Laura couldn't decide which was colder: the water that was drawing her to the bottom of the river, or the hand that was pulling her to the surface.

She didn't know how to swim, that was why she was sure she was going to die if she jumped—if the fall hadn't killed her first. Yet, her will to live turned out to be much stronger than she'd thought.

In a spontaneous move, she tried her best to fight the current by flapping her arms and legs, but it wasn't enough to push her back to the surface.

Little by little, the pressure that the water was exerting towards her body started to take its toll. Dull pain surrounded her as the air in her lungs began to decrease. Even though she tried to fight it, her mouth opened for a quick second, allowing a small amount of water to enter her body. Slowly—and painfully—the water reached her lungs, suffocating her from inside.

Her conscience began to falter, and she closed her eyes.

This is it.

She had thought that when it was time to die, she would see her life flashed before her eyes; but there was nothing—only darkness.

Laura was welcoming death with open arms when a strong hand suddenly grabbed her right hand. Startled, her eyes fluttered open; but water clouded her vision, preventing her to get a clear look on the person who was trying to pull her to safety.

All she saw was a silhouette of a man; one who had a strong physique, broad shoulders, and somewhat-long, dark hair.

She didn't have enough strength to keep her eyes open. Yet, before they were shut again, she caught a glimpse of the hand that was holding hers—and she couldn't believe what her eyes were telling her.

It was strong and shiny, as if it was made of metal.

I must be seeing things, right?

I mean, I've heard people see things before their death, but a metal arm? That's just plain crazy!

Right?

Fear slowly crept into her mind. Is it one of them? Those cowards couldn't possibly have jumped to save me, could they?

The thought of being brought back to the laboratory—of being forced to conduct those cruel experiments again—sent a wave of terror to her body. Clenching her fist, she started fighting the hand that was trying to save her.

Why won't they just let me die?

Her attempt proved to be futile as he was much stronger than she was. If anything, her actions prompted the man to keep her still by circling his other arm around her waist and holding her close. In no time, she was moving—up, she supposed—and that was when she noticed something odd.

The hand that was now holding her right hand felt cold, perhaps even colder than the water; but the hand that was circling around her waist was nothing but warm.

At that moment, the strangest thing happened. For the first time in her nearly twenty years of life, she felt safe.

Meanwhile, her strength had finally reached a breaking point. She tried to force her eyes open, but her energy had already been drained out of her. As her conscience kept slipping away, she had no choice but to shut her eyes.

***

Laura woke up with a jolt.

Cold sweat was dripping from her temple and her heart was racing fast. She blinked rapidly and took a quick look around her. The first thing she saw was her opened laptop on the small, wooden desk about two feet away from her bed. The books she'd read last night were still scattered around her, along with her cellphone. As she turned her gaze to her right, morning sunlight was pouring into the small cottage through the windows.

She took a long, deep breath, trying to calm herself down.

She was home now.

She was safe.

Laura hadn't dreamt about that night in a long time—five years, three weeks, and two days, to be exact.

Having a photographic memory—both a gift and a curse—she remembered every little detail that she had encountered; from the books she'd read to the horrors she'd seen. But, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't remember the look of the person who had saved her. The only clue she had was that strange metal arm.

For a time, Laura was obsessed with finding out anything she could about her knight in shining armor. After months of searching, hacking into every single database she could find, she stumbled upon a case file in KGB's highly classified database—his file.

The Winter Soldier.

The man on the file was a man out of his time. Credited with over two dozen assassinations over decades, he was kept alive only for killing. Until today, all the murders remained unsolved, and the man was nothing but a ghost story.

Laura was curious as to why a cruel man like that would save her life. She knew she could've been mistaken—or even hallucinated—yet, a part of her was somehow sure he was her mystery knight.

After almost two years of searching, she finally found him in Bucharest. But, right before she could approach him, he was arrested for the bombing of the United Nations conference in Vienna. There wasn't a single doubt in her mind that he didn't do it. After all, if he was the one who did it, he wouldn't have been so careless to have left such an incriminating piece of evidence.

Her instinct turned out to be true, and she was relieved when she heard he'd escaped not long after.

Even when a massive manhunt was being conducted against him, Laura was relentless in her own pursuit. She knew it was somewhat creepy, stalking a cold-blooded assassin, but she didn't care. She just wanted to meet the man that had given her a chance to a new life.

After Vienna, the trail of the Winter Soldier went cold. That was, until the snap happened.

His name was listed in the Wall of the Vanished as one of the people who'd been turned into dust. She didn't want to believe it, but she didn't have time to think it through either. The world was in chaos and for the first time in her life, her help was needed.

For the next five years, Laura had spent her time helping the society in any way she could—trying to redeem herself for her past crimes—and in the process, she'd finally found a place to call home.

Yes, home.

No need to go back to that dark place, Laura. You have everything you'll ever need in this place.

So he saved you, big deal. What are you going to do if you find him anyway?

Kidnap him like Annie Wilkes did in Misery?

