Insane in the Brain

Chapter 14

The smell of damp concrete and blood filled my nose as we reached the mouth of the gaping chamber. The light from the tunnel we crept through only reached about five feet into the chasm, leaving the rest to our imagination.

We slowly entered the room, our footsteps echoing around the walls, giving away how truly massive the space was, as my eyes struggled to adjust I turned to my left, where I hoped Wade still stood. Feeling blindly for his arm, I accidentally smacked into his throat making him emit a spluttering strangled sound that was quickly repeated around the room. I couldn't help but let out a snort as the echo faded. 

"What the fuck was that for?" Wade whispered harshly

"Sorry I can't see shit" I laughed, "I was gonna say I bet Thor's arms would glow if you snapped them, like glowsticks.... cause like, lightning and stuff"

I heard Wade open his mouth to respond but was stopped by the sudden burst of red light that cast an eerie glow on all our faces.

It was emitting from a solitary orb towards the center of the circular chamber, the ghostly glow illuminated the stray columns and cluttered stone around the room, the shapes cast intimidated shadows up the walls.

After a nervous exchange of looks, Cap began slowly approaching the orb, us trailing behind with varying levels of apprehensiveness.

As we got closer to the light, I realized the shape directly beneath the orb wasn't simply another chunk of discarded rock. Before I could think through it I was running toward her

"Nat" I whispered desperately as I approached her

"Get behind me now" Cap ordered, his tone almost made me falter, a harshness had entered his voice that I'd never heard before, "That's an order soldier" he added, making me glare back at him.

"girl no" I said simply, a look of disgust entering my expression, I could hear Wade's giggle from behind Cap. 

I turned back to Nat's curled form without checking Cap's reaction, carefully kneeling before her I lifted her face from between her knees, but my hands nearly slipped when I saw her face, her eyes were wide but fogged, and there was no recognition it was like she was looking through me. her lips were slightly parted in a look of horror.

I clutched her face desperately, wiping the tears that slowly escaped from her eyes, searching frantically for a sign of her.

"Nat?" my voice broke slightly, my eyes darting back and forth from each of hers, the misty quality hadn't changed. I looked back at cap and thor, hoping they'd have an answer, but they reflected my confusion and fear back in their eyes.

As I turn back to Wanda, I feel a weird tingling around the crown of my head, I whipped my head around, knowing unfamiliar things in unfamiliar places generally aren't a good thing.  There was nothing, but as I returned my gaze to Nat, I saw her. Before I could react, Cap was there.

"Wanda" he addressed her, his voice low but reasonable, "you don't have to do this, we just need Nat, then we'll leave"

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that..." she paused, her hands glowing red as her feet lifted off the ground, "Captain America" an edge of disgust creeping into her voice.

She threw what looked like a ball of red light at him, but it had to be more than that because even when he blocked it with his shield he was knocked back. I started shaking Nat, trying to get her to snap out of it, yanking her arms in an attempt to get her out of the line of fire. Finally, I just caved, Throwing her over my shoulder I made my way back to Thor and Wade, the sound of Cap taking blow after blow echoing behind me. I had just set Nat down, leaning up against a broken pillar when a blast careened into the side of my ribs, sending me flying a good twenty feet into a chunk of rock. As my back collided with the stone my vision faltered, black dots threatening to overwhelm my view. I watched in bewildered horror as Wanda took on all three of my friends with mere flicks of her hands. 

I couldn't get my arms to move, I couldn't get anything to move, even the feeling of my eyes tracking the action was painful. I lay there, paralyzed, as I watched the scene unfold.

Wanda had Thor and Wade pinned against columns, each thrashing in an attempt to break free. I could only watch in horror as glowing red tendrils of energy snaked around Cap's chest and legs, lifting him off the ground, a gut-wrenching sound filled the air. A quiet cracking, like wood when its just beginning to splinter. Suddenly, a substance I soon realized was blood began to trickle from his nose and ears, even his tears were leaking crimson, one tiny little click, and his arms went limp. The red glow receded from his figure and he slumped to the ground, the scream that escaped Thor's lips was an unearthly sound, pure, guttural rage emanated from his very being. 

With one solid motion, Thor broke from whatever was keeping him against the pillar, he dropped to the ground, a white-hot glow in his eyes. Still in shock from Cap's all but dramatic end, I could barely comprehend the events playing out in front of me, a sense of hope trickled in however as Thor charged Wanda with a rage I'd never seen. But her calm stance was unnerving like she was just waiting for him to come, unbothered, before I could think through what that meant, thor was feet from her, he raised hammer but stopped completely mid-stride, the slight smile on Wanda's face confined my worst suspicions. 

With the tiniest flick of her fingers, Thor was thrown across the room and with a sickening crunching sound, collided with a column, his body slumping to the ground. I could still see faint signs of his ragged breaths but the ease with which Wanda reduced him to such a state was terrifying.

Finally, she began to approach Wade, my initial terror was quelled as I considered the situation.

She kept him elevated and just began twisting her hands in an intricate pattern, Wade's face was changing. He didn't have a reaction, which made it more confusing, I didn't understand. 

"What's she doing to me?" he called to me, unable to twist his head to see me. His tone sent shivers down my spine, he was scared, he doesn't get scared, we don't get scared.

But I don't know what she's doing to him, I have no idea why his skin was swirling on his face and neck... wait, not swirling, unswirling. His scars were unknitting themselves, smoothing out.

"Bro I think she's giving you a facial!" I yelled back, trying to keep my tone joking to hide that I was still very unsure.

Wanda just smiled and let her hands fall, Wade's face was completely normal, back to the face I hadn't seen in years, I'd forgotten what he looked like.

"There," Wanda said, looking satisfied, "all better" 

"What did you do to him?" I screamed, losing all ability to feign calm.

"I fixed him, but I have heard cancer's not easy to beat," she paused, looking at me, a malicious glee in her eyes, "it's a long hard battle... don't worry, I'll speed it up"

she simply fluttered her fingers slowly, just one slow, almost relaxed motion, that was all it took for me to watch my brother become a husk before my eyes. 

It was like a time-lapse, I watched in horror as his eyes sunk in, cheeks hollowed, his skin paled and then turned yellowed and thin, it didn't look like he was just dying, it was like everything he had that was keeping him alive was slowly leaving him. A single rasp let his throat as he tried to speak, but it took over too fast, I couldn't make a sound as I watched the cancer slowly devour him, then, almost as fast as it started, the light left his face, his eyes glassed over, every recognizable thing about him was gone. No smile, no glint in his eye, not even a hint of him was left.

Then I was screaming, I don't remember starting I just was, I couldn't articulate anything but just screaming no no no no over and over and over, I could feel my throat tearing but I couldn't register it. 

I just screamed until I couldn't anymore, then those familiar little black dots on the edge of my vision decided it was their time to shine, as they encroached upon my eyes I let out a breath and just let myself descend into darkness.

quiet.

A/N

hey besties! I hope you enjoyed.

Its still crazy that even when I don't update for a while y'all keep reading and voting and stuff so that's really swag thank you! 

Also, I'm currently kinda obsessed with heartstopper anyone that's also having a crisis, pop off :)

Grey <3