A/N: Apologies for the previous upload consisting of only code, it clearly didn't like the formatting. I found a few chapters I'd written of this story which I didn't know about, and felt guilty that this hadn't been worked on in a very long while due to illness, so I'm uploading them. :)


-CHAPTER THREE-

It was a normal bathroom. The lighting was as plain and grey as it had always been, no longer the recent vibrant red. There was no way the drain I was sat on was large enough to transport all that water away in that time and the ceiling, well, there was actually a ceiling and it looked as normal and moulding as the rest of the town did. Clearly I wasn't in the place I was in a moment ago, so maybe it was a dream, yet how were my clothes soaked? How did my arm hurt? How did I hear those things?

It wasn't long before I was hyperventilating.

Had that really just happened? I thought the monstrous dogs were just a trick of the light, maybe, but those clowns were... even the films couldn't come up with something so deformed so they had to be real, right? There was no way I could have dreamt of something so horrible. There was no way my mind could have ever come up with something so horrible. No way.

I'm terrified.

There was a door in the corner of the bathroom, but I didn't want to open it. I didn't understand what was going on with this town and, really, all hopes of this being an elaborate setup went down the drain with the water. I check my watch, only to find that it's dead. The feeling that came over me was more than isolation. I felt stranded, cut-off, like this was some horrible dream I was watching and not experiencing. The path I was on was so foggy that I couldn't see the end of it, or where I came from, and I didn't know whether to turn back or keep walking. I felt as though I was running from something, but what? There was no one here but myself.

Eventually, my heart calmed and I left through the door to find myself in a long corridor with worn wallpaper and, from the looks of the lockers, this used to be a school. I needed to leave this town as I was obviously starting to imagine shit. The fog must have been smoke and I must have been high off of the fumes. The black mould was doing the same thing. It was the only explanation for any of this, it just had to be. I took a left and hoped that I'd find the exit this way, ignoring the uncomfortable feeling of leaving footprints behind in the dust. There was no one in this town, so really there was no point in getting uncomfortable.

Who am I kidding? I was as uncomfortable as uncomfortable could be. Everything was shaking me up from the spider webs along the windows to that damn fog. I jumped when I saw movement at the end of the hall and almost fall into a set of lockers in the process. It was a small child with messy brown hair who had run across the mouth of the corridor. I kept telling myself not to do it, I was already regretting it, but I knew what I was going to happen next because, really, I had to follow the kid. If he was here too, then he needed to get out because it clearly wasn't a safe place for a child. "Oi! Come back here!" I called out as I followed the kid around the corner, the child giggling as he went.

He wasn't there. Of course he wasn't there. I grabbed my bow. If this was going to be a repeat of what happened with... with Barney, then I wanted to be prepared for it. One step, two step... nothing happens but I don't breathe a sigh of relief because that would be the exact moment something bad happened, even if the school was just abandoned and dusty. Speaking of dust, well, the child didn't leave any footprints in the dust so either I was imagining things again, which was likely, or he was a ghost kid, which was also likely. To be fair that was to be expected as I was already getting the Creepy Vibes from this place.

Maybe I'm dead. Maybe this is purgatory and I actually fell down that mine shaft from before. Why would they make purgatory a school though? I noticed something a little further down the hallway and ended up picking up a key which wasn't labelled. That was sure useful, but I kept it with me anyway. I mean, maybe I'd figure out what this school wanted from me. Hah. Now I'm making buildings sentient. There's something wrong with me.

Ahah! I checked in my backpack, which was remarkably dry but I didn't want to pay attention to that and go back to that place, and took out the newspaper article from before. Ray Knotts. There might be a reason why I awoke in this school, of all places. The kid I saw running was definitely Ray Knotts, so it was likely this school was the place where he died! Maybe I was meant to come here all along? As much as I wanted to leave, it wouldn't hurt to find out what happened to this kid. Schools have rooms full of records, right? I honestly didn't know, considering I never completed education, but the movies always suggested they existed so it was worth a shot. Movies need to have some truth to them.

