Absolutely perfect. Kris was hunched over with her legs crossed. A raggedy piece of cloth was tied over her eyes and a zip tie was fastened around her wrists. Fucking perfect. Within the depths of her throat, Kris growled in annoyance in refers to her present situation. Next to her on both sides, her female friends were shivering with fear. On the right, Jenny Preston was muttering prayers in her native tongue of Spanish. Emily Barnett, wife to Professor Barnett, was silently crying to the left. Kris continuously cracked her knuckles in order to keep her head straight. Two weeks had past since Kris awoke from her small coma. Nathan had pulled her aside after their rations for the day and explained his predicament to her.
"We can't show them our true selves." He was very clear and adamant.
"What do you mean?"
He held up his left arm to indicate his mechanical limb, "This. This makes me a murderer, an assassin, a monster. I don't want to be that anymore. To prove that, I need to get these people out of the city without it. That will make me a good man."
"That's not true," she recalled shaking her head in disagreement, "A simple arm does not make you a monster; your actions define who you are."
"And my actions became progressively worse once this damn thing was attached. We both did things with our abilities we regret; don't you want retribution for that? Casey, promise me you won't use your shadows. We can get the survivors out without them."
Even during that conversation, she knew it was a horrible idea. Why not easily use her shadows and get everyone out? It wasn't difficult; only she couldn't hold the portal open long even for all of the citizens. However, she could tell that he needed some form of redemption. The first night he came to her at her Seattle house his breath was laced with alcohol, his clothes were torn apart, and he was incredibly distort; he hugged her so tightly. It was too obvious that his past was returning to him and he was compelled to right his countless wrongs.
And now, two weeks after Kris swore to him, she was being taken by looters. This problem could be easily fixed, if she could use her shadows and get her, Jenny, and Emily out of his moving van. But she was a woman of her word. There was a bump in the road that caused the three women to bounce up and get rattled. Kris' face slammed onto the cold metal in the van. Her annoyance peaked again that made her growl in frustration. These God damn looters. Jenny and Emily seemed to curl up in the fetal position as Kris pushed herself back upright. Leaning against the rigid frame and allowed her mind to recall the earlier events of that day.
Their scavenging group was on a run; in the short time, they had a system. A group of five people would cram into a compact car and lead the way around the debris lying on the streets. Kris and Nathan would drive the U Haul truck behind them so they can fill up the back with whatever supplies they would find. A routine path was created to maneuver the abandoned cars and piles of broken glass.
Laying across the usual intersection, a freight truck was spread across to block the way. That was suspicious alone; three days before that, the intersection was clear for their moving van to drive through. Now, there was an up-turned semi with a trailer conveniently placed to completely block off the intersection? Kris knew that meant trouble.
"This wasn't here the other day," she voiced her suspicions to Nathan in the passenger seat.
The smaller car leading the way stopped just in front of the trailer and the driver held out a hand; their signal to leave their vehicles. Before Kris could turn the engine off or Nathan pushing open his door, everyone in the other car seemed to scramble out in confusion.
"They really want to get out?" she was dumbfounded.
"Evidently," he replied blankly.
With narrow eyes, Nathan began to examine any vantage points from the surrounding buildings and corners. Kris parked the van and switched the engine off.
"It's gotta be a trap," Kris immediately concluded. She wasn't as trained as Nathan in appropriate hiding locations for an ambush, but she knew something was wrong.
"More than likely, it is."
"Well, that's reassuring."
"The trailer is too perfectly laid out," Nathan pointed from one end to the other, "The only way to get around is to leave our vehicles. Even to attempt to move it out of the way, we would have to get out."
"Can't we just back up and go a different way?"
Nathan opened his door and swung his legs out, "Barnett thinks he's in charge. Let him make his stupid decisions." Ever since she emerged from the higher levels of the office building, Barnett held onto some childish disagreement with Nathan. Barnett reasoned that he should be the leader of the survivors because he was a professor at the university. At first, Kris enjoyed Barnett's little squabbles which was always the same; Barnett would directly ask Nathan a question of strategy and Nathan would stare back at him, unwilling to speak to anyone besides Kris. After Barnett insisted on a response, he often attempted to "get in his head," which never worked. He wasn't as good at psychology as he thought.
