Nat had finally struggled out of her blanket after continuous blacking out, sleeping and wiggling. But now her hands and feet were tied together and she saw nothing to help her, she refused to look down and see her injuries because it would only make her dwell on them more. Her hands and feet where raw from the cold of last night, it didn't matter what season it was night was cold in New York, especially in the forest. Forest, water, river- I'm near the cabin, she concluded in her head. She had a sigh of relief to where she was now but that also came with worry. She knew the area but she didn't know what part of the forest she was in. She could be miles away from her cabin and by looking around she saw no others. "Help!" she screamed. Her throat hurt from being to dry. The sound came out high and soft, no one was going to hear it. "Help me!" she tried again but it produced the same sound. She struggled with her bonds but they just created sores on her ankles and wrists. She finally managed to move her arms under her legs so at least they were in front of her now- not a lot of more movement but it was an improvement. Her mind felt like it was swimming in fog; it was heavy, thick and caused her thoughts to crawl through her mind like syrup. Her body pulsed with pain but she could tell it was getting slower.
Clint sped through traffic and didn't care about red lights or stop signs- sure he probably had hundreds of people pissed off at him at this point but it was worth it since it was Nat's life was on the line. Tony's car never got far behind him as they took multiple highways, exists and roads to get to the road that finally lead them to Nat's cabin. He manage to cut an hour and a half into just under an hour, how he did it- he had no idea. His heart was in his stomach as he began looking at the sides of the roads for anything that might give him a clue. He pulled over to the shoulder of the road with no one coming or going besides them, Tony did the same and they walked to meet in the middle.
"From the times I've been here her cabin is up that way and to the right," he explained to Tony and he pointed. "But I know that a towns on the opposite road to the left," well it wasn't really a town, just a few shops that allowed the people who actually lived out here some comfort so they didn't have to travel to the city for everything they needed. "And the forest stretches for miles so I don't know where Nat is," he left out the word 'body' because he wanted for everyone else to believe she was alive even though it was a slim chance. Tony was turning around when Clint gave him some advice. "Plus, don't look back in the forest for more than 75 ft. Nat's mom isn't strong enough to put her any further, send someone back to look with me also." Tony nodded his head and ran back to the car, and Bruce stepped out. Clint let out a sigh of relief since Bruce was the smallest out of the guys but it was comforting to know if something went wrong he could beat the shit out of anyone. Clint held up his hand and pointed to the right to signal Tony and he took off down the street and then went right while the car went left.
Nat's head was bounding she could barely keep it together. She kept struggling with her hands until she had raw blisters on her wrist bleeding; she finally changed tactics and got her hands and untied her feet with her fingers starting to go numb. She finally got the knots undone and tried to stand up but imminently fell down. Her whole body felt like it was sucked of any energy she ever had. Her body started shaking a bit as she forced herself to look down at her stomach and gagged at what she saw. Her stomach was covered in drying blood with gashed in her front, she could also feel her back and gashes in them. Dirt was covering them like a fresh layer. She honestly didn't know how she got out from under it. The smell of blood was hanging over her like a cloud. She felt heavy and thick, like her body was slowly being decomposed from the inside- thoughts and movements slowed down. She struggled to crawl towards anything that might help her- she forced herself to keep going but she knew she was running out of time.
Clint was probably going 20 miles over the speed limit but he didn't care he needed to get to that cabin. He saw some other little cabins on his way there. This would be probably the best place to go if you wanted to get away from stress but right now it was causing Clint the most he had ever felt in his life. Nat could be anywhere in these miles of forest and the thought just made him angrier and angrier. His eyesight started to go red he almost missed her little blue cabin. He turned hard into the gravel driveway that almost made Bruce fly off.
"Sorry," Clint mumbled as he threw off his helmet and ran inside the house, (well after breaking down a door). It was only a two story house with a large family room on the top floor with 2 bedrooms piecing off of it and a couch. And the ground floor was just a kitchen- he searched the whole house in less than 5 minutes. He heard somewhere that you perform better when your adrenaline is basically the only thing keeping your going, Clint prayed that was true. Bruce was searching outside when Clint ran out.
"Anything?" Clint breathed out. Bruce looked down at his now muddy shoes and shook his head. Clint's hope was running out fast, he pulled out his phone and called Steve as fast as his fingers would move. Steve picked up almost imminently.
Clint: "Please tell me you have something, anything." Clint didn't mind keeping out the desperation in his voice.