The school had a kind of melancholy feel about it. It was worn out, yes, but there was no black rot around like in the apartment building and it just seemed like the school was old and neglected. It was as though the inhabitants had one day just left suddenly and the school was forgotten about, collecting a layer of dust. As though children no longer needed to learn. That was familiar. I'd been trying to deny the sense of familiarity following me around but something about this town seemed so damn familiar, yet I knew for a fact I'd never been to this school - I never attended anything past 2nd Grade by the time my parents died. I felt like I was part of this town, as weird as that sounds, and I needed to find out why, so hopefully Ray Knotts would be able to point me in the right direction. I mean, that place might not be real but I definitely recognised that hairbrush...

The record room was difficult to find because schools were built like mazes, and my throat was dry by the time I got there due to all the dust in the air. The door was locked, but creepily enough (that word could be used to describe everything) the key I picked up earlier fit the lock exactly and turned with some effort due to all the rust on the handle.

Thankfully, the filing cabinets were not locked so I began searching through them for the surname Knotts. They had Kane, Kimberly, Knares but no Knotts. How was that possible? The town was small, it was a local paper, there was no way in hell there was more than one school. Maybe they covered it up, maybe it was so scandalous that they had to destroy all evidence of the child. That thought disgusted me - how could they simply delete a person like that? Didn't anyone care? I slammed the cabinet drawer shut and made to leave, but then another filing drawer opened slowly on its own. I paused for a moment, wondering if I should really look, but... I had to go with the flow. I cautiously walked over, looking around as I did and readying myself for something to jump out at me. The files here were from the top of the alphabet A-D. It was unlikely that Knotts would be here, but I could at least try and-

That name should not have been on any file in this town, right?

I picked up the file titled "BARTON, Barney" and opened it, only to come face to face with a photo of him at about the age of fifteen, smiling and rubbing his hand over the head of a young boy. That was me. This was a photo taken years ago. How in god's name did this end up here of all places? This was too weird. My shock caused me to, foolishly, drop the file. I'm not proud of it, but it probably saved my life because, as I bent down to pick it up, a ball and chain the size of a table came flying through the wall, breaking through the drywall on the other size with ease and taking the filing cabinet with it.

Well, if you ignored the size of the ball and the amount of force that was probably needed to move it that much and Jesus Christ where did that come from? The ball moves back, knocking down the wall entirely and that's when I see it.

If only I knew what "it" was.

The thing was humanoid in shape, I knew that much. About eight foot tall, maybe more, as his legs were bent and twisted along with a sloping, stunted back due to the weight of the ball on such a short chain. His feet were so mangled that his toes were nothing more than bloody stumps and they seemed mis-sized in comparison to the creature's broad and muscular back. Despite this, its arms were nothing more than flesh stretched over bone and I don't understand how he was able to move the balls, let alone with that amount of force.

Chains wrapped around its body and arms, digging into the skin with painful red gashes, ending at the balls which were easily the weight of a small car. Its hands were also oversized and it would hold itself like a gorilla, balancing on the knuckles of hands which gripped tightly onto its chains. However the thing which I couldn't keep my eyes off of was the monster's face. It had an executioner's bag over it, which had a wet patch on the left hand side, and this was more intimidating than seeing a distorted face.

Now, this description was given at a later time because the moment I saw it, I couldn't think of anything other than putting it down. I must have stuck at least ten arrows in the thing on my way down the hallway and yet it still stood there, slowly dragging those balls along the ground with a dreadful grinding noise. I had no idea if it was ever going to go down, but I didn't want to stay near the thing to find out at this point so I turned and ran, the clatter of metal following me as it swung at me - knocking down another wall.

