The permafrost of our souls

Kara sat on the bed, unable to fall asleep. The book she’d set aside lay on the blanket beside her, but the girl was studying her hand, covered with burgundy scars left by acne, faded with time. She still couldn’t believe they had been inside her, fused with her skin, and absorbed into her body. The girl stood up, took the pajama pants from the chair, and put them on to leave the room. She peeked into the living room and, realizing that Bucky was also awake, went out to him. They looked at each other for a while as the girl fidgeted on the threshold. She wanted to take a step but heard a rustling behind the front door. “Usually no one walks around this late,” Kara glanced at the microwave clock visible from the kitchen. Three in the morning. Usually, all the neighbors' wanderings ended by this time. “Maybe it’s for you?” “More likely for you,” the man didn’t understand the girl’s joke and got up, throwing off the blanket. He pulled on a t-shirt and moved closer to the door, but before he could say anything, a blow struck the door. “What do we do?” Kara panicked instantly, but James threw a jacket into her hands, snatching the first one off the hanger. The girl tried not to get tangled in the sleeves while simultaneously stepping into her boots. Her body jerked with each blow that buckled the door, but she only thought about her plans being ruined. Would she be able to go to the mountain? Would she be able to find him? “Get ready,” Bucky, putting on the backpack straps, moved closer to the girl, who, grabbing her bag, clutched it tightly to herself. “We need to get out of here as soon as they come in.” “But…” Kara looked around the apartment, biting her tongue. She didn’t want to know what they would do to this place, but she knew they couldn’t stay. The door flew off its hinges with a dull thud, landing at their feet, making Kara grab onto James, but he pushed her forward, grabbing the barrel of one of the attackers. The girl slipped into the hallway, shoving one of the men away from her and turned around, abruptly ducking. Gunshots drilled through the wall right above her head, and Kara knew the next bullets would find their mark. She sharply thrust her hand forward, enveloping the man in uniform in green flames, setting him on fire. He dropped his weapon and fell to the floor, trying to put himself out, while Kara, who had jumped closer, snatched the rifle. “Always like this,” she hissed under her breath, pulling the trigger. Recoil kicked her shoulder, and the girl took a step back to keep her balance. She hadn’t fired a gun since… The thought was cut off when Bucky, grabbing her by the wrist, dragged her toward the stairs. Startled, Kara dropped the weapon and almost toppled them both to the floor as she tried to scoop up her bag. Running down the steps, Kara tried to remember the last time she had run at all. Her breath became ragged fairly quickly, and it seemed James would have to drag her body down the steps if she stumbled. Wrenching her hand from his grip, Kara bent double, trying to catch her breath, finally forcing Barnes to stop. She tried to say something, but only wheezes came from her throat, and the girl pointed to the railing, realizing she couldn’t get the thought across anyway. Straightening up, she leaned her stomach against the railing and then swung over, dropping down, flying floor after floor, curling into a ball so as not to catch on the railings. “This is faster, right?” she groaned when Barnes reached the first floor. He took the girl by the hand, set her on her feet, pulling her up from the dusty floor. “That was stupid,” was all he said, pushing the entrance door open. Kara wrapped herself in the jacket, hiding from the cold night air, and pointed somewhere to the side. “My car’s over there,” the air seemed to sober the girl, easing her panic. She reached into her pocket, pulling out her phone. “What do they want?” “Probably shouldn’t have been shouting about the life-saving algae at a presentation where anyone could be,” James said, shoving his hands into his pockets as he walked beside her. “You think I wanted that?” Kara sighed, her throat burning from the cold air. “The higher-ups… The expedition can’t go there.” “Of course, you gave away the location too,” the man snorted as Kara clicked the car key fob, unlocking it. “Enough, okay?” Kara touched her forehead with cold fingers, getting behind the wheel. “I know what I did, but right now we have to deal with the consequences. They’ll just be slaughtered there if it really is HYDRA. We need to get there first.”