The End of the Line | a Captain America Fanfic

one

"Eyes on target. Waiting for the package." 

I am lying on a distressed mattress on the roof of an old house, next to a school and about a block from another widow. Through the window, I see our target, a former corrupt widow carrying a black metal box. I don't know its content and I don't care. The widow seems weirdly familiar. It's like an old memory that flashes through my brain but in the next moment, it is gone. Leaving nothing but emptiness in my head. 

A piercing noise catches my attention. The school bells ring loudly as children run out of the building and onto the streets. I am not the only one startled by the sudden noise. Our target lifts her head abruptly, looking me directly in the eyes.  

"She saw us. Target deployed smoke", I tell the other widow. "I'm going to the ground". With that, I leave my spot to go after the absconder. Under the scorching Moroccan sun, I start to follow the woman, weaving through the narrow labyrinthine streets of Tangier. The air is thick with the distinctive aroma of spices as I navigate through the vibrant marketplaces. The former widow, clad in greyish pants and a shirt, disappeares momentarily into the filled alleyways before I can catch a glimpse of her dark brown hair again. As the chase continues, the backdrop of the vibrant city adds a dramatic flair to the unfolding pursuit. We run onto a street filled with traffic. When a car hits her I slowly walk out of the alleyway I was hiding in, determined to fulfill my task. 

I am about to take the black box I was supposed to return to the red room, when the widow suddenly grabs it, trying to get away from me once more. This time however, I am determined to fight. I try to attack her with my knife but she escapes my grip. As she struggles to run away because of a leg injury I caused, I smile. This is too easy. I attack her once again and manage to stab my knife into her stomach. When I look into her eyes the same feeling I had on the roof before overcomes me. It is like I know her. Which I definitely don't. Now that I think about it, I don't know anyone. I can't even recall the face of the widow who accompanies me on this mission. This is strange, indeed.    

My thoughts get interrupted by the painful groans of the woman lying by my feet. I step beside her and grasp the metal box out of her hands. Before I can react, she sprays a scarlet red gas directly into my eyes. I wait for pain or any reaction but nothing happens. I would lie if I said that I am not confused. What the heck is going on. 

A sudden headache brings me back to reality. I look down and the realization hits me like a bus. Heavy tears start to run uncontrollably. "Oksana". I lay down next to the wounded woman. "Oh no", I cry. I never wanted this to happen, that wasn't me. "What did I do?". Oksana cups my face in her hands. I see the pain in her dark brown eyes as she looks at me. The pain that I caused. "Free the others", she says before her eyelids fall. 

Oksana is gone. I look around, my breath getting heavier and faster. I start to panic. My eyes fall on the black metal box, my mission. It now lies right next to me, open. Filled with the red gas that she used on me to free me from the manipulation of the red room. "Free the others", she told me. I hastily close the box before I stand up. I take a last look at my savior before I go search for the widow who accompanied me. Ingrid. Her name is Ingrid. I can see her olive skin, dark curls and warm brown eyes in my head. I need to find her.