Lost + Found [Bucky Barnes] ✓

Chapter 6

I didn't shock him. I know that I didn't.

From the look on Steve's face, I think he knows it too. Oddly enough, he isn't running in the opposite direction. Quite the opposite, as he appears to be studying me closely while we walk the rest of the way to my apartment door.

"Listen..." I begin awkwardly, kicking at a puddle so I don't have to meet his inquisitive gaze.

"Steve," He smiles. Oh god, what a smile. I catch it out of the corner of my eye, and I thank God that I don't blush visably.

I exhale, "Steve. Thank you. Really. But...I should go. I have work in the morning."

"Is that what you forgot?" Steve asks, crossing his arms over his chest. The blue jacket he's wearing only emphasizes his biceps, and I can definitely see why running into his chest was like hitting a brick wall. Talk about definition.

"Sorry, what?" I ask.

He smirks, "You forgot what you forgot?"

Idiot, I chastise myself. First, I ran into a stranger on the street (literally, I might add) less than a block from where I killed two people. Then, I let him follow me home. Now he can totally tell that I've been lying and I didn't shock him and--

"If you're in some kind of trouble, you can tell me," Steve's voice is low as he checks our surroundings for eavesdroppers before turning his earnest baby blues back toward me. "I know people who can help you. Especially with the whole...shock thing."

My eyes are practically the size of baseballs. I already knew that he could feel it but having him say it out loud is so much worse. Ari is now the least of my worries, because I'm currently batshit terrified that this man is going to call the police or the loony bin or something and I'm going to end up in a lab for the rest of my life. Then again, looking at Steve now, part of me believes that he wouldn't do that to me. I don't know if it has something to do with the whole "ma'am" and "darn" thing, or the fact that he looks eerily familiar, but he doesn't seem like a man who would harm a fly.

"I was attacked," I whisper, unable to catch the words before they float out of my mouth. "Earlier. Something happened, and I'm worried about my sister."

It was like word vomit. I didn't mean for it to happen, and normally I'm a much more secretive person, but damn - I let it all out, right there, in twelve very short words. Sayonara, normal life. Way to go, Chloe, you just invited a complete and utter stranger into your chaos.

I swear, after this I am never watching The CW again, I promise myself. I can't handle this much drama in my life, even on TV.

Steve looks concerned - no, pissed - and he takes a step closer to me, his hand landing on my shoulder. I've got to be honest, the fact that he's touching me willingly even though he knows something is up with me (and he's totally wrong about the shock thing. I didn't shock those guys. My hands didn't shock the damn front door) is totally throwing me off. And here I convinced myself that I was going to have to go all Rogue and swear off human contact for the rest of my life. Granted, there is a leather barrier between his hand and my skin.

"What happened?" He asks, staring me down.

Opening my mouth to speak, gunshots ring out from inside the apartment building and both of our heads move simultaneously toward the source of the sounds. Steve uses one hand to guide me behind him, acting as a shield between me and whatever is happening inside the building,  whilst pulling out his cell phone and fumbling around with it for a few seconds before lifting it to his ear.

"Shots fired," he spits into the phone. "The corner of 16th Street Northwest and..." Steve looks around for a street sign. "Corcoran Street. Off Dupont Circle. Send backup."

"Are you a cop?" I ask frantically. He was following me. This whole time, that's why I ran into him. It was a setup, oh god, it was a setup. They know I killed those guys.

"I'm not a cop," he replies, pocketing his phone and running into the building.

Oh my god. He just ran into the building where someone has a gun. A very live, very real-sounding, very lethal gun. How can he not be a cop? Who the hell is this guy?

That's when it hits me like a freight train. My sister is in that building.

"Ari!" I panic, rushing after him.

By the time I burst into the stairwell, Steve is already four floors up. Clearly I need to do more cardio, maybe even crossfit, because by the time I've reached the fifth floor - my floor - I'm out of breath. Swinging open the door to the stairwell, I veer off to the right toward my apartment to find the door shattered and hanging off its hinges. Steve is standing in the middle of the room, running a hand through his hair while he speaks muffled tones into his phone.

My shoe hits a piece of the door as I cross into the apartment, heading down the small entryway toward the living room, and Steve whirls around to face me. He rushes to me, dropping the phone, and spins me around to push me back toward the hallway.

"You need to go outside," he tells me, his voice thick with emotion.

I shake my head, "No! This is my apartment--"

"Wait for me outside, please," Steve argues. I struggle against him, but he's able to move me toward the door with no effort at all.

"My sister..." Looking over my shoulder, I gasp for oxygen as I see a pair of legs twisted in an impossible position on the floor around the corner. "Ari! Artemis!" I bellow, tears springing to my eyes as I begin to lash out against Steve. "Ari!"

He grabs me by the waist and carries me into the hallway like I'm weightless. Still screaming my sister's name, I'm completely blinded by the tears pouring down my face. I kick at him - punching, screaming, crying - but he remains unmoved through my abuse. Frantically, in a moment of both clarity and insanity, I tug off one of my leather gloves and press my hand against one of his. Whatever happens (let's be real, I don't have a clue what's going on here), happens instantly, and Steve drops me like a hot coal. He falls against the wall, clutching his hand to his chest, and I take the opportunity to run into my apartment.

I wish I hadn't. I really, really, really wish I hadn't.

All of Ari's friends are dead, a single bullet wound to the center of their heads. Their blood is splattered around the disheveled room. I can't breathe, I can't even think, as I take in each one of their faces - their lifeless eyes staring back at me - before letting out a bloodcurdling scream.

My sister isn't here.

*****
AUTHOR'S NOTE

*screams*