I had to get out of the building, otherwise it would knock it down on top of me. My feet kicked clouds of dust into the air, which made it harder to see regardless of the crumbling drywall around me. Clumps of rubble began to fall from the ceiling, blocking off passages and forcing me to run in one direction and I only hoped that it would lead to the exit, Jesus I sure hoped it did. The creature could move surprisingly quickly, despite the mangled legs trailing behind him on the floor, and every time I looked over my shoulder he was towering over me and knocking down another wall, so I promptly stopped that habit.

You couldn't comprehend the relief I felt when I saw the double doors leading to the outside and charged at them, almost tripping down the concrete stairs when I finally emerged into the stale fog again. I was going to keep running, it would obviously be chasing me after all, but a glance back showed that there was nothing there. In fact, the school was still intact, not crumbling to the ground. Everything was quiet in the fog and it seemed to keep everything in a set state of, well, nothing.

I stood there, catching my breath and wondering why there was a file on Barney there. And why had I seen him before? It doesn't make sense. Barney is dead, so why was I seeing ghosts? Was this a real ghost town? Either way, it was beginning to get dark out and I was exhausted both mentally and physically. I would need to set up a place to sleep for the night, because there was no chance of me navigating these streets in the dark with that thing out there. I felt trapped for the first time in a long time and thinking of that thing only frightened me more, yet at the same time I felt oddly sad. Like pity, almost. I'm not sure what for - this town or myself, maybe.

Exhaustion was obviously getting to me, so I drew my bow (I wondered if it even had any use left, considering the effect it had on that thing) and started scouting the area for a place to sleep. It couldn't be on the ground, due to the dogs, and if it was high up it needed to be sheltered in case it started to rain or if that thing spotted me.

Eventually, I decided on a subway station. All the doors were locked and I had to climb through a small hole to get into the place I'd decided to sleep in so the Executioner (yes, I gave it a name because calling it 'that thing' was getting confusing) wouldn't be able to find me at least. The place stunk of a sewer, too, so I doubted the dogs would come down here due to the stench. I found a hole to hide in like a rat and, as pathetic as I felt, I would much rather be alive as a rat than dead as an Avenger.

God. The Avengers. Were they even out there looking for me? I pulled my legs close to my chest to keep in body heat. There was no way I was lighting a fire in an enclosed area - I would just die from smoke fumes and that really would be a pathetic way to go, considering all I've been through. I still didn't have a radio or have any idea of what to do next except try and find a road out of town, let alone contemplating finding Tony. He would have to be an idiot to come in here, really.

An idiot like me. I knew I should have turned around the second I saw that sign, I knew it, but Natasha had ensured me that Tony was in here. That poor bastard. I wonder if this was happening to him, too? He was probably smart enough to make his way out immediately and to not follow a ghost before being knocked out by a police cruiser.

And I still don't fully understand what happened in that... other place. Was it a dream? If so, do I want to go to sleep?

I don't know if I managed to sleep or not, but my body was starting to ache from sitting in that position for so long and I started to feel tetchy about staying in one place too. When I crawled out of my hole, I stretched out the kink in my shoulders and hoped that it was daylight at least. Nothing had attacked me for a while, so I was starting to get a little paranoid, but I still needed to decide on my next move. Namely leaving.

Sadly, the school turned out to be in the middle of town and, because the subway doors were locked (and firmly as I tried breaking into them already) I couldn't use the subway tubes to travel to the outskirts of town. I figured out which way I should head, hoping that the fog wouldn't be too thick that I'd miss a turn off or something, and made my way outside after checking that the coast was clear. It was early morning and the fog was thinner, but it still blocked out most of the distant buildings. The roads were long and lifeless, thank god, but I didn't want to take this slow as there was a lot of distance to make before I could leave and I wanted to leave before the end of the day.

Only it seemed the town didn't agree with that.

