A/N: Last time on A Scared New World...
Our intrepid crew's journey through the woods to escape a walker herd and find a new town was halted by a frightening night full of thunderstorms, dead people, and an axe-wielding Tony Stark. Now the group is separated and scared. How will they make it out of this one?
An arrow flew from a bow, across a clearing, and into the eye of a walker with a sickening thunk.
Clint let out a breath as he lowered his bow, and it ghosted in the cold morning air. Then he slowly went to retrieve the arrow, looking around vigilantly as he went. But besides the two other people following behind him, there was no movement.
The sun was slowly edging over the horizon now, bringing an end to what had been a truly horrible night. It was one of the worst he'd been through recently, and Clint had seen a lot of bad nights.
They had been woken in the middle of the night by the cans they kept at the edge of their campsite. What had followed was a siege. A group of at least twenty zombies had wandered into their territory, separating the group. And as the cherry on top, nature had decided to throw in a thunderstorm.
So yeah, the last few hours hadn't been great. Clint was surprised they were even alive, if he was being honest with himself. And if he was being more honest, he wasn't sure if anyone else from their little group had made it long enough to see daylight.
It was early yet though, he kept telling himself. The others were out there, and they would find them. It wouldn't help matters to imagine every horrible outcome.
Clint pushed the image of Natasha with twisted limbs and vacant eyes from his mind and yanked his arrow from the walker's skull. It came out with a satisfying sound.
His eyes pounded in his head as he straightened up and looked back at May and Rhodey. They looked just as tired as Clint felt. After running the whole night, his head was pounding and his body felt weighed down with fatigue. Not to mention their clothes were soaking wet still from the rain, which had stopped not too long ago. They would need to find some way to dry out and get warm, or they could be in for some trouble.
"So, what do we do?" May said quietly and a little desperately, looking between him and Rhodey. "I mean, we have to find everybody else."
Rhodey was looking around at the edges of the clearing, watching for walkers in the bushes. "Maybe we should go back to that house we stayed at," he suggested.
Clint shook his head and adjusted the bag on his back. "No, it's too far. No one will be going that way."
"But it's familiar," May argued.
"I think we should keep going to the next town," Clint said. "It's so close now, people are bound to have gone that way."
Rhodey ran a hand over his head and sighed. "Okay," he breathed. "Jesus… what a night."
May's lip was shaking, and Clint couldn't tell if it was from cold or emotion.
"Right. Then let's… let's head to town and find some place to hole up," Clint said. "Hopefully we'll find people on the way there, but if not…"
"If not, we'll go looking," Rhodey said firmly.
Clint nodded. They would look until they found the others - alive… or dead.
They didn't have to walk long before they hit the edge of the town.
First they hit a road, one that they followed to find a gas station and a convenience store. Both places looked looted to their bones. Windows were blown in, and trash fluttered around in the wind. Dark spots hinted at blood, or where a body might once have been.
The road continued, with more stores and buildings popping up as they got closer to the center of town. The three of them kept their ears and eyes open for walkers, but the place was quiet - for now.
At one point, though, they turned around a block, and Clint stopped dead in his tracks.
Rhodey and May came up behind him, and all three of them looked ahead in confusion.
"What - what is this?" Rhodey said, taking another couple steps forward.
May frowned. "It looks like... a wall."
In front of them the entire street was blocked off. Between the buildings on either side of the street, huge amounts of debris had been piled up to create some kind of blockade. Clint could see chairs, drywall, a car - it looked like anything and everything had been used to create this. It went about ten feet up, and at the bottom they could see bodies. None of the bodies were moving, and some of them looked like they'd had their heads destroyed, but Clint kept a wary eye on them either way.
"Who did this?" Clint said in a hushed voice, looking around with his bow at the ready. It suddenly felt like there were eyes watching them. He looked up into the second story windows, but couldn't see anything.
"Maybe we should get out of here," Rhodey said, looking equally as wary.
But May shook her head. "No. We have to go in there," she said firmly. "Peter could be back there. Anyone could be back there."
"That's kind of my concern," Rhodey replied. "I don't want to see just anyone."
Clint met May's determined eyes, and nodded. "Alright," he agreed. "We'll check it out. But if it looks bad in there, we leave."
"Fine," May said, walking quickly towards the barricade. "Let's go."
Clint moved to catch up with her, and Rhodey followed.
"I do not have a good feeling about this," Rhodey hissed at Clint.
Clint just raised an eyebrow in response, but a noise from ahead had him snapping his gaze forwards again.
