Chapter 4
"Raven!" a woman's voice echoed in the distance. "Raven!" louder this time. Nearer. "RAVEN!" The voice screamed. There was an explosion of deep red and flaming orange. Then a black hole swallowed it all up and there as nothing but deafening silence. "Raven. Raven." Her body shivered. the voice called her name as if he were looking for his pet. The same voice laughed eerily. Even though she couldn't see herself, she felt something claw at her, and she felt like hundreds of hands were grabbing her from behind, pulling and clawing and dragging her away. Her voice had run away from fear and her heart screamed desperately. "RAVEN!" The voice bellowed, demanding and dangerous. "SHADOW!" The voice repeated. It wasn't just one person anymore, it seemed like thousands. The two names were repeated endlessly in the black void, and soon images of blood and dead bodies raced through her mind. She was drowning in the horror of it all.
"WATCH OUT!"
Shadow jolted awake with sudden force, gasping for air. She stared straight ahead of her, eyes wide with fear. The palms of hands were moist and her forehead was damp with sweat. A shiver ran down her spine and she placed a hand over her racing heart to make sure it wouldn't burst out of her chest. The cold night breeze gently swayed the trees as she blinked countless times, trying to make sense of her dream; it was to no avail. Sitting there, body rigid and taking deep breaths, was then she realized that the Winter Soldier was kneeling beside her. She flinched away in surprise, inhaling deeply. The two started into each others' eyes for who knows how long until the Winter Soldier broke the silence. "Your shift." It took a moment for her to process what he said before nodding. Steadily rising from her position on the ground, the Winter Soldier rose as well, and after a brief glance, turned back to lay against his bag by the tree to get some rest.
The Winter Soldier watched as the Fatal Shadow twitched uncomfortably in her sleep. Ever since she'd closed her eyes, her forehead was creased with a slight frown, and it was a while until her frown deepened. He stood and watched as beads of sweat formed on her forehead, her eyebrows knitted together with eyes fluttering every now and then. There wasn't much he could do, but he had a pretty good idea what she was experiencing. A while passed, and the sweat on her forehead had increased despite the cold air. He decided it was best to wake her up, using the end of his night-watch as an excuse. He knelt beside her, feeling the fear emanating from her body, and slightly nudged her shoulder. She jolted awake, eyes flying open, gasping for air. Hands shaking, she placed one over her heart. She suddenly noticed him kneeling beside her and she flinched in surprise. Her dark eyes bore into his, and he wasn't able to tear his eyes away from hers. Her eyes truly were captivating. Eventually, he managed to speak. "Your shift," he said in a gruff voice, and once she stood, he left to rest himself. He knew an unpleasant night awaited him, just like Shadow's, but it was inevitable. Through the corner of his eye, he watched as the soldier stared off into the distance, an arm supporting her against a tree. She didn't seem to be capable of keeping watch in her state, but he needed to rest himself and there didn't seem to be any threats around here, although that didn't mean there weren't any. The Winter Soldier decided to leave it be, and making sure his guns were strapped securely in his belt along with his dagger, he waited until sleep found him. The last thing he heard was Shadow's shaky breath.
He couldn't get the image of Shadow's eyes out of his head.
"To find the truth, sometimes you have to reach into the darkness."