The path I had chosen had been blocked off by a sheer construction wall which just made it all the more difficult to get around. I changed to a grappling arrow and aimed for the top of the wall for a purchase. It hit, of course it hit, so I gave the rope a few strong tugs to check if it could take my weight and began climbing up the wall. I took the climb slow this time because the town was so old that the wall would likely fall apart and a fall didn't sound fun. The fog was just as thick at the top of the wall and I couldn't see the floor on the other side, which was just great. Anything could be down there from dogs to a bottomless chasm and I didn't want to jump down, so I had to climb to the side of the wall to see if I could find a way down via one of the buildings. There was a fire ladder, thankfully, which I could climb down to ensure that there was nothing on the ground before proceeding.

Heck, there was nothing there - it was just a normal street - so why was there even a wall just built there? I marked it down as an obstacle anyway just in case I'm on the run because scaling a wall whilst the Executioner is after you is something that will get me killed. I'm positive of that. I checked my map again to follow the plotted route and, as I pass by a burger shop, someone calls out to me causing me to flinch again. That's the thing with this place. You're concentrating so hard on not being caught off guard that you always do get caught off guard.

But yes, someone calls out to me in such a familiar voice that I couldn't believe my own ears.

"Clint! Hey Clint buddy! Fancy seeing you around here, huh?" Wade says. Wade. Wade Wilson, the 'Merc with a Mouth', Deadpool, whatever the hell you want to call him, was here. I drew my bow at him because there was no way in hell I was trusting my eyes with this one because there was no way in hell Wade would be here. He puts up his hands in a mock defensive position but I still don't lower my bow. "Oh come on! Is that any way to treat your buddy? We haven't seen each other in - eight months I think - and you welcome me like this? Rude. Plain rude."

I always knew Wade was light-hearted about everything, but how the hell could he be calm in this town? "What the hell are you doing here?!" I state, still not lowering my bow. Hell, I know it's useless against him but if it's a monster in disguise then it won't be useless. "And what's with all this 'Clint buddy' crap - do you have any idea where you are?" He smiles at me under his stupid mask and god I just want to let loose the arrow even if it is him.

"Uh, getting a burger? But sadly no one's here but a bunch of monsters so now I'm talking to you, but if you're just going to be impolite then I'll go find those other two an-" He starts to walk away, but I drop my arrow and stop him.

"Wait, wait, what? What other two? And you know there are monsters here and are acting so damn casual about it?" Talking to Deadpool always made my head hurt. He looks around, faces some odd direction and whisper's 'what's got him so worked up?' before turning back to me. There was no one there to talk to, but you're already aware that Wade is a little more than unhinged.

"The other two. You know, rich-pants and purple-pants?" He says as though it were the most obvious thing in the world and, after sending him a confused glare, he sighs and then keeps talking. Well, he was probably going to keep talking anyway. "That guy who's super rich and has a tonne of machines and that other greasy guy who turns into the green guy?" Stark and Banner. "I saw rich-pants arguing with some hobo in a baseball hat and, when I got closer, figured out it was purple-pants. I left when rich-pants punched purple-pants in the face, because the green bean hates me from that one time with Wolverine where he broke my favourite gun and that wasn't fun. At all."

He makes a move to keep talking but I'd heard enough, so I clamp a hand over his mouth. Or, er, his mask. "Shut up, damn it! There are monsters out there and, you might not care, but I do and you need to tell me right now where you saw Stark and Banner." I hear a muffled 'ohhh so that's what they're called' from under my hand and remove it with a sigh. I still had no clue what Wade was even doing here, but this was the first damn lead I'd had. Stark was here and, not only that, but so was Bruce Banner. I didn't know what Bruce was doing here, either. Heck, wouldn't he have turned into the Hulk by now if he was here? God I was second-guessing everything now.

"Ah! It was near the docks. Well, see you around Clint - gonna find my own way outta this story." He says suddenly, snapping me out of my thoughts and then he just casually walks away into the fog, humming a song as he went. I would have gone after him, said it was dangerous but... It was Wade. He was likely to shoot me in the back or lure a million monsters to us. Or both at the same time. I don't know what he was doing here, but if what he said was true...

