A/N:
Last time on A Scared New World:
The group was separated by a terrible storm, and have made their way to town in small groups. A walker bite forced Tony to chop off Bucky's hand, and Pepper and Natasha were cornered by an aggressive group of soldiers. Things are looking bleak.
Rhodey sat in a chair by the window, his hand gripping his knife as he looked down at the street. As he watched, a gust of wind picked up a few leaves and sent them swirling through the air. It was getting late now, and the light was dimming, the sun going down behind the buildings across the street.
He, Clint and May had found their way into this abandoned apartment hours ago, and had hunkered down to rest. At first, it seemed like May would never get to sleep, but eventually she managed to relax and close her eyes. Maybe it was that she was still getting back to full strength after her illness, but even in sleep she looked exhausted.
Clint had taken first watch, but he had just switched with Rhodey not too long ago so he could get some rest for himself. Now Rhodey was looking down at the street for himself.
In the time that he'd been sitting there, he hadn't seen a thing. That should have been a good thing, but somehow it bothered him. Usually on watch you'd see at least one wandering walker. The street below seemed unnaturally abandoned.
Rhodey sighed and looked over at May and Clint, who were sleeping on the couch and the floor respectively. He hoped that they woke up soon. If they didn't, he'd have to wake them himself. He wanted Clint to get his rest, but at the same time he didn't want to be in this town anymore. Something was making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, and he didn't even really have hair there.
He had been hopeful that they'd find something good in this town, or at least find Tony and the others, but now he was wishing that they'd all stayed at that cabin in the woods.
Rhodey chuckled despite himself. Man, but oh how things had changed.
He did wonder sometimes why they kept moving so much. It would be nice to hunker down and find some place stable to just stay. But there was always something keeping them moving - a walker attack, food, people… fear.
Rhodey bit the inside of his cheek as he leaned into his chair and turned to look back out the window.
What he saw made him blink, and then lean forwards suddenly, his eyes wide and his heart beating in his chest.
"Oh, my god," he breathed.
That was Pepper down there! And Natasha!
They were being pushed in the direction of the gates they had seen that morning, their hands held high above their heads and guns pointed at their backs.
"Clint!" Rhodey hissed. "Clint!"
He moved over to shake his friend, and Clint came awake with a gasp. Clint had always been quick to awareness, and it was no different now. He studied Rhodey's face for only a moment before he said, "What is it?"
"Get up," Rhodey said, voice low. "It's Pepper and Natasha. They're outside."
Clint's eyes widened, and he scrambled to his feet. "What?" he exclaimed.
Rhodey held him back. "Just… quiet. There's some other people out there too. It doesn't look good."
Clint nodded and they stalked quickly to the window before looking out, hiding their bodies behind the walls on either side.
The group was almost right below them now, and Rhodey felt anger rise in his chest as he saw one of the guards (at least they looked like guards) try and trip Pepper. She stumbled, but thankfully was able to keep her feet.
"Oh, fuck me," Clint breathed.
Rhodey couldn't help but agree. "Yeah, this does not look good. Who are those people?"
Clint was still looking down at Pepper and Natasha, seemingly unaware that Rhodey had spoken. "You've got to be fucking kidding me," he growled.
Rhodey snapped his gaze to his friend with the sudden feeling that Clint somehow knew more about what was going on then he did. "What?" he said.
Clint glanced at Rhodey. There was anger in his gaze, and something else as well - fear? After a moment's pause, he revealed, "I know that guy. The one up front. And he's not good news."
Rhodey hadn't bothered to study any one man too closely. Now he looked at the man in front - a tall, broad shouldered guy wearing dark clothes. His expression looked stony, and he was holding a large gun in his hands.
"Seriously?" Rhodey said, squinting. How many damn people did Clint know? "Who is he?"
"Oh, my god," a voice behind them said, and Rhodey turned to see that May had woken and gotten up to look through the window. She crouched down low to avoid being seen, her eyes wide and scared.
None of them moved. Rhodey knew that whatever they did wouldn't be enough to get Pepper and Natasha away from those guys without also getting them shot. So for now, no matter how infuriating it was, they would have to stay put.
Clint shook his head and muttered to himself, "He fucking would have survived. Fuck."
As they watched, Pepper and Natasha were walked forwards towards the gates. One of the guards brought out a key and unlocked the padlock on the door. It swung open, and Rhodey squinted to see anything beyond the fence. But because of the afternoon shadows he couldn't make anything out. The group made it through the door and it closed behind them with a soft clang.
"Shit," Rhodey cursed, his voice louder now that they were gone. "This is not good. This is… fuck." He turned to Clint. "What is this? Who the hell is that?"
"I don't know what this is, but I know that man." Clint's expression was stony. "He's dangerous, and smart. Not to mention fucking crazy."
"Crazy?" May said, looking concerned. "How do you know him?"
Clint shook his head. "It doesn't matter," he dismissed. "What matters is that we get Nat and Pepper out of there as soon as possible."
"Um… 'doesn't matter?'" Rhodey frowned. "Clint, man - I think it matters. You gotta tell us what you know about this guy."
