It was impossible to tell how long she had been at it. Time was all blurring together. It could have been ten minutes or two hours. She couldn't tell a difference. One thing she had noticed was the commotion in the distance. It was difficult to tell what exactly was causing it. Only gunshots were recognizable and those could have come from anyone; Bucky, a brave citizen, or whoever was responsible for destroying what was now four city blocks. The only thing she could be absolutely certain of was that they were getting closer.
Nina was kneeling in the center of the street, a small girl cradled in her arms. She couldn't have been any older than three or four. Her blonde hair was dulled by soot and dirt, her pale skin marred by burns and small cuts. As usual, the external wounds healed quicker. Nina did her best to remain calm and keep her mind clear. Any distractions would slow the process and there was no time for that. The main issue was internal. One of the girls lungs had collapsed and, partnered with smoke inhalation, she was suffocating. Or drowning in blood. Probably both.
"Come on, come on, come on," Nina whispered to herself as the last of the girl's external wounds closed. Finally, the heart of the problem was being tended to. The girl began coughing after a minute, blood spewing from her lips and adding to the crimson stains already covering Nina's clothes and hands. But soon, she started gasping and whimpering. Nina knew she had won. All she had to do was wait for the wound to close.
"There," She did a once over. There was no more damage.
Nina shifted the girl in her arms. She had opened her eyes and was looking around, not really seeing anything.
"Hey, you're okay," Nina assured her, her voice soft and gentle. She wasn't dying, but she wasn't out of the water yet either. It wasn't exactly safe for Nina to leave her lying in the middle of the street.
Nina had gotten her foot under her, getting ready to stand up when a shot rang out. She watched as a spot of red began blooming on the small girls forehead, quickly pouring over as she went limp and her eyes became lifeless. The blood, hot and slick, instantly coated Nina's thigh.
What little control Nina had over her actions was lost. She fell back on her heels, frozen to the spot. All of the sudden she couldn't breath. Couldn't blink. Couldn't function.
A scream tore itself from her throat as someone grabbed her from behind. They pinned her arms, not only making it impossible for her to loose herself, but causing the child to roll out of her arms and onto the ground. She screamed again, this time in anguish rather than in fear as tears created trails down her dirty face.
Nina didn't fight. She allowed herself to be dragged backward, her attacker not stopping until they reached the sidewalk. They remained there for a moment, waiting out a hail of gunfire. When the coast was clear, her attacker turned her around.
"Bucky," She hadn't even considered that she wasn't about to be murdered.
"Hey, look at me. I'm gonna get you out of here," Nina didn't care about that. Her eyes raced back over to the girl in the street, a strangled cry clawing its away out no matter how hard she tried to keep it in.
Bucky clutched her to his chest and took off. He stayed low. He kept to the sidewalk. But that didn't stop him from being seen. And shot.
Nina heard the thud of the bullets entering his shoulder. She felt the flesh and muscle tear and the bone splinter. Bucky ducked into an alley, down a clear road, and into another alley. Carefully, he set Nina down before reaching up to grab his shoulder.
"You-you have to let me-"
"No," His hand shot out to grab hers as she reached out. "Stay here. If anyone comes, hide," She tried to keep him there, but he slipped right out of her grasp.