December // A Winter Soldier Story

22

ｄｅｃｅｍｂｅｒ ２８ｔｈ， ２０１３

２２°

ℬ𝓊𝒸𝓀𝓎

For the fourth day in a row, the sky is cloudy and dark and heavy with precipitation. Luckily, no snow has fallen so far. He's pretty sure he would lose it if it snowed again. He's seen too much of that bright shade of white this winter for his taste.

He is sitting in a small diner on the corner of two streets, a hat on his head and gloves covering the shiny metal of his left hand. Lea's thin sweatshirt is still wrapped around his shoulders, the only protection he has from the piercing cold of the air outside. He's clenching a mug of warm coffee like it is his lifeline.

This is the first real meal he's had since he's arrived here, and the only reason he is able to have it is because he got lucky and found a twenty dollar bill on the street this morning. He's extremely thankful for the eggs, coffee, and bacon currently filling his stomach.

The diner is full, with customers at each and every table in the small space, and he is also thankful for the cover. The more people there are, the easier it is for him to disappear. The couple behind him shield him from the window, the family beside his table shield him from the door, and the swim team in front of him keeps him hidden from the windows on the other side. He is perfectly placed to see everything, but still remain partially concealed himself.

However, despite his seemingly positive position, he can't help but feeling like something is wrong. He knows something is off today, but he can't explain why, or what it is.

He's scanned the  street outside at least a hundred times for danger. His hands are tense on his coffee mug. He wishes he could just relax and appreciate a full stomach and indoor heating. He's finally not freezing, but the feeling that he's currently being watched won't go away. His senses are far too strong for him to rest comfortably in this diner.

It is not until his coffee cup is empty that he notices anything amiss. Just as he takes his last sip, he watches out of the window as a man in all black walks quickly by the diner, staring through the glass at the people inside.

Bucky immediately pulls his hat down, but isn't quick enough. The man makes eye contact with him and his eyes widen ever so slightly.

Shit.

Bucky waits for the man to walk out of view and then immediately checks for escape routes. Three places stick out to him: the door to the kitchen, the front door, and a door on the side of the building. Going into the kitchen would momentarily keep him hidden, but would risk the life of every single person sitting in the diner. He knows that the kind of people who want him would murder every innocent person in this restaurant if it meant they could get to him, and he refuses to allow this. So the kitchen is out.

That leaves the front door and the side door. The front door leads to where the man in black just disappeared to, while the side door is closer to where he first appeared. Both choices aren't ideal, but he decides the side door is the way to go.

He slips from his chair, making sure he leaves the twenty dollar bill under the salt shaker, and carries himself calmly to the side door. He pushes through and is met with a blast of cold air as he stalks down the sidewalk.

Bucky's eyes scan everything in sight, from the tops of the ornate buildings around him to the expensive cars driving down the street beside him. His hands are shaking again. Something is very wrong.

He can't put his finger on exactly what it is until a bullet embeds itself in the wall just behind his head.

Screams erupt from the people around him as he takes off in a full sprint, not even needing to glance behind him to know that this must be Hydra after him. He hears the sound of more bullets being fired. They make craters in the sidewalk by his running feet, missing him by mere inches.