Because of Nathan's lack of words, Barnett assumed the role of "director of hunting parties." Kris simply rolled her eyes at his persistence for an important position within their camp. This was his first scavenging trip where he actually left the office building. According to his wife, he would spend hours planning each trip; of course, Kris wanted to call him out on his lies, but she rather stick with her silent friend and do something more productive than argue.
"Hey," Kris placed her hand on his arm to lightly keep him in the car before joining the others, "If something happens, get them out."
"No," Nathan said, "You're my priority."
"I can handle myself-"
"Last time you said that, you got blind-sided and was put out of commission for six days."
Nathan was sure to shoot Kris a warning glare before hopping out of the cab of the van. She only responded with a sigh and slid down from the driver's seat to the street. Seattle weather was very plain; cloudy with the forever chance of rain. Sunlight is often a rarity in this city, so Kris grew accustomed to the chilly air, darkened landscapes, and humidity. Just like every other day, clouds drifted over the buildings and filtered the rays of light to dim them. Her temptation to use her shadows always lingered; with the constant shade from above, she should be able to thrive in this environment. But, she promised to Nathan that she wouldn't. The longer she was stuck in Seattle the larger the urge to make a portal and simply disappear grew. Leaving Nathan was not an option, no matter how much she wanted to ditch this God forsaken city.
Kris' memory was cut short when the van slammed hard on the brakes, causing the three women sliding a little. She did her best to avoid hitting the back; if her suspicions were correct, these looters were looking for more than leverage against their base camp. These two are in no condition to defend themselves. If they get me first, I stand more of a chance. This was unpleasant, dark times.
Blocking out Jenny and Emily's whimpers, Kris focused on the front of the van; the engine cut off and she could vaguely hear their kidnappers talking. The looters reached their destination. Should have made Buck teach me how to fight. Shaking her head in past regrets, she shuffled closer to the front, attempting to shield her friends from the looters. Loud clicks from the outside locks sounded and the lever to open the door clanked. Dammit Bucky, why did you make me swear not to use the shadows?
The door was forced open and bright, artificial lights were shining through the thin rags around the woman's eyes. Kris held strong, keeping her head facing the looters out of the van, and clenching her tiny fists. Baring her nonthreatening teeth, two sets of hands grabbed under her shoulders and hoisted her on her feet. Behind her, she heard Jenny beg for mercy in Spanish and Emily crying louder.
"Shut your damn mouths!" one of the men ordered.
"Well, if you let us go, you won't have to hear them." Kris pointed out with a cocky attitude.
"The hell you say?" One of her own captures slammed her against a brick wall; he was trying to be intimidating. Mere inches from her face, Kris felt his heavy breath on her cheek and a sharp knife pressed under her chin. He relied on his superior gut to keep her pinned to the wall.
She was afraid; but not as much as her friends. If this situation got too out of control, she already decided to use her shadows as a last resort. Hopefully, it didn't come to that. However, this was a crucial interaction; she had to show Emily and Jenny that she would defend them, that she would stand up against the looters. If she was forced to use her shadows, she had to make sure they knew that she was on their side.
Clearing her throat, she answered, "I said, let us go. And you won't have to listen to them crying."
He shuffled his large gut and tightened his grip on her. "Watch your mouth," he growled low to her.
"Make. Me."
The knife was drawn from her neck, but the man quickly placed it by her left cheek. With a shift slice, he cut down from her eyebrow to her jawline. Her natural reaction of flinching away seemed to make the man laugh. Instead of cutting her face more, he stepped back and shoved Kris to the ground. She landed hard, unable to catch herself because of her bound wrists. The impact brought the rag to fall from her head to loosely hang on to the base of her neck. Her loud gasp when she hit the floor informed the other women that she was getting hurt.
"Kris!" Emily called out blindly, with tears rolling down her face.
Jenny said a different phrase in Spanish than a prayer; Kris guessed that it was directed for her.
"I'm fine," she lied.
"You're not going to be fine for much longer." The heavy man knelt next to Kris and pushed her onto her back. With her vision restored, she was able to glare daggers at this looter and accurately aim a kick. The fat man wore a dirty wife-beater with sweat stains under his armpits and around his neck. A double chin, round face, and balding hairline was owned by her kidnapper. Regardless of his appearance, she wasn't going down without a fight.
