Natasha woke with a raging headache. The ground around her a fading grey as ash fell from the sky like soft snow. Grabbing her head and lifting herself from the ground she began to process her surroundings, taking in the damage and regaining her focus.

"Clint?" she yelled, calling out for the last remaining member of her group.

She lost sight of him shortly before the explosion. The plan was to place bombs around the abandoned shelter and blow it up, targeting the zombies inside, and to regroup afterwards. But in her haste to escape, Natasha got her foot caught between two steel pipes running across the ground, and was then brutally thrown from the wreckage.

"Clint!?" She tries again, desperation trapped in her throat.

They had been separated from their group only a few days ago, half the team had gone on a supplies run and while they were away, a dozen zombies hit their camp and attacked the other remaining five members, forcing her and Clint on the run in order to get away.

Natasha made her way across the collapsed structure and climbed over some of the exploded cement, searching anxiously for Clint. She couldn't bear to think he didn't make it out. He had to be alright. Clint had been her partner for years. About twelve years ago during a mission in Saratov, Russia, Clint had been sent to kill her, as her infamous skills as an extremely well-trained assassin made her a target for the CIA.

For reasons she has yet to fully understand, he spared her life. Instead of following orders he saw something in her and saved her life, recruiting her instead to work for the good guys. She was still trying to repay her life-debt to him. And dammit if his idiocy today made that impossible.

Right as dread began to weigh her down like lead in her stomach, she heard a soft groan from her right. Pulling her gun out in automatic defense, she jumped quickly over the cement brick blocking her path.

"Natasha."

"Clint" she breathed out, jumping down to where he lay across the ground. "You're alright." She quickly reached down to prop him up into a sitting position.

"I'm not so sure" he wavered as he grabbed his waist with a heavy wince.

Natasha glanced at him in worry, her eyes widening at the sight of blood running rapidly from the wound on his side.

"No you're fine. Come on, we just need to put some pressure on it."

"Nat," Clint gasps through quick and shaky breaths. "It wasn't just the explosion. I was slowed down…ambushed by a few undead….one got me…on my leg….even if the brick didn't hit me…I won't make it much longer..."

Natasha could feel her heart stop with understanding. "Clint. Don't do this to me now. Stop talking, we'll figure this out." This couldn't be happening. Clint had stuck with her through it all, he was her rock, her pillar of strength.

"Natasha." Natasha's head snapped up from where she was trying desperately to stop the bleeding. Her face frozen in an unusual expression of concern. "I'm not going to make it. You need to make sure that I can't hurt anyone."

"Don't ask me to do that." Natasha's stony voice released an almost unnoticeable quiver, "I'm not going to kill you. I owe you, I'm going to save your life."

"You can't. It's too late. You don't owe me anything, you've more than repaid any debt."

A tear slipped down Natasha's cheek, leaving a cold trail as it chilled against the wind. She wasn't ready for this. She grasped his hands in hers, trying to hold on.

"I'll wait then," she resigned.

Clint's breathing had slowed, the injury drastically starting to take its toll.

Natasha waited in silence, mentally steeling herself as she watched the eyes of her mentor empty and his chest stop moving. After waiting a few extra minutes, Natasha retracted her hands from his and rose quickly, anxious to turn away from the day's events.

Pushing through the pain of her headache and now stiff muscles, Natasha began her trek through the woods surrounding the shelter, making haste to stay ahead of the impending darkness.

As night approached she stumbled slowly through the thick trees and bushes that filled the dense forest. Natasha knew that she needed to find a good spot to rest for the night away from danger, maybe a small cave in the rocky cliffs or high in a tree. Anywhere to escape the clutches of the terrorizing monsters.

No sooner had Natasha started to look for a spot that she heard a rustling from a few yards away. In a fierce stance and ready to fight, Natasha lifted her gun, ready to face her attacker.

Instead of the dreaded undead that she feared would jump out, she was greeted by the serious faces of a young man and woman, dressed in black pants and similar blue tops.

"You been out here long?" Asked the man, his deep voice laced with skepticism as he regarded her. The woman beside him made a motion to reach for her gun holstered in her jeans, anxiously prepared for any danger.

"I'm not here to cause trouble, if that's what you're asking." Natasha spoke through a tight smirk, her exhaustion from today weighed down on her and seeped through her tone. "I'm just looking for a place to rest for tonight. Safely. Do you know of anything nearby?"

The woman turned to look at her dark haired partner, his jaw tensing slightly before he gave the slightest of nods.

"We'll take you back to our camp where you can plead your case with our director. He might let you spend the night to escape danger. As long as we can be certain that you pose no threat." He stared at her with cautious eyes. "I'm Sam Wilson, this is Maria Hill. We're guards of a sort for our camp."