May was at the bottom of the barricade now, and had tried to step onto it. But she didn't seem to see what was right next to her -
"May, watch out!" he said quickly, raising his bow again. He released the string, and the next moment there was an arrow protruding out of a walker's skull.
It had been just a foot away from her.
"Jesus, May - be careful," Rhodey said, looking around for other threats.
May wouldn't meet Clint's eye as he retrieved his arrow and then shouldered the bow. "Can we please move?" she said.
"We are moving," Clint told her, trying to sound reassuring. He was feeling the same worry she was. "But keep in mind you'll be no use to Peter as a walker. Stay sharp."
She just pressed her lips together, and put her foot back on the barricade.
The climb over the top of the pile was tricky. It wasn't exactly the most stable construction, although they realized quickly that it must have been pretty thick to keep walkers from pushing it down.
Debris shifted under their feet as they tried to climb, and they made way more noise than Clint was comfortable with. But eventually, they made it to the other side. Clint jumped down first, and stabilized the other two as they came down.
As May was taking her final step off of the barricade, a shelf shifted beneath her, and she fell forwards with a gasp.
Clint tried to catch her, but she still stumbled heavily to her knees.
Concerned, Clint knelt beside her, a hand on her shoulder. "You okay?" he asked.
Through gritted teeth, May replied, "I'm fine. Let's go."
Clint gestured to Rhodey, and the two of them helped her up, each holding onto an elbow. When she was settled, they finally had a chance to look around.
Surprisingly, and in contrast to the other side of the barricade, the street looked relatively clean. There were no bodies in sight, and he saw minimal rubble and broken glass. There were plenty of fallen leaves on the ground, though - most of them soggy with last night's rain.
On the cross street, they could see another street barricaded off to the left.
"This way," Clint said softly, directing them to turn to the right.
As Clint walked down the street with the others, his heart pounded in his chest. Something wasn't right here. Obviously someone - or more likely, a lot of someones - had created those barricades. Where were they now? Could they be looking down on them from one of the buildings to either side? Or had they abandoned the place?
And if they had abandoned it… why?
The next barricade they came across wasn't so crudely made. In fact, it looked like a strong fence, with barbed wire on top and a heavy metal door. Affixed to the fence was a sign: SECURE AREA - PROTECTED MILITARY ZONE.
"Whoa," Rhodey said, eyes wide. "Does that say what I think it says?"
"It's a safe zone," May breathed. "We… we always thought they were a myth."
Clint looked around warily, considering how empty the area seemed. "It still might be," he muttered.
It was true, though; they'd always heard whispers of safe zones - places with high walls and armed guards that walkers could never get into, and where society still held on. Until now, he had thought that the whispers were just the dreams of desperate people. Now, though, he wasn't so sure.
Rhodey was approaching the door, but he looked back at Clint and May. "Do you think - could the others have found this place?"
"I mean if we did, then surely," May replied. "They could be in there. Come on, try the handle!"
Rhodey met Clint's eyes. "What do you think?" he said. "I mean… this place - something's off."
"It's too quiet," Clint agreed. "We should play it safe."
May looked between them like they were crazy. "What? We're looking at someplace that might actually be safe for us - where Peter and the others might be hiding out - and you don't want to go inside?" She shook her head. "I mean, I'm all for safety, but look: the military made this place! There has to be something worthwhile inside!"
"I don't know," Clint said hesitantly, looking over his shoulder again. He just couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched.
"Should we get back on the other side of those barricades?" Rhodey asked. "Or do you think we're safe here?"
"I don't understand!" May said desperately. "Why are we waiting?"
Clint stepped up to May and grabbed her shoulders, looking her straight in the eye. "Take a breath, May," he said firmly. "And listen. If this place was being used, surely we'd be able to hear it from here." He pointed at the sign. "And if this place has been left empty, then there's got to have been a good reason for it."
May's eyes were wide.
"We're both just as worried about the others as you," he said. "Okay?"
She swallowed, and nodded.
"Good." Clint let go of her shoulders, giving her one last look before moving away.
Rhodey was watching the two of them. "We should get off the street," he said. "Into one of these buildings, maybe."
Clint nodded. "We'll dry off and rest up as best we can, and then head out looking for everybody."
May sighed before reaching down and picking up a piece of rebar off the ground. She held it like a bat on her shoulder. "Let's go, then," she said, and turned to walk back up the street.
Clint and Rhodey glanced at each other once more before following after her, their own weapons in their hands.
"Shit, shit, shit," Steve muttered as Bucky swayed against him. "You're okay."
Bucky's face was pale and covered in a sheen of sweat despite the morning chill. He held his arm, which had been padded and wrapped with clothes and rags to stem the bleeding, tight against his chest.