"That's enough!" a new voice demanded.
The fat man kept a stern hand on her shoulder but looked up to the source. His expression altered from one of angry origin to one with a sense of resentful obedience. Kris continued to glare from below the man rather than following his gaze.
"Richard, she wants them unharmed."
She?
"I know that," the large man hovering over Kris said. "I was just putting this one in her place-"
"Only she can do that." A disappointed sigh came from the other man, "Look at her face! She isn't going to like that." Kris heard footsteps approach her and Richard. Just off in her view, she saw the faint outline of another man. A quick glance revealed enough that he had a pistol. At least one armed guard. She made a mental note, then brought her gaze back to the balding, overweight man. "Pick her up, and bring all of them to her. Without any more scars."
The authoritative man stepped away for Richard to assist Kris up again. He put his knife away and pulled her upright. Kris winced at the feel of blood running down her neck and soaking into her shirt. His cut was deeper than she had originally thought. Once on her feet, she looked at Richard and resumed her cocky demeanor. "Yeah, Dick. Bring us to her."
It was clear that he didn't appreciate her verbiage. With a forceful shove, he pushed her forward. She followed his silent led and began to examine where the looters brought them. Floodlights were lighting the dark corners and candles were stacked at the foot of each one. A string of Christmas lights were hanging down the hallway and extra bulbs were placed underneath. Extension cords were wrapped as neatly as possible and left in a pile. Lamps, ceiling fans, and industrial flashlights were waiting in reserve for a future use.
Richard kept her walking as she fully studied her surroundings. A few men were posted with handguns and at least one form of melee weapon, such as a baseball bat, shovel, hammer, and whatever else was down the hardware aisle. They weren't trained or disciplined; their eyes followed the new group. Easily distracted. She saw one man reading a book and another one whittling a chunk of wood. By the armory around on each man, it was clear that these looters were not affiliated with the red and gold soldiers from weeks before. The layout of the area she saw, Kris concluded that they brought them to a loading dock for a supermarket. They walked through the thick plastic flaps of freezers and stopped just beyond the metal door that stored massive amounts of frozen meats, fish, and ice cream. How do they have electricity? Were they able to steal enough generators to power all those lights and the fridge? These were no ordinary looters; whomever was leading them was smart and resourceful. Her breath floated upward to the vents as soon as she opened her mouth. Behind her, Jenny had finally stopped speaking and became quiet while Emily was attempting to hold back any more tears.
The unknown man with the pistol stepped around them and pounded four times on the freezer door. Why is he knocking? Is someone in there? There was a hesitation before he opened the door. A harsh, bitter wave of cold air washed over them as the door was held open for them.
"Walk," Richard pushed Kris forward.
Before entering the freezer, she glared over her shoulder and said, "Calm down, Dick. I'm going."
"No, no no no! I don't want to!" Emily tried to struggle free, but the strength of her guards easily forced her in.
Jenny didn't put up a fight and was led into the freezer. Both of their blindfolds were on, so Kris was the only one who could see.
Once the three women were inside the significantly colder room, the metal door noisily closed. Shit, we're trapped. Kris and Jenny remained quiet while Emily started to cry again and constantly mutter, "please," in between huffs. All three of the girls were shivering with the new cold and huddled close to share the warmth. It was dark; so much that Kris couldn't see a thing. Her fresh slice mark on her cheek was stinging with the chilly air and the trail of blood running down her neck froze and stained her skin. What are we doing in here?
"Don't worry," Kris brought her attention from the nonexistent escape routes and back to her terrified friends. "We're going to be okay."
"Oh, I do hope so."
As if by que, the freezer was lit up; a large chandelier sparked to life over head, causing the little icicles to melt. In the back of the freezer, a woman was sitting in a lavish armchair with an abnormally sized, weathered down book in her hands. Kris was immediately drawn to the book; from what she was able to see, the pages were blank. The seem of the book was strong enough to hold the many pages together for countless years. Her first thought was that book was Qlifhat's tome; the one she hid at her suburban home; but then, she realized that she couldn't see the text. Something was wrong; why and how did this woman have her book? Was she to be the newest Shadow Master?