Laura shivered at her own thought. God, that is so twisted.

As she got up from her bed, she took a hairband on her bedside drawer and scooped her hair up, tying it into a ponytail. Her hair had almost reached her shoulder, which meant she was going to need a trip to the hairdresser soon. Over the past few years, Laura had kept her hair relatively short, as long hair constantly reminded her of her past life—of the monster she was.

You're not her anymore. She shut her eyes and took a deep breath. She had a good life now, and all thanks to that man. For the first time in a long time, she began to wonder where he was again.

I guess I could at least thank him if we ever meet.

Not wanting to wallow in a path of self-destruction again, Laura shook the thought off. She was about to drag herself to the bathroom when a loud knock on the door halted her steps.

"Laura!" a boy's voice was heard.

The knocking on the door grew louder and faster.

"Laura! Help!" the boy repeated, panic spreading through his voice. She recognized the high-pitched, raspy voice as Sașa's, an eight-year-old student of hers.

What now? She took a quick glance at her watch. 6.45 A.M. She rolled her eyes and sighed.

Laura dragged her feet to the front door, grabbed the key that was hung on the wall, and unlocked the door. Pulling the door open, her eyebrows were raised and her eyelids drooped slightly, showing utter annoyance at the brown-haired boy standing before her.

The boy's thick brows were pulled together while his small lips were stretched horizontally. His eyes bulged in fear and panic. His fair skin looked even paler than it usually did; which prompted Laura to wonder what was happening.

"Laura, listen! I—" The boy stopped abruptly as his gaze was drawn to Laura's sweatshirt.

"Pfft!" he spluttered, trying to hold back his laughter. For a moment, the terror in his green eyes disappeared without a trace.

Laura was wearing a pink sweatshirt with a huge Trolls image printed right at the center. She had always believed that the adorable figures brought good luck, as her mother had told her. That was why, even at the age of 28, she still kept the somewhat childish merchandise around her. But now, she strongly considered throwing them away—or at least hiding them where no one but her could see.

With a loud grunt, she pushed her lips forward into a small pout and narrowed her eyes, trying to look as intimidating as possible. Pointing a finger at the young boy, she threatened, "Tell anyone about this, and I'll tell Mr. Damian who broke his window."

The curly-haired boy gasped. "O-okay. I won't tell a soul." He gestured a cross to his heart. "I promise."

"Good." Laura crossed her arms in front of her chest and flashed a contented smirk. "Now, you were saying?"

"Ah, yes! T-there is a dead man by the river!" A look of terror slowly returned to his round face. "I-I think he was shot to death! Well . . ." The boy lowered his gaze as hesitation crossed his features. "At least I think he's dead."

"A dead man? By the river?" Laura asked cynically.

Sașa had always been known as the boy who cried wolf. There was a time when he would knock on the villager's door and asked for help rescuing the cattle he was supposed to look after from wolves, only to reveal it to be a mere prank. That was why she found it hard to believe his story.

Letting out a small sigh, she crouched in front of the boy to match his height. "Now, now. What did I tell you about lying?"

"I'm not lying!" the boy insisted, staring at her in the eyes. "I was collecting some pebbles by the river when I saw blood in the water!"

"Collecting pebbles?" Laura's lips tugged up into a teasing smirk. "Aren't you supposed to be helping with your parents' cattle?"

"Yes, but that's not the point." The boy's breathing quickened as he continued at a faster pace, "So, I saw blood flowing in the water, and you know me, I'm always curious. S-so I followed the blood and there he was! I-I took a peek at him and I saw this . . . hole in his arm. It was really scary, I'm telling you! I ran back home and told my parents, but they didn't—"

Laura put her hands on the boy's upper arms and softened her gaze. "Breathe." She inhaled and exhaled, trying to get the boy to mirror her actions. She waited patiently as he did what she asked.

Once he was calmer, Laura continued, "Are you sure it wasn't just a nightmare?"

"It's real, I swear!"

When she looked at his eyes, there was no lie in them—he really believed his story. Still, doubt lingered in Laura's mind.

"I think he must be part robot or something. I mean, his left arm . . ." A mixture of awe and horror shone in Sașa's eyes. "It's made of metal."

Laura's breath stopped in her throat for a quick second. Could it be?

"And when I touched it, he grabbed my arm." Sașa's small eyes went wide and his lips quivered. He gulped loudly. "W-well, he died right after that, but . . ."

She knew there was a chance Sașa made the story up, but a huge part of her wanted to make sure. Moreover, if the boy's story was true and the man was shot only in his arm, there was a good possibility he could survive.

Determination filled her eyes as she tightened her grasp on the boy's shoulders. "Show me."

Author's Note:

So, what do you think of this chapter? What do you think of Laura?

Also, for those of you who don't know, Misery is a novel/movie by Stephen King. In the story, Annie Wilkes saved a famous author when he was involved in a car accident and eventually held him hostage in her house.

Anyway, thanks for reading and don't forget to vote! :)