Natasha matched their tone, "I'm Natasha Romanoff, thank you both for your kindness."

"It's the right thing to do," replied Maria, "follow us."

She followed Maria and Sam back to their camp through the trees in which they had exited. After a good ten minute walk they neared what she assumed to be an expansive piece of land, surrounded by a fifteen foot barbed wire electric fence, in front of a sturdy brick wall.

"Good security system you got here," Natasha noted.

"Well, now's not a time to slack off," Sam agreed. "And yes, that is an electric fence," he smirked.

Natasha almost rolled her eyes at his obvious pride. But she had to admit that she was impressed by their extensive fencing and the safety it provided.

Sam approached a darker portion of the brick fence and she watched as he pulled out a brick from the middle of the area. He stuck he hand through and before she could consider what he was doing, a ringing bell sounded and she watched as what resembled a sewage drain lid opened from beside her. Both Maria and Sam climbed in, introducing its use as a tunnel; a way into the camp.

Natasha followed closely behind and down the steps until she found herself in a tight corridor. They walked through the damp tunnel until they approached a faint light shining down on a ladder, which they climbed up, allowing them to enter the campgrounds through another tunnel entrance.

Sam and Maria led her quickly through an area that seemed almost like a tiny market. Small stands lined the pathway and contained different foods as well as medical supplies.

"This is our main commons," said Sam. "It provides the community with basic goods. We have teams that go on runs each week to hunt or locate facilities nearby in order to obtain more of what we have. Sometimes they're gone for days in order to scope out more areas. But it's proven to be a pretty efficient system so far."

Natasha was really impressed at this point by the community they seem to have built. With a heavy chest she thought of the camp that she had Clint had both been a part of before, its residence next to a river which had acted as their biggest resource.

"I'll take you to Nick now, he's our director," said Maria, motioning away from Sam, who had dismissed himself to help a campmate in need. Natasha nodded in response, eyes scanning the rows of makeshift houses and tents before nearing a much larger and sturdier log cabin at the end of the dirt road.

Maria led her inside and gestured for Natasha to sit on an old couch near the door. Maria left the room but soon returned with a taller man wearing an eye patch.

"I'm Nicholas Fury. But most people here just call me Fury. It's my understanding that you need a place to rest tonight?"

Natasha nodded.

"You're welcome to stay here. However, if you've nowhere else to be and are interested in a more permanent situation, we can review the rules tomorrow. We're not ones to reject those in need. For now, Maria will show you to an available tent on the west side. Breakfast is at 7:00 if you want to eat. The dining area is set up along the main commons."

"Thank you." Said Natasha. "I don't know if I'll be staying long, but I appreciate the offer."

"Of course. If you are interested in staying though, we should discuss your skillset for possible jobs. Everybody's got to work around here," Fury responded before dismissing both her and Maria and heading back down the hallway.

"He's not one for socializing," Maria explained, "Follow me," she said as she led Natasha outside and down the path to the right.

Suddenly Natasha heard the sound of the bells that had gone off when she entered the camp, bells that came from the main entrance near the brick wall. Natasha watched as Maria tensed.

"They're back. I'm sorry, you'll have to excuse me, I have to help hand out supplies," she rushed out, turning on her heel and running in the direction of the noise, ready to greet the faces that entered through the tunnel. Natasha followed at a safe distance, eager to see what was causing all the commotion.

Natasha watched as a man with brown hair and a stern expression climbed out from the pipe, before turning around and offering his hand to the man exiting behind him.

A broad man with blonde hair and blue eyes came from the tunnel with a tired slouch of his shoulders, carrying a bag that must have been used to hold supplies. He pulled the bag from his shoulder and started to hand things out to the crowd of approaching camp members, returning the smiles of those he greeted.

Natasha couldn't help but notice how the soft upturn of his lips brightened his eyes and added to an overall look of innocence. His genuine compassion for the people he helped was a startling rarity. In her line of business, Natasha wasn't used to seeing such goodness. However, there was a weariness to his stance, a careful posture, but who wasn't defensive given recent events?

This man was a fighter, and she couldn't explain the breath that quickly caught in her throat as his eyes shifted to meet hers.

Maria noticed the direction of the man's glance and spoke up, "This is Natasha Romanoff. We found her outside of the camp in need of a place to rest and she's been granted permission to stay as long as necessary."

Maria turned back to the men to continue introductions, "This is Steve Rogers and James Barnes, two of the men behind our supply runs." She gestured to the blonde man and his partner.

The man named Steve approached her with a small smile and reached out his hand to shake hers. His warm blue eyes met her guarded green ones, "Pleasure to meet you ma'am. Welcome to our camp."