"It's not important how I know him," Clint snapped, sounding frustrated. "Just… look, he's someone that I know from before. We… we worked together."
"Worked together?" Rhodey repeated, confused. What kind of work had Clint been doing that he got that sort of impression from this guy?"
"What's his name?" May asked.
Clint let out a short breath, his face resigned. And then he told them.
Tony stood on one side of Bucky, helping Steve support his weight and keep him moving. They'd been moving off and on all day, stopping whenever Bucky needed to. He was still bleeding steadily from the stump on the end of his arm. But hey, he wasn't a walker. These days, you had to count your blessings.
Peter was walking a little ahead of them, looking out for danger through the trees. They had been moving infuriatingly slowly, but it looked like they might be coming up on the town now, since the trees were thinning out.
Bucky groaned beside him, and tripped over his own feet.
"We should stop," Steve said, glancing over at Tony.
Tony couldn't help but let out a huff of irritation. "We've only been going for like fifteen minutes," he said.
"And we should stop," Steve replied firmly.
Bucky swallowed roughly. "I - I'm good. We can keep going."
Steve frowned. "Shut up, Bucky. You're not good."
"You can say that again," Tony muttered, raising his eyebrows.
Steve must have heard, because he snapped, "You want me to remind you why we're in this mess?"
Tony scoffed incredulously. "Seriously? You want to come at me again for saving your friend? Go right ahead. All I'm saying is that if we don't keep moving, we're never gonna make it anywhere!"
"Guys -" Bucky weakly tried to interject.
But Tony and Steve just talked over him, bickering.
Suddenly Peter's voice snapped through the air. "Would you guys cut it out?"
Tony looked up to see that Peter had turned around to look at them, an annoyed expression on his face and his hands clenched at his sides.
"You arguing isn't helping anybody. It's not helping Bucky. And it's getting annoying! So… stop!" Peter exclaimed. Then, having finished, he paused awkwardly for a moment before turning back around and stomping forwards.
Tony's eyebrows were halfway up his forehead. He turned to look at Steve, and the other man looked just as surprised as him.
Bucky just chuckled weakly between them. "Thank god someone said it," he muttered.
"Do you need to stop?" Steve asked him. "Or can you keep going?"
Bucky swallowed. "I think… I think I can keep going. I don't think we have a choice, anyway. But the next time I pass out I'd like to know I won't be gnawed on again."
"You and me both," said Steve. "Okay, let's keep going. Lean on us as much as you need to."
Bucky took him up on that offer, and Tony stumbled a little with the added weight.
Thankfully, they didn't have to make it much farther, because Peter came running back to them, his eyes bright.
"What is it?" Tony said sharply, reaching for his knife. "Is it walkers?"
Peter shook his head, smiling. "We made it. The town's up ahead."
"Oh, thank god," Steve said, obviously relieved. "You hear that, Buck? Just a little further."
Bucky nodded listlessly.
"Did you see anybody?" Tony asked Peter.
"No," Peter said. "But there's something in the road, I don't really know what it is."
"What?" Tony said, confused. But as they made it over the next hill, he realized what Peter was talking about. They'd broken onto the road, and to the left of them was what looked like a blockade to keep walkers out.
"There's buildings on the other side," Peter was saying. "They've probably got food, and maybe -"
He broke off, but Tony understood. Maybe the others were there. It felt wrong to say it aloud, like maybe they'd jinx it.
They made it to the barrier, but as soon as they started to try and move over it there was trouble. It was obvious that Bucky was too weak to make it over on his feet. They could try to carry him, but it would be awkward as hell.
Eventually, white faced and sweaty, Bucky's knees buckled beneath him, and they were forced to lower him to the ground.
Steve looked to Tony. "What do we do?" he said. "Is there - is there something we can use to carry him?"
Tony was looking around. This whole place was making him uneasy. The sun was setting, and it was difficult to see far. They'd yet to see signs of any walkers or people. The streets were eerily empty - too empty to be natural. It was obvious that there had been a secured place here once, but was it still secure now? Were they walking into walker infested territory?
What he did spy was a covered doorway, and he pointed to it. "Let's just get him over there," he said. "Then we'll talk. Peter, stick close."
Peter was halfway up the barrier, looking over it to the other side, but he scrambled back down to meet them in the doorway. "What do we do?" he asked Tony. "This place is weird."
Tony nodded at him. "Yeah, I'm getting a weird feeling, too. But I don't think we really have a choice other than to look around. We need food, and we need shelter. This isn't enough," he said, gesturing around.
Steve was hovering over Bucky, who by the looks of it had passed out completely. He had a hand at his throat, measuring his pulse, and looked concerned.
"How is he?" Peter asked.
Steve looked up and shook his head. "He's not doing good," he said. "He's lost a lot of blood, and we've been walking all day. I don't know if he has any energy left."
Tony saw Peter look back at the barrier, and then at him, a thoughtful look on his face.
"What?" Tony said. "What are you thinking?"
Peter looked surprised at the question, but he recovered quickly. "I - I think we should go over and check it out. See if there's food or water or anything."