The woman slammed the large book shut. The sound caused Jenny and Emily to flinch and coward more. Kris wasn't sure whether to interrogate her about the tome or to play dumb. What could she do? If she was chosen as the next Shadow Master, that meant something horrible was about to happen to her. She was either going to die or be swallowed by darkness. There could only be one Master, only one person to read the text. Was she about to die? Balling her tiny fists, she braced herself for whatever this woman was about to do; this time, her only regret was not helping Bucky. He was owed a life free from such disasters; she hoped that he would eventually forgive her.
"Now, don't worry about a thing- Oh! Look how pretty you all are!" The woman was younger than Kris was expecting for a leader. Mid twenties, long brown hair, modest figure, big eyes like a child, and skinny arms. Untying Jenny and Emily's blindfold, she pulled them away and smiled brightly at each. "Holy cow! Don't cry," she cradled Emily's face with both hands and spoke definitely. "Did those men scare you? I'm terribly sorry; but you see, I'm looking for someone." The woman went to Jenny and gently moved her messy hair out of her face, "This person is bad and capable of wicked things. My men out there need to be a little rough."
Finally, she stepped in front of Kris. Despite her looming death, Kris couldn't help but worry about Bucky. He made it clear that he didn't trust anyone besides her and for the few months they were apart, he drank his weight in alcohol; what will he do after she dies?
"Oh dare. How did you get that?" the woman's touch was soft as she tilted Kris' head in order to see the cut better.
It's a trap; this kindness, it's a trick to gain my trust. Then, she's going to kill me. Kris held her tongue and closed her eyes. Make it quick. Her brain had accepted her inevitable end, but her heart seemed to long for one last embrace with Bucky.
"It was Richard, wasn't it?" the woman moved her hand away from her face. "That man never listens. Once we're done here, someone will stitch that up for you." Her cheerful, positive disposition wasn't fooling Kris; she was up to something. This woman, her calm demeanor was a trick, a facade in order to hide her true intentions. But, what did she want?
"For now, I'm going to have to get a little personal with you all," she glanced at each of the bound women and sighed. "Not too much, but I need to put a hand on your chests." She pointed to her own left breast, "Just above the heart. Nothing more. Oh! And, I'm Lindsay. I hope we all can be the best of friends!" The way she clapped her hands together and straightened her back reminded Kris of cheerleaders.
It was almost instantaneous that her thoughts went back to Bucky. Even though Lindsay's uplifting attitude was meant to make this encounter less horrifying, Kris was scared. She wasn't this scared since she fell into the river in D.C.; and Bucky had saved her that time. Would he be able to do it again? It was a hopeless wish for her "knight in shining armor" to rescue her. Even if he couldn't save her, Kris just wanted him next to her; Bucky was the only one to make her feel safe anymore.
"Okay! I'll start with you." Lindsay faced Emily and stood incredibly close to her. "This will be a little weird, but I'll explain before doing anything. So, it's a tricky procedure; I'm going to essentially look into your heart. I know, sounds crazy. But, I have to. I need to know how much darkness is in there. All you have to do, is stay completely still while I take a quick look around, m'kay?"
Oh shit. She is looking for me. That book, a procedure, and darkness in our hearts? I'm going to die. The option of using her shadows to escape lingered in her brain, but she was captured with Jenny and Emily. If she could run away, then Lindsay could use her friends as hostages to lure her back. Running won't work. Kris couldn't risk their lives for her own; she was the one with the most darkness in her heart, especially after Mountain Pass.
No. Casey Temple chose this life, the good and bad. The consequences were all her's. That didn't change the fact that she was terrified and all she wanted was to be with Bucky one more time.
She thought back to when they were at the upturned freight truck. Jenny, Emily, and Kris were told to wait by the car and moving van while Nathan, Barnett, Marcus, and William split up and looked for a way to move the trailer. It was Barnett's idea to move it; he explained that if they left it there, it would only cause further delays and more problems. Emily was eager to agree, as was Marcus. Both Kris and Nathan kept their mouths shut and allowed Barnett the chance to make his make stupid decisions. Nathan gently squeezed Kris' hand before letting go and following them around the back of the trailer.
Damn, that was the last time she would feel his touch. It was with his prosthetic arm; but that didn't matter to Kris. Bucky told her that he was able to feel when she touched his mechanical arm. That thought brought little comfort to her.
