believe in a star-making a wish come true." Rhiley responded, "It's unrealistic."

"Okay," James looked back up at the star, "I'll make a wish."

A moment passed, "Well? What did you wish for?" She finally asked as more stars in the sky appeared.

James looked at her, "Sorry, can't tell you, it's the rules."

"You're-"

A sudden noise interrupted the two. This time, it wasn't just the crickets and wild animals rustling around them. Instead, it came from the sky, and it came fast, and soon the sound of planes was the only thing they could hear.

"Shit." James had looked up with Rhiley, his eyes widening when a missile hits the building next to them. It happened fast, and Rhiley hadn't had time to react before James had thrown himself over her. From there, he pushed her up and towards the stairwell, "Go!"

They made their way down the stairs and to the first level before stopping in the open doorway. Both slammed their backs on either side of the crumbled frame, "I think you were right." James shouted over the noise, he raised his gun, "We're sitting dogs against an airstrike."

Rhiley peaked outside, "We need to find the others and get out of here."

"With what transport!"

Rhiley looked back at James but before she could respond a missile hit the top of their building. Both she and James rushed out before it collapsed onto them. Now out in the open, back to back, they waited for the next strike, for the next surprise awaiting them.

"Over here, Idiots!" Clover's voice echoed across the warzone.

Rhiley grabbed onto James' arm and pulled him over to the partially collapsed building Clover had been hiding behind. "It was a trap." Was the first thing out of James' mouth when they settled in.

"No shit Sherlock." Clover yelled gun aimed high, "I can't get a clear shot."

"Have you seen anyone else on the ground?" Rhiley asked, "Friend? Enemy?"

"No!"

Rhiley looked around them and her eyes landed on a building not too far away. "I'll be right back." She didn't second guess her eye and jumped into action.

"Rhiley!" James yelled, "Wait!"

Rhiley is stopped by James pulling her back, "I'm not leaving your side."

She tried her best not to roll her eyes, "You said you trust me right?" Rhiley asked, in a rush, "Or were you lying?"

"Of course not!"

"Then show it." Rhiley looked back at the building, "I'll be okay."

"Promise." James shouted, "You gotta promise me you'll be okay."

Rhiley grabbed James' hand and wrapped her pinky finger around his like she'd done countless times with Howard when they were kids. "I promise." She took her hand back, "Go!" She shouted gesturing to Clover and ran. This time James didn't try to stop her, instead, he listened to her command.

Rhiley's legs burned but she didn't stop running until she got to the building and up the stairs, she went. "Someone help!" Until a familiar voice stopped her. It wasn't Ricketts, or Henry's, a voice she wasn't too familiar with but have heard before. Dylan?

She turned back around to run back down the steps and to see if she had heard correctly. Rhiley stepped back onto the first floor and carefully ventured deeper into the building. No one. Could she have imagined it?

Shaking off the strange feeling in the pit of her stomach she made her way back up the steps and onto the roof. Rhiley scrambled to the edge and looked up at the sky, waiting. She needed to catch a glimpse of the planes, any one of them. But as the clouds drifted in covering the sky. She could only hear the plans.

Rhiley turned around at a barely audible noise. "Dylan?" She sounded confused yet relieved to see another one of her teammates. That feeling didn't last very long when she saw the look in his eyes. "Hey, are you okay?" She asked, taking a step towards him.

"Stop."

Her entire body went stiff. Rhiley found herself unable to take another step forehead. A cold numbness washed over her very own thoughts. She couldn't even twitch her pinky.

The way Dylan looked at her made her blood warm. "You did this." It was just a gut feeling at best but when her eyes landed on the boy. Something inside of Rhiley clicked. "You're the mole?" She felt her stomach turn into a giant knot, "Wh-"

"Stop talking."

Rhiley's lips sealed shut and she could no longer talk. She could only watch and listen to the destruction around her. For the third time in her life, she felt helpless. The first time with her being a kid and accidently hurting herself, the second not so long ago, and the third being this moment.

Dylan walked towards Rhiley, his gaze locked up at the sky above. He got inches away before stopping and without cracking a smile whispered something that made Rhiley's gaze widen. "Stay." He command before taking a step back and disappearing as fast as he appeared.

Rhiley heard the missile before she saw it.

"People say a lot, So I watch what they do."

~ Anon