Steve: "The only thing that they said was that Nat's mom came in here about 1 in the morning and bought a crappy little shovel." Clint's stomach dropped even further when he put the pieces together for this sick puzzle.
Clint: "She buried her alive…" he barely whispered into the phone.
Steve: "The girls called us just a minute ago telling us that her mom was mumbling about something with river."
Clint: "Oh god Steve… just get here ok? Please?" Clint was holding back hot tears now. Everything was a nightmare in hell, this whole thing.
Steve: "Be there as soon as we can." Steve hung up the phone and Bruce stared at Clint with a puzzled look on his face.
"What he say?" Bruce whimpered.
"She buried her alive Bruce, she buried Nat." Clint chocked out the words. He couldn't take it, he wanted to die. He wanted to be killed on the spot to keep him from feeling this. That was Nat's worse fear- being buried alive. He shoved the phone back in his pocket, picked up the nearest rock and chucked it as hard as he could at the cabin breaking a window. He screamed until his lungs where raw and his throat felt like it was made of sandpaper. Tears were now streaming down his face; Bruce came over and got in front of him.
"Stop it," he demanded at Clint.
"What?" Clint was surprised by this unusual act of boldness by Bruce.
"Stop it, Nat could be out there and you're here feeling sorry for yourself. IF YOU WANT TO HELP HER SO MUCH THEN GO OUT THERE AND LOOK FOR HER!" Bruce screamed in face. Clint was angry at Bruce but he knew he was right. All he did was give him a thankful nod, a pat on the shoulder and raced into the forest.
Nat was on her knees and scooting as fast as she could. Even through the ringing in her ears she heard a scream come from somewhere and she knew it was Clint. He was here! He was looking for here! Her chest filled with abundant hope, but her body didn't react the same way. Her eyes were growing heavier by the second. "Clint!" she tried to scream but her voice had depleted even more and it was barely a normal volume. Her breathes were getting harder and harder to maintain. Sleep just a little. NO. Sleep just a second, to get your strength back. Her mind kept telling her but she couldn't… she couldn't… She saw a distant black figure whipping their head in her direction.
He saw her. Nat, on the ground covered in dirt and in the brush, if it wasn't for his 'hawk like vision' (Thor's words not his) he could have never seen her. He sprinted and jumped over branches and logs until he was with Nat and the condition she was in made his breath vanish- and not in the good way. Her face was covered in mud and dirt. Her hair was sticking together and her shirt was dirty with mud and… blood. Clint got down on his knees and looked at Nat. She was barely keeping her eyes open and removed her hand so Clint could see all the blood she had lost.
"Nat…" he threw his backpack down and took out the gauze with shaking hands and wrapped all of it around her stomach then took off his jacked and put it around her, she was shaking a bit. He picked her up but she winced as he touched her back, he felt the gashed in her back and moved his hand so he wasn't touching them. "I'm so sorry,"
"Mom…" she barely breathed.
"Yeah, I know it was your mom," he was running out of the forest towards the road. "HELP! BRUCE!" he screamed. He could feel Nat's blood seeping into his shirt now, the thought made him sick to his stomach. "Almost Nat, I got Tony and we're going to patch you up ok? You will finally have to go to the hospital," He tried to joke with her a little.
"Sleep," she uttered as her eyes started to close.
"No Nat, stay awake. You have to stay awake." He yelled in her face as he reached the middle of the street. "BRUCE GODDAMIT WHERE ARE YOU!?" he yelled around him.
"Clint!" Clint turned to see Bruce running up the street and pointing to something behind Clint. Clint turned and saw it was Tony's car. He ran to the side and Thor opened the trunk for them and Clint, with Nat almost unconscious in his arms, climbed in while Bruce got in the middle seat.
"See Nat? You're safe… we're going to the hospital," Clint could feel the car gaining speed with every passing second.
"Don't… leave," she whispered out.
"I'm not, I have to protect you…" Clint could feel himself wanting to cry again but he couldn't in front of Nat- she needed the help right now. She gave a weak smile but then her head shot back and her eyes rolled to the back of her head with her gasps for breathes verbal. "She's having a seizure," Clint screamed from the back. "FASTER TONY! GOD FUCKING DAMMIT!" He put Nat's head on his lap and tried to get her to come back to him. "Please Nat, don't leave- I'm not."
He didn't let go of her until they pried him off when she went into surgery.
