Into the Unknown || A Captain America Love Story

17

Tori

I drag myself down the streets of Manhattan, keeping my head down. I tuck my hands into the pockets of my tan rain coat, shoving the lower part of face in the buttoned collar. I grip my gun that sits in my right hand pocket, keeping my finger on the trigger. My sneakers slap in the small puddles that line the sidewalks, causing water to get on the bottoms of my jeans.
People don't seem to look at me, but I look at them. I see a few people looking around, as if they were looking for someone specific. However, they walk right past me as if I were invisible.
A few streets away from the Avengers Tower, I hear sirens and see S.H.I.E.L.D. vans heading in that direction. I furrow my eyebrows and quickly turn down an alleyway. Rubbish scatters the cement, blowing with the wind. I spot a ladder crawling up the side of a brick building. I quickly grip the handles and start to climb.
Once I reach the top, the wind is even harsher. I have to hold on for dear life when I have one foot on the last bar. My feet crunch the gravel as I walk to the other side of the building.
The Avengers Tower's windows glint from the setting sun, making it seem beautiful. I see the S.H.I.E.L.D. vans pulling up to the building and rushing into my brother's home. I hear some shouting my name, commanding the others to look for me.
"You take the top floors, I'll take the bottom." I hear an agent call.
My heart stops when I see a familiar face: Clint Barton. He gazes up at the skyline, a look of doubt on his face. His eyes shift to the building that I stand on. I quickly drop to the gravel, laying on my stomach. I wince, groaning from the pain.
I flip myself around, pulling up my coat. The white wrap is still intact, but the burns aren't becoming any less painful. When that man shocked me with his stick, it left marks because of my not so protective shirt.
I sigh and pull my coat back down. I sit up and crawl to the ladder, being sure to not let anyone see me. As my feet touch the ladder, I hear an order.
"Over there!" a voice shouts.
I hear running feet sprinting in my direction. I climb faster and faster, my feet not always touching the bar. I jump off at least three feet above the ground and run as fast as I can to a new area.

•••

I slide my back against the brick wall of a small building miles away from New York City. My lungs burn and my eyes feel like cinder blocks. My eyes slowly close, but it feels like seconds until they open again. Instead of hearing the roar of car engines as I had before, I hear crickets and faint voices.
The voices come from inside of the building, which just happens to be a small restaurant. I close my eyes once more, but they quickly open once more.
"-trying to get away from the chaos in the city," a female voice echoes.
"I don't blame you," a male one replies. "S.H.I.E.L.D. is everywhere, looking for someone."
"Do you know who?"
"I think it was an agent of theirs. It might've been an Avenger."
"Really?" the woman inquires. "I wonder which one."
"Any of them," he says. "There really isn't one that doesn't have a crazy record."
"I can't even think of anyone that's in town,"
"You never know,"
I see the two people walk down the sidewalk near me, holding hands. I try not to let a tear slide down my cheek, but my heart can't handle it. It is like seeing Steve and I walking together, just different people. The blonde woman wears a fitting red dress that barely covers her. The man wears a suit.
"C'mon, baby," the lady says seductively. "I've got something planned for us."
I gag, watching them skip away. I sit alone in the dark alleyway, clutching my legs to my chest. I rest my chin on my knees, sighing as cars go by. The air becomes colder by the minute; soon enough, my teeth are clattering against each other. Once I am quivering like an earthquake, I decide to ditch the decision of staying out in the cold.
     I stand up and creep around the building. I twist the doorknob of the small restaurant and step inside.