latibule ➳ bucky barnes

21. numbness

One month.

It had been one month since the attack, one month since they took her and the Avengers still hadn't gotten anywhere close to finding out where HYDRA took Anastasia... or what they'd done to her.

They looked everywhere, interrogated and killed anyone and everyone, turned the whole world upside down just to find her, but it was as if she disappeared from Earth altogether. Even Loki's location magic didn't do much. Everyone was beyond worried, but Bucky was absolutely frantic.

The Winter Soldier could barely eat and sleep. He distanced himself from everyone and reverted back to his old self, his HYDRA self. He would spend days awake investigating and finding any leads that may help him find the love of his life. However, there were still no leads. The others were beginning to think the worst, but Bucky refused to believe it. He refused to believe that Anastasia was dead. If HYDRA wanted her dead, they would've killed her immediately. Instead they took her, meaning she was still alive somewhere.

Meanwhile, in Siberia...

Anastasia lost track of how long she had been locked up in this hellhole. It felt like years, but she knew it couldn't have been more than a month, maybe two.

The door opened, and Anastasia silently braced herself for what's to come. She was used to what was going to happen now, but she could never get used to it happening. A poor man who she didn't recnogise was brought into the room she was kept in, crying and pleasing for mercy. The HYDRA agent that dragged him in ignored him and stared at Anastasia expectantly.

"This little game of ours is getting a little old, don't you think Doctor?" the man who killed her sister asked, his voice crackling out of the speakers.

Anastasia glanced at the stranger, but her resolve didn't break, like all the other times they brought people in to kill. She wasn't going to break, she refused to break.

After watching her for another tense minute, the HYDRA agent shot the stranger in the head, ending his begging immediately. A haunting ring followed as the dead man was dragged out, adding a fresh trail of blood to the ones already stained on the floor from the other victims.

Every single day, they would bring  a new victim to kill, and every single time, Anastasia managed to watch them die as she refused to work for HYDRA. They've killed everyone, from the young to the old, from the healthy to the crippled, but she didn't budge. She kept telling herself that they wouldn't keep their end of the bargain, so those people would die anyway.

She sat on the bed and stared at the one-way mirror in front of her. She felt numb these days. Her entire body felt heavy. Perhaps it was because she was carrying the weight of the deaths on her shoulders. Nowadays she didn't move, she practically dragged herself around. HYDRA provided her with decent meals, but she could barely eat without it coming out an hour later when the stench of the blood spilled in this room was too much. The blood stains and the images that was plastered in her mind didn't help either.

She studied her reflection and was unable to recognise herself. Her skin was as white as snow, and her emerald eyes were dull and lifeless. She had dark marks under her eyes, and it contrasted greatly against her skin. Her hair was an absolute mess, and she still wore the same clothes from her capture.

She bit back a bitter laugh. Her reflection somehow reminded her of Bucky when he first came to the Avengers.

Bucky.

Her heart ached when he came into her mind. She missed him so much it pained her. All she wanted to do was run back into his warm arms and never let go. She wanted to run her fingers through his hair and trace every inch of his face, memorising it once more. She wanted to kiss him and tell him she loved him. She wanted him.