Tony looked on from where he sat on the other side of the shed. "It looks like he's gonna pass out."
Steve shot him a look. "Oh, yeah?" he said bitingly. "I wonder why."
Tony shrugged defensively. "I just don't think we're gonna be able to move out of here soon, is all."
"Are we -" Peter spoke up quietly from Tony's right. "Are we sure he's not gonna… you know…"
Steve's glare turned on the kid. "He's fine."
Tony looked over at Peter, whose eyes were wide. "Take a breath, G.I. Joe," he told Steve. "And it's not like we know for sure. He -"
"Yeah, that's true," Steve said. "We don't know for sure. You could have just caused him a hell of a lot more pain than was necessary."
"Or, I could have saved his life!" Tony argued, irritation rising in his chest. "You don't think a hand is worth him staying alive?"
Steve ground his teeth. "I just wish you'd explained yourself before you came at us with an axe."
"I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens."
"Shouldn't we move?" Peter said, shifting towards Tony and wincing when the movement jostled his shoulder. "You know, go looking for everyone else? The rain's stopped."
"We can't go anywhere with Bucky like this," Steve said, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder. Bucky just moaned quietly.
Tony frowned. "Well, either way he's not gonna get better anytime soon. Maybe Peter and I should go out looking, and the two of you could stay -"
Peter shook his head at that. "I want to find May. And - and everyone else. But splitting up more just seems stupid."
"Alright then," Tony conceded, raising an eyebrow.
"You know," Peter continued, "He probably has a better chance of getting through this if we do find May. She's a nurse after all. She knows what to do for stuff like this."
Steve looked skeptical. "Your mom deal with a lot of amputations as a nurse?"
Peter frowned. "She knows more than you do," he shot back.
Steve let out a breath. "Sorry… sorry, kid. I'm just - tense, right now."
"We're all tense," Tony said. "But the kid's right. May might be the key to helping Bucky survive this."
Steve looked back at Bucky, who was watching them all through hooded eyes. After a moment, Bucky gave a short nod.
Steve turned back to Tony and Peter. "Alright," he said, his expression firm. "We'll move. Just… let's just give it until the sun's really up. Then we'll go."
Peter looked relieved, and Tony felt the same way. He wanted to get out there and find Pepper just as badly as Peter wanted to find May. There was no telling what had become of them, and of the others, while they had hunkered down in this shed.
Since they had a little time, Tony considered Peter more closely. He knew that the kid's shoulder must be hurting him. He could see where it was bleeding through his shirt. But they didn't have enough supplies around to deal with both Bucky's stump and Peter's shoulder. Plus, Tony felt terrible that he had been the one to cause the injury. Bucky's arm he could defend, but what happened to Peter shouldn't have happened.
"You okay, kid?" Tony asked.
Peter looked over and nodded. "Yeah," he said. "I'm fine. Just… worried."
"I know," Tony said. "Me too. But… we'll find them."
Peter nodded, though his expression betrayed the doubt he must be feeling. "Right. We'll find them."
On the other side of town, Pepper walked beside Natasha, their footsteps light on the wet concrete of the road. The sun was rising in the sky, but despite the warm light Pepper still felt chilled to the bone.
The night that they had somehow survived had been horrific. Pepper was still shaking slightly, her arms crossed tight across her chest. Every sound had her eyes flicking around to look. At least the light was chasing away the shadows that, during the night, had all seemed to hold walkers.
Natasha looked just as uncomfortable - at least as well as Pepper could tell; she was still learning how to read the woman. One hand held her gun in a white knuckle grip, and the other was curled into a fist around the strap of the bag over her shoulder. Her lips were pressed into a tight line, and her gaze looked dark and dangerous.
They still hadn't run into anyone else. They hadn't seen Tony, or Rhodey or Clint - or anyone else for that matter. Pepper's heart ached in worry for the others. She knew from experience that anything could have happened to them. She just hoped for now that they were still alive. Her heart wouldn't let her think they were otherwise. Not yet.
"There," Natasha said, her voice startling Pepper. "Look."
Pepper looked where the other woman was pointing, and narrowed her eyes in confusion. "What is that?" she asked.
"It's a barricade," Natasha said simply. She looked over at Pepper. "That means there must be something worth protecting behind it."
Pepper felt hope flutter in her chest. "You think the others could be back there? That they've found this place?"
Natasha nodded. "Whether they have by now or not - they will. We were headed straight for this town."
She let out a deep breath, some of her anxiety leaving her. "Okay," she said. "Let's get over this thing."