While the girls were waiting, that when the looters appeared. Six of them; two for each girl. Emily had screamed when they grabbed her, which brought the men of their group running back. By the time they saw what was happening, each girl was being held by two looters. One man held the girl's arms while the second kept a knife by their necks. Kris had almost lost it and used her shadows to free her friends and attack the looters. But, Nathan's voice rang loud across the street.
"Don't hurt them!"
Barnett had glanced at him in surprise, but then held a terrified stare at his wife. Kris was seconds away from bringing her inner darkness and ending this hostage game quickly; but hearing Nathan shout caused her to look at him. That's when she realized, he wasn't telling the looters not to hurt the girls, but for Kris not to attack them. Her anger subsided and that's when she first became annoyed. Even after all this time, he still felt as though he needed to conceal his past, including her's. Actions define how good someone is.
Powerless to the looters, the men in their group watches as the girls were blindfolded, had their wrists zip tied together, and loaded into the back of the moving van. Before she lost her vision, she glanced at Nathan one last time; his assassin side was showing again, blank face, tall frame, and deadly glare. She remembered seeing his masculine hands clench in tight fists as he was helpless to them.
This was the first time she wondered what he was thinking.
"Oh my goodness," Lindsay whispered. Kris snapped her mind back to the present and glanced to the strange interaction between the upbeat girl and the tearful woman. "What a conflicted heart! Filled to the brim with love; how sweet! But, not for your husband. Oh no no no. Your love is for many men; someone named William, Nathan, and a girl? Yes, Kaity." Lindsay pulled her hand away from Emily's breast and rubbed her shoulders comforting. "My dear, I'm sorry to say that you don't love him anymore. But, by the way your heart was fluttering when I said Nathan, you should try for him. Or Kaity. Normally, I wouldn't give love advice, but how can I not when you don't even know what your heart wants?" She gave Emily a warm smile and stepped in front of Jenny.
"What did you do to her?" Jenny asked with a bitter tone.
"I looked into her heart. Just like this." Before Jenny could question further, Lindsay placed a hand on her chest and centered it over her heart. Jenny grunted in pain, which caused Kris to flinch.
What the hell? Lindsay was silent for a few moments, focusing on Jenny. Kris recognized this technique; it was similar to what she did to Bucky back at the doughnut shop. She didn't know she could look into someone's heart with her abilities. Too late to try and master that technique now. Once Lindsay would reach her, she'll find the darkness in her heart and kill her. Rather than filling her mind with regrets, like her previous life-threatening experience, Kris resorted to thinking of Bucky.
"How delightful! You love your children back home. So adorable. Oh, but you love Anthony a lot more than Garcia. Well," Lindsay's session with Jenny was faster than Emily's. "At least you know which child is your favorite!" She was trying to be nice, but Jenny clearly didn't enjoy her heart being read to her.
Another step to the right and the disturbingly pleasant woman was in front of Kris. She was scared. Her secret, her past and regrets were going to be told. If Jenny and Emily make it back to the group, they'll tell everyone. No one will trust Bucky; his mission to get them out of the city in order to redeem himself will fail. It'll be her fault. Even after her death, he'll never forgive her.
"It'll sting a little." Lindsay placed her hand on Kris' chest. There was a sudden shock that made her groan in discomfort. It was like a static shock; only a bit more intense. Kris had dealt with electric currents before; both from SHIELD and HYDRA members. Despite previous encounters with sudden shocks, she wasn't used to the increased pulse and racing heart.
"Hm," she said in a whisper. Kris was anxious about the grand reveal of darkness, waiting for her faults and true identity be made known. If the electric current didn't cause her heart to pound like a jackhammer, then this small panic attack would have been the source. Lindsay took a longer peek into Kris' heart than the other two combined; that unsettled her. Why didn't she just say that she was filled with darkness? Why not just get it over with and kill her? This waiting for the end was much worse than any torture she could think of.
Without saying a word, Lindsay reeled her hand away and held a strange gaze at Kris. Her big eyes seemed to get filled with tears as she covered her mouth with a hand. Just say it!
"Oh my," Lindsay choked up and wiped her eyes before she started crying. "That's so romantic. Whoever Bucky is, he's incredibly lucky to have your entire heart."