Wait. What if this was just the town conjuring up an image of Wade just to fool me into believing that they were here? What if the town set a trap at the docks?

...What other choice did I have, though? Leave and live with the guilt of leaving Tony and Bruce behind if they were there? I curse under my breath and climb up the fire ladder from before in order to work out another route to the docks Wade was talking about. I take out the map again and figure that there are two routes. One which involves taking a long walk around town and the other, well, it was much shorter but involved walking through the graveyard.

At this point, I was really tempted to take the long way around but I really needed to find them both so... I took the graveyard. Ended up having to climb back over that damn wall (see what I mean about the town not wanting to let me leave?) and walk back the way I'd already come from. Nothing happened on my way there but I didn't know that, so of course I'm anxious the entire journey and, well, by the time I get to the graveyard I don't want to enter because I haven't been attacked yet.

I'm going to get attacked in there I just know it.

The gates open with much effort and with an echoing creak which doesn't do anything for my nerves. The fog had gotten thicker as the day moved on, which didn't make much sense considering fog tended to be a morning and evening thing, so the silhouettes of tombstones could only just be identified. If a monster was in here, god, it would blend in easily. I readied an arrow and made my way slowly through the fog, checking behind each stone figure as I went. The only noise, yet again, was my feet along the gravel pathway and the sound of wind which had no obvious direction.

I felt sweat collect on my brow because dear god did I hate the sound of silence. My mind kept playing tricks on me and I swore I kept hearing whispers or other footsteps but there was no movement. I just wanted to leave, I couldn- no. No I wasn't going to start chickening out. What kind of Avenger am I if I'm afraid of the possibility of something being in the fog? I still wanted to leave though.

I'm about halfway across the graveyard when a screech from a nearby raven causes me to stop and nearly kill a bird. The first normal animal I see and it just happens to be the bird associated with death? Uneasy, I looked around once more in case it was a trap but I still couldn't hear or see anything. The bird is perched on a small and crumbling tombstone and I can only just make out what is written:

"HE- LIE- THE BODY - RAY -NOT-

BORN 12 - -

DIE- - - - AGE- 8

- LOV- - - - FAMILY"

Ray Knotts again. The tombstone is so worn out that the majority of the words are wiped out, but I got the gist of it. Just who was this kid? And what is so important about him? He keeps showing up and I'm no closer to understanding why he wanted to kill himself. Maybe he didn't. Maybe it was murder or a conspiracy or something but this kid... I feel like he's haunting me for some reason. The raven flies away and I take a note of the inscription just in case I need it later.

Part of me thinks I will, considering what's been happening.

It was then that I heard a loud gulp of air from behind the tombstone and raise my bow again. I see a paw scramble for purchase on the stone before a mangled dog's head reveals itself from behind the rock. I take a step back, only to hear the haunting noise of a record skipping to my right, and I know immediately that I'm surrounded and that they've been following me and waiting to catch me off guard.

I fire at the one behind Ray Knotts' tomb and put it down quickly, jumping over the tombstone to find something to give me the edge against them. A tree to climb, a mausoleum. Anything because because mauled to death by mangled dogs is not my idea of fun. The ground is uneven and difficult to get a proper footing on, but for the dogs it's fine. They try and cut me off so I take a right, jump over a gravestone and fall before landing hard on dirt and roots. I no longer hear the sound of the dogs chasing me but my head took a hit in the fall and it takes me a moment to catch my bearings.

When I realise that I've fallen into an open grave marked 'Barney Barton', I wonder whether I should have taken my chances with the dogs. This didn't make any sense, but why did I expect anything to make sense anymore? My brother wasn't buried here. The grave wasn't entirely empty, though, as there was a rotten wooden door at the head of it covered in moss. I could always climb my way out but it would take effort and those dogs would surely be waiting with the advantage, so I figured the door was my best option. Who in their right mind walks through a door you find in an open grave?