Forgotten Ghost | Natasha Romanoff

Chapter 38: A Safe Haven

Katya woke up because someone shook her softly, not wanting to startle her too much. 

Her eyes felt like lead, glued together by the lack of sleep. Her head throbbed, as did her shoulder, and her throat was as dry as the desert in summer heat. 

''Hey, wake up, we're here,'' Natasha whispered from above, scanning Katya's dirty and bloody face. Hopefully, Steve's friend wouldn't be scared too much by three injured spies he barely knew on his doorstep. But he was their last hope, a safe place.

They desperately needed rest, food and medicine. Fighting a war when you're only at ten percent is not a good idea. And with SHIELD, you had to be at a hundred-and-ten percent if you wanted to have a shot at beating them.

Katya groaned as she sat up and wiped the sleep from her eyes, looking at their surroundings trying to figure out where they were. 

It was a nice neighborhood. Small, white houses with some woods around. They were definitely on the outskirts of the Capital, but you could still hear the traffic and business of the city center. A perfect place for someone who loves the city, but doesn't want the traffic to deal with. Someone who prefers peace and quiet, but doesn't want to be too far away from society. 

Natasha helped Katya out of the car and kept her steady while walking up the steps to the front door. Since Steve knew the man best, he walked in the front and would do the talking. 

Each step seemed to be higher and Katya had to focus all her energy on lifting her feet and not falling over. She really hoped the man had some good drugs in his house and a nice comfy bed. Although at this point, she would sleep on the floor with a stone as a pillow to get some rest.

Steve looked to his right when he stopped by the door, exchanging a look with Natasha that said: are you sure? But Natasha knew there was no other option and they had to take this risk. So Steve knocked on the glass of the white, wooden door, waiting for his friend to open the door. 

He had just come back from a run. They saw him entering his house, so he was home. The bigger question was, will he let them in?

Footsteps came closer to the door, stopping just behind it. The blinds opened and they saw a very shocked and confused man eyeing the three people on his porch.

He didn't waste another second and opened the door, his eyes widening when they saw Katya's red-stained face and the dirt on their clothes. ''Hey man,'' he greeted Steve with a worried look on his face.

''I'm sorry about this. We need a place to lay low,'' Steve apologized, knowing that by bringing him into this conflict, his life was in danger too. 

''Everyone we know is trying to kill us,'' Natasha added in a low voice, her arm wrapped around Katya desperately. She begged him to let them in.

The man's eyes flashed between the tree of them as he contemplated on whether to trust them and let them in. But he saw that they weren't kidding and they really were desperate. 

''Not everyone,'' he finally said after a short pause, stepping aside. 

Natasha didn't waste a second and pulled Katya into the house, out of the open and away from the danger. Steve followed quickly behind and his friend made sure they weren't followed before closing the door and closing the blinds.

''What's going on?'' he asked anxiously when he followed them to the living room, where Natasha carefully placed Katya down, who had zoned out and was in her own state. Somewhere between falling asleep and passing out.

''She's bad,'' Natasha said with a light panic in her voice, completely ignoring his question. ''Get me all the medicine you have and something to stitch that cut with,'' she ordered him. In any other situation, he would have frowned at the way she talked to him, but he could see how much she worried about Katya and left to do what she said without another word.