Frostbite

Just A Dream

"You know you would probably sleep better if you'd get off of the floor," I said sarcastically after hearing Steve repositioning for the fifth time. I peeked over the edge of the bed, letting my eyes adjust to the dark, and snorted in amusement. He was curled up on the floor, his long body barely fitting in the space between the bed and the wall.

"I swear this is the most comfortable I've ever been," he grunted, failing to sound convincing. We were staying in the smallest motel room I had ever seen, which unfortunately only had the one bed. The guy at the desk when we checked in was adamant that it was the only room that he had available. Only our luck.

"Yeah, alright Steve. You can keep on saying that, but it won't make it true. There is plenty of room up here, you pansy," I teased, rolling my eyes. I mean I got it- he was trying to be respectful and let me have the bed, but it was silly. A queen-sized bed can fit two people comfortably.

"I'm not a pansy!" he replied defensively and straightened into a sitting position. His face was scrunched up unhappily, and I had to hold back my snort of laughter.

"Mhm."

I turned back over and pulled the covers up to my chin, closing my eyes to try and fall asleep. There was more rustling and mumbling from him, but I ignored it. Suddenly, something plopped onto the bed beside me. Quickly sitting up, I looked over to see Steve taking up the other half of the bed.

"Wow, you proved me wrong, huh?" I smirked down at him.

"I told you I'm not a pansy," was all he grumbled, covering himself with the extra blanket he brought up with him from his makeshift bed. I chuckled and moved over to give him more space. I was lying there, waiting for sleep to come, but it seemed like hours before I was actually able to doze off.

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It was dark and cold. So cold that I started to shake, and I struggled to keep my teeth from chattering. I glanced around at my surroundings slowly and crossed my arms, trying to keep warm. There was nothing here. My footsteps echoed across the enormous, empty room as I walked forward. I glanced behind me subconsciously, but there was nothing still. When I turned back there was a shadowy figure only a few yards in front of me.

"Hello?" I said, cautiously moving forward. The person just stood there rigidly and unresponsive. Before I could reach him, I heard an awful gurgling sound behind me. I whipped around and gasped in shock. Tony was curled up on his side and clutching at his chest fervently.

"Oh my god. Tony!" I cried, falling to my knees beside him. There was blood seeping through his shirt, and he was gasping for air. I tried to staunch some of the bleeding with my hands, but it wasn't working.

"Mel, help... me..." he managed to croak out. He wrapped my hands in both of his and attempted to speak again, but I was suddenly ripped away from him. My back was slammed onto the ground, and the man from before was kneeling on top of me. His shaggy hair hid most of his face, preventing me from making out any details.

His hands wrapped around my neck, and I struggled to get free. I tried several techniques to get him off of me, but my powers weren't working for some reason. My assailant tightened his grip around my neck, causing my vision to blur. I could feel myself slipping away as Tony screamed in agony somewhere beside me. I tried to scream, but there was nothing except blackness again.

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"Melanie! Get up. Mel, please wake up," someone called to me in the distance. I shot up, gasping for air and frantically looking around for Tony. Steve was holding on to my shoulders, forcing me to look at him. His eyes, which were shimmering like a crystal-clear sea, were staring into mine with worry. I could feel the warm trail from the tears that had escaped from the corners of my eyes, and he gently wiped them away.

"What?" I asked, still confused.

"You were screaming and thrashing in your sleep. I thought someone... I had to wake you up," he breathed.

"Tony. That... that man. It seemed so real," I choked.

"You're okay, sweetheart. It was just a dream," he murmured, brushing a strand of hair out of my face. My cheeks started to burn, and my mind began to clear up finally. Everything was fine; Tony was fine.

"Oh. Uh- thank you. I'm sorry I woke you up," I apologized, glancing at the clock on the nightstand. It was after six in the morning already. I crawled out of the bed and grabbed my duffel bag from the floor. There was no point in trying to go back to sleep, and I needed a shower after sweating so much in my sleep.

"Do you need in here? Before I uh-?" I asked awkwardly, hesitating at the bathroom doorway.

"No, go ahead," he smiled politely and waved me on.

I turned the shower on and quickly undressed. I stepped into the chilly water and let it cool me down. We hadn't been in Vermont for very long and I was already having nightmares.

Hopefully, it wouldn't get worse once we met Marie Clerk, one of the scientists who had experimented on me. She had contacted Steve when he had started digging into it and she had insisted we come see her. Who was I to stand in the way of justice?