"I don't know," Steve said hesitantly. "I don't like the idea of splitting up any more. If you two get into trouble, I won't be able to help."
Tony looked back at Peter, whose expression was determined. "No, he's right," he told Steve. "Bucky can't move over this barrier. We'll just have to go over and come back with supplies."
Steve looked for a moment like he wanted to argue, but the fight drained out of him as he turned back to Bucky. "Okay," he said softly. "I'll try my best not to move from here. Just… be quick."
Tony nodded, putting a hand on Peter's back to guide him out of the doorway. "We'll see you back here soon."
"Good luck."
There was barely any light left in the sky, but Tony was grateful for what light they did have as they crossed over the barrier. Doing it blind would have been near impossible, what with all the strange bits balanced and poking out everywhere.
Eventually, and not quietly enough in Tony's opinion, they made it to the other side of the barrier.
This side of the street looked much the same - still eerily clean and empty. The windows of the buildings were empty, though some were boarded up.
Peter was a few steps in front of him as they turned the corner onto the next street.
"Look," Peter whispered, pointing ahead. "Look, I think that's a fence."
Tony squinted into the darkness, and could barely make it out. "What…" he muttered, confused. Shaking his head, he turned to look at the storefronts to either side of them. Several of them looked completely boarded up, but there were a few that probably wouldn't be too hard to break into. And with luck, there would be water and food.
But suddenly Peter's voice rang out, much louder than before. "Shit!" he cursed, and Tony snapped to look at him as he scrambled backwards.
"What is it?" Tony hissed, running forwards towards the kid, and pushing him behind himself. There was nothing in sight. "What -"
Tony spotted something stuck in the ground right in front of where Peter had been walking. He reached forwards and wrapped a hand around it before pulling it out of the ground.
An arrow.
Excitement flared up. This wasn't just any arrow. This was -
"Tony, look!" Peter whispered, pointing upwards at a window on the second level.
Tony grinned.
"Man, it's so good to see you," Tony said to Clint as they walked up the stairs. "Is… who's with you?" he asked. He both desperately wanted to hear the answer and was terrified of it.
Clint looked over his shoulder at him. "Pepper's not here," he said. "But I do have news on her."
Tony's heart stopped, and he grasped for balance on the wall, immediately assuming the worst.
"No!" Clint reassured quickly. "She's not - she's not dead," he said.
Tony felt relief, and then confusion. "Then what -"
"I'll explain everything in a second," he said, and pushed open a door to let them into where they had been hiding out.
Tony was buoyed further as he saw Rhodey, and there was -
"May!" Peter pushed past Tony and ran for his aunt. The two of them hugged each other tightly, May tucking her nephew's head into her chest. Tony saw her expression crumple in relief.
"Thank god," May breathed. "Oh, thank god."
Tony smiled softly at the two of them, and then turned to Clint and Rhodey. "Steve and Bucky are alive," he said quickly. "But Bucky's not doing so good."
"What does that mean?" Rhodey asked. "Is he hurt, or...?"
"He…" Tony let out a breath. "Well, he was bit."
"Shit," Clint said, running a hand through his hair.
Tony held up his hands. "But it's not - he's not turning. He got bit in the hand, and I chopped it off."
He'd been trying to sound reassuring, but from the way Rhodey's eyes bugged out he probably hadn't been successful.
"What?" Rhodey hissed. "Holy fuck, Tony."
Tony swallowed. "Yeah. He - he's lost a lot of blood. We had to leave him on the other side of the barrier with Steve."
"But - that worked?" Clint said, sounding doubtful. "When was he bitten?"
"Last night. So I mean, it could just be happening slower, but he should have turned by now. And he's weak, but not the same way that people are when they get bit."
"We need to go and get them," Peter said, and then he looked around, as if noticing for the first time that people were missing. "But wait - where's Nat?" he asked May. "And… and Pepper?"
"They're alive," May said. "But…" she looked up at Clint. "It's complicated."
Tony frowned. "Complicated? What the hell does that mean? Where are they? Did you see them?"
Clint nodded. "You saw that fence down the street, right?"
Tony nodded. "What is it? Is this a safe zone?"
"We don't really know," said Rhodey. "The sign says it's a military zone, but -"
"But we don't know who's really in there," Clint finished. "But Pepper and Nat - they've been captured."
Tony's heart raced in his chest. "Captured? What? By who? What's going on?"
Rhodey put a hand on Tony's shoulder. "Relax, man. We're working on a plan."
"The man who took them, he's someone that I know from - from before," Clint said.
"Who?" Tony said, starting to feel desperate now. He wanted Pepper here with him. He wanted to know that she was safe. To hear this - he didn't understand how this had happened, or what was happening really.
Clint turned to look at him and said levelly, "His name's Nick Fury."
A/N: Hey, everybody. Sorry it's been so long. Turns out this quarantine thing has been terrible for my mental health, so I haven't been writing as much as I'd like. But I hope y'all enjoyed this. Let me know what you think is gonna happen! And don't worry, I'm not planning on abandoning this story. Hope y'all and your loved ones are safe out there!