They made short work of the barricade. It was kind of loose and unstable, but the two of them were able to step lightly enough that it wasn't a problem.
On the other side of the barricade, Natasha looked around quickly before directing Pepper into a doorway. "Sit," she told Pepper, pointing at a set of stairs and dropping her bag on the ground.
Confused, Pepper did as she said and slowly lowered herself onto a step. "What? Did you see something?"
Natasha was looking back out around the corner onto the street. She turned back to Pepper and shook her head. "It's quiet," she said, frowning. "And it's clean."
"Clean?" Pepper repeated, confused. "Is that - you make that sound like it's a bad thing."
Natasha raised an eyebrow. "It is when everywhere else on earth is covered in a layer of trash and walker guts."
"Well there must be people in here. Who else would have made a barricade like that? Maybe this is a government thing," Pepper said hopefully. She started to get back up on her feet, wincing at the stretch in her tired muscles.
Natasha spun around and pushed her back onto the stair.
Pepper flashed her an annoyed look. "What are you doing?"
"Your forehead," Natasha said, sliding her gun into the waistband of her pants. "It doesn't look good. Can I just make sure you're not going to fall over on me anytime soon?"
Pepper frowned, and reached a hand up to her forehead. It came back red. "Oh," she said, blinking. Her brow had been hurting, but she hadn't realized it was bleeding. "I - I don't think it's bad."
"Let me just clean it off, while I have the chance," Natasha replied, reaching for the bag and unzipping it. "We don't know what we're gonna find in there." She rooted around in the bag and pulled out some water and a shirt.
Pepper leaned her head back as Natasha poured a thin stream of water over her forehead. She winced when the cool liquid hit the cut. It stung, but she knew it was better than letting it fester, so she stayed quiet about it.
Instead she asked, "Are you worried?" It might have been a stupid question, but she just wanted to distract herself.
Natasha paused for a moment before reaching up with the t-shirt to pat off the wound. "Yes and no," she said. "For May and Peter, yeah. But everyone else… they can take care of themselves."
"What… what about Clint?" Pepper said.
Natasha raised an eyebrow. "What about him? And keep your head still."
Pepper shrugged, but did as she said. "Well, I can tell you care about him."
"We've known each other a long time," Natasha said. "I know he can look after himself."
"Well… you thought he was dead before," she pointed out.
Natasha shot her a look that was half annoyed and half amused. "Are you trying to make me anxious or something?"
"Sorry," Pepper said quickly. "I'm just projecting, I guess."
Natasha wet the shirt again and kept wiping off the wound. "It's okay," she said. Then she frowned. "What, was there a time you thought Tony was dead?"
"Not like that. But… we did get separated once before. For a few days. I was sure I'd never see him again." Pepper let out a sigh. "It feels the same now."
Natasha pulled back and knelt to put the stuff back in her bag. "If I've learned anything recently, it's that you shouldn't underestimate people." She stuck out a hand and helped Pepper to her feet. "Now come on, let's go find them."
Pepper let herself smile a little. Natasha was right. There was no need to worry unnecessarily. She would start worrying when there was some evidence for a bad thing happening.
They turned together to walk back out onto the street. What they were faced with made Pepper freeze.
There were four men facing them, wearing riot gear and pointing automatic rifles at them. "Don't move, assholes!" the one on the right said in a deep voice, shifting his gun between the two of them.
Natasha pulled out her gun in a flash, and pointed it towards them. "What the fuck is this?" she said.
Pepper had her arms raised already, her eyes wide. "What's going on? Who are you?"
"Are you infected?" the same man with the deep voice said.
Pepper shook her head quickly. "No - no, we're not."
"What about your head?"
"That's nothing," Natasha said. "Now can you explain what's going on?"
The man on the right looked between them. "You're trespassing on military property. Now lower your weapon."
Pepper frowned. Military? What was going on here?
"Not a chance, dickhead." Natasha still had her gun raised. "Now, why don't you let me talk to whoever's in charge here? I'm sure we can figure this out."
An imposing figure stepped out from behind the line. His gun rested in his hand, and he looked straight at Natasha, a challenging smirk on his face. "That'd be me."
Natasha locked eyes with the man, let out a long sigh and, to Pepper's shock, slowly raised her arms. "Ah, fuck."
A/N: Welcome back, folks! Sorry it's been so long since I last updated, life was a bitch even before this whole coronavirus madness. But hopefully now I'll have a little more time to write. Either way, comments and kudos fuel me! I can't wait to hear what you all think about this new chapter, since I'm not too sure about it.